I am very glad to see a forum for VanAlstine products. I haven't met Larry, but did visit with Frank in MN a few years ago. My family lives in Maple Grove & Zimmerman, so a trip to Franks wasn't a terribly long drive. Visiting Frank was very educational, but I didn't have any of my own stuff to a/b with his.
Subsequently, I had the oportunity to a/b my Bryston 3B-ST with Kevin Becker's FET Valve. I'd like to say that the two amps were close in performance, but they were only close in proximity. The FET Valve was grain-free everwhere with NO loss of detail. This difference might seem subtle to other folks, but it was not subtle to my ears. I was very impressed with the FET valve. I hope to visit Frank again this summer. I'll be moving to Omaha so a trip to visit Mr. VanAlstine will be much easier. This time I'll bring my speakers, and some other stuff too.
And... Larry, are you a VanAlstine too?