What an amazing system,...does it still exist as listed or have you changed/added any components and/or speakers? Do you still run the Isotek Super Titan? How do you like it after owning it for a while? I am having very good luck with a tethered combo of an EVO3 TITAN and EVO3 SIGMAS though I have my eye on Super Titan and Genesis ultimately at the top of the line (lottery winnings needed :-) ). Let me know,....happy listening!

zephyr24069 October 20, 2015 16:49

Congratulations! What a great system!

How does your Air Tight Supreme sounds in your system? Low end extension? I am considering purchasing one.

vn101606 September 20, 2014 01:05

nice system indeed. and tbh i think you did great at choosing Vitus over Dartzeel integrated. though its fancy looking, its way overpriced for what it delivers.

pity for those fans in the pics, why dont you install an air conditioning system? besides the aesthetics it will provide uniform cooling which will result in better sound. reason is that the fans will tend to cool more on the direct blowing fins and in this way they will create a thermal discrepancy between the various parts of the amps. the temperature difference between say, the output transistors on the left and right part will be definitely detrimental.

drpank March 20, 2013 20:41

Hi. You should listen alternatively to Lumen White Aquilla speakers paired with Ayon Audio Spheris II pre-amp and Vulcan II mono amps - extremely lively and open and to my ears and head and shoulders above the Q 3 - not knowing the sound of the Q 5 you use. But probably a nice next step...

frankpiet March 17, 2013 17:44

The VItus SCD-010 is certainly a great deck. As I don't have any SACD's, I was basically told don't bother with players like Accuphase DP-700 or PBD MPS-5 as the Vitus would kill them (even on SACD)! So that's the way i'll probably go. I'll have to wait patiently though for your pre to come up for trade ;)

melbguy1 February 04, 2012 08:41

Hi MG
ive never heard the Vitus CD player but the people who did told me it was as good as it gets in making redbook CD sound analogue. Maybe its a good thing i never heard it

wt4158 February 02, 2012 08:02

Congratulations on a superb system! Your system has changed quite a bit since I last saw a picture :-) You've upgraded to a FB Reference, you've added the Q5's & you've even added an Isotek Super Titan conditioner. Awesome! Having heard a Vitus signature series amp driving Magico Q1's, I certainly agree that is a magical combination with Siltech Sig' series cables. And the Vitus SP-102 phono stage is probably the best phono stage i've ever heard :) Btw, how do you feel your Luxman D-08 compares with the current Vitus SCD-010?
Regards,
MG

melbguy1 January 17, 2012 13:08

Wow thats a killer LP rack youve got there ! Yeah , i never gotta around to high res down loads, maybe one day

wt4158 November 11, 2011 05:04

agreed , its very hard to justify mentally forking out thousands on cables, i mean how hard can it be for a manufacturer to address impedance and conductivity ? Yet there is no doubt for me as i did some blind testing : well made cables affect sound. Even my mom could hear the difference and she's over 70. It's a shame siltech cost so much but with spot gold at $1800-USD....

The luxman SACD player (least when they were made in Japan ) sounded better than DCS and Esoteric I was told by people who did the shootout.

Ive played the Steve Hoffman cut of Nat King Cole (and he had direct access to the original masters held in the Capitol vaults).As stunning as the SACD is , the 45 rpm is still better : the voice is more emotional , more real , more 3 dimensional

wt4158 November 11, 2011 01:58

This must be a stellar system. I wouldn't write off hi res digital however. Perhaps your digital front end is the limiting factor.

emailists November 10, 2011 23:28

Hi,

Great collection of equipment. I'm sure the sound must nothing less than stunning :)
I'm a big fan of the Vitus equipment as well. Very curious how the SL-102 compares to the older SL-101 I've got.

Pretty impressive that the Vitus is able to the drive the Magico. The Magico's are indeed not known for the most efficient speakers, but there is a difference "between 50W and 50W" :).

Never heard anything of the Luxman D-08. Have you compared it to many other players?

Magico Q5, very impressive as well. Heard from friends that the Q5 is a big step up from the M5. Only heard the M5 once briefly with the top of the line Soulution gear. Not long enough to really judge properly. Very curious on the synergy with Vitus.

Regarding cables, I've always found it hard to spend money on cables. Somehow the mental barrier for me is harder for a "piece of string" compared to a piece of electronics. I really should give Siltech a try myself. There are several people who's ears I trust that use them. But....... they are not cheap.

maxx1973 November 10, 2011 16:32

Jeff , is that you with the YG carmels ? Small world if so !

Hi Hifi Freak . the power ratings of many manufacturers are grossly exaggerated (something Vitus hasnt done ) . All i can say is that The Vitus power amp provides the Q5's more than enough power. Im not even at 50% in volume and ive allready received 1 eviction notice following neighbours complaints.

How good is the Q5 bass? Phenomenal . I have the wilson Benesch Torus and never use it for 2 channel audio . Especially with analog mastered vinyl the bass is very tuneful for want of a better word. Another speaker which impressed me bass wise was YG. Never heard Wilson Maxx3. I dont listen to organ music , Baroque , Bach etc so the Q5's give me all the bass i need. I know Fremer had qualms about the q5 bass but the caveat there was he auditioned it with a british amp and i think his Q5's may have been fresh out of the box

Someone with gift of hearing told me dartzeel pre and power separates were excellent, not so much the integrated . A few people I know and trust and have golden ears essentially told me to shut up and get Vitus . So i did.

Cables I compared Purist Audio (excellent) Norma (excellent) Nordost (a bit expensive for what was on offer) Crystal Cables from Holland (superb) and Siltech . Im a great cynic but even I heard the difference good interconnects can make so i couldnt go back after that. I went with the signature series .

I cant emphasize enough the importance of break in of at least 300 hours with Magico . When i first got em , no amount of toe-in adjustments could get me the phantom centre channel effect. I wanted to throw them out the window. Now i wouldnt swap them for anything

wt4158 November 10, 2011 14:09

Sam,

Stunning system!! Very curious about the Magico Q5 myself.Often hear that the Magico's are hard to drive. The Vitus has "only" 50W pure class A. Do you feel that's sufficient to drive the Magico's of to you think, some more power would be welcome? What about the bass of the Magico. I know it's not the deepest bass the Q5 deliver (compared to eg. Wilson Maxx3), but are you happy with it? Or will you consider a good subwoofer at some point?

How do you rate Vitus vs Dartzeel? What were the preferences of Vitus over Dartzeel?

And lastly, which Siltech cables are you using and to what other cables have you compared them eg. Argento, Jorma, Nordost?

Happy listening, I'm sure you've got some great listening sessions now :)

hififreakk November 10, 2011 08:54

beautiful system! i love my Fat Bob and have had great luck with a Ginko platform under it.

jeff1225 November 07, 2011 03:01

Yup!!! ;)

lloydelee21 November 06, 2011 16:59

Yes fans are not needed, strictly speaking , but Class A on a warm day can get hot on certain amps. The fins on Vitus dissipate heat well. As would Gryphon i presume . Some amps Ive seen u could fry an egg on.

wt4158 November 06, 2011 15:15

Hi Sam,

I think an NAD amp is vastly different than a Vitus in heat production. i am sure you already know this given how sophisticated your system is. ;)

Aside from comfort level, i would have thought the Vitus can operate without the fans providing there is sufficient ventilation around the unit. Gryphon recommends 12" of clear height above my unit (the unit stands vertically, so i imagine more clear height is required than if unit had wider horizontal surface area?).

lloydelee21 November 06, 2011 11:10

The fans are there cause i was too lazy to remove them :-) . In the summer when it gets very hot my house becomes a furnace (tin roof) so In class A i use the fans. I might get some quiet computer fans next summer . Then again my friend has a NAD amp he bought in the late 197o's and he has books stacked on top of it and the thing still works !!
I never got to hear Gryphon due to no one selling them where i live, mores the pity .
Thanks for the kind words Sam

wt4158 November 05, 2011 17:37

It sounds, hehe, like you've done your homework and classwork...

Now, it's time to appreciate your efforts :-)

Congrats,
Sam

c1ferrari November 05, 2011 15:25

Wow! Nice system! I have heard the Magicos (not these) and understand something of what they do extraordinariily well. Very nice.

I also have not heard Vitus, but done a lot of reading and also own SS Class A (Gryphon Colosseum) so have some appreciation for the quality of what you are hearing from your SS equipment.

I concur with your choices of equipment from what i have heard of the Magicos and the amplification that they seemed to present well with.

BTW, why do you have fans on each end of your rack? I am sure the amp gets quite how, but surely they have designed it to dissipate well enough that cooling it down should not be necessary...plus the fans presumably make noise?

Just curious as my own system runs hot (Gryphon Colosseum is 160 watts/channel full Class A).

lloydelee21 November 05, 2011 11:21