I have owned or extensively auditioned the BAT VK-60, VK-200, Marsh A-400, Bryston 4B-ST and Conrad Johnson Premier 11A in my home with Magnepan 1.6QRs (86 db, 4 ohms):
BAT VK-60 is rated at only 60 watts, but subjectively sounds every bit as powerful as the VK-200. VK-60 is the best of all of the amps I have listed. The VK-60 is more musical, more transparent and dynamic than the solid state amps below. The downside is that it runs hot, sucks a lot of juice and the tubes have to be replaced eventually. I have seen this amp on Audiogon for around 2K.
Marsh A-400 is more neutral sounding than either the VK-200 or the Bryston, and has superior bass. It does not need much warm up time to sound good.
BAT VK-200, runs quite hot with a slight emphasis and thinness in the upper midrange, but quite musical overall. Needs at least one hour warm up time to sound good.
Bryston 4BST, sounds veiled, less transparent and less neutral when compared to the Marsh or VK-200. You may still want to consider it for other reasons such as warranty and reputed reliability.
The above post has some good advice about speaker efficiency and power. You may want to consider more efficient speakers if you really want to rock.
BAT VK-60 is rated at only 60 watts, but subjectively sounds every bit as powerful as the VK-200. VK-60 is the best of all of the amps I have listed. The VK-60 is more musical, more transparent and dynamic than the solid state amps below. The downside is that it runs hot, sucks a lot of juice and the tubes have to be replaced eventually. I have seen this amp on Audiogon for around 2K.
Marsh A-400 is more neutral sounding than either the VK-200 or the Bryston, and has superior bass. It does not need much warm up time to sound good.
BAT VK-200, runs quite hot with a slight emphasis and thinness in the upper midrange, but quite musical overall. Needs at least one hour warm up time to sound good.
Bryston 4BST, sounds veiled, less transparent and less neutral when compared to the Marsh or VK-200. You may still want to consider it for other reasons such as warranty and reputed reliability.
The above post has some good advice about speaker efficiency and power. You may want to consider more efficient speakers if you really want to rock.