CAT vs VTL Sound

Jack,
I cannot comment on any comparison sonically between
these products.However,in regards to how well VTL products
mate with Wilson...I can give some incite.VTL uses the Maxx
2 currently to voice their products,and David Wilson
(according to Bea @ VTL)uses the Siegfried amps with the Alexandria @Wilson.Aside from the possibility of the two
companies swapping products for mere testing purposes,or because it was economically feasible(prices seem to be comparable for a convenient swap),
methinks there must be a special synergy between the two
companies' products.I know this because I am currently
using the 7.5 pre and anticipate the purchase of Siegfrieds
and Maxx 2's...so I have been doing a little preliminary research myself.
Obviously,Ken Steven's products are also among the best out
there...I have heard them many times.
But,based on VTL and Wilson working together in developing
and displaying their products...I have leaned this way.
BTW,I am obviously a consumer,and have no affiliation
whatsoever with either company.
'Hope this helps!

I have the Wilson 7s w. the VTL 750s. What I have going on is nothing short of incredible. Fly down to Aruba & have a listen. To describe it "the sound is just sick it is so good". I am very happy & can forgoe purchasing the Maxx IIs for a while. I did some tube swapping in my 7.5 which made the images bigger. Not as tall but close in size to the Maxx IIs. No this system plays real music & sounds good. Not just the Audiophile music. To say it such say it all. It is all system synergy & I have it. I really don't know about the CATs. From what I hear the Lamms match great w. the Maxx IIs. But you know what I can jam it out, no loss of power & I like tetrode w. more power over triode. Most audiophiles who hear this system go home trying to find a way to tweak their systems. I waited many years for this. You can't go wrong in truth either way but the 750s are great amps. They do get hot though.

Dgad = you have a most impressive setup and I have heard how extraordinary the 750s are with WP7's-truly a special combo in audio. My more specific question is now that I have them, how would it work on the Maxx2? Someone at the manufacturer of the amps indicated that the 750 might not control the woofers of the Maxx2 as well as they do the WP7's and alluded to the fact that they may be bloated in the bottom end. I don't know if this is because the new amps are 2x the cost of the now discontinued 750's and they're looking to sell new gear, only, or if the newer Siegfried indeed is the only thing they make that can control the bass of the big Wilsons. Anyone have any thoughts there?

Herer,

Thank you for the compliments. I have learned a lot through experimentation. The VTL 750 does not lack on the WP 7 on the bass at all. As for the match w. the Maxx IIs I myself am left a little confused asking the exact same question as you. I know those who have sold the Siegfried for the ASR gear. He much prefers it. I also know people who prefer the classic VTL sound. Until I can afford the Maxx IIs I am OK. Supposedly the wooofer of the Maxx II is controlled by Lamms w. 18 watts so I don't necessarily agree. But the Siegfried is a fully regulated power supply. I don't like the dynamics for Rock on the 750s in triode only tetrode. I basically use all 800 watts available at times. Then again the Maxx II is more efficient. There is one member who switched out ARC 610s (if I remember correctly) for Lamms. I had my Krell 600 before. Bass was a tiny bit more solid but truly tiny. Body on the VTL is better.

To summarize my feelings in a simple way, we are tunning our system. How you tune it is based on tubes, cartridges, room, equipment. I heard a great tuned setup which I then purchased. I then improved on it at the source. I am still improving w. better tubes. Changing tubes is fun. I can do a lot w. a little money to realy make a big difference in my system.

Would I try CAT on my speakers. No. Simply because my sound is so good & it took me so long to get there. I have what I want based on my priorities. But I would gladly take a solid state amp over a tube amp any day to save the hassle if the sound was the same. It is just very difficult to demo gear to find out. Tubes are work. They produce heat & from time to time a fuse goes. Still the sound is worth it.

Hope I helped, rambling a bit.

Well, I can only comment on the JL2 & the 450, and Maxx combo2. There was a pre involved (CAT) and no pre (my TVC). So, to save server space, let me note that the basic differences I (we all) noticed were as per Jafox above.
Further, and being reductionist in what I say, the VTL gave a more laid-back compared to the CAT. We all had the feeling of more "musical energy" emanating fm the CAT (probably due to hi-frequencies more than anything else). This difference was slightly more evident with the TVC (although the CAT pre is "dynamic"). In short: we could lay back & relax with the VTL but couldn't quite do so with the CAT.

Also, at one point when playing the CAT, we improved the overall sound by moving the Maxxes a bit into the room and closer together -- the latter, strangely, widening the soundstage, virtually, beyond the physical room boundaries i.e. walls (let's get this straight: that's a subjective illusion of course).

Why I for one preferred CAT: I like to feel the immediacy and energy of musicians when I listen to music -- as far as a reproduction system can offer that, which isn't that far.
Although the sound was "sweeter" and more listener friendly with the VTL, I prefer to be woken up, moved, attacked, by the music. I'm a sucker for dynamics. If I want to relax, I'll play the appropriate music; when I listen to live jazz or Mahler, for example, I'll prefer a sound that, as one of us put it, "keeps you at the edge of yr chair like as if you had a gallon of espresso before firing up the stereo".

Last: I think my comments and most others' re, the two brands, are actually quite close. So, it boils down to "how do you like yr sound?" Cheers