I counted myself amongst the haters, till I heard them with what I consider, good matching amps. They tend to be matched with SS Amps and with one exception, I hate the sound with that combination. The exception? D'Agostino amps, which with a pair of Alexias, produced a sound that was one of the best I have heard.
Returning to reality, a combination which is at least in theory, affordable, Wilson with Tubes, particularly Audio Research, sound great, IMHO. Recently I heard Sabrina's with an ARC Ref 75/LS27 combo and it was very fine indeed. I couldn't afford it, but it is, by modern standards, affordable to some.