VAC preamps - too expensive?

No @jumia you cannot change inputs on the VAC remote. It has 3 buttons (mute, volume up/down) which does not have an input button. Also, the HT bypass is not changed by the input selector. There is a “Cinema” knob on the upper right corner of the preamp which you turn to select HT bypass. It works very well for my Theta Casablanca IVa with D3 Xtreme DAC’s.

It’s fascinating that you would keep the VAC in a separate room from your HT. That must be one long pair of interconnects or speaker cables that you intend to use. A VAC would also be quite a jump from your Schiit Freya+, and you may have to budget wisely for those cables of yours.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/tube-preamp-enhancement-of-ht-processor-sound

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/what-do-2500-speaker-cables-sound-like

Kmmd, so whats your point? U seem to,have a problem with my comment.

its a side room on opposite side of wall. Quite nice.
Even if the vac box was visible its still super annoying remote lacks input capability. They go to trouble of doing a bypass special button which seems kinda pointless as input selector is sufficient. 

but then what do i know  just a dumb guy willing to shell out $25k for an electronics box.

Nope no problem at all. The expense will be there for long cable runs whether they’re XLR or speaker.

Using a Cinema / HT bypass button or knob allows you to use your Marantz AVR’s volume control for all channels and not try to level match the volume of your mains set by the VAC to the volume of your center and surrounds of an AVR.

So the lack of imput functionality on VAC remote is not a concern to those using it as part of ht system.

so for the next 20 yrs plus, assuming vac will be a long term possession, i have to get up and go to vac to change sources.

Guess i just want it all

The VAC preamp lineup is not "clever" marketing trying to trick people into spending more. It’s true high-end gear for extreme enthusiasts who love the VAC sound and are beyond their phase of continually churning through $2K - 10K models on audiogon, doing the inevitable give-and-take sidesteps with each trade.

The Sig IIa SE is the result of a long evolution of their previous flagship preamp; the Master is a trickle-down cost reduced version of the Statement minus its over-the-top cosmetic perfection. The cost savings of the Sig IIa SE vs Master is more significant when you add in the 6-tube phono stage to each unit (28K vs. 40K), which is a beyond excellent stage - VAC’s tube MM phono sounds particularly amazing (add your choice of SUT for MC or use its built-in Lundahls), so as full function preamps their sound is hard to match or beat at any price.

The fact that the Signature preamp still lives in "IIa SE" form (first the "II" then "a" then "SE" upgrades) also gives past Signature customers an upgrade path.

I only use one source on my Master - vinyl. I have no use for the HT bypass; in fact that once got accidentally engaged and it took me an hour to figure out why there was no sound.