I have always been extremely happy with the sound of my amplifier and as a reviewer (www.hifipig.com) I regularly come across many alternatives. However, when my amp dropped a channel I needed a repair fairly quickly and by someone I had full faith in. I had heard of John’s work but never had the need to speak with him previously but once I did , I knew John was my “go to man” ! John agreed to repair the amp but also persuaded me to have some upgrade work done at the same time. I won’t go into all the changes made but suffice to say that I had his ‚Äúfull monty upgrade‚Äù. The first thing I have to say is that it was money extremely well spent ! When the amp was returned and hooked back into my system it took a couple of days to settle down. I could hear improvements but I wasn’t overly impressed with the overall sound. The bass immediately seemed firmer and more agile which the amp is renowned for anyway. The treble seemed a little on the hard side and the midband seemed a little dark, recessed and uninspiring. However, I was confident that this was simply due to the new caps etc. that still needed time to bed in and reveal their true sonic character.
I have experienced the amp’s improvement for around six weeks now. I am convinced it is still improving and it is quite a wrench to un-hook it from my system anytime I have something here for review. The treble and mid-range are now first class and far superior to how I remember it previously. The bass region is now quite astonishing. The weight, power and sure-footed low end detail is quite phenomenal. Perhaps the most astonishing difference is how the noise floor has dropped to an incredible low. I could wax lyrical about this for pages but I simply wish to commend John Sampson as a true master craftsman of his trade. I cannot recommend his work highly enough.
Thank you John !
Lionel Payne