Nice to find this thread here after a long absence from the site. Justlisten, it's funny you mention Plinius - before SL entered my system (first via a completely rebuilt Enlightenement tube, then Kraft 250 monos then finally the Belcanto CDP with added DAC), I was using a Plinius M8 pre and...
I've used two of the brands already mentioned with my Salon 2s - a Plinius SB-301 Class A/B stereo amp, and for the past several years Symphonic Line Kraft 250 Class A monos.
The Plinius was a really good match with the Salon 2s and can be had for around $5-6K used. I only moved away from...
Glad you are finally on the way to a resolution! Even in this day and age, some companies just don't "deal" well with email and with them, telephone communication works best (although an email conforming what was spoken about is always a good idea too!).
I had one of five Telefunken E88CCs I bought from Upscale go bad within the 90-day warranty period - it stop working altogether, actually. I got a return authorization number during the same telephone conversation I reported the issue, and had a new tube in hand within a week.
So I would...