Review: VTL TL-5.5 Tube preamp
Category: Preamps
VTL TL-5.5
Review
My musical appreciation is vast. I used to like only a few types of music, but as I became older (now 35...not old by any means) I learned to love mostly everything as long as it swings. I love Grass Blues like Corey Harris and Muddy Waters, I love Jazz like Holly Cole and Jane Monheit(from Long Island-NY!), Some country like Chris Isaak, Alison Krauss, KD Lang, Vonda Shepard, Diana Krall, TORRI AMOS (MY FAVORITE female vocalist) and mixes like Norah Jones (yea her) I also like The Crystal Method (so sue me) and Skinny Puppy AND ANy other post 1998 new wave from england type echo and the bunnymen etc. ,and of course my latin music like Buena Vista. So pretty much all of my money goes to finding new and old recordings mostly on cd and sacd and some lps also (system2). I would say I have over 3000 cd's...and enjoy looking for more...content to me is very important. Time to listen to them is very important. i dedicated a room to music see exoticaudio.org page 35 bottom. Thats my web site and I do it just for fun.
Anyway, about the VTL tl5.5, I bought used on the gon and the seller was nice enough to include Telefunken ECC 801S and the RCA Command 5751 which he and others say make it better, and everything I have ever read about this pre-amp is excellent. Yes it is dog ugly, I mean, hello? Did Luke design this just to be plain and mean looking on purpose (because then I would understand) but if he really thought it looked good then we have to wonder. THANK GOD I don't buy just for looks alone (although I have seen uglier)....
THE BOTTOM LINE:
THE VTL TL5.5 swings and sings and puts the music fun back in the room, it is by far supperior to my old ARC ls3b (it was excellent but not as muscial or hypnotic) the Lexicon MC12b is excellent for movies and makes a great DAC built in and is dead quite, but it is flat in space with hardly much image when comparing it to the VTL whcih layers front to back side to side the performers before you. I love it and recomend it for what it will do to you...make you pull everything out of your music collection just to hear how it should sound. You will listen to tracks you thought sucked, and instead it will suck you in and you will not want to let go or shut it off. It has a high goose hair factor and that is rare for me ( Neck hair raises-tingles down my spine).
I am not saying this is the end all best in the world preamp, I have heard the ARC ref2 mk2 and think it swings more quitely, and may accent mid tones more and grab you more that way, bass may be better on ARC ref2 mk2 but it is 3-4 times the price and not 3-4 times the pleasure. I would love to hear the 7.5 VTL but, for now...this is guilt free pleasure and hope you get my drift. Highly recomend if you love music and need to justy enjoy it instead of keep buying different audio gear searching endlessly for pleasure. MAN this is where the buck stops and the music begins...
Peace.
JOHN
Associated gear:
Lexicon mc12b
Denon 2800II
Sony 900v sacd
Maggie 3.6r
Theta Dreadnaught 200x3 100x4
Dedicated Room See Exoticaudio.org
page 35 bottom part
Similar products:
Lexicon mc12b
ARC ls3b
ARC REF2 MK2
Associated gear
Lexicon mc12b
Denon 2800II
Sony 900v sacd
Maggie 3.6r
Theta Dreadnaught 200x3 100x4
Dedicated Room See Exoticaudio.org
page 35 bottom part
Similar products
Lexicon mc12b
ARC ls3b
ARC REF2 MK2
