VTL 2.5 tube pre-amp

vc69

So I'm about to pick up a VTL 2.5 pre-amp for a little in home demo. I have been looking for an AR tube pre but am having a tough time scoring what I want within my budget. A buddy in California has the VTL and is going to loan it to me for awhile. Truly a good friend.
I'll be pushing a TFM-35x and a pair of LS90's.
So you tube guys out there...
What are your thoughts on this pre-amp and does anyone have any experience driving the TFM-35 with a tube pre? Synergy? Precautions? Tips?

Any info and advice is welcome.

Cheers!

F1nut

That's a very nice pre amp.

Ern Dog

I've never heard VTL preamps, so you'll have to post a quick review of your impressions.

danz1906

Thats a very nice Pre, I think you will like it!

george daniel

nice pre,, 20 db gain,, let us know hoe it mates with the tfm--enjoy.

SCompRacer

The VTL 2.5 is a wonderful pre amp. Do you know what tubes are in it? My bud Norm had one so it made it over here to my place. Mullard CV4003 and Sylvania 6350's gave it a nice detailed sound with a good bottom end.

hearingimpared

That is a very nice preamp. One of my favorites.

madmax

Most VTL gear is pretty awesome, haven't heard that preamp. I'm fairly certain the TFM amp is going to be the limit on sound quality given my experience with a friends LS90's and his old TFM amp. If there is anyone close by with a really nice amp you should try to borrow it for a day.

W WALDECKER

I own the VTL 2.5 that our friend Norm used to own and it is indeed a very good tube preamplifier.I have a matched pair of circa 1962 NOS Siemens ECC82/12AU7 silver plate tubes coming here next week that i plan on using in my 2.5 .good luck....WCW III

vc69

madmax wrote: »

Most VTL gear is pretty awesome, haven't heard that preamp. I'm fairly certain the TFM amp is going to be the limit on sound quality given my experience with a friends LS90's and his old TFM amp. If there is anyone close by with a really nice amp you should try to borrow it for a day.

Yeah I am aware that the TFM isn't the pinnacle of audio perfection.
However it is a huge step beyond the Onkyo 606. I am considering a couple of options but the TFM-35x will do for now, especially with a nice warm tube pre-amp in front of it.
Get this, he is also loaning me a set of Cardas Gold Reference IC's. These things are massive.

I think he is going to end up with a new AR reference series pre and and amp so I'm first in line to get the VTL. He also has a McIntosh 200 wpc amp and when he ends up with AR stuff I may give that a turn. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to giving the VTL a listen, and perhaps a new home.

vc69

Lasareath wrote: »

I might have to try one of those pre-amps next. But I have two carver tfm-35x's. What do you gurus reccomend I use with the VTL ?

Have you had your TFM's re-worked? If so, what was your before/after impressions?

BTW there a VTL 2.5 on the agon for $700 I think.

kawizx9r

vc69 wrote: »

Have you had your TFM's re-worked? If so, what was your before/after impressions?

BTW there a VTL 2.5 on the agon for $700 I think.

Oh wow that is a nice budget-friendly looking pre....and you can toss it in an existing H/T setup. I had posted a thread trying to find what pre I should get on a budget of no more than 900 (1300 max really). You've got to post a review once you get this bad boy in and running.

hearingimpared

Lasareath wrote: »

Nope. No re-working yet. Bought them from the original owners they sound great. I was planning on waiting till I bought a pair of TFM-55x's before sending them in to Bob & Rita.

Do you have a pair of SDA's to try the VTL on?

Sal, I ran the VTL with the Adcom 565 mono blocks and the Parasound HCA 1000A on the 1.2TLs (before I bought the Trivista) and it sounded awesome. I don't see why it wouldn't sound good with the Carvers.

vc69

Lasareath wrote: »

Nope. No re-working yet. Bought them from the original owners they sound great. I was planning on waiting till I bought a pair of TFM-55x's before sending them in to Bob & Rita.

Do you have a pair of SDA's to try the VTL on?

Thanks for the reply. I have barely warmed my 35 up. Just got it Friday and had a lot going on this weekend. I did hook it up Friday night by running straight from my Oppo BDP-83 and using the volume control on the player as trim. (NOT recommended as the player attenuates in the digital domain and it truncates ie: loses dynamic information) I did this just to make sure I had bought a good working specimen and was not disappointed. It sounded quite good despite the limitations of the setup.

I do not have any SDA's to try. Nor do I know anyone that does. There used to be a Polk dealer here years ago but I have not even ever seen a pair, let alone heard them. I hope that will change eventually. Having said that, I'm really digging my LS90's. A recent purchase guided by members of this forum and instinct mostly. I love em.

vc69

kawizx9r wrote: »

Oh wow that is a nice budget-friendly looking pre....and you can toss it in an existing H/T setup. I had posted a thread trying to find what pre I should get on a budget of no more than 900 (1300 max really). You've got to post a review once you get this bad boy in and running.

Will do. My friend is shipping it out Monday so maybe by next weekend. I'm pretty excited. I have heard it numerous times in his rig but he has ML's and VTL mono's so it's quite a different setup from mine. He actually loves my LS90's. He heard them the last time he was home (here) and was surprised at the way the sounded so good in my little HT rig.

george daniel

hearingimpared wrote: »

Sal, I ran the VTL with the Adcom 565 mono blocks and the Parasound HCA 1000A on the 1.2TLs (before I bought the Trivista) and it sounded awesome. I don't see why it wouldn't sound good with the Carvers.

Probabally sound pretty good with my VTL's? Maybe.;)

F1nut

You've got to post a review

You don't have to wait for him to post a review, I already said it was a very good pre amp.

I'm fairly certain the TFM amp is going to be the limit on sound quality

Bingo.

reeltrouble1

nobody likes there baby called ugly but that carver amp is out-classed in this rig and the pre just will not be able to reach its potential, just no other way to say it.

RT1

amulford

You'll notice the lack of coloration when you use it. It's very clean and pretty dynamic in it's presentation.

It'll sound good with your TFM. It'll sound even better if you move up the food chain...

vc69

amulford wrote: »

You'll notice the lack of coloration when you use it. It's very clean and pretty dynamic in it's presentation.

It'll sound good with your TFM. It'll sound even better if you move up the food chain...

I am really looking forward to giving it a workout. I am certainly planning on moving up the food chain, but it's baby steps for me. I am a state employee and we aren't getting rich if you know what I mean.:o

Definitely hoping to put a new amp in the rig by March or so. I am going to have to save some cash in order to go where I want to go. I am seriously infatuated with AR amps.

vc69

Well I actually received the VTL 2.5 today. Got it about 10 am and luckily had the day off so I have been listening all afternoon. What a treat. This is a level I haven't been at in quite some time. The VTL is sweet and smooth and after a bit of running the thing just woke up.
Current setup is as follows:

BDP-83 analog out (Via transparent 400's)-->VTL 2.5 Pre (Via Cardas Gold Ref 1.5 meter)--> TFM-35x(Via 12ga. pro speaker wire - noname)--> LS90's

I am truly knocked out with the performance of the system at this point. Bare in mind that I'm moving from an AVR -->LS90's setup so the improvement is quite dramatic.
Much more depth and height to the soundstage that is created. Much more precision of placement. I can begin to forget about the speakers and listen to the instruments and performance.

I can see that this is close to my destination though. The LS90's just keep giving and giving as I improve whats in front of them and with that I am truly truly impressed.

Viva la VTL!

hearingimpared

vc69 wrote: »

Much more depth and height to the soundstage that is created. Much more precision of placement. I can begin to forget about the speakers and listen to the instruments and performance.

That sums up what I heard from the 2.5. It's a great preamp.

schwarcw

I want one!

Congrats on your new setup! Happy listening.:)

madmax

vc69 wrote: »

The LS90's just keep giving and giving as I improve whats in front of them and with that I am truly truly impressed.

And you will continue to see this all the way up to the super megabucks range.
madmax

danz1906

vc69 wrote: »

Well I actually received the VTL 2.5 today. Got it about 10 am and luckily had the day off so I have been listening all afternoon. What a treat. This is a level I haven't been at in quite some time. The VTL is sweet and smooth and after a bit of running the thing just woke up.
Current setup is as follows:

BDP-83 analog out (Via transparent 400's)-->VTL 2.5 Pre (Via Cardas Gold Ref 1.5 meter)--> TFM-35x(Via 12ga. pro speaker wire - noname)--> LS90's

I am truly knocked out with the performance of the system at this point. Bare in mind that I'm moving from an AVR -->LS90's setup so the improvement is quite dramatic.
Much more depth and height to the soundstage that is created. Much more precision of placement. I can begin to forget about the speakers and listen to the instruments and performance.

I can see that this is close to my destination though. The LS90's just keep giving and giving as I improve whats in front of them and with that I am truly truly impressed.

Viva la VTL! [/Q

Congrats, Its all about the music!

danz1906

vc69 wrote: »

Well I actually received the VTL 2.5 today. Got it about 10 am and luckily had the day off so I have been listening all afternoon. What a treat. This is a level I haven't been at in quite some time. The VTL is sweet and smooth and after a bit of running the thing just woke up.
Current setup is as follows:

BDP-83 analog out (Via transparent 400's)-->VTL 2.5 Pre (Via Cardas Gold Ref 1.5 meter)--> TFM-35x(Via 12ga. pro speaker wire - noname)--> LS90's

I am truly knocked out with the performance of the system at this point. Bare in mind that I'm moving from an AVR -->LS90's setup so the improvement is quite dramatic.
Much more depth and height to the soundstage that is created. Much more precision of placement. I can begin to forget about the speakers and listen to the instruments and performance.

I can see that this is close to my destination though. The LS90's just keep giving and giving as I improve whats in front of them and with that I am truly truly impressed.

Viva la VTL!

Congrats-Its all the Music!

vc69

madmax wrote: »

And you will continue to see this all the way up to the super megabucks range.
madmax

Yeah... Thanks for that info. Just what I wanted to hear! :mad:

So my buddy also shipped me a box full of IC cables. One pair of Cardas (not sure which, these Cardas IC's are freaking huge though), one pair Transparent 100's and one pair Transparent Music Link. I have a pair of Transparent 200's and and old set of Kimbers with pure silver RCA's that are stiff as hell with a green sleeve. If anybody knows what they are I'd appreciate a heads up.

I have the Cardas Gold Reference IC's between the VTL and the TFM35x. I haven't been swapping those at all. Why bother?:D

But player --> VTL pre has seen most of those cables today except for the unknown Cardas. So far the Kimbers win hands down. Much more definition and airy-er highs. No surprise really, I have always loved the Kimbers for exactly that reason. Of course, the fact that I have had them so long may play a part in my preference. I'm not above ruling out my mind playing tricks on me, but I feel certain another person would concur.

I have just been loving my rig today. I have done nothing other than eat and listen all day. I haven't had quite this much fun with audio in years. It's good to be back.

woodguru

I had a VTL 7.5 and found the Belles 21-A auricap to be equal in all respects. You can't believe it until you hear the side by side but it is fact. $2500 versus way over $10k. Do yourself a favor and move up from entry level to the top echelon on that preamp, it is the key component in a system.<br>
<br>
I was a dealer for BAT and sold a lot of AR and Pass Labs until I got the Belles line, after that the only thing I did with the $10k BAT VK-51se preamp and the $18k VK-150se monoblocks was show direct comparisons of how much better the Belles was.<br>
<br>
You can find a used one for under $1500, make sure you have a neutral cable.

F1nut

Ummm....the gear you're mentioning is a bit out of his price range.

As for the rest, it's your opinion, not fact.

vc69

F1nut wrote: »

Ummm....the gear you're mentioning is a bit out of his price range.

Ummm... No ****.

To say that I wouldn't like to try some of that stuff would be wrong, but alas probably not in my near future. I feel lucky to have the gear that I do have.


Thanks for having my back F1

NJPOLKER

VC
Maybe F1 is referring to what the woodguru posted.

Or, maybe both after I went back and re-read the posts.