Attention Thiel CS3.7 owners

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

07-13-13: Vhiner
Cal3713,

Someone at Thiel told me awhile back that they were very, very pleased with how the Hegel drove the 3.7's. Do you remember which model it was? Their flagship is out of my price range.

~~~~~
It was actually their H300 integrated (with DAC, $5500 new), not even the big boy.

Also, I heard the 2.7s at last years RMAF, and simply didn't like them. Could have been the room, but it was setup by Thiel and was supposed to be the speakers' "unveiling ceremony," so I was sad not to be even slightly moved. I was happy that it solidified my desire to finish my speaker upgrade path with the 3.7s though. I hope I'm wrong, but I feel like they will go down as the last great feat of the company now that Jim is gone.

And dammit, I don't usually fall prey to people talking up components, but I'm going to have to add a VAC amp to the list of interest. That was effective effusement.

BAT VK-600 is also another option.

It is more affordable than VAC and HEGEL.

You wont find many used HEGEL or VAC at 50% discount. But BAT frequently seen on AGon.