I'm thinking of getting into tubes, what do you

Gfloyd53, You're on the right track now. However, I don't totally agree that you can get better sound from something new (due to poor craftsmenship these days.)
Here are some of my suggestions before you jump on to the next "hi fi" gear.
Rule number One: Always audition it first. Once you done that, you can then decide whether or not you should buy the same product used or new.
Rule number Two: Don't rely on others opinion since it is your ears doing the listening and not theirs. It is hard for you to tell if the person who's replying to your question is being honest or just making up some stuff.
Rule number Three: Always ask specific questions. If you can't get the answer you are looking for then his or her opinion is worthless.
Rule number Four: Always do background research before and after you audition any product. You can find some serious flaw in a particular product.
Rule number Five: Always check every single piece of equipment you auditioned together. Every single piece of equipment will contribute to your end result. You might bring home the whole system but you didn't bring home the sound you like because you didn't use the same CD player or cables or isolation devices... you get the point.

I have put together really wonderful systems that I had to sell for various reasons (money, changes in the household, WAF, and, in the case of the Krell class A system, too much heat in a small room). The best systems I assembled took a lot of patience and a lot of money. There are more products out there that don't go together than do. IMHO. If I find a system with the coherence and sysnergy that I'm looking for, I'll buy it. But, like you said, they don't build them like they used to. So I don't really believe I'll find what I'm looking for. But I'm going to give it a shot. Thanks for your response.

System update. OK, here goes. First I put a Concierto power cord (I had left over from another system) on the VK-200 amplifier and put the amp on it's own dedicated circuit (the way I had done with my Krells). This brought some really big improvement in the bass. Then I moved the speaker cable connections on the B&W 801 Matrix IIIs to the midrange/tweeter connectors (there are straps between those and the woofer connections). This last change, and lots of playing time, has brought about the most surprising improvements. Much better, tighter more defined bass, much less 'smearing' of the midrange and a whole lot better imaging. And, although I bought the BAT pieces used, the equipment didn't appear to have had any use, or very little, at all. So I suspect that a lot of burn in time is needed.

Another update: Concierto Concert Grand power cable on the VK-200 and the older Concierto power cable moved to the preamp. About 90 hours of playing/burn in time. HUGE improvements all around!!! Much more open sounding most (about 95%) of the veil is gone. The bass is tightening up beautifully. And there is much more detail coming through. TAS said they needed 400 hours on the KV-30SE, so I'm looking for more improvements to come.

Gfloyd53,
Just got caught up on this thread. Sorry to have left you hanging. I think the break-in was the key to your initial issues.
From your comment about jumpers, it sounds like the speakers are bi-wirable. I'd post a question in speaker forum or search archives re: B&W biwiring. On some speakers it makes tons of difference. You might be able to borrow someone else's biwires and give it a try. B&W dealers would also have recommendations.
Lastly, BAT gear is made balanced and strongly prefers balanced XLR interconnects. Hope you are using them. If not, you aren't hearing all that you paid for. Even lower priced balanced cables can outperform some higher-priced singe-ended cables with their gear.
Keep us updated, you're well on your way. Cheers, Spencer