Reproduction of acoustic instruments with tube amp

Sorry Dekay, I didn't answer your questions. I'm looking for a power amp and the room is about 10' x 12'. I use a Resolution Audio CD55 (no pre).

Audition Conrad Johnson Premier 11a or 12's if you get a chance. Just an idea. I adore the way acoustic instuments are reproduced by my 11a. I have no idea of the newer, possibly better tube gear out there and if I did upgrade I would go from my 11a to 12's.

Dburdick, you may not find what you are looking for within your budget limitations. The Atma-Sphere MA-1 would deliver what you're looking for, but used prices are higher than the limit you've set. Another alternative that would work well for me would be the c-j Premier 11a, and they are available used in the ballpark of the top end of your budget.

I have been a tube amp user for many years. Last year I decided to try solid state as part of a downsizing exercise. After 9 mo of misery I have gone back to tubes. I just got a tube amp and am waiting for a tube preamp to ship. I have only heard 3 VTL amps including the one you owned and never thought they exhibited the virtues of tube amps. They all sounded more like a solid state amp to me. Good tube amps should excel at the reproduction of acoustic intruments provided the rest of the system is properly matched.
I don't know if your speakers match up well with a tube amp, which could also be an issue. If your budget is under $2k I would suggest you audition some Quicksilver Mono amps.

I agree with all of the posts here. I have found more realisim in all aspects of recorded music with tube versus ss. I changed from a cj 11a to mf2500 and lost IMO some inner detail but did gain some bass extention. My speakers are Thiel 3.6's and are relatively inefficient so I am sure the additional power of the mf2500 helped. I was amazed,however; at how well the 11a drove my Thiels. When I discussed this fact with cj (knut) he stated that tube amps produce about twice the power of ss; something about plate voltage. In other words the 11a at 70wpc is pretty close to 140wpc ss. This helped explain why the 11a drove my Thiels relatively well.