Hi mcshads
Sorry for the confusion. I have heard Karan at a show,but it was a pre power with a Zanden cd player and Avalon speakers great sound . Branco (Audio freaks always gets a great sound,pity about him). However i have not heard the integrated,sorry. I used to know the sound of YBA quite well 15 years ago,but i have no idea what it is like now,again sorry.
I know Simon the Ref 3a guy quite well ,(what a character and a really nice guy in fact a real gentleman). He used to import Antique Sound lab and may still do so(these are Valve) There is a tie up between REF 3A and Antique Sound Lab as Divergent Technology owns ref 3a and imports Antique Sound Lab. They tend to use these at US/Canadian shows for their demos. I have met Tash who runs Divergent and has a hand in taking Daniel Lehays designs(REF 3A) further after it moved to Canada (originally a Swiss company).
The Bel Canto kit is very good ,they used to make all valve gear,but sadly while this new stuff sounds a bit like valves its not the same as a valve amp(how can it be). It lacks that three dimensional imaging and the presence/musicality of valves. As i have said before there really is no substitute(if there is i have still to hear it/find it/see it. It may exist ? But so far is just a nice possibility).
The main reason i have gone back to valves is that i just could not settle with solid state(no matter how good) and hybrid while coming close just didn't quite do it for me. I was haunted by the fantastic sound i used to have at my parents house.
That system was in a small L shaped room . Audio Innovations S 500 (el34 valve amp class A 25 watts), Marantz CD 94 mk 2 , Pro-ac Super Tablets mk 1 on heavy 4 legged stands. Cabling was Xlo tye 6 and Deltec black slink. System sat on Target stand + wall shelf and the cd player on a mana ref table. I used ec audio mains products(early Tom Evans) and Kimber power cables. I also had an Oracle Delphi turntable ,Sme 309 arm and VDH mc 10 cart and a Head step up,cabling all Audio Note Anv silver. This system was amazing it was open and detailed,musical,natural and above all always imaged amazingly(the sound never came from speakers). The depth was breathtaking,regularly the soundstage stretched to the garden of the house opposite and the boundary walls of the room where not there either. Over a period of time i was able to tune the system to the room and while the sound was not full bandwidth it was brilliant and i loved it. I listen to a wider range of music now but back then it was mostly American melodic rock (Kansas,Saga,Journey etc) ,ProgRock (Yes,Elp,Gong,Hawkwind etc) and jazz and early Dance music(Klf,Orb etc) with some female singer song writer stuff (Joni Mitchell, Jane Sibery, Kate Bush etc). And this system worked well with all of this . After i got married i lost my job not long after that and this system would not reproduce in the new house what it did in my parents house ,Crap. Its really only in the last 6 years or so that i have been able to go back into this and i am where i am now, which is much better off. My systems are much better than that original system in every way except image depth. But i am getting closer as my recent playing around with cables has shown,the QED Genesis as good as it is was and is holding tings back. In the upstairs set up i have almost got the depth back i used to have. At one time i was going to ask if i could put my old system(i tend not to get rid of stuff) back into my old bedroom and go over and listen to it,but i don't have to now as i have cracked the problem,which was mostly speaker related.
Based on what you have told me about your room and taste in music you will need at least 50 watts of valve power or 30 exceptionally good valve watts,with fabulous output transformers.
Audio Zone i have only read about , again sorry.
Hope this is of some help to you
Regards D Louth