A couple of questions, first of all, are we comparing apples with apples? That means are you comparing solid state integrated amps with the two tube integrated amps that you are using? Separates could make a difference in what you are hearing. I have even noticed that monoblock amps offer a clearer image and larger soundstage than their stereo counterparts.
Secondly, did you experiment with any of the small signal tubes? From my experiences with tube integrated amplifiers, changing the small signal tubes makes a much bigger difference to the sound than changing the power tubes. Try changing the 6922/ECC83/6SN7's in the Cary or Octave, you may have better results than playing with the power tubes.
Secondly, did you experiment with any of the small signal tubes? From my experiences with tube integrated amplifiers, changing the small signal tubes makes a much bigger difference to the sound than changing the power tubes. Try changing the 6922/ECC83/6SN7's in the Cary or Octave, you may have better results than playing with the power tubes.