VAC preamps - too expensive?

They are hand built to order.  I didn't have such a long wait, though.  No shame for waiting, just bad luck is all.  In my estimate, still worth it.

The Master’s retail without phono was $27 / 28K, so is it now $30K MSRP? I mean, I knew inflation was coming so I went on a buying spree this spring, including my Master. I think it took maybe 10 weeks max from order to delivery in early May...

If you have a high-end turntable, the VAC onboard phonos are a work of art and well worth it. The only reason I didn’t add one to my Master is because I already had their Renaissance SE phono, which is the same circuit & parts. But the Master’s phono is a real masterpiece, with all hand P2P wiring (the loaner I had for a while had it).

Did you buy it??



jumia OP188 postsWell, seems its a nice preamp worth owning.

however, i called today and wanted to get a sales quote on Master and to my horror they increased price by $3k a few weeks ago,  same item.   shameon me for waiting.  Now its at $25k and was also told it may take 5 mnths to receive.  

If you have a high-end turntable, the VAC onboard phonos are a work of art and well worth it.

I completely agree. My Phi Beta has a very similar phono circuit, maybe even the same one, if executed, I’d imagine, at a somewhat lower level than the Master. It has 6 x 12AX7 with Lundahls. Mine is 2 x LOMC, and I had Brent upgrade the transformer on one to the Statement version, along with installing screw terminals for both so I can slide in nude Vishays of any value for unlimited loading options. It is superb. I might even prefer this phono stage to my Allnic H3000, which is no slouch.

@wrm57
The phono stages are what kept me coming back to VAC. The 6-tube MM stage is ridiculously good. The Master’s version (and the Ren SE) is tweaked and has exotic parts, but any version of their 6-tube phono is solid 24K gold for our vinyl. Even the scaled-down 3-tube phono is shockingly good. Incidentally I have a friend who’s looking to pickup a Phi Beta w/ phono, apparently they are superb.

I have a lot of cartridges in my collection, and it’s always refreshing to hear how the VAC phono lets almost any ~$2K MC cartridge transcend to the next level. I mean, it’s still best with my best cartridge (Blue Lace Diamond), but it’s crazy how much it boosts the Benzes/Shelters/Ortofons. There’s no "diminishing returns" with their phono stages - they’re well worth every penny. I putzed around with Herron / Rogue Ares / etc for a bit, and the VAC phonos cost more (even as add-ons) but they really truly BLOW AWAY those other phono stages. And now the Master line stage perfectly matches their phono’s beauty.

I would suggest experimentation with external SUTs (being very careful in choice of interconnects, which must be short and low capacitance), if occasion allows - I’m actually not a huge fan of the Lundahl amorphous core MC SUTs, and I have a SUT collection that I find preferable to them (matched per cartridge). I can see that some would consider the crystalline/detailed sound of the Lundahls to match perfectly with the warm/lush VAC MM, but then some like me like to double down on that warm/lushness and just wallow in its delights lol. EAR MC-3 or MC-4 and and Bob’s Devices Sky SUTs are warm and lush in the midrange but also very dynamic and exciting.

I have a sneaking suspicion the Alps RK27 potentiometer was my main complaint about the Renaissance V preamp - they just don’t sound very good - which of course is fully rectified in the Master with its badass custom-motorized RK50.