When I wanted to upgrade from a Rotel RMB-1066 to a better 3-channel amp for my combo 2-channel/HT system, I tried VA's OmegaStar 240 (not sure if it was EX version or not, but this was Spring of 2005). My attitude towards gear in general is that I can accept that gear must be broken in, but I still feel that if a component sounds good out of the box, it will usually improve as it breaks in. Therefore, I do judge gear when first powered on. I tried this amp for about a week. Although it was well built, in my system, there was no synergy. I found it brighter than the Rotel in that brightness range (4-8kHz), and a bit thin sounding. I did not notice any improvement during the week I used it (it was powered on the whole time). I just did not feel it was any better than the Rotel, and this surprised me, since the Rotel lists for $700. Frank gratiously accepted its return. Subsequently, I went with an Odyssey Audio HT3 (about 1/3 more expensive). While not a perfect amp, it is much smoother in the upper-mids/lower treble region than either the Rotel or the VA. Perhaps Frank's pricier amps offer better balance, or perhaps it was just lack of synergy.
My system at the time (2-channel chain portion only): Rotel RCD-02 CDP, Sherwood/Newcastle P-965 pre-pro, Vandersteen 1C mains, VCC-1 center, Definitive Technology PF15 subwoofer, Behringer 1124P FBDP and Paradigm X30 subwoofer controller (both for the Def Tech only), Kimber entry level speaker cables, Monster, Blue Jeans and Signal Cable ICs.
