So I figure I'll just tack onto this thread rather then start a new one. After listening to the pre for about 2 weeks I think I've adjusted to the sound. My impression is that it's, in a word, unremarkable? I find the mids and bass light and lacking. Vocals -- which I think any good pre should do well, are also light and even sound a little boxy and compressed. Presentation is also bit flat. Basically the sound lacks dimensionality and fullness.
Reason I bring these observations up is they seem to fly in the face of the overwhelming kudos to the VAC sound. I'm not hearing it, or at least what I'm hearing isn't what I believe so many people would be raving about.
I do have the unit on brass cones into brass feet, underneath of which are iso-node pods. I do this primarily because the shelves on my custom rack are natural wood and not 100% flat, and the cones are height-adjustable. While the cones also help tighten focus, I do notice that they lighten the mids and bass to a degree (the iso-nodes help counteract that). But I tried the unit on its own feet, with only a slight improvement.
Maybe I'm looking for the wrong things? I listen to hard and classic rock, electronica, some solo acoustic. Maybe this pre sounds better with different music styles. Maybe there's a system dis-synergy. Don't know. At this point I'm ready to put it back up for sale, but thought I'd try here beforehand to see if anyone has any thoughts or troubleshooting ideas.
Reason I bring these observations up is they seem to fly in the face of the overwhelming kudos to the VAC sound. I'm not hearing it, or at least what I'm hearing isn't what I believe so many people would be raving about.
I do have the unit on brass cones into brass feet, underneath of which are iso-node pods. I do this primarily because the shelves on my custom rack are natural wood and not 100% flat, and the cones are height-adjustable. While the cones also help tighten focus, I do notice that they lighten the mids and bass to a degree (the iso-nodes help counteract that). But I tried the unit on its own feet, with only a slight improvement.
Maybe I'm looking for the wrong things? I listen to hard and classic rock, electronica, some solo acoustic. Maybe this pre sounds better with different music styles. Maybe there's a system dis-synergy. Don't know. At this point I'm ready to put it back up for sale, but thought I'd try here beforehand to see if anyone has any thoughts or troubleshooting ideas.