Joule - Electra: Just How Hot??

Well there you have it. I guess any companies gear could fail at some point. I have been lucky so far knock on wood.

Again, "build-quality" and "reliabilty" are two different things. I've never known the Joule stuff to be anything but reliable. Build quality is a little more subjective and debatable, more related to fit and finish than whether the thing works and will do so over the long run. I think the Joule gear is reliable. As is my Atma-sphere gear which arguably does not have "eye candy" build quality - though I happen to like the way it looks.

I own the VZN-100 monoblocks in Musicwood. Build quality is simply suberb- these amps are functional works of art. Reliablity is excellent. I would only advise that the contacts of the driver tubes be occasionally cleaned with fine sandpaper. I say this because I've had one driver tube melt down, but fortunately I caught it before it did any damage to the tube socket. I live in Tucson AZ and therefore only use the amps during the colder months. If your AC is reasonably quiet, you should be fine.

Personally, I could not spend $15-30k on an amplifier that did not absolutely exude the essence of care, craftsmanship, and quality. Simple.

I should add that people buy Jud's OTL's because they want the best tube sound available, at any price. The amps require care and attention, but the sonic and aesthetic rewards are there for the chosen few.