So the Revels sound "hard, thin and sterile" with a VTL pre and a CJ amp??? You prefer tubes but these speakers are a tough load for tubes??? Um, what??? Short of you using awful interconnects and cables and/or some awful recordings that could be contributing to the problem, it sure looks like the writing's on the wall on several levels. Dump the speakers. Life's too short to spend precious time and effort solving inherent mismatches like these. FWIW. Best of luck.
Best amp for natural timbre of unamplified acoustic instruments & vocals w/ Revel F32?
Because these are ceramic and titanium they can sound hard, thin and sterile. But they need solid state probably because they are inefficient and for bass control. I like tubes but what are your experiences?