2. amps-preamps
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Starting from Scratch -Please Help Pick 1 out of 3

Dear Friends,
Hope that all of you are well, in a moment of transitional evolutional state of mind i sold off my Rogue Cronus Integrated, my Tannoy Stirling Speakers ; well pretty much the spine of the entire system.

I wanted to start over, i listen to a lot of varied stuff ; usually very complex stuff ; i love the weight of solid state gear and the resolution of their baselines and the treble which intermittently sound "filled" ; i also love the midrange liquidity of tubes especially on vocals and the natural timbre of orchestras and drum snares.

So i had gone on a spree to audition some gears, some which couldn't be heard are also included as a part of the system (say, i listened to the power amp but not the pre) i couldn't get to some of these due to various difficulties but generally i've put a package of 4 different set ups - i hope learned pundits here can guide through this to build a good system which i will use for a long time.

I am not the type for frequent upgrades.
Thank you!

The Candidates

Group 1
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Pre : Rennaisance Preamplifier MKIII by VAC (Valve Amplification Company)
Power : VAC Phi 200 Power Amplifiers (Valve Amplication Company)
Speakers : Harbeth SHL5 [or] Devore Fidelity The Nines (Please Pick)

Just love the look of this system!

Group 2
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Pre : Modwright LS 100 or Ls36.5
Power : Pass Labs XA 60.5 (Class A 60 wpc) but can take a few months to save
up for Pass Labs XA100.5 (Class A 100 wpc) if it really matters.
but evidence shows otherwise :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXGf3AonFCQ
Speakers : Magnepan 1.7
Which sounds great!

But Will the Modwright (semi-tube) impedance match with the pass'?

Group 3
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Pre : Leben RS28CX Premium Preamplifier
Power : CS-660P Separate Power Amplifier
Speakers : Harbeth SHL5 (or) Devore Fidelity The Nines (or) Devore Fidelity Orang Utan

Group 4
-------
Pre : Modwright LS100
Power : Pass Labs XA30.5 Monoblocks (30 watts Class A)
Speakers : Devore Fidelity Orang Utan

Also Please Feel Free to Mix-Match and Advice.

Music will be fed from my MAC to my DAC and to these.

Thank You!
thegoodarcher

Showing 4 responses by clio09

clio09
3,364 posts
 
VAC will deliver the goods. They do have a signature or house sound, and the components you have specifically identified are well respected in the industry and among hobbyists. I played all types of music with my VAC gear and was never disappointed in the performance.

As for speakers the Phi 200 will drive many speaker models just fine. I think the DeVore's are a good choice. I used Spendor 1/2e and Audiokinesis Jazz Modules. The Spendor's were about 88 dB efficient and the Audiokinesis 92 dB. So even Harbeth might be a nice choice, although IMO they are on the warm side.
clio09
3,364 posts
 
Having owned VAC gear I would lean towards #1. You will get nice system synergy and a good dose of the VAC house sound. The speaker choice would be DeVore, but in addition to the Nines I would seriously consider the Orangutan.

System #3 is interesting as well. I have heard Leben on a few occasions and had some interest in them at one point, but went with VAC instead.
clio09
3,364 posts
 
I used Audikinesis Jazz Modules with my VAC setup. Kevin Hayes uses Kingsound speakers. I believe he paired the Phi 200 with them at one of the past RMAF shows. You could email him and ask for speaker suggestions. He is a great guy to deal with.
clio09
3,364 posts
 
I am curious. Why would you not consider an Atma-Sphere amp, such as the M-60 monoblocks, to go with the MP-1 preamp?

Also, perhaps you should try contacting VAC directly and encourage them to contact your dealer. Seems strange VAC did not respond to their inquiry.
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