Well guys, last week I took the plunge and got into tubes in a big way, and I do mean big. I picked up an Audio Research VT-200 power amp.
(http://www.arcdb.ws/VT200/ARC_VT200_front_black.jpg)
19"x 10.5" x 23.6" - 118 lbs
(http://www.arcdb.ws/VT200/ARC_VT200_back.jpg)
200 WPC
(http://www.arcdb.ws/VT200/ARC_VT200_top.jpg)
(16) 6550C Power Tubes and (10) 6922 Input & Driver Tubes
Looks and specs are one thing, but more importantly, how does it sound? In a word, outstanding.
I had a friend stop over during the week (in fact the guy who got me hooked on all this silly stuff) and his comment was that he thought the amp sounded effortless. No matter what it was asked to do it did it gracefully and never sounded strained or hard. I would have to agree. It has less than half the wattage of my Classe Twenty Five, yet still sounds cleaner and more dynamic on large peaks. The amp just never sounds like it is breaking a sweat. (although with the amount of heat it throws on some nights it caused me to. :roll:) The other thing that struck me is how dead quiet it is. Both the Classe and my Moscode 600 put out more background noise than the VT-200. Not that the noise either amp produces is than objectionable, but I really noticed it when the noise was gone. When I first turned it on I thought something was broken in the protection circuitry and the amp wasn't coming out of mute, only to find that it was unmuted and the amp as just that quiet.
As compared to my other amps, neither of which were slouches, the VT-200 has a good amount more low level detail without ever sounding overdone or etched. (Could this simply be a matter of the lower noise floor allowing more of the details to become audible?) On Cantate Domino I have never before heard such a clear sense of the hall before. The side walls now have a much more apparent and defined location. The choir also has a better sense of individual voices and is wider and deeper as well.
On the Eagles Hell Freezes Over the initial drum whacks on Hotel California don't have the same slam that they did worth the solid state amp, but are faster in rise time and have a more definite snap to then. Interestingly that initial drum beat is a thre hit repeating pattern and the third hit is of a higher pitch than the first two. For the first time I could actually hear that the third hit was on a separate drum that was physically standing next to the other one. Nor only could I hear the change in pitch, but also the change in space as well. On Jacintha's Here's to Ben the tube's silky smooth midrange really shined. and gave everything that added dose of reality. I frequently use the track Danny Boy from this album to test for depth and detail by listening to the placement of the echo return on her voice. On a better tuned system you can hear the echo emanate from a specific point in space as opposed to just somewhere in the back. On the VT-200 that point was clearer and pushed further back than I had ever heard before.
I have to leave for work now. I'll write more later toninght
Wow Tom
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xz_S-aNAGaU/TaW47EEBMsI/AAAAAAAAAYU/uzKU5g1Nb20/s1600/shocked-smiley.jpg)
Quote from: eleazar on September 03, 2011, 02:13:31 PM
Wow Tom
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xz_S-aNAGaU/TaW47EEBMsI/AAAAAAAAAYU/uzKU5g1Nb20/s1600/shocked-smiley.jpg)
Luckily there were a few guys at the store to bring the amp out to Tom's car. :rofl:
Awesome! Congratulations, Tom! That amp is bitchin
(http://www.arcdb.ws/VT200/ARC_VT200_front_black.jpg)
(http://www.arcdb.ws/VT200/ARC_VT200_back.jpg)
(http://www.arcdb.ws/VT200/ARC_VT200_top.jpg)
The pictures are flakey. I posted them again because Tom's were dead, then after mine worked, later they went dead too. So I posted them again, which made Tom's start working too. Something screwy, maybe just on my end... But worth the effort to see the beautiful sculpture!
Is it me or are the pictures not showing up again? Would love to see this beast. What are you using for a pre in front of it?
Quote from: Response Audio on September 03, 2011, 03:24:03 PM
Is it me or are the pictures not showing up again? Would love to see this beast. What are you using for a pre in front of it?
Preamp is my trusty Audio Research SP-9.
As for the pictures since everyone seems to be having trouble why don't we try this. The pics were not of my amp in particular, but rather from the Audio Research Database site.
Here is the link to the VT-200 page:
http://www.arcdb.ws/VT200/VT200.html
My amp is the Mk I version (although from a picture perspective about the only way to tell the Mk I and the Mk II apart is that the earlier version has a captive power cord - there are internal circuitry differences, but from the outside they are very similar.)
Quote from: etcarroll on September 03, 2011, 02:50:52 PM
Quote from: eleazar on September 03, 2011, 02:13:31 PM
Wow Tom
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xz_S-aNAGaU/TaW47EEBMsI/AAAAAAAAAYU/uzKU5g1Nb20/s1600/shocked-smiley.jpg)
Luckily there were a few guys at the store to bring the amp out to Tom's car. :rofl:
A few
strong guys. :)
All kidding aside, it is not as much heavy as it is just awkward. If you have 2 people and use the front and back handles it is not that tough to move. But I certainly wouldn't attempt to do it by myself. [-(
I like the new avatar Tom!!
How are the tubes, do they have some life still on them? Does that amp have an hour meter like the next gen Ref units? It's important to buy new tubes from AR, because of it's design if the tubes are mismatched you'll have serious problems and could damage the transformers. AR burns and tests them to the extreme to ensure they match and stay matched. The SED 6550s that they use sound pretty good.
With the kind of hours you listen figure on new tubes every 9-12 months. That's what I got with my last tube amps playing 8+ hours a day. If you start getting tube paranoia and reduce your listening to save tubes then get rid of it! ;) Meantime revel in the splendor!!
I bought the amp from Overture in DE. They are an authorized ARC dealer and service depot. Their tech went over the whole amp from end to end and tested all the tubes. The amp came from an estate and the widow had no idea how old the tubes were, but the tech said they all tested like they had pleanty of life in them. The amp also came with a second set of tubes that the tech also tested and said the same thing about. Arc estimates tube life in this amp at about 3000 hours, so I think I have a good amount of time left. On the plus side as soon as we clear all of the hospital equipment out of the house (which will hopefully happen in a week or so), my son is going to take over the room that my wife was living in while she was sick and turn it into a "mini-mancave" setting up my Thiel 3.5s and my moscode 600 along with his AI Mod3 and Thorens 147. Since this will be on the first floor of the house it will be perfect to use for casual listening, allowing me to conserve tube life by only powering up the VT-200 for serious sit-down sessions.
Just to finish up what I started with my first post in this thread, the amp is not as hi-fi spectacular as others I have heard but I think it is more accurate t the original event. For example on the Hotel California cut I spoke about earlier the initial drum hits are not as impressive as with the Classe, but they are more in line with the tone and dynamic range one would expect to hear from a set of conga drums. with other amps the drum sounds more like a heavily the kick drum or the bass drum from a marching band, not the conga drums that you can see are used if you watch the DVD. Where the amp really has been shining has been on the small combo jazz LPs I have been playing lately (Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley etc.)
Not only is the tonal presentation smooth and natural but the sound stage is wide and deep and each instrument is in its own defined space. Next I need to pull out some orchestral music and see how that fairs. But so far , so good. This one looks like a keeper. :thumb:
Congrat's Tom on the new toy!!! Hope it is a keeper!!!
Rob S.
Sounds like you got a great deal.
Quote from: richidoo on September 03, 2011, 10:05:24 PM
Sounds like you got a great deal.
Hey Rich - What's the deal with you posting after 1AM? What are you trying to do, move in on my turf? :lol:
Tom
a.k.a. - The Vinyl Vampire
(http://images.paraorkut.com/img/pics/glitters/h/halloween-8547.gif)
Quote from: tmazz on September 03, 2011, 10:46:00 PM
Quote from: richidoo on September 03, 2011, 10:05:24 PM
Sounds like you got a great deal.
Hey Rich - What's the deal with you posting after 1AM? What are you trying to do, move in on my turf? :lol:
Tom
a.k.a. - The Vinyl Vampire
(http://images.paraorkut.com/img/pics/glitters/h/halloween-8547.gif)
Rich is getting in shape for those all nite sessions at RMAF... :rofl:
Enjoy your new amp Tom... :thumb:
:thumb:
good thing summer is waning Tom. That beastie is going to throw off some heat.
So when's the audition for the local boys?
Hey Tom welcome to the club. The tube club that is. I know the feeling with our AR DR250 Servo Mk2 amp. 32 tubaroonies. Ouch !!
Yep it heats up the listening room in the Summer months. When we used the amp with the Maggie 3As it was bliss. So what to do. It was the Classe DR25 in the Summer and the AR in the Fall/Winter. Only issue Summer was coming around and it was back to the Classe. No slouch but no AR.
Enjoy !!! Is an AudioSyndrome meeting in our future ???
charles
SMA
Quote from: rollo on September 04, 2011, 07:54:04 AM
Is an AudioSyndrome meeting in our future ???
Absolutely, but not until the weather cools off. :roll:
Hey Tom,
Way to go.
TomM
Quote from: TomM on September 10, 2011, 06:13:14 PM
Hey Tom,
Way to go.
TomM
Good to see you posting Tom, BTW did bnot you get some new toys ? We would love to hear about it. :drool:
charles
SMA
Went over to Tom's this afternoon and checked out his new space heater. Very big, beautiful and running warm, but not what I would call hot.
In any case it is very liquid and effortless on his Thiels. A nice relaxed sound while still conveying everything that is on the recording. I couls sit and listen to it for hours (and we did). We played a lot of vinyl too with his new Blackbird cartridge and VPI MK IV platter. very nice indeed.
Bob
Glad to see that platter is being put to good use.