Sad to hear that! The VT-100 can be hard on it's output tubes, somewhat convoluted to bias and requires matched quads. Perhaps Kevin weighed a possibly high failure rate's impact on his product's reputation against the ire of the ARC owners, and opted for the ire. I'm guessing, but- It's his business, his throat and his prerogative. Hopefully, you won't have any trouble finding reliable tubes through the vendors suggested in here and will be back to enjoying your music soon.