Anyone Know What VTL sounds like?

The CJ gear is the most tubey of the three. I throught they were a bit too lush sounding. My favorite was the ARC VT100 MKII over the VTL but not by much and purchase price actually pushed me to the VTL (MB185 and 5.5).. Based on a fairly sistant memory The ARC is a bit more open sounding than the VTL with a great top end, maybe a bit more dynamic as well. I've heard the VTL in a number of systems and averall they give a great soundstage and a very neutral, balanced presentation...nothing seems to stand out. In my system the soundstage is very open and well defined, top end is smooth, bass is is tight but not all that outstanding in the real low end department.. i think the problem lies with other componants however.

Anyone compared the VTL 2.5 to ARC LS8/ LS16? I´ll use it with a DNA-1 dlx amp. Thanks.

I would agree that CJ products are very warm and lush in general. And AR is on the opposite end of tube sound, sometimes even sounding much more like ss. Maybe why some say that the best ss and tube products have been converging in sound. I don't really buy that, as I think a classic tube sound is the most endearing to me, even if it is not considered the most "accurate". I would say that VTL is more along the lines of the neutral, extended, open, detailed sound of the AR, but not as far in that direction. My worry about VTL was always the amount of tubes they put into an amp. Yes, you can control a low impedence loudspeaker better. But, does the music coming out of this product sound better than the other tube amps out there?

Love vtl sound, it just makes instruments sound right. I've 300's which I just had updated a year ago. no problems, I play mine all the time. I have bat system also, 5i, 500's, vkd5,sounds great but vtl & cat sound just real. I also have Plinius intergated that sounds richer than the Bat system. What it is about is three good systems and your personal taste and what you can leave with. I apprecitate all systems but my main listening room is the vtl

Regarding the reliability of the VTL gear, yes, they once suffered from horrendous reliability problems that nearly put the company under. Luke Manley took the company over a few years ago and has since turned the reliability problem into a non-issue. I have a pair of MB-450 Signatures that are run at least 3 or 4 hours daily, and in four years they have never failed. I also have a pair of the Tiny Triodes that have never failed in the same time frame. On the other hand, I owned a CJ preamp that was back to the factory 3 times in two years (all of the shipping paid by myself, even under warranty) and the ARC engineers do not bother to mask their boards to save a few production pennies. Take the top cover off of a product before buying, and check out the build quality. Also, NEVER take the word of a dealer for a competing brand regarding the reliability of another product. Oh, and the stuff is high powered, controls a speaker well, and much more neutral in terms of sonics than most tube gear. Listen to advice, but listen and judge for yourself.