thinking of getting a VAC CLA-1

[poppachubby]

Hyfi what speakers are you using?

[Hyfi]

Hyfi what speakers are you using?

I use the Clearfield Continentals (von schweikert) and Dynaudio 82s but the former excel in midrange and soundstage and are in the mix right now along with the Stratos amp. The Counterpoint again excels in midrange.

I have also been using passive mode on the pre but not enough time to make any determinations.

Listening Space update

Post 85

[poppachubby]

Gorgeous set up. I recall that thread, the whole corner treatment "controversy"? Haha. You know your wife loves you when your speakers are bigger than her fridge.

Do you not find the Dyn's excel in bass? I have never heard a pair, but bass seems to always be mentioned.

[Hyfi]

Gorgeous set up. I recall that thread, the whole corner treatment "controversy"? Haha. You know your wife loves you when your speakers are bigger than her fridge.

Do you not find the Dyn's excel in bass? I have never heard a pair, but bass seems to always be mentioned.

Oh, they do excel in bass but at the loss in mids-highs. I love them for sure but have gotten so used to the refined sound and awesome midrange of the VAC-Counterpoint-Clearfields, also using my sub.

I will be dropping the Danes back in soon and may be able to eliminate the sub for a while.

[poppachubby]

Oh man a sub too?!? That Marcus Miller must sound insane through your system. How do you set the sub? For the ultra low I suppose. You've got the HT tied in there too.

[Hyfi]

Oh man a sub too?!? That Marcus Miller must sound insane through your system. How do you set the sub? For the ultra low I suppose. You've got the HT tied in there too.

I'm using and old Realistic (Rat Shack) Audio-Video Switchbox from the late 80s so both Main system and HT can use the sub. Yeah, I know it probably is a loss at some point but I got tired of going behind all the gear to swap the cables every time I watched a movie or went back to audio.

Yes, the Marcus Miller disk is killer and now with my sub up off the floor I get everything one could want but no floor, windows and walls vibrating. Just clear precise bass notes with proper tone and timber.

I set the sub to crossover wherever the instructions said to and set the volume by ear. Then I flip the filter switch and let the HT auto set the sub for movies.

[Hyfi]

Hey Father Time,

Did you get an owners manual with the VAC? If so, would you be willing to scan and share the important parts? Music in return!

[bobsticks]

It was a no brainer! it was mint, had the killer power supply with the the high end cord and sounded sweet. I will hook it all together and figure out what speakers that will sound the best. i guess that I will need really efficient speakers to get the best sound? I've got all the way to 96 decibels.Now got to sell all my ss gear. got all the legends. Any input would be appreciated! Or anyone want to trade some classic ss receivers for some speakers?

I think this is the right approach. I would take some time with some very familiar components/speakers and figure out which elements in the wide variety of music most please you. Given your proclivity for rock itt might be bass slam...or the lush midrange of jazz (and with you being a guitar player it wouldn't surprise me if it were the latter) or perhaps some other quality.

One of the best sub-$1000 used speakers out there is the Martin Logan CLS, and I mention this specifically because you claimed an affinity for ML. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that the VTL is up to the impedence swings of the big panel. Your mileafe may vary, but IMO, the current smaller Logans that fall within your price range leave a lot to be desired...and most certainly fall far outside the current sonic signatures to which you're accustomed.

I like poppachubby's suggestions...the horns of the Klipsch rock and single drivers can be interesting though challenging. Aside from the Lowthers the Fostex are highly regarded and can prove a great value for the buck. If you get a chance to sample single-driver crossoverless drivers and find them to your liking you might start testing the waters for something like this:

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/cain2/bailey.html

Even used the Abbeys and the Bailey would be a little outside the current price parameter but maybe you'll sell some of those lovely solid state gears in the meantime.

Whatever the case, take some time and acclimate yourself to the new kid on the block and evaluate what you really want.

[manlystanley]

The preamp I was looking at was the audio research LS15 and he wanted $1600 for it. Can Anyone get get the bluebook for me? My amp that I will be using with the preamp is the VTL Pure Tube ST85. But I came across the VAC CLA-1 (don't use phono) for only $445. There are lots of positive articles about this preamp! Also will be using the Jolida JD100 tube cd. I have heard the audio research and the jolida and the VTL demoed for me through some martin logan's and they sounded unbelievable! But if the VAC is that good,
I can save some serious $ and get some other stuff I need. Help me out here as I'm ready to make a move tomorrow. Thanks guys!

Hey FT,
Not sure if you've gotten this yet, but:

Low: $880
Average: $1520
High: $1740

Last $1450

Best Regards,
Stan

[JoeE SP9]

bobsticks;
Where can you find ML CLS's for less than $1000. I'll be first in line for a pair.

[bobsticks]

Lol, there's a pair on the 'Gon right now for a cool grand even. If one could arrange local pickup I would imagine ol' boy would haggle...but I get your point. Nobody is gonna find them for five or six hundy and that should not be inferred.

[Father Time]

Hey Father Time,

Did you get an owners manual with the VAC? If so, would you be willing to scan and share the important parts? Music in return!

No I didn't Hyfi, But the thing sounds unreal, even after I found out the tubes are old... So I'm putting in 2 ( I can't read the previous owners writing) electra harmonix 12ax7 and
2 Phillips military 12au7's in it. I heard the military tubes are good. The owners is giving them to me at cost. So I should hear a lot of difference as the tubes in weren't changed in yrs! I am so impressed with the VAC preamp! Can't wait till tomorrow when I put the new tubes in! Still looking to find some appropriate speakers. Would love to do some trading!

[Father Time]

How are the KEF 104/2 speakers? I found a nice pair on CL for $475. Just don't know if they are appropriate for my system.

[bobsticks]

How are the KEF 104/2 speakers? I found a nice pair on CL for $475. Just don't know if they are appropriate for my system.

KEF is the redheaded stepchild of North America. For the record, I love the KEF house sound...I use a pair of Q7s in a secondary system and, frankly, listen to most of my rock fare on them.

At 92dB/W/m at 4 ohms the 104 will perform fairly well with the VTL. They'll give you extended highs and a lush midrange. I believe they extend down to 60 or 65Hz so the bass is of decent clarity but insufficient for fullrange...if you grab 'em be prepared to get a seperate subwoofer.

[Hyfi]

No I didn't Hyfi, But the thing sounds unreal, even after I found out the tubes are old... So I'm putting in 2 ( I can't read the previous owners writing) electra harmonix 12ax7 and
2 Phillips military 12au7's in it. I heard the military tubes are good. The owners is giving them to me at cost. So I should hear a lot of difference as the tubes in weren't changed in yrs! I am so impressed with the VAC preamp! Can't wait till tomorrow when I put the new tubes in! Still looking to find some appropriate speakers. Would love to do some trading!

Just a note, I ran into a bad batch of the Electro Harmonix 12au7s from Parts Express last year and found out they had a whole bad run from Quest For Sound where I purchased my JJ Teslas of both 12ax7 and 12au7s.

When I got the preamp, it had EH Gold ax7 tubes in all 4 sockets, which works but not properly. I have been pretty impressed with the unit myself as it replaced an entry level Sound Valves 101i tube pre that I was running for several years.

For the past week I have had the VAC in Passive mode which is being discussed in a different thread about Passive sound but I am liking it except missing the bass slam. Last night I decided to flip my JM Labs Tantal 509 speakers on in the family room, which are driven from same amp as main system thru a niles switchbox and 50ft of rat shack wire, and was very impressed. Sound and soundstage was impressive compared to my mains which are harder to drive.

So with the right speaker combo, passive mode can be a real joy.

It's great to finally have someone to chat with that has the same preamp as I do since they are getting close to vintage and with the original $6500 price tag, not too many people have one.

As I posted earlier, RHB Sound Dezigns do some fabulous work modding and bringing units back to spec. Starting at $300, they will replace all caps and such and then you can go upwards in price from there. I'm willing to bet another $500 would bring both our units back to day 1 sound quality.

PM me if your interested in some trading since it's not so popular around here in the open as it was a few years in the past when comps were king.

[poppachubby]

Father Time, what tubes are in it already? You are moving hastily on the tubes without even hearing them. Just because they're old doesn't mean they don't sound good.

My HF-85 was produced in the 50's/60's. I bought it with the original Mullards, which sound better than most modern production tubes. They have alot of life left, and tested quite strong. Infact, if I were to sell it without the Mullards, and put a typical modern equivelant in, I would get LESS money for it.

There are some great tubes out there, currently being produced, but generally they cost quite a bit.

[Hyfi]

Here is a link to an online PDF Owners Manual for both CPA and CLA units. With or without phono, the rest of the specs should be the same.

http://www.vac-amps.com/Manual_CPA1_Mk3.pdf

[tube fan]

Poppa's right about ARC's preamps. I've owned my ARC SP-8 for 25+ years. However, you got a fantastic price. Poppa's Mullard tubes are right at the top of any tube lovers list! Poppa gets it: get sound you love (for me, this is tubes and analogue), and then concentrate on the music.

[Father Time]

Here is a link to an online PDF Owners Manual for both CPA and CLA units. With or without phono, the rest of the specs should be the same.

http://www.vac-amps.com/Manual_CPA1_Mk3.pdf

Thanks Hyfi! The manual came in really handy as I was wondering about the gain controls... I'm running it in passive right now and I like it although miss the gain but it still can really get loud. Yeah, I'm looking for some speakers for sure, just can't really afford any to be honest till I sell some of my other speakers and ss receivers. I have some very nice vintage SS stuff that I would definitely like to trade for some killer speakers!
Any members in or near Tucson, Arizona?

[Father Time]

I put the new electro-harmonix russian tubes in, got all 4 for around $60 (at cost) from the original owner that I bought it from at wilson audio. The tubes I replaced were some old golden dragon chinese tubes that had been in it for Many years! I have a lot to learn about tubes and the differences of them.
It sounds great, but I guess they have to burn in for awhile, from what I've been told...

[Father Time]

I see some mint Klipsch Heresys on Craigslist in primo cond for $400. would that make me a happy camper?

[Hyfi]

I put the new electro-harmonix russian tubes in, got all 4 for around $60 (at cost) from the original owner that I bought it from at wilson audio. The tubes I replaced were some old golden dragon chinese tubes that had been in it for Many years! I have a lot to learn about tubes and the differences of them.
It sounds great, but I guess they have to burn in for awhile, from what I've been told...

The Golden Dragons are what came in the unit when new. They could have been the originals.

[Father Time]

Well, got lucky and picked up a primo set of Klipsch KG4's and a set of B&W DM580's in excellent cond, cept for a little imperfection on the grill ( hardly noticeable), and a mint B&W ASW 1000 (1000watts) subwoofer. Not to mention a bag of straightwire interconnects as a toss in. They were the original owners of everything, having most of the receipts and manuals. I'm having a hard time deciding which speakers I like better... I thought the B&W's would win hands down, but the klipsch are sounding really good! I haven't even hooked up the sub yet as it is LARGE! I still have to demo my Advent Heritage Towers through the system. Those speakers really impressed me so much I got another pair and am using them in my home theater setup.
I had a lucky day on craigslist... I'm not even going to say what I paid for them but I payed more for my preamp, which I stole! It pays to watch it a lot!
Listening to some Ry Cooder through the klipsch right now and am very impressed. The bad thing is this is in my office and it's only about maybe 10x10 if that... But I have a bunch of speakers to sell and I want to audition them on my tube stuff because it sounds so much better. So I'll keep them out here till I get them sold. I think everything will go quicker that way.
Back to my new score, I think in a larger room the B&W's may have better imaging and possible sound better, they are both really close in the office!
Father Time signing off... need an attitude adjustment!

[poppachubby]

Right on!! Sounds great. If you look back, I recommended the KG series along with the Heresy's. I knew you would like them, they are indeed great speakers for mating with tubes. Configuring your sub may prove tricky. Tube amps put out a different kind of bass response. Personally, I've never been a "bass" guy. As long as it's audible and effective, that's enough for me.

Glad everything worked out for you, don't be a stranger.

[Father Time]

Not a chance, I love this site and the people! If anyone is interested in trading some bomb ass speakers for some great SS receivers. Got the nicest example of the Mcintosh MC250 (bench marked at 75rms one side and 76rms on the other(9.8 out of 10) and a Mcintosh MX113 also in beautiful condition, a ridiculous and just gone through recently Pioneer SX-1250 with the wood case that is a nice an example as one could find. Also got a pretty much nib pioneer sx-980 with the box, styrofoam packing, plastic and original fm antenna. Guy bought 2 over seas as he liked it so much he didn't want to be without. Problem was, the one never went bad so he ended up selling it to my friend, who had to reluctantly liquidate when he had to move. The original owner took the receiver out of the box and played it for a couple hours a year, like an old antique car.... and that was it.
And it looks and sounds it!
Have much more, there premier quad channel that went for about $1k new, and a lesser one that only went for $750 in the mid 70's with an occilloscope on the face. a 10 out of 10 sansui 4000 with wood case, and lot's more... Marantz 2216, 2230, 2245 with all new lights all in exc. cond. The list goes on. I'm in Tucson, Az. I want a ridiculous set of speakers! Have alot of speakers also, but I want something extra special for my tube stuff!
I'm also a semi-pro photographer and can of course take some great pics if anyone wants!
Just thought that I would through all that in and see what happens