I could not resist popping this low-power solid-state integrated amplifier into the mix. Every audio no-no is committed here: op-amps (integrated circuits), teensy chassis, midget speaker terminals, and stepped pots that are way too coarse.
     Twenty-five watts is a lot of power for this survey, but it was not the resulting dynamic oomph that impressed the listeners: Try the effortless non-fatiguing sound and the best bass I have heard from any amplifier. Unlike Herb Reichert (see his Gaincard review in Vol. 5, No. 1), I like this amp cold as well as warmed up. Transient snap is so sharp and clear it is almost overwhelming. But then the hotter it gets (as in time spent playing music) the more three-dimensional it becomes---so be patient.
     The Gaincard has a clear neutrality I associate with SETs. I do not get the push/pull listening barrier often heard as tension or awkwardness in the sustain, nor do I hear diminished (transistor) decay.
     When I read a good review of a new product, I wait to hear it myself or to see if two more positive reviews appear. Well, count this as Rave No. 2. And think of this short mention as being in keeping with the Gaincard's greatness: Less is more. Itú the best transistor amplifier I ever heard in my system. It redefines effortless clarity, and can drive a far wider group of loudspeakers than any of these low-powered SETs.