Hi Apcdan:
I ran a CAT Mk. III preamp with a VAC 70/70 and then VAC 140/140's for about a year, and had EXACTLY the same problem.
The problem is that CAT preamps have unusually high gain (I recall it being 28 db., while the norm with modern line stage preamps is about 15 db.), and VAC amps have unusually high sensitivity. The result is that you have very little variation in the volume control -- I only had seven "clicks" on the volume control from "no sound" to blowing the doors off. Like you, I could not turn up the volume beyond "9 O'Clock" without the system becoming extremely loud. When I upgraded to VAC 140's, which doubled the output power of my amplification, the problem got completely out of hand.
I spoke to Marty at CAT about it and they offered to built a device that would effectively lower the output. The device needs to be installed on each input on the CAT, however, so you would need one for each source you have. I was told by someone else (whom I recall was competent) that this is not a good solution, sonically.
I did additional research and discovered that, simply put, because of the CAT output / VAC sensitivity characteristics, these components simply don't pair well together as a practical matter. I sold my CAT and bought a Hovland, which cured the problem.
Perhaps someone out there has a better idea, or perhaps CAT now has a better solution (this occurred for me three years ago), but the simple answer is to replace your preamp with one that has a normal amount of gain (or get an amp with normal sensitivity).
Good luck.
I ran a CAT Mk. III preamp with a VAC 70/70 and then VAC 140/140's for about a year, and had EXACTLY the same problem.
The problem is that CAT preamps have unusually high gain (I recall it being 28 db., while the norm with modern line stage preamps is about 15 db.), and VAC amps have unusually high sensitivity. The result is that you have very little variation in the volume control -- I only had seven "clicks" on the volume control from "no sound" to blowing the doors off. Like you, I could not turn up the volume beyond "9 O'Clock" without the system becoming extremely loud. When I upgraded to VAC 140's, which doubled the output power of my amplification, the problem got completely out of hand.
I spoke to Marty at CAT about it and they offered to built a device that would effectively lower the output. The device needs to be installed on each input on the CAT, however, so you would need one for each source you have. I was told by someone else (whom I recall was competent) that this is not a good solution, sonically.
I did additional research and discovered that, simply put, because of the CAT output / VAC sensitivity characteristics, these components simply don't pair well together as a practical matter. I sold my CAT and bought a Hovland, which cured the problem.
Perhaps someone out there has a better idea, or perhaps CAT now has a better solution (this occurred for me three years ago), but the simple answer is to replace your preamp with one that has a normal amount of gain (or get an amp with normal sensitivity).
Good luck.