Erik,
I like what I heard from the D'Agostino amp/Wilson speaker combination. I've heard that setup at several shows, so it seems to be recognized as a good match in the same way Wilson's were often matched with Spectral a while ago.
I have not given Audio Research a serious listen to in a while, but, I never liked the lean, harmonically bleached sound of both their tube linestages and amplifiers; I would take solid state over their stuff and I am a tube person. It is all a matter of taste, and they just don't fit me.