Mike loaned me a VAC preamp, modified? Renaissance III? ...

joeinid

joeinid

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And I have to say it's pretty awesome. Except for the unusually high gain of this particular unit, probably requested by a previous owner, I really like it. Very Ref 6 like but closer to my taste. Open, 3D, powerful and ballsy presentation like the Ref 6 but I have to say because of this piece, I'm very interested now in the new Renaissance Mk 5. I previously had a Signature Mk IIa but pre SE version and while it did what it was supposed to, I wasn't ultimately crazy about it. This one for some reason seems awesome. Kudos to VAC.
 
Joe

According to the website that one particular model is 22 db while the rest of the preamp lineup is 12db. Still that one should be able to be lowered by adding a resistor or swapping a resistor for each channel. Great stuff though and easy on the eyes.
 
It feels like more Jack because I can only move the volume control a little bit before it gets too loud. So I lowered the output of my Lumin S1 and now I have more play in the volume knob. Mike tells me that the previous owner wanted more gain for inefficient speakers in one of his systems.

I have to say that I am really enjoying this preamp and its quality of sound. I feel that I am getting most, if not all, the Ref 6 flavor without any of "my" perceived drawbacks. This is pretty cool.
 
Joe

If you really like it see if the swap of resistors is all it takes to lower it back to original (still high) or down to 12 db like the others. Which amp are you trying it with and what is it's input sensitivity? With it using 12AU7 and 12AX7 tubes you can do a lot more to tailor the sound than you can with the REF 6 as their is only one brand of it's tube. Depending on their purposes you may can lower the gain even more by substituting 5751's AT7's or AY7's for the AX7's
 
I know this one is supposed to have a killer phono stage. I am using it with my MXR/20's and a pair of Pass XA60.8's. It's wonderful on both.
 
joeinid said:
And I have to say it's pretty awesome. Except for the unusually high gain of this particular unit, probably requested by a previous owner, I really like it. Very Ref 6 like but closer to my taste. Open, 3D, powerful and ballsy presentation like the Ref 6 but I have to say because of this piece, I'm very interested now in the new Renaissance Mk 5. I previously had a Signature Mk IIa but pre SE version and while it did what it was supposed to, I wasn't ultimately crazy about it. This one for some reason seems awesome. Kudos to VAC.
Click to expand...

Joe...getting loaned high-end audio equipment is akin to the neighborhood smack dealer giving you a taste of the good stuff to cultivate a taste for the product [emoji57]

Mike you old dawg. I see you're "loaning" out some of that VAC, Lumin, and Lampi crack again [emoji12]

In all seriousness, glad you are liking it Joe. It's good that there's a wide palate of flavors in high-end audio to suit our very unique to us tastes/needs.
 
After writing that, I now have this mental image of Mike in a Daddy-o 1970s red velour suit and hat (like Huggy from Starsky and Hutch days), pimping product [emoji12]

Hah!
 
Absolutely Cyril, I hope and am sure this one isn't for sale but it did get me interested in VAC now, for sure.
 
Cyril,

I bet I've seen a photo of Mike like that :wacko:
 
joeinid said:
Cyril,

I bet I've seen a photo of Mike like that :wacko:
Click to expand...

Like this?

09e756e6b0f7cf502c348b6d14b14afd.jpg



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Ha! Yes!

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
 
Hehe....no more like this Mike:

00839R.jpg


[emoji12]
 
Last edited by a moderator:
That VAC preamp Joe has is very good, it's a Renaissance 3 with an upgraded phonostage. The Renaissance 5 I'm getting in 1-2 weeks is superior according to VAC.


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joeinid said:
It feels like more Jack because I can only move the volume control a little bit before it gets too loud. So I lowered the output of my Lumin S1 and now I have more play in the volume knob. Mike tells me that the previous owner wanted more gain for inefficient speakers in one of his systems.

I have to say that I am really enjoying this preamp and its quality of sound. I feel that I am getting most, if not all, the Ref 6 flavor without any of "my" perceived drawbacks. This is pretty cool.
Click to expand...

Congrats Joe for getting the opportunity to audition the VAC Renaissance preamp. I also look forward to hearing a VAC preamp in my system as the pieces come together.

Best,
Ken
 
Thanks Ken. It really has reset my thinking on VAC. I'm glad I'm able to live with it for a while to understand what I'm hearing.
 
Joe

One way to tone down the gain is to go to the Rothwell site and order whatever set of attenuators you need. I have both the SE and Balanced versions and hear no signal degradation. They allowed me to use the Job with the tube preamp with no problem. They are available in 10 or 20 db versions. I have the tens for both and they really come in handy. Worth having around as part of the tool kit.

http://www.rothwellaudioproducts.co.uk/html/attenuators.html
 
Jack, great suggestion. I ordered some RCA 10's for when I use these high gain tubes on the Lampi.


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Mike

I have used both versions with both tube and SS amps and I don't hear any issues. As Andrew's primary business for the last 20+ years is in phono preamps I assumed he understood about noise and signal anomalies. His latest "statement" phono preamp just received a glowing review from HiFi +. If you hear anything out of the ordinary in your system let me know as I'm sure the AG's will reveal more than even the KO's.
 
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