I've had Speakerman's very well restored ST-70 playing all the while I was building so I should have been prepared for the EL-34 sound. But this is different.
First thing you notice is the front wall of the room becomes a stage with performers. Can horns and 15" direct radiaors disappear? Yes!
Second is the bass. BOOM! Overdone at times? Yes. but there's a caveat.
Low level detail of that bass line is phenomenal. The Schubert ninth SACD Szell/Cleve has really superfluous double bass line in the first movement that you really don't hear in a hall. It's there with Ella. Subtle, but there. And the foot pedal on pedal bass drum. Yes, you can hear the pedal on the Tall Band Jackson Peterson Brown cut 9 drum solo.
And PUNCH! Do you remember the first time you heard horns and thought,"this is what live music sounds like"? Hearing Ella is like that. More "live". There's more there, there.
Some systems and some ears will probably find Ella "unrefined". The upper mids and treble are as prominent as the rest which makes them a bit shrill or glassy or digital at times. Not all CD's, tho. The ancient audiophile recording "Cantate Domino", track 10 with the ethereal soprano for just 1:10 is just as heavenly as I remember with the Paramours. But the attack and decay of the cymbals on the drum solo "Cafe Blue" track 2 sound a little too hot.
Some of this could be the caps I used. "All Clarity Caps All The Time!" But they are also the source of all that inner detail:

There's about 10 hours on Ella with 50 suggested for break-in. But I don't buy that extended break-in stuff. Oh, there's more change but the initial impression is probably a lasting one. You can't see them but there are a pair of 6922 driver tubes behind the big toroidal PT that are currently the much maligned Sovteks. Those could be a bit of the upper mid-range glare. I'm waiting for the stock Valve Arts to show up, they were left behind in Hong Kong. And then there's Ameperex, tele's CCa's, Siemens etc, etc,.
The construction was prtty easy. The instructions were confusing and out of date in some places but Brian Cherry answers questions immediately. And I was forced to learn some things I wouldn't have, otherwise. I bypassed the volume control. The Foreplay is doing a good job. Ella's sensitivity must be about the same as the Paramours. The Goldpoint's gave me about the same gain as with them on the 'Mours.
And Ella is really 'built'. Thick steel powder coated plate, roomy circuit boards, quality little parts like good diodes and RCA's, etc. One other thing I didn't like were the output terminals. great huge tunnels of brass to slip 2 little wires into and fill with solder like glue. I prefer the Superior Electric or Cardas type. that's easy to change. Lot's of mods to try down the road.
$600 Airfreighted from Hong Kong. This is a lot of amp for the money.
I should probably post this on the DIYHIFISupply Forum but you guys are "family" so you get it first. I think I'll wait for the 50 hours and the Valve Arts before I post over there.

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