Attention Thiel CS3.7 owners

Alonski,

I read the specs and a few reviews of the Phi 200 and it's clear the monoblocs have what it takes to handle the 3.7's 2 ohm dip. Not many tube amps can do that. How many hours do you get out of a tube set?

VAC is indeed powerful tube amp. My VAC sigma 160 is a LOT more powerful than my 200 watts aragon amp.

I Set my sigma volume at 10 o'clock position and it sounded louder than 200 watts aragon set at 12 o'clock position.

As for thiel 3.7, I would go for HEGEL H30. The CS 3.7 speakers are power hungry speakers.

Some even said that the H30 is better than amps costing 2-3x more.

Vhiner,

The specs are good, but they don't do justice to the sound. The Phi 200 is one of those special amps (it was just reviewed in the UK's HiFi Critic) that those who have heard it become part of this weird club of crazed enthusiasts (or maybe that's just me...?). Kevin Hayes doesn't design for specs (like low distortion as an example)... they hand make and hand wire each amp point to point and then he personally voices each amp against their reference before it is packed for shipment. Even repairs and upgrades get the same treatment.

Ah, the pleasure of dealing with a small company who knows your name... VAC's customer service is legendary. Once you've experienced it, there's nothing like it.

As for tube life... the amp is so stable that I've not exhausted tubes in less than 18 months, and I have my amps on every day for hours. I've biased the tube set once in the last year and found that it didn't even need it.

Steve Hoffman (the recording engineer) just got a pair of Phi 200 mono blocks and he's amazed (that says a lot!). To think that this is VAC's entry-level amp...

Sigh. I guess I'll just have to bide my time until the VAC and Hegel gear begins to fall prey to someone's upgrade fever. ;-) New is beyond my grasp.

Don't despair, Vhiner,

If you're fast on the draw, you can sometimes find a used VAC Phi 200 on A'gon for about $5000. Not chump change, but better than $10,000! But you do have to ready to pull the trigger right away, as it's rare that someone will part with their amp unless they're upgrading to a bigger VAC.

If you find yourself in San Francisco, come over for a listen. But don't blame me if you sell your car...

Alón