VAC owners, sound off


I've got my eye on a used VAC preamp here on agon, but it's over 9 years old. A phone call to Kevin Hayes was helpful, but he's not exactly unbiased. Anyone care to chime in on their experiences with VAC gear over the long term? thanks
tholt
Tholt,
Also, keep in mind, whatever vintage VAC preamp you are looking at, make sure that its output impedance matches well with the input impedance of your amp/s. This is a very important parameter to match up front in helping you to make your decision.
Tvad, if only all heads were as cool as yours... But of course, the passion and the chest banging are all part of the game, esp when we can all hide behind a screen name and yell a little. It's all good and part of the fun until it just gets stupid.

Thanks for the sound explainer on VAC's. Answered a lot, primarily that the modern technology question wasn't necessarily the right question to ask. Got it.

Of course ultimately it always boils down to 'try it in your system and find out.' And of course that's the most useless thing anyone can say. Like, really? That's all i have to do? What am I wasting time asking questions for? Nah, I found tons of information that i didn't know -- info i trust -- in one day from over 20 posts. i feel better. And hey, hope everyone here had a good T-day. I truly appreciate you taking the time from it to give me your thoughts.
Hi Tholt. The most useless thing anyone can say comes from those who give you an opinion on a piece of equipment they have not heard and guaranteeing it will be right for you. Slightly less useless are opinions coming from those with a limited range of equipment they have real experience with, and then telling you how wonderful the piece they happen to own is, with very little comparative listening but a real gungho recommendation on what they do own and with no knowledge of your preferences or system context. Ultimately, "you have to try", might very well be the best advice anyone can give you and the most honest - since we all hear differently and look for different things. The answer to your original question was answered pretty well. It sounds like VAC might very well work for you - but you will never know till you try it - that's just the way it works, and the next step if what you have heard about VAC here has made you interested in pursuing it further.
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and i didn't either (mean disrespect). it is after all, the absolute truth. you have to try. my point is it goes w/o saying. More to the point, that my questions (and i think anyone's with simple curiosity about components) are leading up to if we actually want to try 'X' out in our systems, or if "X' will even work from a technical standpoint.

And for the record, i plan on doing just that.