Finally stepping into the hobby after 30 years of watching from the sidelines

Can you share the name and location of the B+B?   Sounds like the kind of place I'd like to hang out in.  :^)

The thing is there is nothing inherently tube amp friendly about those Vandersteens that I can see from the specs. In fact they would appear to not be a good match at all to a tube amp. They have impedance down to 4 ohms and 86db efficiency rating. Stereophile review probably shows impedance and phase curves for more detail. I would take a look at those.

Many (actually most) very good speakers are not. It’s not a crime. Just a challenge.

I would go in anticipating that most tube amps within most peoples budget will deliver significantly compromised results overall with those Vandersteens.

With most any tube amp, I would go in anticipating at some point needing to add powered subs with proper crossover to offload most of the work (the lowest frequencies) from the Vandersteens. That should produce top notch results if done well.

Or if supplementing the Vandys with subs to make the tube amps work better with them does not sound appealing, then I would recommend using a class D power amp approach. An amp like the new Peachtree Nova 300 for example would be the kind of thing I would consider to get the best of both worlds (tube and SS sound) and also the most out of the Vandys. Rogue Pharoah hybrid integrated amp another example. I have heard the Rogue and it is definitely a big hitting top performer (from a company known mostly for its tube amps).

There is a reason tube amp makers like Rogue offer hybrid amps that use Class D amp technology. It enables their products to perform better with most speakers out there without sacrificing the sonic attributes tube amp lovers seek.

This is the approach I have taken with my OHM Walsh speakers, which are similar to the Vandys in terms of their power needs to perform best, and the results are spectacular and largely put any practical yearning for more tubes to rest.

Parasound mentioned above would seem to be another solid choice. Many others as well. Lots of clean power and current is what you need from an amp for those Vandersteens. That is the forte of SS amps, not tube amps.

Have you heard those Vandersteens off a good quality higher powered modern Class D amp?

I’d be willing to bet set up well and done right the results would be stellar and hard to beat at any comparable price (with tube or SS amps) if budget is a factor, especially in a larger room. The Vandersteen’s use larger than many (nowadays) bass drivers for their price which is essential for best sound in a larger space.

If building around tube amplification, I would still not give up on the Vandy’s especially if adding subs down the road is an option. You’d just need subs that provides the right crossover functionality to blend in with the Vandys. Should not be hard to find.

Also I have historically heard many praise Vandy’s running off ARC tube amps. I can see where the ARC tube sound (detailed, clean, not overly warm) would mesh well with Vandys. For me Id think good modern Class D would be better though for sure.

I guess I’m wondering what you are looking for soundwise if anything that initially drove you towards Vandersteen? Knowing that will make it easier to find good alternatives for use with a tube amp. My guess is though that real alternatives speakers to match Vandersteen off a tube amp may be larger and more expensive but it all depends on the room and what you seek in teh end sound wise. Tekton and Spatial Audio are two brands I know of that offer a lot of more tube amp friendly speaker for the buck. Klipsch of course is another.

Could you do corner placement of speakers? How about Klipschorns and a nice arc or vac tube integrated amp? Or a Rogue Cronus Magnum?   Or even a Glow Audio Amp 1 or Decware   Zen triode integrated?  That would be very nice, practical for good listening throughout the room and aesthetically pleasing perhaps as well. Corner placement can be a great thing to help give a system a nice bass boost and keep them out of the way and blend in to the room naturally.

Pics would definitely help. The trick is always to get the right speakers for the placement in the room and then the best amp possible to drive them. From your description I can understand the appeal of the Vandersteens. Something tube amp friendly using 8-10 inch bass drivers and higher dispersion, Maybe even something more radial or omnidirectional for the largest possible sweet spot might be in order.  Are you familiar at all with the Ohm Walsh Speakers?    I could see those working quite well.   The question would be how large would be needed.  

Atmasphere s30 would be a very nice piece to build around that would also attract some buzz visually.

Let us know when this is all done and ready.   A trip to Colorado might be in order.  :^)

Does not surprise me at all that the newer Peachtree amps are top performers and for very reasonable cost.  

Blue Zu's sound like a nice pick.   Congrats.

Nice aesthetic with the vintage marantz and blue zus for sure.   Should sound very nice together.  Always good to have a spare no matter what.    How about some pics when all set up?