Which would be preferable, an older Audio Research Corp. VT130 or a newer SS Rotel 1552?

I have a VT130. In fact it's on my old virtual system page here. I re-tubed it using ARC tubes which was expensive. However my dealer let me have them at his cost so not that painful. 

I acquired the amp "by accident". It was thrown in an a SP15 purchase. It didn't work right- it was red plating and blew a screening resistor. A $10 resistor from ARC and a new v13 tube and a pair of 6550s came next.  I got a local guitar amp repair shop to bias it for me and hooked it up and viola! It was alive!

Back when all this happened I had never owned an ARC amp. Was I ever in for a surprise. Take all the audiophile superlatives and double them. I literally had tears in my eyes hearing things in my favorite music that I hadn't heard before and didn't- couldn't know were there. It was like a blind man could see for the first time. Well, not that dramatic but you get the point- it was the joy of rediscovering music that made me love that old amp.

William Zane "Bill" Johnson founder of ARC was the designer. It was the first of the new "large format" amps by ARC. Bill was proud of that amp and is quoted as saying "It's 2 amps on the same chassis. Inputs in the front, outputs in the back- like it should me".  The VT130SE is the nearly same amp with a big faceplate and meters. It sells for a lot more and IMO not worth it. 

There are 2 for sale out there now- TMR has one and AGon has one. Both asking $2,000 which is about right. 

If the amp you buy has low hours on the tubes you will have a costs next-to-nothing transformative tube amp experience.  If you don't love it you can get most all your money back out if it in the resale market.

Your speakers could use a little taming. I know them well. A SS amp with your speakers will make the highs harsh. Just my opinion. 

Therefore; skip the Rotel and buy the VT130.

Listen to @ghdprentice. The man knows his Audio Research.

You're getting a lot of B&W hate in the replies. They aren't the speakers I would buy, but they aren't crap and they are perfectly capable of being engaging and musical.

I can't imagine upgrading beyond the 800 series B&W speakers and expecting to get high-end performance from your Rotel amp. With the VT130, you will find that the 6550s, if sources from ARC, last a long time. I drove the crap out of my Classic 60 for three years (also 8 output tubes), and when I tested the tubes, the drivers needed to be replaced but the output tubes still measured at or above 100% of new specs. All 8 of them 

The VT130 uses 6922s for input tubes, which is not a great tube design and they do not last long, but they are small, inexpensive, and readily available. Keep extras on hand, and when your amp starts sounding more like the Rotel, put new 6922s in there, and you will be happy. Send the 6550s and driver tubes to Western Glow every two years for testing. You'll never look back.

Easily the ARC but with upgraded parts.

Happy Listening.

Always remember in audio everything is a trade off.

+1 freediver

I agree with the speakers. B&W's are the issue. Get a more efficient speaker and drive with lower power tubes. That VT130 is old, heavy, and expensive to ship when it needs work. If it's clean or been redone maybe but most of the stuff for sale these days is overpriced and beat up. 

Easy for me. I would go for the Audio Research VT130. It will sound much more natural, organic and musical. The Rotel is punchy, accurate and neutral... but not as musical and organic. 

I agree with others that if you aren't loving the sound of your setup, speakers might be the best place to start. But maybe you already know that you love the 805, and you've heard them sound better than what you currently hear.

If that is the case I would say go for the Audio Research but only if you are prepared for the potential hassle involved. Buying an older high-end piece like that is kind of similar to buying an older high-performance vehicle. Both can be rewarding but also both can get expensive when it comes to repairs or maintenance. In this analogy the AR would be an older German performance vehicle. Great to drive but likely expensive to maintain. The Rotel would be a newer Lexus or Acura. Still quality overall, exchanging performance and character for reliability and low cost of maintenance. 

Get a nice pair of used Joseph Audio Pulsars and you’ll never look back.  805s detailed but not involving — Pulsars detailed and musical.  No comparison.  Ditch the speakers cause no electronics are gonna fix what you’re missing. 

Uhm the speaker/room synergy and your content is what should get you involved. The amp is there mainly to just provide voltage and current for your speaker tranducers to move air. So I don't get this sentiment about moving you @bigdoghoss 

Music is what moves you not an amp

Lose the preamp and use the AR VSi60 integrated.
There’s one for practically half-price here:
Audio Research VSi60 Stereo Tube Integrate... For Sale | Audiogon

 The AR amp will likely sound quite a bit different than the Rotel,better imaging & staging,more organic midrange,bass with the 6550's should be pretty good but man oh man,with the heat,the weight & the major cost to retube when the time comes,you might be better served looking at new speakers instead..IMO the B&W's just don't have that "soul" some speakers have..Sticking to stand mounted speakers,some Fritz Carbon 7SE's,Harbeth M30.2Xd's(or gently used M30.1's),Spendors,or Sonus Fabers might wake up your involvement level...