Any info on the new Audio Research VS115 tube amp?

Question:

Will the sonic qualities of this tube amp be lost if it's mated with a digital preamp? I currently have a Chapter Electronics, Preface + preamp. Thanks for your input.

For the benefit of others (b/c Ebe and I communicated via email on this question) everything in the system still matters, and although I wouldn't pick a digital preamp as the perfect mate to an ARC VS115, that doesn't mean that the amp won't push the system in a desirable direction.

Does anyone have 600 hours or more on their VS115 and are your thoughts the same as when it was new out of the box?

my ARCVT100/3 was a tube eater. 500 hours and the bounce of the tubes are gone.

Cuwatch1, my VS115 has just crossed 300 hours... and I assume you are asking about the overall sound quality vs tube life (per Soundoc)? I'm just returned to the high end, so don't have the vocabulary or recent experience of owning other high end parts, but as for "my" VS115 the sound changed radically after about 200 hours. When I first installed the amp I was a little freaked out -- the base was boomy, and the sound was conjested and everything just seemed "off". I almost took it back for a Ref110, but the dealer advised just letting it cook by leaving it on for a week 24/7. That made a huge difference - things started to sound pretty damn good and overall the sound seems to be coming more and more into focus.