Sam + Dev -
I am at least to the stage of measuring my available space for these new toys. It didn't hurt when Albert VS told me yesterday that the Statement 450's were the best amps he had ever heard, when describing a VSA/VAC system they upgraded for an audiophile in Manilla. This is of course 2nd-hand info, but it pretty-well echoes everything I've heard about these from listeners and/or owners.

SO, while this would NOT be an "impulse" buy, it is definitely more of a possibility in the not-to-distant future than a mere pipedream, which is was prior to RMAF. I would first have to part with my 300.1s, which I really don't want to do, in order to make a possible purchase work. It is important to me that they go to a good home and that I get a fair price for them - hopefully that will be doable. As you guys know, I take extremely good care of my gear, so they are pristene. Please keep your ears open over the next 3-4 months if you could.

Thanks - will write more as I recall more rooms in a day or so. It seemed like there were more people this year than last.

fplanner2010 October 16, 2011 22:19

Dev-
I was impressed with the K-01, although a little less so when told it was using a standalone rubidium clock as well(which I already own). I'm sure it also has a pretty good internal clock as well. Advantages over the NWO-M that I saw were filtering ability and and ability to play SACD in native DSD. Its also over-engineered re: power supply and dual mono construction. I've also dealt with Esoteric before and they are good, friendly and responsive people to work with. IF I had more SACD's, I might consider a move in the future. If I was in your shoes, I would definitely get your hands on a K-01 for an audition. PM me if you'd like a good dealer.. :-)

Nolas threw a pretty wide stage, but didn't image as well as I had hoped they would. Given the speaker construction, I'm not surprised, however. They no longer have the outboard crossover boxes; boards now contained within the speakers. I never heard the first version, so can't make a comparison. Carl says they are an improvement.

AS far as impressed - VSA has a new VR-44 out that was pretty impressive at its price point($20K list). I also got to meet and spend some time with Guido from Austin both in the Esoteric room and outside which was also pretty cool.

fplanner2010 October 16, 2011 22:06

Fplanner2010,

Have you had one of those Tentation players yet in your set-up and compared!

or heard one broken-in and your thoughts.

Memory player?

dev October 16, 2011 21:09

Fplanner,

the VAC Statement 450 monos...That will DEFINITELY NOT be an impulse buy...

I hear ya -- wouldn't it be something if one were actually able to consider it an impulse buy? Wow, haha!

-Sam

c1ferrari October 16, 2011 18:22

Hi Fplanner,

Esoteric K-01 player, intersting. I'm presently looking into getting another player, I know I won't really use it all that much but when others drop by they always have those shiny discs and want to have a listen. Prior we would listen and then once a record was put on we just didn't go back, I also have a very nice collection of cd's and most are not available on vinyl.

Previously had a amazing set-up but do to not being used, money invested but mainly the real estate space needing due to being separate pces and the MBL 1621a transport being a top loading unit got rid of them. I'm looking for a all in one unit.

So any input in relation to this specially knowing what you already own would be appreciated.

Vac 450's, well you already know what I think. Did Kevin have the new phono pre-amp at the show that he has been working on? any pics or info.

What were your thoughts of the Nola speakers? I heard a pair, they were okay but nothing that intrigued me saying to get a pair.

Did you have any favourites at the show while attending that you care to share.

dev October 16, 2011 16:54

Sam-
I've resisted so far..... Closest I've come is a discussion about the VAC Statement 450 monos with Kevin Hayes. That will DEFINITELY NOT be an impulse buy, if I EVER get them .. :-)

fplanner2010 October 16, 2011 16:03

Fplanner2010,

Not planning any purchases at this time...

Hehe, famous last words! :-)

Regards,
Sam

c1ferrari October 15, 2011 10:54

Great to see old friends at RMAF this weekend as well as making some new ones! Already heard Nola Baby Grand speakers and Esoteric K-01 SOTA CD/SACD player/dac, both on my short list to hear this weekend. Each was excellent and sounded much better than I thought they would, given the hotel room constraints. I'm sure I will listen more over the next several days. Not planning any purchases at this time, as my system currently sounds better than it ever has. But, you never know....... :-)

fplanner2010 October 14, 2011 22:58

Smoothjazz,

We remained in the E.A.R./Marten room for awhile as we found the sound quite appealing :-)

Best regards,
Sam

c1ferrari September 10, 2011 04:50

That's great news! I had a hunch it would be something "simple" - the tough part is figuring out which "simple" thing it is!! Sometimes THAT takes weeks/months.... :-)

This is another handy "fix" that may benefit other VAC owners. Thank you for sharing it.

fplanner2010 August 09, 2011 21:09

One quick follow-up; I obtained even better results switching back to Ultralinear, and changing to the 1-3 Ohm speaker posts- the best sound yet. Perhaps the Treasure tubes need a lower resistance in the system.

smoothjazz August 09, 2011 15:43

John - Glad you hit upon a solution that works for you. As you point out, different pieces have different effects in different systems. That is part of the joy of this hobby, but also a source of frustration when all doesn't go according to plan. It also points towards the importance of being able to try something in your system before you are obligated to purchase it.

Marten makes excellent speakers - I was very impressed with the new Momentos(?) I heard a few years back in the Vitus room at CES, but I'd have to sell my system or my house to afford them at this point......

fplanner2010 August 08, 2011 14:18

I think I found the solution; making a tweak, flipping the Vac receiver switch from Ultralinear to Triode, and everything instantly opened up- the magic is back again! Its funny how you make one change in your system, and eveyrthing else can change...it makes me very wary about making any more upgrades, especially when my system and music are very very good right now.
How does anyone decide to buy a major new component, or especially a new pair of speakers?
I really like my Kharma speakers, even though they are the smaller Mini-exquisites, but also found myself liking the Marten Coltranes at the Newport audio show. For 70-90K it is taking a real risk to upgrade.

smoothjazz August 08, 2011 05:23

Sorry you are having a problem. What I did was replace the 2 center fronts with the Treasures first, followed by the outsides several weeks later. I have no experience at all with the Psvanes, so can't help much there. I would try just the 2 centers first, with your old tubes at the ends, and see if you can recreate the problem. It may be a characteristic of the Psvanes - I just don't know. I would then try switching out the tubes until you hopefully find 2 that "work".

I believe they guarantee their tubes, so worst case they should work with you to find tubes that work. Mine definitely didn't close in the highs at the beginning. How many hours do you have on them? It shouldn't take 150 for them to sound "right" - mine was immediate, especially the bass. Talk to Rachel - she was helpful to me. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.

fplanner2010 July 25, 2011 22:30

Fplanner,

A problem!!!
I purchased one pair of the Psvanes and one pair of the Treasures (Grade A), and replaced all four of the 6SN7GT tubes on my VAC 300 amp, but right away I noticed dramatic changes; the mid-range remained very good, and the bass and bottom end improved markedly, but the high end seems very resticted or closed off. Listening to guitar or any treble seems somewhat muted. I switched back to my old tubes just to make sure there was no problem with the system, but everything came back again.
I called Grant Fidelity, and the only recommendation they had was to give it 150 hours or more to break in.
Has anyone else had this experience?? It is somewhat frustrating to have to wait a few weeks or longer to do any serious listening- hope I did not waste 600 dollars...

smoothjazz July 25, 2011 20:05

I think you should try new old stock tubes in the amp and preamp, I did and the sound is amazing. I don't think any new tube today can compete.

jwm July 04, 2011 18:57

Despite your attempt to blame ME for how great your tube system sounds now, you need to accept the fact that it is all YOUR fault, since you made the buying decisions. :-)

I'm glad you are enjoying your system - in mine, those Treasures made a noticeable difference for the better and are still improving after about 120 hours.

I got a MUCH greater than expected sonic result when I added the second amp. My room is 19x20, which is not "large" by any means, and it easily handles both amps.

What is your room size and what are your speakers?

P.S. - You're welcome - glad I could help :-)

fplanner2010 June 12, 2011 17:48

Smoothjazz,

I also owned a MBL 6010D as well along with a ARC REF3 and switched back and forth within my system to get different flavours but once I got the Sig. MK2a pre into my system well long story short with out any hesitation I sold both of those world class pre's and I'm just truely enjoying my VAC.

Will be interesting to see what your out come is in comparing those two that you mentioned.

dev June 12, 2011 17:20

Hey Fplanner,

I ordered a set of tubes also based on your recommendation for my Vac 300 amp. The Treasures now come in a 'Mark II' version listed as the Pvane series, so I order one pair of these, and one pair of the Treasures as well. I hope it is money well spent; these tubes in Grade A are expensive!
You keep talking me into buying things, but buying the Vac MkII preamp on your recommendation was a step up- the best pre-amp I have yet heard; better than my previous best, which was the Mbl 6010D.
My tube system sounds great now; my next upgrade may be to add a second Vac amp to run a matched pair of 300's in mono format-might have to build a bigger room first for all this gear!

smoothjazz June 11, 2011 23:38

System still improving as Black Treasures start to break in - apx 80 hrs so far.

fplanner2010 May 30, 2011 15:03

System edited: Added 4 Shuguang Black Treasure CV-181-Z to each amp. So far, sound is noticeably more organic, open, extended and true to the music. Changed the center 2 first, per VAC, and got about an 80% change for the better. Added the outside 2's yesterday for the final 20% of improvement. 15 hours on the centers, 3 on the outers. I'm told full break-in may take as long as 300 hours or as little as 150 hours. In either case, I've got a while before these tubes are operating optimally - they are already considerably better than the stock VAC front tubes at this point. A very pleasant surprise, to be sure. They are not at all inexpensive, as I got the Premium grade from Grant Fidelity, sent directly from China. All that's left on the agenda is to integrate the new Velo DD-15+ when it arrives in 3-4 weeks and just take the summer off to listen to music (I wish!!).

fplanner2010 May 17, 2011 14:25

Well, so much for "waiting for winter"... I will probably be purchasing a new DD-15 Plus in San Diego in a few days. Delivery expected at month end. Still don't have the Treasures yet - they are apparently being sent directly from China, something new from Grant Fidelity. Not happy about this new procedure and probably wouldn't have ordered had I known this ahead of time - there's definitely something to be said for having an accountable person screen your tubes,especially if you are paying a premium for "A" graded tubes. Stay tuned....

fplanner2010 May 05, 2011 01:13

Seeking a bit more bass, I experimented last weekend with re-integrating my Velodyne DD-15 sub in with my system. To be brief - Holy COW!! I have the sub coming in at 33hz with a slope of 24. The change in sound is nothing short of amazing. This sub has finally been replaced by Velodyne in their line with the DD-15+ which is more user friendly, a bit bigger and a 39# magnet. While tempting, it is not a critical upgrade NOW. I have neither the time nor inclination towards experimenting at this point with the myriad of setting choices presented by the setup program of the Velo. If such an urge were to ever hit, it will be in winter when I have more time to devote to it and at that point I might upgrade to the DD-15+, which is designed to do a lot of auto-configuring without brain damage.

The 7's bass drivers have even more slam, both due to the sub plus the fact they are no longer having to drive anything below 33hz. Moral of the story - if you have speakers without a sub(s),in most cases you will probably benefit more than you could ever imagine by integrating a good quality, fast sub into your system. I had no idea how much additional low bass information I was missing - it has now been found! This was a real "AH-HAA" moment for me, so I thought I would pass it along to others who might be considering a sub for 2-channel. As always, YMMV...

I've also ordered several pair of Shuguang Treasure CV-181-Z black bottle tubes to replace the small driver tubes in my VAC amps. Its my first foray into anything resembling tube-rolling and I should hopefully be receiving them within the next several weeks. I've never heard them, but they come very highly recommended, so I am looking forward to their arrival.

The NWO-Master CD/SACD is mostly broken in now and sounds even better than I hoped it would, especially with the integration of the sub. The only downside is that with the warmer months coming up, I won't have as much indoor time to be listening to my system. Definitely a "problem" I can happily live with. :-)

fplanner2010 April 15, 2011 04:33

Update: Redbook breaking in nicely with the aid of an Isotek burn-in disc. CD side has the equivalent of about 200-250 hours. Not sure if there is a SACD burn-in disc around anywhere, or whether I've just got to put the hours on it. Also starting to itch for better/different speakers......... we'll see.....

fplanner2010 February 19, 2011 22:06

SACD also benefits from the asynchronus upsampling at 195KHz/32 bit. While I don't pretend to understand even a fraction of the engineering that went into this piece, I DO know what I'm hearing, which is quite nice, even at this very, very early stage.

There is also now a facility outside of Chicago that has done and will do repair work for APL, both in and out of warranty. I've talked to them to confirm this and they do lots of warranty work for the major brands, so they are real. This helped my decision to finally do the 1 Box ultimate APL NWO upgrade. So far, this seems to be a very wise decision :-)

fplanner2010 January 16, 2011 15:42