Hi StPatGuy
I have an ASL MG S1 15DT. It is absolutely superb - the most musical of all my amps (Onkyo Integra M504, Yamaha M80, Kenwood KA9100). I spoke with Kevin from Upscale a few times, and he thinks the Prima Luna is much better than the ASL. I can hardly imagine this, because the ASL sounds so good, but Kevin has always been square with me.
I haven't made it over to Upscale either, but someday I'll have the time.
I think the challenge about high end sound is to try to get there for as little money as possible. Sometimes, for me, this means "buy used." I have a pair of Thiel CS 3.6 speakers which I got from local classifieds for a few dollars more than a pair of M80s. I paid much less for the Onk and Yamaha M80s than I could get comparable amps new.
Then there are giant killers like the ASL MGS115DT and the Prima Luna, and great CDPs like the Marantz and the Ah! Njoe Tjoeb which compare favorably to units costing thousands of dollars. (IMO) BTW, there's another giant killer CDP - the Philips SACD1000, which is out of production, can only be had used, and has reliability issues. (there are guys out there who can modify the Philips, cure the reliability issue and take this CDP up to a level where few CDPs can compare.
