Reproduction of acoustic instruments with tube amp

It sounds like I just haven't heard a really good tube amp. I also suspected bad tubes in the VTL (bought used) but didn't want to spend the time/money to find out. I have had similar experience with other tube amps though as well so I guess I just gave up. I guess I'll have to give it another shot and look for a CJ or BAT here on A-gon. Thanks again for the friendly advice. I'll have to do some research to learn a little about tubes and the characteristic sound of each!

Some things to think about:
1. Your Plinius is a good amp - you might want to consider putting a tube pe amp in front of it. Both BAT or Blue Circle (BC3) would be good choices.
2. I am not familiar with your CD player, but it is also a likely suspect. After all, is it the most direct link to the source of the music. You might want to consider upgrading it or experimenting with an outboard DAC.
3. You did not mention your power cords, speaker cable, or interconnects. If you are using inexpensive models of these it might be time to consider putting some cash into this part of your system. Experimentation with cords and cabling can yield remarkable results.

Don't be too quick to blame your Plinius, it is a worthy piece of equipment, and may just need to be to be a bit "better fed".

I prefer tube amps but why would you want to mess with the whole tube thing if you prefer the midrange veracity of solid state? Makes no sense to me.

I am thinking about tubes again because the vocals with a tube amp are definitely better than any SS I have heard, and the Plinius is pretty good. I didn't say I prefer the midrange of SS, just that most instruments are more convincing to me. I don't think those two things are necessarily the same.

Esoxhntr, I have tried a few different brands of interconnects (Cardas, Audioquest, NBS, Alpha Core?) and settled on HT Pro Silway II. I use AP Oval 9 cables, and Absolute PCs. I'll most-likely keep trying amps until the end of time anyway, but just wanted some opinions from the 'tube experts'. Thanks again.

Yeah, it's worth giving it another try. Your ancillaries are good stuff. The reasons tube amps can sound best with vocals are generally the same reasons for the way they handle acoustic instruments. I just call the whole gestalt an ability to sound "natural", having a lot to do with the way the harmonic structure is preserved, and the way images are cast in their acoustic environments. SS bass slam and weight tend not to matter as much as these qualities when it comes to vocals and acoustic instruments. But in addition to trying better tubes themselves, it seems to me that you don't favor a "tubey" characterisic warmth that might compromise separation and definition. This would point to trying an amp (still push-pull, probably not in triode mode if switchable) with a large, wide-bandwidth output transformer (for un-rolled bass and treble extension), possibly running higher-output tubes than your VTL's EL-34's such as 6550's (and maybe more than one pair per channel?) for higher undistorted output capability (in conjunction with a beefy power supply), and possibly using an ultralinear output topology and somewhat greater negative feedback (both as opposed to the VTL) for lowered output impedance (less frequency response deviation into a 4 ohm load) and a higher damping factor (increased bass control). If you spend the money to get these things, you should also get passive parts quality on par with your Plinius, bettering transparancy and detail. The result may be a sound that, within the scale of tube amps, is more "dry" and less "luscious", with images that more favor focus over breadth and a soundstage favoring intimacy and clarity over distance and reverberance, and a small-scale dynamic character that may lean less toward "freewheeling" and more toward "controlled" traded off against increased large-scale dynamic resistance to sounding "amorphous" during complex passages. Obviously, many folks prefer tube amps for just the qualities opposite these, but you may not. Then let us know how things turn out. Good luck!