Hi Cruz123,
Yes, I am a happy owner of the VAC Musicblocs just like you have. I also have the original AH TP 2.0n preamp. I felt it was a better match with my amps and ears than the current TP 2.1n version. Read the TP 2.0 thread for my comments regarding that elusive "breath of life" quality. I also have my preamp slightly tweaked with a quad of vintage Siemens Cca tubes and a Fusion Impulse power cord. Both these tweaks lifted the preamp to wonderful heights. Also, what speakers are you using? I checked your system and saw you had the Merlins. I have read that other users of Merlins have had wonderful results with various VAC amps. They seem to be a good match as the newer KT88 VAC amps are wonderfully neutral without losing that great musicality of tubes. The natural bloom of voice and instruments is still there. I highly recommend a set of Von Gaylord Chinchilla interconnects from pre to amp. I also found that the Fusion Predator power cords are much better than the VAC stock cord, although the stock cords are decent. I might try one of the VAC preamps someday when funds are available, but for now, I have a very synergistic amp/preamp combo. FYI, I found the Machina Dynamica Promethean to be the best form of isolation for my Musicblocs. I tried a variety of various wood and metal platforms and the Promethean was much better. The Promethean is a PITA to set your Musicblocs on and get them adjusted. And they're not very wife friendly in the looks department, but my wife is gone, so that's a moot point for me. If you get a Promethean, e-mail me or call me and I'll go over the procedure for setting them up safely and properly. I made a mistake and didn't balance them correctly and one of the amps fell over. Fortunately, only the guide pin on one of the KT88 tubes broke, but it still functioned okay. I have since put another new matched quad in them. By the way, if the four tubes in each amp are VAC factory tubes and they still have some good life in them, don't bother with expensive tube-rolling. The factory tubes sound the best. Those KT88-98 Shuguang power tubes are amazingly musical. They have a palpable ease that gives music that wonderfully natural ebb and flow. Keep us posted on your preamp decision and I'll be glad to give you some more inexpensive tweaks to fine-tune your system. Our ears are different, but I've spent the last two years fine-tuning the VAC Musicblocs to my system, so take advantage of my trial-and-errors. You never know, but I might save you some time and money, although the journey of learning from trial and error is important as well. Have fun.
Yes, I am a happy owner of the VAC Musicblocs just like you have. I also have the original AH TP 2.0n preamp. I felt it was a better match with my amps and ears than the current TP 2.1n version. Read the TP 2.0 thread for my comments regarding that elusive "breath of life" quality. I also have my preamp slightly tweaked with a quad of vintage Siemens Cca tubes and a Fusion Impulse power cord. Both these tweaks lifted the preamp to wonderful heights. Also, what speakers are you using? I checked your system and saw you had the Merlins. I have read that other users of Merlins have had wonderful results with various VAC amps. They seem to be a good match as the newer KT88 VAC amps are wonderfully neutral without losing that great musicality of tubes. The natural bloom of voice and instruments is still there. I highly recommend a set of Von Gaylord Chinchilla interconnects from pre to amp. I also found that the Fusion Predator power cords are much better than the VAC stock cord, although the stock cords are decent. I might try one of the VAC preamps someday when funds are available, but for now, I have a very synergistic amp/preamp combo. FYI, I found the Machina Dynamica Promethean to be the best form of isolation for my Musicblocs. I tried a variety of various wood and metal platforms and the Promethean was much better. The Promethean is a PITA to set your Musicblocs on and get them adjusted. And they're not very wife friendly in the looks department, but my wife is gone, so that's a moot point for me. If you get a Promethean, e-mail me or call me and I'll go over the procedure for setting them up safely and properly. I made a mistake and didn't balance them correctly and one of the amps fell over. Fortunately, only the guide pin on one of the KT88 tubes broke, but it still functioned okay. I have since put another new matched quad in them. By the way, if the four tubes in each amp are VAC factory tubes and they still have some good life in them, don't bother with expensive tube-rolling. The factory tubes sound the best. Those KT88-98 Shuguang power tubes are amazingly musical. They have a palpable ease that gives music that wonderfully natural ebb and flow. Keep us posted on your preamp decision and I'll be glad to give you some more inexpensive tweaks to fine-tune your system. Our ears are different, but I've spent the last two years fine-tuning the VAC Musicblocs to my system, so take advantage of my trial-and-errors. You never know, but I might save you some time and money, although the journey of learning from trial and error is important as well. Have fun.