The AR 100.2 is not a tube amp. It is a solid state amp and has got to be one of the great "sleepers" of all time. I own one and I love it. It is 100 wpc and I have found it to have plenty of power. I have used mine with Thiel 1.5 speakers (86db efficient) and I am now using it with Gallo Nucleus Reference speakers. This amp is sooo musical I can hardly stand to turn my system off. I cannot recomend it highly enough. Before I bought mine, I compared it to a AR VT100 mk2 tube amp. I prefered the sound of the 100.2.
AR 100.2 or Aragon 8008BB?
The local dealer's got a 6 month old mint AR 100.2 for about the same price ($2,600) as a new Aragon 8008BB. I've got a pair of B&W 640i's and listen mostly to acoustic jazz in a large (20 x 30), open room with 10' ceilings. Two Paradigm PS1200 subs handle the low end. Every now and again, I enjoy cranking up some Rock and Reggae. Also, much of the time it'll be added to an existing 5 ch. Adcom in an HT set up with an Acurus ACT3. Any suggestions???