Placette RVC passive line stage

steveinaz

Review: Placette Audio RVC passive line stage, 7/24/2008
Website: http://www.placetteaudio.com/

Connections: 1 set unbalanced inputs; 1 set unbalanced outputs; DC power connector.

Controls: Remote supplied (Magnavox universal), toggle switch on face plate for manual volume adjustment. LED’s indicate volume output, but it is done in a binary fashion. The output LED’s are fairly dim (THANK YOU) so they don’t distract.

Build: Looks better than it photographs. Nice build quality, heavier than I though it would be, top notch RCA jacks on the rear, substantial DC power supply (not a wall wart, but a box style that sits on the floor). PS has a DIN style connector. Very simple/elegant (if not sparce) appearance.

Related equipment (in order of connection): CEC CD-3300 transport, Belden 1694A dig coaxial cable, Benchmark DAC1, Kimber Hero 1mtr IC, Placette, Kimber Hero .5mtr IC, Parasound HCA-1500A, Kimber 8TC, Energy C-9 speakers.

Note on passives: For compatibility, you want your source(s) to have enough output to drive your amp to full spec, and a low output impedance. Your amp needs a sensitive input voltage, and high input impedance. My Benchmark DAC1 has a 2v output, at 30 ohms; my Parasound amp has a 1.2v input sensitivity (for full output) and a 30k ohm input impedance. A good match for a passive. It’s also a good idea to keep IC’s from your passive to your amp as short as possible.

Observations:
Forget what you may have experienced in the past running your system passively; anemic dynamics, overly sterile presentation. This is a definite departure from the norm. Have you ever heard a component so satisfying, that you didn’t want or feel the need to share your discovery? That’s where I was this week. First, I felt like I couldn’t present a review, and/or articulate, with the kind of credibility this level of component deserves; Second, the Placette was so musically “right” I felt no desire to justify its existence. So, in that light, here’s some notes from my listening sessions, draw your own conclusions:

- Exceptionally clean, musical, neutral, and airy; tons of space around performers.
- Every instrument, sound, vocal brought together in a fashion that doesn’t mask anything. Details are right there, no need to listen for them.
- Realistic sound plane that creates accurate soundstage depth/width.
- Anchored center soundstage, perfect balance of channels, no moving or shifting of performers.
- Delineated vocals and instruments, regardless of output level.
- Excellent tonal accuracy, organic, textured, and 3 dimensional.
- Sweeping dynamics within a black background.
- Volume increases sweep across the entire spectrum of sound; the music just gets larger and larger. Everything moves up in level as a whole, very linear.
- Bass, midrange, treble, are simply reference level. Bass is deep, controlled, impactful; midrange has an organic texture and 3 dimensional character that is incredibly real; and treble is superbly defined and simply glorious.
- Low level listening loses nothing; impactful, satisfying, smooth, and articulate.

Some nitpicks to share: (1) a $1000 passive should have a dedicated (built specifically for the unit) remote. I think the inclusion of a pre-programmed universal remote is borderline cheesy. (2) Though it doesn’t matter to me personally, I’m sure many would prefer a numerical representation of the output level, rather than the hokey binary display. (3) The RVC does not have a “MUTE” function, but it does turn down very quickly by holding the volume button down. These are all minor quibbles, but I felt they should be pointed out.

I’ve done many upgrades, tweaks and changes, some of them bringing some nice (albeit subtle) changes to my system. There’s nothing subtle about the Placette. The RVC does tons of wonderful things, all by simply getting out of the way, in all the correct ways. I’m not an electrical engineer, but I suspect the Vishay arrays and their implementation in this line stage are creating the magic by controlling input impedance so carefully, the music’s neutrality/linearity is maintained to the n’th degree. Is it worth the $1000 admission fee? Absolutely.

There it is. Take it for what it’s worth.

P.S. FWIW, my wife has nicknamed the Placette “Mighty Mouse.”

ben62670

Nice review. I too enjoyed going passive. My remote should be in soon:) With a good source passive is the way to fly for sure.
Ben

Ricardo

Nice. trying a passive pre is the only thing left in my audio "to do list".

ND13

Yeah, Yeah....whatever, DUUUDE!!!:D

steveinaz

Ricardo
I would rate this move as more significant than what my DAC did for my system--it's that good. Of course, the paradox there is that the RVC simply let's me hear the DAC at it's full potential...

steveinaz

ND13 wrote: »

Yeah, Yeah....whatever, DUUUDE!!!:D

We'll be expecting a MF review from you mister....:D

ND13

You'll get one, but I need to acclimate myself to it a little more. At first, the mids were a bit overwhelming and the bass lacking, but it ended up being the recording on the RUSH Retrospective CD(which was a surprise, because RUSH normally has good bass). When I put up in Cat, it was a pleasure.

organ

Excellent review, Steve. My experience with a passive is just like yours. Especially when you mentioned that detail is presented clearly and you no longer have to listen for it. Ther other thing I really like which you found the same is how the music gets larger and larger as it increases in intesnsity.
You know you've come across something special when you no longer 'hear' the unit.

I see that Noel got your MF. Very cool.

Enjoy your new toys guys!

steveinaz

organ wrote: »

The other thing I really like which you found the same is how the music gets larger and larger as it increases in intesnsity.

It's really a hallmark signature. No more vocals being pushed forward with volume, non-linearity making the music sound edgy. Everything stays in it's same space on the soundstage--the level just gets greater. It's the attribute that I like most.

organ

I agree. I bet you'll also enjoy cable swapping. You should be able to hear the differences more clearly. I haven't done this yet.

Hope I'm not de-railing but just wondering since passives pass the signal so nicely. If you have two sets of IC's, and they're not identical, where do you think the "better" quality one should be? I always hear from source to pre, but the signal coming out of the pre is much smaller than that coming out of the source. So I'm guessing keeping that smaller signal pure is harder than a larger one?

awe-d-o-file

I liked my RVC too. So much that I upgraded to the 3 input - 2 output linestage by Placette. As to the remote its cheaper for a small company to do what he did than design/produce his own remote. You can add lots of other components to that remote. As to no mute I hear you. With my linestage there are three inputs, I just switch to an unused input for "mute". With todays robust sources everyone who has sensitive high impedance amp<s> and higher output low impedance sources should try passive. Almost all the time their active linestage is attenuating the signal from their source while adding its "voice" and noise floor. Phono complicates things however. Getting the proper gain needed for a passive from a phono setup is tough. I had a 4.0mv Grado Master and a 54db gain phono pre @1K output impedance and I often needed more gain. There were almost no records that would give me full or near full potential of my system even with the volume all the way up on the Placette. Volume was the only problem, the clarity and more natural sound<especially in the HF> of vinyl came through.

steveinaz

I couldn't be more pleased with it, outstanding product and it's synergy with my Benchmark DAC is excellent. The music has a very easy character to it that is very intoxicating. It's incredible how they pulled off a more listenable, smooth sound--and at the same time, far more detailed and articulate. It's even doing quite well with my "crappy CD's test" a collection of very poorly engineered/sounding CD's. I realize you can't polish a ****, but the placette sure makes them smell better...LOL

awe-d-o-file

steveinaz wrote: »

I couldn't be more pleased with it, outstanding product and it's synergy with my Benchmark DAC is excellent. The music has a very easy character to it that is very intoxicating. It's incredible how they pulled off a more listenable, smooth sound--and at the same time, far more detailed and articulate.

while "tenting" his fingers........Excellent!

tonyb

Nice review Steve.Congrats man.Can you compare this to other passives,like the Dodd?
I smell an upgrade in speakers comming soon.:D

steveinaz

I can't, the only comparison I can make is connecting the source directly to the power amp (pure passive). Running that way was a little too sterile and lifeless, probably the effect of the amps less-than-stellar volume pots.

...and yes, you smell correctly--but next year.

I-SIG

Steve,

It's sounding to me that my AA DLC has more in common with your passive than it did with the MF.

Wes

steveinaz

I always suspected that running passively could have some serious benefits--but I guess I needed the right tool to get there.

steveinaz

As I peel thru more of my music collection, I like this passive more & more. I can't get over the linearity of frequencies as the output is increased. With active preamps I'm was used to treble and voices being pushed in front at higher volumes, giving the music and edgy, exhausted/compressed sound. No such thing with the Placette. I pushed the system hard yesterday, it never got fatiguing or anything near edgy--it just "blooms" larger and larger. Nothing gets washed out, all the detail is there just like moderate listening levels. I had Sara Evans "Restless" playing at concert levels, and it was breathtaking.

2-channel fans, you owe it to yourself to audition a Placette. :cool:

steveinaz

...and history repeats itself. Placette on the way, again.

organ

What happened? Did you end up selling it and recently purchased another one?

steveinaz

I sold it about a year and a half ago, and 2 things were playing on my mind. Missing my remote; and the intoxicating sound of the Placette.

organ

Cool:cool: I thought about selling my passive as well, but I think I'll hold on to it now after reading this. I like the sound of passives for the same reasons you described.

Enjoy you Placette again:).

steveinaz

I think it's going to synergize beautifully with the warm nature of my Carbon 7's.

organ

Wow, the Carbon 7 looks beautiful! Are you changing the DAC or can it bypass the pre stage? Outborad DAC's usually have very good drive for passive pres.

steveinaz

I'll switch it to line out (FIXED) mode on the back.

organ

Aaah. Let us know how it goes with the new speaks.