Donjr - I think the Bada hybrid they're selling over at Pacific Valve is an excellent amp and it's about $1200. The tubes are in the preamp section and run cool. I bought one of these while I was waiting for a $4K amp to arrive and honestly, I thought the Bada was more to my liking. (I don't use the term "better"). It's one of the true bargains out there, IMO. 95 wpc, so you can push the volume up if you need to. 30 days money back, so you can't get hurt. No connection to the seller, of course. BTW, I recommended one of these to Fritz from Fritzspeakers and he thought it was a great amp. If that means anything to you. I think he has a good ear for sound.