I have a VTL ST-150, and it is a superb sounding amp with very strong deep bass and lots of guts . It has blown some capacitors twice and they were serviced locally in NYC (due to the fact that it weighs about 70 lbs) at Analogic . I have spoke to luking regarding preamp matching and he spent 1/2 an hour on the phone with me and was great. Call Luke and talk to him & I think you will go with VTL . You cant beat the ST-150 for the price. Alternates are Conrad Johnson Premier 8 a's @ $ 6,000.00 use or an Audio Research VT 100 MK II
