![Maestro gold 2018 crack](https://kumkoniak.com/5.jpg)
The Elise always steals the spotlight from the Espressivo, possibly due to more tube rolling options. The stock tubes are fine for brighter headphones but there are much better tubes out there which really bring out the best in this amp. So overall it's still good value for money in my opinion. I haven't compared it to the crack unfortunately. The 5670 work really well, sound very detailed and open but with a slight hint of tube warmth. With the new stock tubes it's lush, smooth and sweet, the original is a little bit more neutral but also a little more closed in sounding. It also seems more stable when powering planars like my HE-500, and a bit better when using lower impedance headphones.
![maestro gold 2018 crack maestro gold 2018 crack](https://http2.mlstatic.com/bola-topper-maestro-pro-brasileiro-2018-serie-b-original-D_NQ_NP_730267-MLB28383857206_102018-F.jpg)
![maestro gold 2018 crack maestro gold 2018 crack](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/31/42/9b/31429bbded25c29bf666d90acd67377b.png)
I was worried about the price hike too, but they changed a few things and the Mk II is more stable when tube rolling.
![Maestro gold 2018 crack](https://kumkoniak.com/5.jpg)