Need thoughts on Canary & Cary

Always go with the company which provides superior customer service and support. Do a forum search; you'll find all of the information needed to make your decision.

Good luck!

yep. Customer service and support are most important. they are not however the only reason to buy. eg. above, build, sonics, designs, maintainence... etc. Oh, and there's that price thing too.

of all the amps i've listened to, the VAC (70/70 mk3) have always stood at the top of the heap, above Cary (805c) VTL (IT-85, ST150)

Are you planning on using the amp to drive the VR Jr's or some other speaker? This will be a big determinant of what result you'll get.
The 300b amps in general are lower power and will need a very efficient speakers to sound their best. They tend towards glorious midrange and rolled off low & high frequencies. Tubes are some of the priciest.
EL34s lean towards a balance that's great w/rock, warm mid-bass, and great rhythmic drive. Great ability to tube-roll to tailor the sound.
Although not as familiar w/your model, my old VRs preferred amps with relatively high current vs. other tubes designs(e.g. BAT).
More info will help...Cheers,
Spencer