VAC PHI 2.0 or CTC Blowtorch or...


If anyone has heard these two preamps in the same system; please let me know your thoughts.
exlibris

Showing 2 responses by jafox

Exlibris: You have what many people consider to be the most resolving speakers and so incredibly dynamic as well. If the JL-3's are out of your price range, you should at least consider the JL-2. And if you wanted to biamp your speakers at a later time, another JL-2 would make this very straight forward. There is a pair of JL-3's for sale now which does not look like a lot of money compared to the speakers they would be driving. 8-)

I recently listened to a H20 stereo version and it was a fine performer for its price but it was not even close to the JL-3's in the context of resolution and dynamics with Sound-Labs. I suspect your speakers would show the difference between these amps in even greater ways.

Concerning the Blowtorch, I have only heard it in Brian's system and that with the JL-2 was absolutely phenomenol dynamics driving his U1's. So if you visit him, you might get a chance to hear both. And just maybe, he's got the phono running too. 8-)

John
Exlibris:

1 & 2: I fully can relate to.
3: When I heard the CAT JL-2 vs. Atma-Sphere MA1's driving the U1's, the MA1's had more bass presence than the JL-2. A bass adjustment on the U1's back panel alleviated this such that there was no longer a bass issue at all. With my A1's, I have the bass setting as flat and I have no wanting of bass as well. I suspect the bass here is more extended, authoritative and coherent with the rest of the frequency range than the cone woofers in the MBL's.
4: Check out the following link and read what Ken Stevens writes here:
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?aamps&1099200096