as was said, if someone made a graph of sonic attributes for any amp, SS or glass, the author would regularly be challenged.
at least to my ears, lately it seems more and more tube power amps tend to sound similar to Ss amps.
When picking any amp it seems to me one should enjoy what it provides in its unadulterated form, first.
I want a tube power train usually as most often the outcome is more pleasing than what one routinely gets from pure SS amps, AND with Tube power one can address their audionervosa from time to time by rolling the dice and spending far more money and replacing what the designer felt were optimun tube choices at the onset of their construct.
always I want a tube amp to sound unlike an SS amp… mostly. as the result of distortion? of course not. ultrra euphonic? nope. not that either.
what I find preferable with tube power done right (IMHO) is a fuller, more dimensional more organic presentation which enlists leading edge definition and does not ignore the natural decay of tones. one where imaging is as prominent though no more so than the balance of its delivery of the entire bandwidth.
… and I like it to be a little bit wet sounding.
regardless one’s preffs this past time is about personal involvement and enjoying the music being rendered.
if the end result floats your boat, butters your bvread then all other reputed soothsayers be damned. you are the one who has to live with your rig… not them.
as for tube poewr amps that really grabbed me, they were not power houses per se. often rated at less than 60 watts per ch max, and usually less.
as for a subgjectivve account of the OP’s short list, I’fve only heard the VTL and ASL. both were in completely different set ups and different rooms. my only take away was the ASL amp array yielded a more prominent mid range whose protrayal came across as more solidly done.
there are far too many variables in compariing amp attributes let alone the subjective assignements each poster will attach to their comments to develop a valid consensus.
