Theta Enterprise or Ayre V1x with Vandy 5A

Hi Worldcat,
I'm not sure what you base this on but you're certainly entitled to your opinion. As with any component YMMV in any given system.
That said...I'll happily put the BEL amps up against anything out there. If you can find something better I'll be impressed. If it's at all better, the next question I'll have for you is what is the price difference? At under $4K each, they're VERY affordable compared to the Citadels. I don't think most people will consider them though because they're hard to find and rarely reviewed. Plus, they don't have the "looks" of the Theta...or the price.
Don't get me wrong, the Theta amps are spectacular! I just happen to like the BEL more based on my experience.

although i have not heard the vandy 5a's. i love thiels 2.3's with my pass labs x-350. you get all the benefits of tubes without the litations. the good thing about the pass is they all have the same sonic signature and musicality from the x-150 upto the x-350. the x-600 are only 15% better sounding than the x-150's.

Certainly worth a home audition.
dave

Mike, have you heard the Citadels in your system?

Not yet, but Audio Concepts in Houston has. They still prefer the BEL amps. My system and theirs is very similar...but they have a better front end. I'll have them in my system in the future. Until then, I'll have to go with what I know now. As always, YMMV!
;- )
Cheers,
Mike

try them and let me know!! There is nothing the Citadels can't do? They probably make more money on the BEL than the Theta. They are over built. The huge chokes, fully diff balance, huge transformers there isn't much out there like them. The audio perfectist who has the same speakers as you just did an article on the Citadel he says the best amps he has ever heard you can check it out on the Theta web site.