Sounds incredible! ...Fifty/Fifty is a better value though.

I'm comparing this to amps I've heard/tried so it's compared to... Digital plug ins...Amplitube (all of it), Neural DSP (most of it) Combo amps... Fender Twin, Vox AC30, Roland Jazz Chorus, Fishman Loudbox, Marshall, Line 6, etc. Amp heads... Orange Tiny terror, Marshall Silver Jubilee Power amps: Mesa Boogie Fifty/Fifty Hifi amps... Naim Uniti Nova, Audio Research D-76 , McIntosh MC275...I've also heard a few $10,000 plus amps that are better sounding, but I'm going to leave them out of the review because of the cost.

The 295 is better, in my opinion, than all the amps listed above, except the MC275, which I'd have to compare it to directly to make a more informed opinion. Pressed though, I'd say the MC275 sounds slightly better, but the Boogie is a far better value. For the price, it's only real competition, IMO is the Fifty/fifty, so I'll be comparing it to that for the rest of the review.

NEEDED IMPROVEMENTS: The Fifty/fifty and 295 are both excellent, except for the fan noise, it's well worth it to replace the fan with a Deep Silence fan plugged into a wall, if you want to use it as a studio amp. It will burn out, if you power it from the amp, (learned that the hard way). These are as good or better than most high end audiophile amps once you switch out the fan, if you pair them with hifi speakers and high quality cables. In the studio, place the fan a few inches behind, instead of in the amp, or it will still make a bunch of air noise. Use good judgment, on very hot days, mount it inside the amp.

GUITAR AMP: As a guitar amp, this has the tone I've always wanted which was the Nirvana, Sublime, Red Hot Chili Peppers, AC/DC, Metallica, etc, classic rock tone. The Fifty/Fifty sounds almost the same, it actually sounds better for the first twenty minutes or half hour because, it warms up so much faster. I got the 295 to replace the Fifty/Fifty and ended up keeping both, because they are good for different things. The Fifty/fifty sounds like a slightly smoother guitar amp with less bite than the 295. The 295 seems to add in a bit of reverb, no matter what, which I don't like, I'd rather add that as an effect. They both seem to add some tube compression, which is something I do like though, because I don't have the money for an LA-2A or Tube Tech.

ELECTRIC PIANO: For my Rhodes the Fifty/fifty is a better match, it just makes a smooth dreamy sound, esp with chorus. The 295 is slightly thicker sounding with the unavoidable reverb, and not in a good way. If you hold them pedal on the piano down, which I almost always do, it sounds like the overtones are dissonant with the 295, if you're playing lots of notes. The Fifty/fifty doesn't have that problem. So for the Fender Rhodes, the Fifty/fifty is cheaper and better than the 295. Compared to the classic pairing with the Fender Twin, the Fifty/Fifty is also much better, smoother and more compressed, but in a very good warm tube way. The problem with the Fender Twin is that the notes have a sharp attack and decay, so everything sounds jazzy, which is something I personally hate. The Fifty/fifty with the Rhodes is closer to the piano tone on The Bee Gees, How Deep is Your Love or Chris Rea's 80's discography, a tone I personally think is fantastic. If you prefer Bob James though, just get the Fender Twin.

STEREO: The 295 makes an excellent amp for a high end home stereo system, as does the Fifty/fifty. I use a California Audio Labs Sigma II DAC which made a big improvement for steaming music. The tube in the DAC makes a big difference and I've found that putting a Amperex made in Holland tube in the DAC nails the Naim tone, which is almost three time more expensive than this CAL/Mesa combo. The 295 has a much more realistic drum sound than the Fifty/fifty and more slightly detail, but the fifty/fifty sounds smoother and in a strange way, more pleasing for most albums. The volume doesn't spike as much as much with the Fifty/fifty, so it's probably better for your hearing long term, to listen with the less dynamic Fifty/fifty.

Why did I give this five stars (and the Fifty/fifty four and half)?

I just spent most of this review taking about how the Fifty/fifty is a better value, and a better piano amp, and an equal as a stereo amp. The reason I give this five stars is because I don't think there is a better guitar power amp out there, except the Stereo 400 and 500, which are probably just equals, from what I've read. In my opinion, it's an end game guitar amp. The fifty/fifty is an excellent guitar amp, but it wasn't completely satisfying like the 295 is, after it warms up. Although I'm completely satisfied with the Fifty/fifty as a piano amp, I still feel like I can find something better, even smoother and warmer, like a Marantz or Sansui. More expensive amps probably wouldn't recreate the magic of nostalgic classic rock tones like the Mesa/Boogie 295 though, so it gets five stars.