Celebrer: Interesting you ask about the Wolcotts as these amps were ultimately what I had been seeking for so many years with the Magnepans. The Counterpoint controlled the speakers incredibly well but lacked that awesome midrange presence and fullness of the VT130. I missed the VT130's magic but finally I had the control of these speakers that I had sought. But it was the sonics of the VT130 that made me continue my quest for the right amp for these speakers.....and I got darn lucky with the Wolcotts. I still have them and they are an older model. Much has been done to these amps in upgrades so I am sure I still have not heard their true potential. And I never went all out with Mullard EL34 tubes which I know are an incredible upgrade over Electro-Harmonix in other components I have used them.
The Wolcotts controlled the Maggies as well as the Counterpoint but with the Wolcotts came much of that midrange fullness once again. I was really quite the happy camper. I still recalled the extra bit of bloom with the KT88s in the VT130, but even the 6550s in the VT130 I would say had a slight edge over the Wolcotts in midrange richness. However, the Wolcotts brought on a low-end extension that was not quite there with the VT130.
I have thought about upgrading the Wolcotts as "back-up" amps when the CATs are down, but the Wolcotts sound pretty good already.....they just do not have the ultimate in clarity, resolution and dynamics of the CATs.
Pmotz: Keep in mind that my comments are relative and not an absolute. When I went from Hafler and Adcom ss amps to the CL60, there was a huge improvement....especially in the bass which surprised me as the CL60's rated output was far less than the other amps. And the overall benefits of more detail was quite dramatic. It was not until the VT130 came along that I heard, for the first time in my home, the true addictive power and magic of tubes to getting so involved in the music.
John
