Just another thought. If you like the Vac, the Renaissance is now a mk.3 , which I believe is Vac's newest preamp offering. Perhaps yours can be upgraded. The pricing is 10K line, 12 K w/ phono. I would second John's suggestion on the Shindo and Doshi, although I have not heard the Doshi. It is supposed to be one of the very best though. If you consider the Arc, you would obviously still need a phono stage. It would seem that andr's thoughts on checking out some tubes first may make the most sense. At this level, if you do like the Vac, check out some NOS 12 AX7's.
Vac Renaissance Signature Mark II vs. Cary SLP-05
Hello all,
Just wondering what people think of using a VAC Renaissance Signature Mark II vs using a Cary SLP-05 with a Cary PH-302 phono stage? Has anyone compared the two, and if so, which sounds better? I currently own the VAC, but my friend thinks the Cary combination would be better, mostly because he doesn't like 12AX7 tubes which are used in the VAC's phono section vs 6SN7's used in the Cary. Thanks in advamce.
Just wondering what people think of using a VAC Renaissance Signature Mark II vs using a Cary SLP-05 with a Cary PH-302 phono stage? Has anyone compared the two, and if so, which sounds better? I currently own the VAC, but my friend thinks the Cary combination would be better, mostly because he doesn't like 12AX7 tubes which are used in the VAC's phono section vs 6SN7's used in the Cary. Thanks in advamce.