I know I'm a little off the course of this tread but... I have been thinking of selling my Ayre V3 and moveing over to the VT100 Mk1. For the reason that I have Maggie 1.6's and they really come alive with tubes. It would also be a better match for my Audible Illusions M3A and at this time I can not layout more money for the latest generation of ARC products. I have been speaking to dealers and they have been giving me every reason under the sun not to go with the Mk 1, and at least start with the Mk2. My thinking is to get the Mk1 and in a year have it upgraded to the Mk2. At this point after selling my Ayre (which is an amp I will have a hard time parting with) it will basically cost me no outlay of cash. I would love to hear from Mk1 owners out there and there experience with this amp and those who have compared the two. Thanks in advance. Gary
Audio Research comparison
I'd still like to get an un-biased comparison of the old Audio Research Power Amps: VT100 MkII, VT200, REF300 and the newer solid state input versions. I have heard opinions, but they have all been self serving. So I'd like to hear from someone who has really compared the two designs. Also I'm interested in the comparison of the new pre-amp designs with the older ones LS-25 Ref2 with the MkIIs.