I did try the RP9 with Apollo Darks. Ref 6 or VAC Master is a better match in my system, even with the Apollo Darks. Actually the older Rogue Athena was a better match too. Hera II sounded really good but was too microphonic and noisy. RP9 sounded the most solid-state like out of all (and the Ref 6 is a hybrid too, though mostly tube). If my system was too warm and dark, the RP9 would be a great fit. Yes, it is very airy (so is the Ref 6). But I still feel the Master and Ref 6 are more refined and nuanced.
At least with the RP9 and Athena, a quad of 6H30 shouldn’t be terrible to source for a while and each set should last a long time. The ARC Reference components use 7 of these tubes each, and I'd be a little nervous if I didn't have spares.
The Apollo Dark’s bass impact and dynamics are superb. What did you mean "less" in reference to? Actually it can sometimes be TOO much here, with certain preamp / source and tube combinations (I like to use 12BH7 in place of 12AU7 which definitely contributes to this). I don’t like it to swamp the music, so system matching must be done with care. But it’s got more on tap there than the VAC 200iQ monos, for sure.