Gelmhirst, here's a push: go with tubes and you're likely never to look back. We each have different sonic priorities. For me, I listen almost exclusively to acoustic instruments and good tubes deliver more of the natural timbre and harmonic overtone structure of the instruments than solid state. Whether VTL is the right choice for you, or BAT, or Conrad-Johnson, or Atma-Sphere, or Berning, or Rogue, or any number of other very good tube manufacturers will be a matter of further refinement of what's important to your ears, as well as the value equation. But I'd chose an appropriate tube amp from any of these before I'd live with any of the best ss amps I've heard.
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