Also contact
Razordog about K612s. I believe he ships to Canada, and someone on the
K612 Head-Fi discussion thread mentioned in the last month or so that there was the possibility of a discount (you'll have to find it). And
Razordog has an open box K612 on Ebay for $169. I got mine from him that way--flawless condition. Perhaps he would beat Amazon's price shipped to Canada.
As far as the tube in the Vali, it cannot be changed out. But you should not have to. The Vali is a hybrid solid state/tube amp (not a full OTL tube amp). Amps on the output stage like that have a much longer life from what I understand.
But personally, I would look for a Schiit Magni, too. You are just as likely to like a comparable quality solid state as a tube hybrid tube amp unless you know you like one or the better type already. Preference for solid state vs. hybrid tube/solid state is exactly that: personal preference. Some people like the distortion/coloring added to the signal; others prefer accuracy and transparency.
Then I would also point out one of the fun factors of tube amps is changing out the tubes to tweak the sound. The Vali doesn't allow that; the Little Dot I+ does.
