It would really be nice for those considering the purchase of this amp to hear one that's broken/played in. The int 250 just gets sweeter and sweeter sounding the more it's played. Some of that could be the synergy with the Harbeth Super HL 5+ 40th Anniversary speakers I'm running with the amp. If you're looking for a highly colored amp, look elsewhere. The int 250 tells it like it is. The lows, mids, and top end are extremely well balanced and the sound stage is big and deep. It's been a year since I took delivery of this amp. It sounded fabulous right out of the box. But, after a couple hundred hours the richness, upper mids and top end sweetness are really starting to shine through. As I've said before, I really like this amp...a lot. Highly recommend it.