Need recommendations to replace ARC VT100 MkII

As long as there is nothing wrong with your VT100, I would keep it and get a better preamp. That will make a huge difference. Also, what type of maintenance are you talking about? Aside from replacing the tubes every so often, you shouldn't have to do anything else to it.

"10-04-14: Mabonn
The DC balance adjustments are somewhat of a pain. I love the tube sound, but the VT100 MkII is not particularly user friendly.
ZD542, what would you recommend for a preamp?"

It all depends on what you like and how much you have to spend. The one thing I can tell you for sure is that picking the right preamp is extremely important. Its usually the one piece that makes or breaks the system. If you are not opposed to SS, an Ayre K-5 is a great choice. If you want to stay with tubes, maybe a better ARC or BAT. BAT works very well with ARC. Either way, make sure whatever you get is fully balanced. If you read through some of the threads, you'll find that quite a few people have issues mixing ARC products with single ended components. How does the VT-100 drive your speakers? The combo should sound pretty good.

"10-08-14: Ctsooner
Rogue can be a great choice for tubes as can the Quicksilver gear."

If you want to stay with tubes, I don't think Rogue is as good as you VT-100. Quicksilver would be a great choice. I put my VT-100 next to a pair of V4 mono amps. I thought the Quicksilver was better.

"Personally, I felt the AX7e sounded better than most of the used Ayre stuff, plus it's smaller and needs one less cable."

That's probably due to the fact that the AX-7 doesn't have a preamp. Back in my first post, I mentioned that the OP would probably be better off with a new preamp. That's why. The VT-100 is a good all around amp. So, in the OP's case, I still think a new preamp would be a much better move.

"10-12-14: Mabonn
I am on the road so I haven't checked in for a couple of days. Thanks for all your replies. Zd, what would you consider a good step up from the sp3c in the ARC line?"

I have mixed feelings on ARC preamps. To me, they sometimes sound great, but they can also sound bright or harsh. Its usually the more expensive ones that I end up liking (go figure). I don't know what your budget is, but I feel that the entry point for an ARC may be a little high. Another option would be to go with a different brand. Possibly a used Aesthetix or BAT. BAT would probably be the most realistic, and what I like about them is thy're entry level preamps are very good. I would definitely take an entry level BAT over an entry level ARC.

Minorl gave some really good info in his post above. I mentioned that a lot of people are having trouble mixing ARC and non balanced equipment. If the VT-100 is designed differently that some of the other amps that give problems, there's a great number of SE tube preamps that should do a great job for you, as well. Normally, its not such a big deal mixing balanced and se components, I was just being cautious given the problems with other amps. Unfortunately, I never ran my VT-100 se, so I can't give you any first hand info on that.