No but heard them at an audio group members home many times. The power amps were tube OTLs the 120 watt/p/c Atmaspheres.
I wouldn't be as shy as you have been regarding tube amps. The reason the VT-200 sucked is because ARC uses the EH6550 wich is a flat, bang and squeak output tube. My friend Jjoe warned about using these tubes because it will make your system sound like solid state. If youy want that buy SS. I didn't and had owned a small Consonance integrated. I already knew that the strong suit of tubes is imagery, tone, and detail. If you want the richest possible bass as well consider Biamping with the class A amps you have mentioned amongst many. I found the best tube for my Cpera Consonance Monoblock 800s is the stock tube a true tetrode which are scarce in current production the EH 6CA7 not repeat not an EL34 which is perpetually described as the same tube with two names. Not at all in this application, I purchsed a tinker toy preamp for $300 an AE-3 no longer made. I rolled the inout tubes on the Cybers. I thought this is it man. After a 6 year search I found nirvana. Adding the AE-3 was an even more euphoniuc revelation, how could a system that sounds great sound even better but it does.
I bought a long term destination integrated amp for the WAF systen. It is a an older Jadis DA-60 all original except it had a managery of EL34s Flying Cs Svetlanas , Sovtek rebranded as Svets and EH if you can uimagine. I was told that by a friend to forget the sound of the Jadis Orchestra deluxe which used KT-90s and sounded thin with a wretched trebble emphasis to my ears and simply not my cup of tea. He had decided to try our agreed upon favorite JJ E34L blue glass. He started to cry because it sounded as if it was heaven sent by courier yet. But he made the commitment. He got a DA-60 after a long wait for one to crop up and it sounded ghastly. It had been modded by the butcher a known Jadis modder who is actually a sadistic mean crook. He took it to a distributor authorized trained in electronics repair and Jadis in particular who rrecognized the mods immediately. After undoing them he put in the E34Ls and he was absolutely correct it was a totally different amp than the little guy with the KT-90s. I copy catted him after another long wait, and paid less but mine is oder but did not need $1K of work. I tried as it was a mixture of tubes and it sounded decent. I wrote to a tube dealer in the prisoner place and he wites back this is what you want. Period but they cost plenty at the moment. I spent the green and rolled the 12AU7s to 7136s and the 12AX7s to 3 mica Sylvavia blackplates found it not working well with the KT88s and used early Mullards, no not the ticket. Finally I had forgotten about a pair of Tung Sol reissue 12AX7s. Nirvana ! what is the likley hood of that twice in one year. Anyone want to ttrade me some thing precious for all the gear that I bought and held over the past 6 years. I would gladly take a hit. To the editors don't worry I pay for real ads.
Conflict of interest is that one of the people mentioned in this tasle of triumph is the ditributor of Opera Consonance N.A.
