VTL IT-85 is in the house! Since my friend hasn't bought the speakers yet, we've been testing it with my Harbeth M30.1s since this afternoon. I have to say this amp sounds absolutely sublime! No problem driving the 30.1s. The midrange is just exquisite on this amp ... it has the EL34 liquid smooth magic for sure! We were worried that this amp might be overly romantic or lush, but it's very balanced throughout the range. Vocals are quite good as well.
And yes, it is quite a bit better than the Blackhawk or the Moonriver 404. Has that big juicy room filling tube sound but without the bloat or even a hint of mushiness. Another thing we like is that it sounds excellent at low volume, no loss of detail or presence. My friend is saying that this is exactly what he had in mind when said 'intimate and cozy'.
This also goes to show how good the 30.1s are. These speakers definitely scale as you feed them a better signal. I must say this is the best I've heard them sound ... although, I've never tried them with my other amp, Audio Hungary a50i. Maybe I should.
The problem is that he now wants to buy my M30.1s too. We'll see about that.