Amazing day at Magico

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Mike said:
CH. Berk REF2. Kronos Pro with SCPS-1. MIT cabling. Magico racks. QPOD's everywhere!

....

We had some great discussions about electronics for Magico...

VAC seemed to be the real consensus among us dealers for the tube side....
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How come not CAT? What is it about their sound that VAC is preferable by dealers? Or is it better dealer business arrangements?

(Interestingly, Alon has shown with CAT before.)
 
If by CAT you are referring to Convergent from Canada, aren't they pretty much factory direct these days. Great gear but not something dealers would recommend.
 
Boogieman said:
How come not CAT? What is it about their sound that VAC is preferable by dealers? Or is it better dealer business arrangements?

(Interestingly, Alon has shown with CAT before.)
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They do have a few dealers, but their prices went nutty. The monos that Alon used are something like $130,000??

VAC sounds as wonderful as CAT IMO. VAC has patented iQ circuitry, it's made in my backyard, the guys over there are friends of mine and you can get a pair of Signature 200iQ monos that will drive the hell out of any speaker, use any KT based tube allowing the end user to personally "tune" the sound (due to the auto bias circuitry) for $28k and you don't have to wait months and months to get them either.
 
Jack said:
If by CAT you are referring to Convergent from Canada, aren't they pretty much factory direct these days. Great gear but not something dealers would recommend.
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I believe he meant Convergent Audio Technology.
 
Mike said:
VAC sounds as wonderful as CAT IMO. VAC has patented iQ circuitry, it's made in my backyard, the guys over there are friends of mine and you can get a pair of Signature 200iQ monos that will drive the hell out of any speaker, use any KT based tube allowing the end user to personally "tune" the sound (due to the auto bias circuitry) for $28k and you don't have to wait months and months to get them either.
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But it's not just $28k Mike. Then you need a preamp of commensurate quality, 3 x high end power cables, 2 x pairs of high end xlr's and appropriate isolation (amp stands and/or isolation feet). Sure you can skimp on cables and isolation...I recall one member another forum befuddled why he wasn't getting good sound from his Vitus SS-101Mk2 amp which he had sitting on a hardware store trolley. But you'll immediately hold back the gear. But sure, if you can afford the requisite preamp, cables & sets of iso feet/platforms, all power to you. Personally, I aim for simplicity. My next amp will be the Vitus SIA-030 which I will fully optimize with flagship Jorma cables & Stillpoints Ultra 6's. Horses for courses as they say :what:.
 
Melbguy1 said:
But it's not just $28k Mike. Then you need a preamp of commensurate quality, 3 x high end power cables, 2 x pairs of high end xlr's and appropriate isolation (amp stands and/or isolation feet). Sure you can skimp on cables and isolation...I recall one member another forum befuddled why he wasn't getting good sound from his Vitus SS-101Mk2 amp which he had sitting on a hardware store trolley. But you'll immediately hold back the gear. But sure, if you can afford the requisite preamp, cables & sets of iso feet/platforms, all power to you. Personally, I aim for simplicity. My next amp will be the Vitus SIA-030 which I will fully optimize with flagship Jorma cables & Stillpoints Ultra 6's. Horses for courses as they say :what:.
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I thought the question was just "why VAC and not CAT?"

I don't recall him asking about Preamp, cables, Stillpoints, Vitus, etc.


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Mike said:
I thought the question was just "why VAC and not CAT?"

I don't recall him asking about Preamp, cables, Stillpoints, Vitus, etc.
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Apologies then Mike for the threadjack. I was just picking up on your comment on the price, by pointing out the obvious fact it's not just $28k when you consider all the accompanying gear you need to fully optimize those amps, which by the way are terrific as i've said on many occasions.
 
Melbguy1 said:
Apologies then Mike for the threadjack. I was just picking up on your comment on the price, by pointing out the obvious fact it's not just $28k when you consider all the accompanying gear you need to fully optimize those amps, which by the way are terrific as i've said on many occasions.
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No disagreement. Those CAT amps at ~$130k would need some serious cables and preamp to boot. No remote on the CAT preamp (booo!)


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Mike said:
No remote on the CAT preamp (booo!)

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Agreed!

Some mftrs. say that the remote volume control will compromise the ultimate sound quality.

Maybe so.

But if I have to get up each time and go over to the preamp because I want to make a slight adjustment in volume to maximize a recording's musical involvement (and sometimes I may want to try several volume settings to find the best), then technically better sound may still equal less enjoyment & musical engagement..

IMO...
 
Mike said:
No disagreement. Those CAT amps at ~$130k would need some serious cables and preamp to boot. No remote on the CAT preamp (booo!)
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Well I completely agree that the Vac 200iQ amps + even a Master preamp & some nice NOS tubes represent better value than the CAT Statement amps imho. That said, you know my view on ss vs tubes at this stage of my audiophile journey :cool:.
 
Mike said:
They do have a few dealers, but their prices went nutty. The monos that Alon used are something like $130,000??

VAC sounds as wonderful as CAT IMO. VAC has patented iQ circuitry, it's made in my backyard, the guys over there are friends of mine and you can get a pair of Signature 200iQ monos that will drive the hell out of any speaker, use any KT based tube allowing the end user to personally "tune" the sound (due to the auto bias circuitry) for $28k and you don't have to wait months and months to get them either.
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Thank you. I agree that VAC sounds great. I recently heard them sound fabulous with von schweikert. But Alon said that he and designer like CAT because they have "the most linear bass" out of all tube amps.
 
Boogieman said:
Thank you. I agree that VAC sounds great. I recently heard them sound fabulous with von schweikert. But Alon said that he and designer like CAT because they have "the most linear bass" out of all tube amps.
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I thought that would have been ARC...


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Mike said:
I thought that would have been ARC...


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When I spoke to Alon at a show, he spoke that way about CAT. Also, Jonathan Valin has done a lot of ARC reviews over the years, including their highest powered tube amp model, which is amazing with other speakers, but he never paired them with Magico speakers. One can only read between the lines.
 
Boogieman said:
When I spoke to Alon at a show, he spoke that way about CAT. Also, Jonathan Valin has done a lot of ARC reviews over the years, including their highest powered tube amp model, which is amazing with other speakers, but he never paired them with Magico speakers. One can only read between the lines.
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Yes, I've been curious about that pairing. ARC + Magico. Never seen it. It could be very good. Don't know.

I know this - when I had the ARC REF5SE Preamp with the Magico M3's, it was superb.


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Mike said:
Yes, I've been curious about that pairing. ARC + Magico. Never seen it. It could be very good. Don't know.

I know this - when I had the ARC REF5SE Preamp with the Magico M3's, it was superb.


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Interpreting the silence of Jonathan Valin, pairing the ARC amps with bigger Magico speakers is probably not very good. (He did love the higher-powered ARC amps with Magico Mini 2, though).

But the Preamp you mention with the right solid state amp is probably outstanding.
 
I don't know about the Magicos, but I'm listening to the ARC GS150 on a pair of YG Sonjas, and it's fantastic. Truly way-above-pricepoint level stuff.


cheers,
alex
 
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