Dear Albertporter-
I've heard
VTL 750
Wolcott Presence
Jadis JA 500
Listened to the 750 VTLs on Wilson speakers - very spectacular, dynamic sound. I heard them in a shop on the west coast. Levinson front end gear. Very nice system, not my particular taste however. Dealer claimed they are reliable.
I've heard the Wolcotts on Sound Lab M-1s. They made the other (SS) amplifiers the dealer had sound broken. I ordered a pair. The dealer and some others I've spoken to claim the Wolcotts in their present incarnation are very reliable. I sure hope so....what has been your experience?
I've heard this particular Jadis and some others - older versions - on several different speakers including M-1s, big Apogee Ribbons and Audio Physik something. They sound very good indeed. They really sounded fine on the Apogees! My buddy who had a set on his Sound Labs A-3s finally sold the Jadis because they blew up periodically, and at the time, needed lengthy repairs. (He also had several OTL amps over the years; he said their reliability is "getting better but they all blew up.")
He finally gave up and got a set of Boulder amps for his M-1s (he moved up from A3s.) Those sound very good indeed, but are a bit out of my range financially. It's nice to have a friend with a system like that nearby!
BTW I don't mean to gore anyone's particular ox here and I hesistated buying a high-powered tube amp myself so we shall see.
