VAC Standard limited edition preamp

Of course :

VAC Standard LE : Transparent, high resolution, sweet and vibrant, deep soundstage with several layers, dynamic. Will sound forward on voices, acoustics with most tubes. Can be corrected with proper rolling but will still sound forward. Low and high frequencies tight and precise. Mids are more sweet than rich. Might necessitate more tube rolling to adapt to your taste. Very susceptible to rolling. 2X 12AX7 (5751), 2 X 12 AU7. Quite a bargain at the price with phono, supposedly excellent.

Conrad Johnson Premier 16LS2 : Warm, rich sounding with very low noise floor. Deep and full bass. Richest and warmest midrange you can get. Soudstage very wide, less deep and precise than the VAC. Highs slightly rolled off for a more relaxing presentation. Big sounding unit. Quite unique type of sound. Piece of collection.

My music tastes are numerous.

For heavy classical symphonies and rock, techno,acoustic instruments, definitely the VAC. For soft jazz, ambient, world music, female singers and more relaxed listenings, the CJ. Less susceptible to tube rolling. 6 X 6922. I'm actually trying Siemens 7308 in it. Increased dynamics and deeper soundstage.

Forgot to mention. I'm very satisfied with both units. like I said, I just can't depart with either one of them. I alternate them depending on my mood. It's to a point where preamps are decided for many, many years for me. But......if there is a machine out there that I'm very curious about, it would be a VAC Renaissance or Signature.

Thanks for the excellent descriptions Andr. I'm currently using Amperex in my 17LS. I really appreciated their lushness when I had a very dry cd player. Now I'd like something a little more articulate but I've heard that the Siemens are somewhat on the warm side - definitely not a bad thing unless, like in my case, your system is already leaning in that direction. Anyway, I'm hoping for a little of your luck in finding a great buy on a 16LS2.