Sugarloaf Audio SLAM-225

These beasts are hand built in Boulder, CO and represent some of the best value in the high-end tube amp market today.  225 watts Class A/B into 8 ohms from 6 KT-120's, all wrapped in a completely CNC machined and powder coated aluminum chassis.  They are extremely impressive to look at, and even better to listen to.  Lifetime warranty, excluding tubes.
 

As far as the sound, effortless is the best way to describe these in a single word.  After they're warmed up and cranking, the incredible low end control leads you to believe you're listening to a giant solid state amp, but the mid and high end is pure tube smoothness. It really does mesh the best of both worlds. The presence and dimensionality you get with big tube power is also here in spades. You are totally immersed in the sound stage. There's truly nothing like this on the market for this price range.

If you're local to the Denver/Boulder, CO area, feel free to come audition these and experience them in person.

Specs:

• Utilizes 6 KT120 Output tubes per side (included), can run KT88

• Utilizes 5 12AU7 tubes for input stages and drivers (included)

• Output: 225 watts RMS 20HZ-20kHZ

• Solid State Rectification combined with massive 250J film capacitor bank for ultimate, bottomless power delivery

• Choke-based power supply using all high quality Hammond Transformers

• Easily adjustable bias with integrated bias meter

• Billet CNC Machined Chassis for extremely solid feel

• Hand built and assembled with meticulous attention to detail

• Powder coated finish

• Net Weight per side 85lbs

• Overall Dimensions with Tubes: 12" W x 16" H x 23" D

About Sugarloaf Audio:

Being based in the foothills of Boulder, CO allows us to be surrounded by both the beautiful outdoors and excellent live music throughout the year. From giant summertime concerts at Red Rocks, the Rocky Grass Music Festival in Lyons, boot-stomping at the Gold Hill Inn, or any of the hundreds of other smaller music venues, there's always something excellent to listen to. Unfortunately, as with most people, life gets busy and its hard to make it out as much as we want. That's what initially led to what can only be called the "audiophile bug".

Over many years, the home system developed and improved. I was fortunate enough to know several other similar minded folks who had been in the audiophile world for decades and could let me audition lots of high end equipment. My first experience listening to a tube amp was breathtaking, I knew I needed to have them. The set that I had listened to were home-built ~250wpc amps utilizing a pair of 805 tubes running through a pair of ADS 2030 speakers. I dabbled for years after that with my own system, slowly upgrading tube amps, but never coming close to that shear presence and immersive feeling. I started to realize that there just really wasn't anything on the market that could touch them. Sure, you could find some old high end vintage equipment that could possibly come close or match it, but as I found out time and time again, its a gamble as to how long it will be before some component dies and the entire rig needs serviced again. And to get into that 200+ wpc with a vintage tube amp, you're paying an extraordinary amount for a well used piece of equipment.

That's when I began looking into building something from the ground up with a truly awesome amount of power capability. Luckily, I knew someone who had been building some of the most exquisite sounding tube amplifiers I had ever heard, and had been at it since the 70's. Combine that with my mechanical design and engineering background, it was a recipe for success. After two years of prototyping, revising, listening, prototyping again, the SLAM-225 (SugarLoaf Audio - Mono 225 watts) was born.