Here are some more impressions (also posted in the General Audio forum):

I really like the Svetlana tubes.  They were last week broken in to a point where they sounded great.  The reproduction of some piano was unlike any that I have heard on cd before, quite natural and full-bodied!

I should have known SOMETHING had to give because Saturday morning I turned on the amps and one channel was quiet. . . turned out one of the Svetlana EL34s had failed!  Well, the evening before FedEx had dropped off a pair of JJ EL34s that I had decided to try one day soon, and that day was sooner than I thought!  It took a few days for the haze to burn off the JJs. . . they're pretty good tubes, but no Svetlanas!  I emailed DeVon about the tube gone bad, and ordered a pair of "C" Logo Svetlanas as well that I saw at a very nice price on ebay.

What was nice about the JJs was that I have a pair of Mapleshade Tube Anchors that will fit these, and don't yet have a pair that will fit the Svetlanas.  Quite nice how the Tube Anchors give you that smidgeon more of detail and warmth that some tube lovers seek.  

The amps themselves are settled in quite nicely.  I get pretty much the satisfaction I got from my Selects with them, PLUS gobs more power.  I find that I am listening to a lot of familiar music in order to analyze the sound, and I'm also listening to larger ensemble pieces or more dynamic pieces and enjoying the headroom and scale that the Monoblocks bring to the listening.  

Overall I am quite happy with my purchase and am enjoying the tweaking and comparing and analyzing. . . . I think they'll be even better performers with some more use; they are definitlely blooming and breathing better now, but probably will improve in those areas over the next few months.

Great amps!

It's more the latter:  they don't have a coloration really that I would normally associate with the EL34.  Which I was expecting them to have at first, but am happy with them as they are; they are neutral and open sounding like the Select.

I'm looking forward to a weekend of listening.

Chris, I would say it is "in between" the two bias positions in the Select.  I prefer the laid back, because I'm in a small room and forward is IN YOUR FACE.  With the right combinations of tubes I'm sure you could move the sound more towards the forward-sounding position just as I am working to move it towards the more laid-back position. . . .

Well, I got my upgraded Monoblocks back from Steve last night.

The visible new differences are a "direct" input added and a switch on the front that either places a cathode bypass resistor in the path or takes it out.

From what little listening I've been able to do so far, I find that the front position (which I am GUESSING is with the resistor IN the signal path) has a more powerul appearing sound (it's louder) and maybe more bass, and is a little more forward.  The rear position is more laidback and quieter.  

I'll listen this weekend and report more if I feel I have more to offer.  I'm so happy to have these back.  I really enjoyed my time with my Proton AA1150 driving the Radials, and I like that amplifier a lot (it was my main one for a number of years before I got my EICO integrated in the system) and I'll have it in my living room system again soon.  But immediately, as soon as that single-ended tube Zen sound was back something in me relaxed!

I'm really not sure of the correct answer Scotty as I haven't had much communication with Steve.  He told me that he had upgraded the machines to have the switched cathode bypass resistor, and that he had changed one other resistor in the circuit to "reduce distortion."  I am under the impression that these two changes are now stock production.

The dual input I don't believe is; he is quoted in the bulletin board here somewhere as saying he would add this to those who bought the machines when the web page erroneously showed that they came with the machine, but that future units would only have the one input (controlled by the input gain control).

I didn't have to pay anything for these changes other than about 62 dollars in shipping. . . .

Some more impressions, in case anyone is interested in the EL34 Monoblocks.

I've become seduced by the sound of the amps with the cathode bypass resistor in the circuit.  There is a fullness and a touch of mellowness that is pure classic tube sound and very . . . seductive.  It gives just the right touch of weight to the mid and bass and enhances dynamics.  However, right on the top end of my normal listening volume range it seems to be a bit too much of a good thing.  So I would say that 95% of the time the last few weeks I have been using this position, and when I want to play full orchestral pieces loudly or want to "rock out" (I would estimate about 5% of the time total) I restore the amps to their original signature. . . .

After having them back from upgrading and getting a good number of hours on the upgrade now I have to say I continue to enjoy these amps.  They have nearly everything the Select brought to my system, and more power to boot.  I'm glad I made the change.

Yes MM, I think in a few years they'll have that ease and depth that the Select slowly surely developed!  Man, that Select just lured you INTO the listening.  The Monos should become that seductive as well.