Having tested many KT150/170 amplifiers before and knowing my speakers, I started with Prince's Welcome 2 America. This is cool, fast, funky music and a fun listen even if his lyrics aren't particularly optimistic. The album packs excellent vocals, strong punchy bass and energetic fast drums so at least on the surface should better suit a transistor amp. Yet the Qualiton A75 had my limbs tap out the rhythm and my head bop from side to side. Great pace, rhythm and timing combined with fast powerful quite extended bass never dry or dull. The amp took care of proper saturation, correct tonal temperature, juicy timbres, a very delicate naturalness of the sound and fleshiness in the lower ranges. At the same time it packed a large dose of energy not at all a contradiction to the natural softness and fleshiness and remained sufficiently controlled for the aforementioned very good PRaT.

Already on this album I noticed how perfectly the Qualiton A75 combines speed and energy with saturation. Clarity and transparency were flawless, 'tube-like' density and saturation equally impressive. Large three-dimensional images had natural contours with excellent fill. The foreground showed close without being pushed in front of the speakers. Density, saturation, dynamics and high energy made the musicians seem close and almost tangible which in turn made it easy to establish close contact and feel immersed. It wasn't quite the tangibility or presence of the best SET amps but the difference nowhere near what I expected. What's more, when paired with the Pulsar 2 Graphene monitors, the latter utterly disappeared from the room for a very convincing illusion. With my floorstanders this sonic detachment from the enclosures wasn't quite as convincing but still good enough to at least occasionally have me forget that I was only listening to a recording. A natural softness of the bass supported by adequate weight, fill, dynamics and beautifully rendered timbre was perfectly clear also on Christian McBride's double bass from his trio's concert at the famous Village Vanguard Club. This is not mastered such that we hear every finger slide on the string or accidental tap on the wooden carcass to focus us more on the timbre and texture, the player's fluidity and his harmony with the other instruments.

Christian Sands' piano also seemed a tad soft but very smooth and sonorous, just a bit less metallic than on other recordings. Even Ulysses Owens Junior's drums continued this sonic gentleness which made the trio performance hang so well together. It didn't prevent drums or cymbals from sounding almost explosive when needed to confirm the A75's versatility.  Even though this was recorded live in a club, the recorded acoustics suggest a heavily dampened space. The sound was apparently not captured with closely positioned microphones, hence fine non-musical details aren't emphasized despite overall high clarity and richness. Depending on a system, this kind of production can sometimes be misinterpreted. Some sources/amplifiers particularly rich in the midrange render it a touch too soft to sacrifice separation. Others which are a bit too bright add glare or even sharpness to the cymbals or piano. The Qualiton A75 didn't impose such a character to feel more faithful to what was recorded.

Listening to this album impressed me just as much as Prince had before but for slightly different reasons. I heard a classy refined presentation with high detail density which showed very good resolution and differentiation. It sounded very natural, smooth and coherent even though these were completely different recordings. Already at this stage the Qualiton had my respect and I listened to the music more than the sound with great pleasure and engagement. When I turned off my brain's analytical half, I let myself be swept away by the music with a smile on my face. When I reached for a slightly different type of live production now by the Hadouk Trio, I heard beautifully resonant sparkling energy, very well-differentiated cymbals and other metallic percussion. At the same time the duduk was properly warm and soft. This recording better captures venue acoustics so I could better hear reverberation trails and see the whole stage filled with air which on McBride's album was almost absent. It confirmed that what came through the speakers reflected more on the recordings and less the amplifier's own character. Listening for several above average spatial aspects, I had a lot of fun seeing how well a large space depicted on Arne Domnerus' Antiphone Blues. Tracing the saxophone and organ reflecting off the church's far walls is always a unique experience and this time was no different. It makes us sense a hall far larger than our listening room. This impression of participating in an elsewhere concert heightened by how well the Hungarian conveyed the power and character of the organ even if on this album it doesn't tap its full power. This was best appreciated when the A75 drove my larger Ubiq One whose sealed 12" woofer moved more air but even with the Mach4 it was quite impressive. The saxophone was clean, saturated and breathy to again emphasize very good differentiation, another of the A75's many strengths.