At the real-world end of the SET economic ladder, Cary Audio put on a striking demo with its new $2,500 CAD-88 vacuum tube stereo power amp (at center in photo). The amp's switchable triode/ultralinear operating modes will output 20 or 40 watts per channel respectively. This highly transparent revealing system provided an excellent opportunity to appreciate the audible trade-offs in SET designs. In ultralinear mode, the CAD-88 drove these B&W Nautilus 801s with impressive authority; however, while the added liquid warmth in triode mode came at the price of notable flabbiness in the low end. I much preferred the ultralinear mode.

Infused with new energy, funds, and direction following its acquisition by conrad-johnson, McCormack Audio will extend founder Steve McCormack's high-value audiophile solid-state designs to surround processing with its upcoming MAP-1 Music Analog Processor ($2,395, no firm release date as yet). Described by McCormack's new parent company co-founder Bill Conrad as a "music lover's system that makes a passable theater system," the MAP-1 keeps all inputs in the analog domain, enhancing each of its three two-channel inputs with a defeatable Hafler-type matrix ambience recovery surround mode. Two sets of 5.1 inputs support both SACD and DVD-Audio players, though the unit performs no bass management or time alignment-the intent is to use MAP-1 in conjunction with player-based capabilities.

Tube lovers can apply the honey kiss of valves to both 6 two-channel inputs and a 5.1 source, thanks to the unit's 6-channel input cluster. Volume is controlled from a master knob, with a separate knob for easy subwoofer volume adjustment. A 6-channel unity gain signal path is also supported. The TL 2.5.1 is scheduled to ship this Fall, with tentative pricing in the $3,000 range.

Lamm Industries took the lid off its flagship L2 Reference preamplifier ($13,690), a class-A design with no negative feedback in any of its single-ended stages. A separate chassis houses the power supply, with its choke filter and vacuum tube-controlled voltage regulation. []