VAC preamps - too expensive?

I just searched  VAC 200iQ amplifier,and see a  guy buy new with $14000 and sold $7600.

I just can't put the linking into here,it might have some limitation with forums.

It is the current model,so it won't be long time.

Is that to say this products with  value for money is not good?

Am I right?

I just searched  VAC 200iQ amplifier,and see a  guy buy new with $14000 and sold $7600.

I just can't put the linking into here,it might have some limitation with forums.

It is the current model,so it won't be long time.

Is that to say this products with  value for money is not good?

Am I right?

That is absolutely normal and expected used pricing behavior for a $14,000 MSRP tube amp which has been out for 7 years.

Vac amplifiers are over priced.

Vac amplifiers are over priced.

I recommend you use a Topping power amp with the pre-outs from an AVR receiver.

@highstream

I changed the fuse to an Audio Magic Ultimate Premier a while back. The tray slides out about an inch or so and locks without coming all the way out. There are two slots from what I recall where the outer fuse is used in the circuit. I loaded it from the top.

Have you tried the M1 Masterpiece fuse? It is quite a fuse, and I was the one who purchased the used one from USAM several months ago for my Aurender N20.

Yes, it is the same small slow blow 4A fuse used for the Master as well as the MkIIa SE preamp that I had.

@mulveling

Thanks for the good chuckle.

Btw, my Theta will be going in for the CB V upgrade this week.  :)

@kmmd Unless the design has changed, the Master's fuse holder is a bottom feeder. So unless the unit is on an upper shelf, it needs to be pulled out and flipped over to change fuses. I installed a QSA red/black. While I had liked the AM Ultimate, the Ultimate Premier seemed a design change toward neutral with an emphasis on presence. At least the latter entails an upper end bump, the opposite of what creates a sense of warmth. Alfred at Highend said that if I didn't like the UP, the Master wouldn't please either. 

@highstream

That’s interesting regarding the VAC power supply fuse holder. I’m 100% sure I loaded from the top, since my preamp sits inside my entertainment center and can only be accessed from the top.

I found the M1 fuse in my N20 to provide a neutral sound and more definition and presence. I’m not sure of a “bump.” I don’t think that I’ll move to the M1 for the VAC due to the long burn in time. Have you tried the SR fuses? I haven’t tried the purples but have an orange in my Theta. They don’t seem to take as long to burn in, but they blow pretty easily.

Yes, I’ve just replaced the Purples in my Lampi dac and VAC preamp with the QSA. Extraordinary difference.

The "bump" I referred to is how sound is engineered, from what I read. True neutral is a perfectly flat response curve. Apparently, most people would not like the sound of that. So for a more palatable, "balanced" sound, a little bump is added on each side of the middle. If more gain is given to the bass, that means warmth. If more on the upper side, that means greater sense of presence and detail, as I understand it. For example, when the SR Orange came out, the initial review on Agon noted that instead of the Red’s "neutral" sound, which I didn’t like, the Orange seemed to include a mid bass bump, because it had gained a bit of warmth. That was continued with the Purple. One upshot of this is, as I understand it, that when audiophiles speak of neutral, what they’re unknowingly talking about is a frequency response that has been modified from flat, and not necessarily in a balanced way.

Thanks for the info, and it makes sense.  I wonder if anyone has run REW frequency response for a component with fuse swaps.

Going back to the many skeptics and sour grape guys in 2021.  Tell me.....how many companies are there where the CEO (Kevin Hayes) is highly likely to answer the phone when you contact the company??....and then he will speak with you for as long as necessary to thoroughly answer your question!! My Sig Mkii se with phono stage is an amazing piece of precision equipment that compliments my entire system. I can only dream as to "how much" the Master series could improve upon the sonic results I am so fortunate to experience.

Kevin is a stand up guy, he services EVERYTHING they ever sold, decades later. I had my Pre amp and Amp updated this year. When I visited a few weeks ago to pick up my amp, it wasn’t boxed up yet. So Kevin sat with me for 45 minutes in the shop while I waited and we talked about VAC stuff. He even went to find the record on my amp to find the manufacture date. He keeps files on everything ever sold. All their stuff is hand made, I’ve talked to Brent several times-they all are most friendly and helpful. You get what you pay for and the service after the sale is phenomenal. These are life time pieces. I’ve had mine for 20 years!

Going back to the many skeptics and sour grape guys in 2021.  Tell me.....how many companies are there where the CEO (Kevin Hayes) is highly likely to answer the phone when you contact the company??....and then he will speak with you for as long as necessary to thoroughly answer your question!! My Sig Mkii se with phono stage is an amazing piece of precision equipment that compliments my entire system. I can only dream as to "how much" the Master series could improve upon the sonic results I am so fortunate to experience.

This. And they also happily service all past products, which can't be understated. That's pride in your product.

Actually spoke to Kevin just last week. I'm having a Renaissance 3 preamp reconditioned - it's the perfect sonic match for my small office rig. In the main rig I'm now running a full VAC Master preamp + Master monoblocks stack, which far exceeds the performance of any other system version I've had. It's finally stopped the component swapping, and every single session since December has been bliss. Nowhere to go from here since I can't afford Statement, but no complaints :)

Find the right VAC to match your system, then sit back and enjoy. If you build your rig like you select car insurance, then why even bother?

Sounds like Vac Products require lots of maintenance. What do they do to it and why is it necessary? Super inconvenient for a quality product

Sounds like Vac Products require lots of maintenance. What do they do to it and why is it necessary? Super inconvenient for a quality product

You come off as a troll, but just to clarify for the benefit of others:

No, they don’t need more service than other brands. My Ren 3 went in for cosmetic touch-ups needed due to a slightly careless prior owner. And when a component lasts for 15+ years, then it’s prudent to refresh any electrolytic capacitors, regardless of brand. I would wager VAC products have a much longer "usage" lifespan than average, because they still sound great 20 years later.

I have not personally had a failure with any VAC component - 15 years, 9 (I think) components.

My Phi Beta preamp has been the beating heart of my main system for 12 years, on 14-16 hours a day and requiring zero maintenance beyond changing tubes every couple years. Love it.

@mulveling 

Thank you for your great comments. My trollish rhetoric is due to the frustration I had trying to make a decision about this vac preamp, which was plan to be incorporated into a Home theater arrangement when used for stereo listening.

Unfortunately, vac does not make a remote that allows input changing despite offering a home theater button on the face of the component which is kind of weird. My family didn't like this functionality and that trumped it's performance qualities and plus it may have been located in a separate room. I did buy a different preamp at a very comparable level so everybody was happy

Why these guys don't put this type functionality on the remote is beyond me and when I spoke to a person at the company about this issue they seemed a bit arrogant which I can live with should I have chosen to buy the unit.  It wasn't the owner guy. Nevertheless who knows where I may end up and maybe Vac Will honor a spot somewhere under my roof.

Hey emerging, thanks for showing us that you and the OP, jumia, are one in the same.  I’ve known that.  Your fixation on a full remote and option to remotely change the input selection is just plain ridiculous from a purist point of view.  Please give Kevin a call and ask why.  Kevin is a true gentleman and definitely stands behind his products.  I’m hoping to send my Master line stage in for the phono upgrade later this year.  Btw, my Theta CB just came back after being upgraded to the CB V.  Loving it so far.

Having a remote that controls the input Will not affect sound quality. Vac is charging a premium for the product and it would be nice with a remote that's fully functional.

The company is too stubborn to offer this feature. 

D'Agostino offers a remote with Bluetooth. 
vac Products are very overpriced like so many other audio components.

@kmmd

His fixation here, when he’s clearly NOT the target audience for VAC gear, is kinda weird (as is the account hopping). He mentions Dan D’ag, but we know he wouldn’t buy that gear either because "too expensive". He could also buy a used VAC Renaissance Mk 2 or Phi Beta (my friend has one - sounds great!) which DOES have remote-selectable inputs, but of course he won’t (some excuse will be invented, as necessary). Those extra relays and digital controllers DO affect the ultimate sound quality, and VAC listened to guys like me who wanted the more pure path, because WE ACTUALLY BUY VAC GEAR lol.

@mulveling 

Bingo regarding everything that you posted.  Yes, we buy and enjoy VAC! How is your Master 300iQ amp?  I’ve gotta listen to that somehow somewhere.  

Bingo regarding everything that you posted. Yes, we buy and enjoy VAC! How is your Master 300iQ amp? I’ve gotta listen to that somehow somewhere.

@kmmd  They're absolutely amazing - biggest component difference I’ve ever heard in my system. Took them on loan from my dealer and wasn’t expecting to buy them, because my speakers are 96dB and the 200iQs were already quite good - but it was a huge upgrade. The Master preamp & phono are a 100% ideal match, of course. It wasn’t really responsible for me to buy them either, but I made it work somehow lol. 

Time to stop messing around - main rig is now 100% VAC and will stay that way. Small rig is the "sandbox" now, and I'm trying to work some VAC magic into there too - hence the Renaissance 3. 

Thanks @mulveling.  Your systems must sound absolutely amazing.  I’m not sure if my YG Acoustics speakers will play nicely with tube amps though.  YG is usually shown with SS amps, and I know their showroom uses D’Ag amps.  I still hope to listen to the VACs.  Have a great weekend!

If you like VAC, want VAC and can afford VAC, then you are in a position to own and enjoy  some of best and most prestigious museum worthy pieces out there. Go for it!  Life is too short to wait. 

Vac goes with everything. Everything