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In Reply to: RE: ARC VT100 MKII vs. VT130 SE posted by TubeAmpQuestion on December 08, 2010 at 12:07:50
I can only speak for the VT100 mkII. As tube amps go, I thought that the VT100 mkII had excellent deep bass and impact with great dynamics, more so than some other 6550/KT88 based amps. But I do love those pretty meters on the VT130SE. ;-) Unfortunately, I haven't heard the VT130SE.
Follow Ups:
AbeCollins,
Thanks for your comments on the VT100 MKII.
In looking over your contributions here, it appears you have changed from an ARC LS16 to an LS25 MKII. Can you comment on the improvements in soundstaging/imaging between the two, if any?
You know, I can't really say if I noticed a difference in the soundstage and imaging going from the LS16mkII to LS25mkII. The LS25mkII is a bit more dynamic and the top end is either better extended or just a bit more "clear".
Plus the LS25mkII has additional features that set it apart from the LS16mkII including Balanced XLR & RCA's for ALL inputs and LO, MED, and HI gain settings from the front panel. I'm not talking about Volume Control, but gain. This came in handy when I had a phono preamp that was putting out a rather hefty signal that would occasionally over drive the LS25mkII causing slight distortion on music peaks. Simply reducing the Gain solved the problem completely.
I've been very happy with the LS25mkII. I chose it (and the 6H30 tubes) because I consider this tube linestage to be pretty neutral sounding as tubes go. It's fully extended in the bass and treble with no noticeable roll-off (which I have noticed in some tube linestages), and it's smooth with no grain.
Now if I wanted a more robust and rich sounding linestage that is also fully extended, transparent, and dynamic, I would look to the Cary SLP-05. This is a lovely sounding linestage and definitely warmer and richer sounding than the ARC LS25mkII. But in my case I already have enough of that "warm and rich" sound from my tube monoblocks so I was seeking a tube linestage that didn't sound too tubey, if that makes sense.
I once had the Cary SLP-05 driving a hefty SS amp and that was a very nice sounding combo too.
...Abe
Makes perfect sense to me - the LS25 MKII's I've heard are very neutral yet still retain that sense of air and ease that tubes can so convincingly convey. The fact that you did not notice a difference in imaging capabilities between the 16 and 25 indicates that they are very close in this regard.
By the way -are you referring to your Aesthetix Rhea Phonostage? Would you say that the Rhea's sonic signature is more along the lines of your Manley's or does it tend to favor the LS25 MKII?
Thanks again - and might I add that your tutorial on replacing/biasing the VT100 MKII tubes is just brilliant.
No, let me explain as there's more to it than I described in my previous post. When I had the slight distortion on music peaks driving the ARC LS25mkII, I was using the Hagerman Cornet2 vacuum tube MM phono with a Bob's Devices Step Up Transformer (SUT) for my Benz Glider SL MC cartridge. That setup put out a pretty "hot" signal and over drove the ARC LS25mkII that had been set to HIGH gain. Simply reducing the gain to MEDIUM completely solved the problem. You might ask why I had it on the HIGH gain setting in the first place. I was using the setup with a much lower output Dynavector 17D3 MC cartridge that benefited from the additional overall system gain, which proved to be too much for the Benz.
The Rhea has adjustable loading and gain. So if I had the Rhea at that time, I would probably also run it at a lower gain setting the for Benz vs the Dyna cartridge.
I would say that the Rhea's sonic signature is more along the lines of the ARC vs the Manleys. It's fairly neutral sounding to my ears, not especially warm or rich sounding but airy and no grain, nice and smooth.
When I'm in the mood for an extra blast of that harmonically rich, robust, weighty and warm tube sound, I turn on the EAR 834P. To my ears the EAR has noticeable midrange presence and warmth along with an extra shot of bass energy. It's a very seductive sound but too much of a good thing in my setup. I suppose the EAR 834P would be an excellent fit in an otherwise thin sounding system.
Some additional comments on the VT100mkII. Prior to owning the VT100mII I had a couple other 6550 based amps but these were typical 4-tube units that put out about 60wpc or so... like the CJ Premier 11a. They were OK but when I heard the 8-tube VT100mkII I was immediately impressed with it's effortless dynamics and bass punch. It also has a nice midrange. I had the smaller VT50 for a while and I thought it would be just a bit less dynamic than the VT100mkII but I was wrong. It also seemed to lack the midrange presence of it's bigger brother sounding slightly thin in comparison. I had a Cary CAD 120S on loan for a while and this is also a larger 8-tube 6550 setup. As much as I like most Cary gear, I felt that the CAD 120S was lacking something in the midrange. It didn't have any warmth or glow in the mids. I preferred the old ARC VT100mkII.
But then it was time to move on. I discovered the AES/Cary SixPac monoblocks and these had 6 EL34 tubes per amp and put out about 60wpc. I was amazed at the midrange. I loved the sound of these modestly priced monoblocks but wished they put out more power for even better dynamics and impact. They were a big step up from the more costly CJ Premier 11a with 4 6550 tubes but I wanted even more. I then discovered the Manley Neo-Classics with 10 EL34 tubes per amp. So I had that EL34 sound that I fell in love with but with significantly more power.
I hope I didn't bore you to tears with my long rambling. ;-)
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