This system is my daily therapy. The addition of the Soundsmith Hyperion has opened up a new level of vinyl enjoyment. Two new OL tonearms along with the cartridge upgrades may be the final level of my vinyl pursuits. The entire system now has a balance that is felt even at low volume. The combination of Gryphon and Rockport are special in my opinion and they make every listening session special. Now I just need to order more albums…
Added the Meridian Explorer2 into the system. Logitech Touch USB out to the Explorer2 with a Wireworld Starlight7. Looking forward to experimenting with MQA through Tidal when it comes online. Also very pleased that in this configuration the Logitech Touch handles 24/96 and 24/192 files wireless.
Upgraded the VAC Standard LE to the VAC Renaissance Mk III. This has opened up the entire soundstage more than I had even hoped. The system continues to be vinyl focused with a small use of my Pono player for access to digital. The Audience cables have also been upgraded to SE status with an audible increase in performance. Spent too many hours last night "getting used" to the changes the Renaissance Mk III brought to the system. I will need to set aside some additional time to be sure the excellent reproduction I enjoyed last night was real.......
System edited: Ortofon Cadenza Bronze has replaced the Benz Ebony. Blacker backgrounds with increased refinement and air around instruments. Excellent upgrade for this system, though the replicant100 stylus required some attention to get properly dialed in. Absolutely worth the effort IMO. Increased base definition has allowed me to retire the REL sub, and the Lector CDP is now gone as I am looking to upgrade to a DAC server system in the future.
Rick, How big is your room? The room node/slap must be a large one with the 2.4's and rel sub. I'm lucky in that my room is well damped and large(16x36)with a raised ceiling.
I've always wanted to listen to VAC, but are hard find around wi. Lots of Audio Research,though
Bless you for keeping your mother in law.
You must be a very patient one.
My son in law started me into computer audio. Up to that point it had been 1995-2000 were my last system upgrades.The last 3 years I have almost upgraded all the important stuff. The Thiel cs2.7 was my first choice of speaker, but was way supercharged in price since the 2.4`s
Thank you Jeff. The sound absorbers were needed before the first note emerged from a system in this room. The slap echo was almost comical. This space is in the center of the home with a lot of reflective surfaces and openings to other rooms. It was never intended to be the space for my system, but the room initially intended for that duty is now occupied full time as a living space for my wife's mother. The VAC amp works well with the Thiels as it has an excellent power supply and is capable of handling down to a 2 ohm load if needed. Computer audio will be in the future so I appreciate the insight.
System edited: Thiel CS2.4s have replaced the Audio Physic Tempo V speakers. Trying to decide if the Rel Strada III will stay as the bass from the Thiels is very satisfying. Overall a pleasant improvement as the VAC amp is producing an amazing soundstage and presence through the Thiels and the slight tipped up top end experienced with the Audio Physics has been replaced with one not so exaggerated. Overall the system is more musical and enjoyable.
System edited: Rel Strata III is now providing sub bass support. The integration took some time, but using the high level inputs crossed over at 30 hertz provides amazingly subtle, solid support to the lower frequencies without drawing any attention to itself. Other recent upgrades include additional Adept Response power conditioning from Audience, and a retip of my Benz Ebony H by SoundSmith. (Thank You Peter)
System edited: Added Audience PowerChord e cables. The Benz is off to SoundSmith for a retip so I installed the VAC Divinyl SUT and installed my recently aquired Denon 103D. Now i see why people state this is a very special cartridge.
System edited: Replaced the Cardas Golden Reference SC with Audience AU24e cables. I loved the Cardas presentation, but it was a little heavier than my system needed. The Audience cables seem to have nice synergy with the matching ICs that I have previously employed in this system.
Visited the VAC office last weekend while in the area with my son's soccer team. Picked up my Standard LE, that had been in for service, and was able to visit with the Kevin and Brent for a few minutes. I had the privilege of seeing one of the new Statement Line amplifiers during the visit. It looks better in person than any of the pictures I have seen posted or published. A piece of aural and visual art. The Standard LE sounds excellent with its new coupling caps and a few resistor upgrades. After a week of breaking in the repairs with the factory supplied tubes I rolled in some 1950's Tung Sol 12au7s and Mullard 10M 12at7s. I am extremely excited and satisfied with this combination and the entire system.
The recently added Cardas Golden Reference speaker cables have produced a special synergy with my Audio Physic speakers creating a beautifully balanced top to bottom presentation with exceptional detail and musicality in this system. In addition, after consulting with Andy at Vintage Tube Services, the VAC Standard LE preamp tubes have been changed to NOS RCA 12AU7s and 12AX7s in the line section. The system now has more detail and body with an increased 3d sound stage. These two changes may have brought me to a good stopping point for a while. Time to just enjoy the music.
System edited: Recent change to the Cardas Golden Reference SC. They really helped balance the Audio Physic speakers and present a beautiful wide and deep sound stage. New tubes from Vintage Tube Service for the VAC Standard LE should be arriving in a couple of days and at that point the cables should have be well settled in since the were previously owned.
System edited: Added an Audience aR1p conditioner. The CryoParts Power Strip II is connected to the conditioner by a Zu Mother PC and the equipment is all connected to the power strip by Zu Mother PCs. Also added a Billy Bags 4 shelf rack that was already mass loaded by the previous owner.
System edited: Audience AU24e ICs placed into system. There is an immediate improvement in micro detail and correction of an excessive siblance issue that was present from both my analogue and digital sources. Continued changes are expected as the cables breaking, but my initial impression is very positive.
The KEF Blade speakers were special to me (though not in my present price range). With the Ayre amps they produced a wonderful sound stage with precision, detail, and a lack of any fatigue. The Audio Power Labs room with their 200 watt Class A tube amps and the Tidal audio speakers was also special. MBL and YG, well another set of amazing rooms that were well set up in difficult space. The new equipment by Bob Carver along with meeting the man himself was a very interesting experience. I would like to hear that system in a larger room. A lot of great equipment, great improvement on digital presentations, and new technology. Spent a good amount of time talking with company owners and head designers which made it another great experience.
Thank you Lapierre. The VAC paired with the ACs presents a dynamic and detailed soundstage. Since I just added the Benz Ebony I will be focused on vinyl for a while, as it moved the system to a new level of detailed presentaion. I think the future will be a change of speakers as the next step. Just spent the weekend at Axpona show thinking about possibilities......
Beautiful system! I found the same with my purchase of a Benz Ruby Z, but I was prepared for it because I previously had a Benz Ruby 3.
I've long been considering a VAC Phi 300 integrated to replace my Plinius 9200. I discovered I love tubes when I purchased an Art Audio Vinyl One phono amp several years ago. And the tube rolling has been fun.
Regarding power: I too added dedicated home run lines and it made a big improvement. Over the last few years, power cables have been my biggest education. I started with Shunyata Diamondbacks, then Taipan Helix, then Python Helix, then Black Mambas and Python Helix CX. Your equipment will really shine with the right power cables. Be aware that most of them require significant burn-in time (e.g., 100+ hours).
System edited: The addition of a Benz Ebony H cartridge has displayed amazing synergy with the Origin Live Encounter arm and OL table. The cartridge has taken alot of time to dial in with an extreme sensitivity to SRA and antiskate bias adjustment, but the time and effort (along with a lot of patience) has been rewarded.
drrsutliff on Done For Now