Thanks! I am leaning towards the XA30.8 for many of the reasons stated here. I think I needed to hear someone say that it is in another league above the Rogue sound that I have been listening to (and enjoying - that Sphinx punches way above its class).
While I love the idea of vintage gear, I am also not that technically inclined myself so I would have to pay for maintenance and deal with the headache. I live in NYC so there are enough local resources to do the job but they are awfully pricey. Reliability is why I am sticking to solid state in the first place.
That said, the Threshhold sounds like a bargain at the price and one for which there will always be a market if it doesn't work out...