Roy Gregory compares ARC Ref 10, VTL 7.5 Series III, and CJ GAT Series 2...

[PlanarSpeakerFan]

Originally Posted by ctsooner

Different beast and I wonder if it has to do with the bass. Personally I've heard the MRX Twenty a ton and love it with the 7 Mk 2 I didn't like the regular MRX nearly as much. personally I only like the Ayre pre amps with their amps That's just me. What Richard has done is give you the best of both worlds with strong, hammering SS high current drive in the bass regions and tube single end magic on top. That's why I love the zero feedback designs with the Quatro on up. You let the bass be taken care of with the built in amp and the. You get that tube like sound from SS with the zero feedback not to mention all the other goodies they build in. Also in VANDERSTEENs amp he has the best power conditioner, isolation device and wire biasing built right into the amp as well as the speaker. He gives you so much engineering within his speakers that folks never see nor know about. Just amazing stuff when it's all out together.

There's some really magical synergy going on between the Vandersteen M7-HPA mono amps and the Vandersteen Model 7 MkII speakers. These hybrid amps make the Model 7 MkII speakers sing! IMO, they far outpace any other amplifiers with the Model 7 MkII. My next favorite are the Aesthetix Atlas Eclipse monoblocks, also hybrid amps.

I see you own the Vandersteen Treo. Are you considering moving up to the Vandersteen Quatro with the powered subwoofers or will you stick with the Treo's (great speakers in their own right)? Richard also has some less expensive mono amps in the works, which should be very interesting.

Best,
Ken

[turntable]

cj GAT rules

[PlanarSpeakerFan]

I recently purchased an ARC Ref 10 and I have found it to be the most wonderful preamp I've ever laid ears on. The tonality and imaging of the Ref 10 is revelatory. The refinement of the treble, the body and dimension of the midrange, and the depth and robustness of the bass are magnificent. As for the imaging, it is truly holographic with a huge soundstage, both wide and deep. Several times I've turned my head, thinking someone was entering the room, when it was actually the recording.

Lastly, the linearity across the entire frequency range really sets it apart from most other preamps I've tried in my system. I recently auditioned the VAC Master preamp in my system and while it was very musical, the midrange and treble were tipped up compared to the Ref 10. Eventually the music became somewhat fatiguing. With the Ref 10, I can listen for hours on end with zero fatigue.

Ken

[ChrisG]

Originally Posted by turntable

cj GAT rules

No, the VTL TL7.5. III rules!