Considered the arc ref 6se but had trouble with soooo many tubes - 8, being run very hard and lasting 3k hrs, etc vs Vac with 2 tubes.
just nutty, arc is so damn complex.
just nutty, arc is so damn complex.
VAC preamps - too expensive?
VAC makes great products so i hear. The Linestage Master lists for $28k and next one down is Signature, for $22k. Add $12k for a phonostage.
anybody have experience with these units?
its a marketing strategy. Yeah the $22k Signature is very nice but for just $6k more u get a much better unit. Might as well get the Master. Pretty clever. Oh and they offer a line stage called the Statement for $80k and it comes with chrome and a skylight so u can view whats inside. The Master has most of what the $80k Statement has (no skylight) so i guess the $28k Master seems a great deal. Pretty clever.
anybody have experience with these units?
its a marketing strategy. Yeah the $22k Signature is very nice but for just $6k more u get a much better unit. Might as well get the Master. Pretty clever. Oh and they offer a line stage called the Statement for $80k and it comes with chrome and a skylight so u can view whats inside. The Master has most of what the $80k Statement has (no skylight) so i guess the $28k Master seems a great deal. Pretty clever.
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With the newer stuff, VAC has priced itself out of the real world. But the older top preamps are very similar in circuit to the newer ones. Look there if you want the VAC sound and quality without the risk of losing your thumbs to loan sharks. Stick with ones that provide 12 db of gain. The Renaissance Series, at least the earlier models, have something like 23db of gain, which is nutty to me. I sought out the Phi Beta for a year before I found one. It was only made for a couple years before VAC went to the 2A Sig as their TOL pre. The change was made, I was told by the lead tech, mainly because VAC could no longer source the IC relays that enabled the Phi Beta to have a full function remote (key feature for me). Sound quality was not the reason. The replacement 2A Sig has only volume and mute on the remote. Yes, the manual source switches on the 2A Sig offer slightly more sonic purity, but the Phi Beta has plenty of that itself and the full-function remote is a real pleasure. I have a lot of sources so it’s important to me. I’d say keep your powder dry until a Phi Beta comes along on the used market. It’s beautiful, too. Worth the wait. |
Audio Research is a common option. I use an Audio Research tube pre-amp with phono. Only 6 tubes I run these days. Cost under $2k new during a sale a few years back to make way for newer model. I’ve had a handful of VAC auditions. Won’t say the two sound the same but both are top notch and seem to shoot for a similar sound, less "tubey" and more SS than many. My local ARC dealer also sold Rogue as a lower cost option. Nothing he sold ever sounded less than superb. |
Audiophillia is a rich man's hobby. The plethora of mid-fi gear is a relatively recent thing and the reason why Youtube reviewers live in that space. Its growing fast and seeing much innovation. It proves the markup on gear is massive. The haves will always diminish the have-nots. Its why the whole hobby is not growing year after year. Some brands coast on name cache (Mac) and others will build items that punch far above their weight (Decware). But once the vinyl boom fizzles out, segments of the hi-fi market will disappear forever. |
Do I win a prize for hitting that? I’m looking for a world class integrated amp. A VAC would do just fine. It’s not easy to be around for many years and post regularly without getting banned or just plain burned out at some point prior. I did take a hiatus for a year or so a few years back. I know at least one person missed me. I still like music and hifis and all that goes with that. I’d rather talk about that than most anything else. I’m a creature of habit I suppose. Music is a wonderful sedative and way to relax from life’s stresses. Very healthy! The better music sounds, the better it is. THe "high end" is an interesting place. Especially for a guy from Amish Country like me. Lots of opportunities to help cut through the noise and get to the meat when it comes to good sound. You learn along the way but the noise never stops. There are expensive things to sell! Just have to find a choice few who are ready and willing to go there. |
VAC preamps are pricey, no doubt, but excellent. I bought a demo Phi Beta preamp 8 years ago for roughly half of MSRP, which was still a bundle. I thought I was crazy at the time, but I'd heard one at a dealer and loved it, so I jumped. Well, it’s been in service 12 hours a day for almost every day since then, sounding wonderful with any amp I pair with it--and there have been many in that time. The fact that it has a dual LOMC phono, too, that’s among the best I’ve heard is just icing. You pays your money for VAC but you get an heirloom piece that just keeps going. High expense but high value if you buy used or a demo. |
You should ask your question in the forum link below. VAC owners post there. Given the tone of your question, not sure if you are really an interested buyer, or a lover of sour grapes. https://www.audioshark.org/vac-85/?s=ac165575cb5d793dc3c7ec9087c40a85 |
If you are filthy rich it’s not expensive....however if you are a poor middle class slob with a mortgage, wife, kids, bills, etc...then yeah, those prices are ridiculous... There are many wonderful "affordable" products available to the "average audiophile"... the list is far too large to put it here...plus these products will get most 90% or more "there"...no need to spend your life savings...however, here are a few, imo, giant killers.... -Origin Live Aurora with Onyx or silver tonearm -Hana el or sl mc cartridge -2m bronze or black cartridge -Tannoy Eaton speakers -Sugden Signature A21se pure class A integrated.... -Musical fidelity v90 dac -Border Patrol R2R dac -Music Hall mmf-7.3 or 9.3 -Akg K550 closed back headphones -Graham slee Novo headphone amp -Tavish design the classic or Vintage tubed phono preamp -Pro-ject tube box DS2 tubed phono preamp -Ear 834P tubed phono preamp -wharfedale Linton Heritage -wharfedale Diamond 225’s -Rogue Audio Sphinx V3 integrated... -Any of the Marantz reference cd/sacd players... -Marantz pm14s1 or 15s1 integrated... -Audiolab cdt6000.... I could go on and on.... |
I’ve been dabbling in building and modifying amps for years. I can tell you that by replacing resistors with bulk foils (like VAC), choosing a few Miflex film caps and some choice tubes, all for say, $500, you can increase the performance of an amp whereby it may seem worth a $50,000 price difference in model lineup. |
I'd like to clear something up about myself. I am not a monetarily wealthy person. I'm a letter carrier. I've never in my career,seen a rich mailman. I buy just about everything used. However,those that have created significant wealth,especially those that have worked WAY harder than I was willing to work,deserve the rewards of their hard work. I'm not here to ridicule someone that is better off than I. Nor am I here to ridicule someone that wants to hold on to their communion money until retirement,kudos to you. When did it become fashionable to judge folks on what they are able to purchase? Next thing you know,we'll be judging folks by the color of their skin. |
People that really enjoy well reproduced music do not generally hear a law of diminishing returns. They hear and are rewarded with a much more emotionally involving experience. The closer and more involving is worth the increasing cost to get there. Last year with a some reservations purchased a $22K streamer, replacing my $4K streamer. Within a few minutes the price went from ridiculously high to a bargain as the performance increase was so profound and exceeded my expectation. I have heard VAC equipment periodically throughout the decades I have pursued high end audio. Whenever I have it was always priced appropriately for its amazing level of performance. Also, yes, you cannot play a marketing trick on high end audiophiles and stay in business for a few years let alone decades. Those of us who have pursued this for most of our adult lives are pretty familiar with this phenomenon. It is what keeps us enthusiastic about the pursuit and enjoying the music. The performance of Etta James in Canada from 1975 that is currently playing is truly amazing and with a realism I never imagined I would experience… and from Qobuz, the streaming service. Amazing. |
VAC has been in business for many, many years, so if they are taking advantage of people then they wouldn’t have lasted this long. Never heard their equipment personally but they tend to gather great press. I’m sure much of the cost is the quality of their cabinets. I recall sometime back they built reissues of vintage Marantz tube pieces. Marantz could have chose any company to build these pieces, which apparently they couldn’t as well, but they chose VAC. http://www.vac-amps.com/Marantz_Classics.htm |