By now we're clear that the general character of the pre/power duo mirrored the excellent A200 integrated. But it didn't take long to conclude that despite being paired with easy loads as had been the A200 before, they seemed to do even better. My GrandiNote speakers make fantastic partners for low-power SET due to high sensitivity and benign impedance. Yet they were built to also partner with their stablemate's 37wpc class A transistor integrated and have performed remarkably well with any amplifier I paired them with across several years, be it tube, transistor or hybrid of low, average or high power. At 100wpc, the A200 was almost thrice as potent as my Italian Shinai so already overkill yet the 150wpc M200 did even better particularly in the low end. That was better controlled, defined and I even thought extended farther. There was more gravitas, punch, faster impulses and more tautness. Superior control created differentiation and resolution that were still higher than the A200 and Shinai which I didn't think lacked anything. The same held true for the mid and treble registers. They felt better articulated in clarity and transparency despite embedding in general tube-like richness. Whilst not day and night, the offset was relevant enough that even on these easy loads, I'd take the separates over the integrated any day.

Now I was naturally curious whether this gap would widen on my 12-inch sealed 3-ways which also were the designated loads for my final strapped-to-mono experiment. The Ubiq speakers are tailormade for playing loud dynamic music of energetic performances. They do well on all music but stand out among their peers when one pushes volumes to rock or large symphonic levels. Driven by my 37wpc Shinai in a medium-size room, they deliver stunning edge-of-seat reads with AC/DC, Aerosmith or Mahler. Switching to the P300 | M200 showed how more power translated to still better drive, more potent shove and even tighter bass. I found myself pushing SPL that seriously threatened neighborly relations. Despite being this dynamic and almost thunderous, the presentation remained well-sorted and mapped, with clarity and transparency as good as recordings of this genre allow.

I spend an afternoon listening to numerous symphonies and operas after Beethoven's Ninth followed by Mozart's Figaro had already shown that the Circle Labs set plus Model One were an almost perfect means to such ends. The momentum of these works was impressive, dynamic swings perfect, flow impeccable. While no audio system can provide the full live experience, the P300 | M200 got close to inspiring only a slightly lesser level of excitement than real concerts usually do for me. The M200 gain switches came in handy. With the Mach4 I preferred the -3db setting when 0dB felt a bit forced or strained. The Model One quickly settled on 0dB max gain to highlight their explosive dynamics. With some highly sensitive vintage speakers, even the -8dB option should be happy. The original P300 was one of the most transparent and pure preamplifiers I knew. It was even more impressive when at the time I could compare it to an excellent significantly more expensive Boulder 1110. On one hand extreme transparency can be a great and highly sought-after preamplifier feature which then barely shifts a system's overall tuning. On the other hand, some setups could get a bit too bright or lean. I guess I wasn't alone in thinking that since among other things, the design team replaced some resistors leading to a slightly richer weightier sound as a not huge but still welcome change.

This was one of my first reactions to the new P300 which each further day spent with it confirmed. It worked great on all 'audiophile' recordings. The sound felt smoother, a touch warmer and richer and thus even more palpable, organic and fluid. I loved that tuning whether I listened to Musica Nuda, Miles Davis, the latest ECM releases or Concord oldies. Obviously I'm a fan of the rich even lush triode sound but still believe that many potential owners of the P300 will appreciate the change since it retains a very transparent, fast, precise sound. It seems to me that the designer has chanced upon a still better balance between richness and transparency.