VAC Signature Preamplifier mkII

If your looking for a preamp with built in phono, the new Janus Signature is amazing and at $10,000 it's a steal. This is coming from a guy who has had the VAC sig MKII, VTL 7.5 and others. The VTL did not have built in phono but the VAC did. The control that the Janus has is second to none.

The new signature is a whole different animal. They sound just as good as the IO. The non signature does have it's faults but for $3000 Signature upgrade the faults are fixed. I thought the line stage in the Janus signature was better then the ren sig mkii and the phono stage was hands down better. The new Teflon caps that are used are very very good.

The other thing I didn't like about the vac was it had to much gain.

"Janus will NEVER have the magic of an Io or Callisto"

Not true just ask Jim White how close the Signature is to the IO and Callisto. This is why the Eclipse came out. You should not commit on something unless you have heard first hand and on gear your use too, like your own. I never commit on models I have never heard, that's how rumors and assumption start. You see this all the time on these threads.

Email me and I will give you pictures of all the preamps I have owned and compared.

Now the Eclipse Is much better then both and the best I have ever heard just edging the Dartzeel. Both are fantastic and regret selling my Dartzeel preamp.

You don't need a massive power supply in preamps for them to sound good. Your Aria doesn't have the power supply that the VAC has or even the Aesthetix has but that would stop it from being a great sounding product. Dartzeel runs on batteries and it one of the very best if not the best.

I used the VAC Ren sig MKII with my 300.1 and loved it with the right speakers but the preamp had too much gain for some other amps. The 300.1 is stellar and the best product VAC as ever made, they fixed all the bass issues. I used Tung Sol 6sn7 round plates and it really extended the top and bottom. The output tubes didn't make much difference.

I changed out all 4 position with TD round plates.

Sorry TS roundplates.

"I have done a lot of tube rolling in the Io and Callisto and Aria and the rebuilt SA-2 power supplies to know the benefits of tubes in a PS."

There are also benefits in not having rectifier tubes in power supplies. Some of the very preamps in the world use solid state power supplies. Boulder, Levinson, Dartzeel, FM Acoustics, Vitus, VAC REN Sig, Ayre, Conrad Johnson new GAT and the list goes on. I would say that fewer use tube rectifiers then solid state. Just like you will start to see more Hybrid amps down the road that use solid state output and tubed input. Best of both worlds.

You have never heard the new Saturn Signature series correct? These are not meant to replace the standard Saturn series. So how can you commit on the way it should sound? These are not minor changes in the signature and it's not just replacing the caps, this is an $3500 upgrade. That's like me saying I know the sound of your Aria because I heard the parts used inside before. I have no idea how a Aria preamp sounds so I don't commit on it.

A great example is the ARC Ls26. All they really did in it is changed the caps and a couple other things from the LS25MKII but the two sound nothing like one another. Now the LS26 sounds better then the old REF 2 MKII. Even ARC admits that and I heard it first hand. The REF 2 MKII uses a tube in it's power supply but the LS26 doesn't . Weird a....

Your right....Sorry

I also tired some Ken Rads and RCA 6sn7. The Ken rad really added to the bass (to much) and the RCA really warmed it up but slowed it down. The Sylvania pre 1955 was very good and they are very close to the Tung sol.

Email member Tindersticki, he tried a bunch of tubes in the 300.1 and still has some left over for sale on audiogon. He also knows the 300.1 very well.

Audiobrian I really thought solid Brass feet from mapleshade under both the power supply and the main unit really helped with the VAC. Enjoy it...