Hi Don,
Good to hear from you. I must tell you that I'm more in an exploration route because I don't know much in audio. The best thing for me would be to be able to listen to as many components as I can in my home and then decide which way to go.
As a young audiophile, I want to explore, discover and make myself and idea or many ideas of what's possible to achieve with the sound at home.
I took the plunge in transistor class A for a while with the Luxman L-590AII and then, some circumstances obliged me to sell it and I went back to tube with a real pleasure.
Few years ago, I had a pair of Audio Physic Virgo III because I liked their soundstage, then I was on the way to discover British sound, with Harbeth which I still really appreciated.
Now, I just feel that high efficiency speakers with a SET tube amplifier is a way to explore. In my opinion, the day I will need a heavy pair of mono-blocks, I should change my speakers to get something more efficient. Plus, I usually listen at low level and my room is not quite big (18'x 24').
In the end, the question I asked above was in my mind for a while. While it looks like so many people will died with their Harbeth, we know less about those who passed thru and went to another audio route.
Sébastien