@ RYAN LOUDMUSIC JENKINS: What is this with you? Having problems allowing other people to have a different opinion on things you bought? Sorry to piss on your parade....
Give your amps to a technician who knows the difference between 'good looks' and 'good circuit design' and he'll laugh his ass off on how the Vortex are designed and how you spent your money.
I did NOT say they are the worst performers. They simply are the worst BASS performers in their PRICE class. Just go and compare! I know MANY companies still relying on older Camco designs (DL) for their Nexo PS15-sets, because they compared and even with a PS15 the bass was 'slim'. Only with the bigger systems they use Vortex6, because a rack with four Vortex6 is much easier to handle than a rack with four DL3000, smaller too. And it is NOT like the Vortex can't do ANY bass, it is just weaker.
I NEVER said the MA5000 is weak on bass. I said (and not only once) that the reason for the MA5000 sounding that fat is the pretty heavy distortion this amplifier produces at higher levels.
Yes, the original PowerSoft DigAm series, which I owned two of (until both suffered from PSU problems), is only really usable for bass. Highs get a rough sound, and THAT IS WIDELY KNOWN. Even the German distributor told this in public!
@ Dan Brown: I use LAB Gruppen fP and Studio R X-series. The LAB Gruppen fPs and FP+ are IMO the most perfect amps. They are good on bass, on mids and highs. If you specialize, like having model A on bass and model B on highs, maybe even a third model for mids, then Studio R is incredible. They have extremely strong amps for bass, and incredibly fine amps for highs, but not 'in one package'.
@ Andy Peters: SMD is NOTHING I'd like to see on the high current, high voltage output stage of an amplifier. I know of a ompany having an open air near a river (no, not IN the river), where five of sixteen Vortex amps FRIED because of the high humidity and the low distance between the SMD parts. I never heard of this with conventional output stages. Also if this happens the only way to repair the Vortex is to replace the whole board. I rarely had to do such thing on a conventionally equipped output stage.
The Vortex has almost NO capacity between PSU and output stage. It is highly depending on the power lines. And that's something even the most users admit (at least here in Germany).
The housing is cheap. It's not what I expect when I buy an amplifier for that price. The metal is thin. Of course this adds to the lightweight (but the LABs got a much better housing and they aren't heavier) and will not be a problem when properly mounted in a rack, but it's simply not what I expect at this price.
@ all: People, come on, be realistic. I know it's hard to hear such things about something you put a lot of money into. Go and compare instead of saying 'I never noticed that' or even insulting me. If you ant, go out and find flaws about my stuff... I have no problem admitting real flaws....