| Search AudioEnz | |
| Articles | |
|
Current
reviews |
|
| News | |
| Community | |
| Buying | |
| About AudioEnz | |
About AudioEnz |
Trickle down technology
VTL's integrated valve amp
By John Zurek
April 2002
Most
audiophiles have heard of Luke Manley’s company – Vacuum Tube
Logic. VTL regularly garners “Best Sound at the Show” awards.
They make some of the world's most awesome tube amplifiers like the Wotan (1250Wpc tetrode, 600W triode). Manley states "The circuit topology on all of our amps – the input stage, phase splitter, and push-pull output stage – is the same throughout the whole range – we just add more power supply and more tubes for more power. "
So - how much of the technology from the mighty Wotan trickles down to the small IT-85 using two Svetlana EL34s per channel, outputting 60 watts? Let’s find out.
Drip, drop, drip…
This amp has a high-quality look and feel. Retro, yet modern. All controls
are rock-solid and well though out. The construction is top-notch like
all VTL products.
The front panel features an input selector, a headphone jack (more about this later) and a headphone/speaker-selector switch. There's a large remote-controlled volume knob, a switchable processor loop, a mute switch, remote window, on/off switch, and a red power LED that flashes when muted.
Setup
was a dream! From the VTL website: “The ramp back allows easier connection
of cables to the amplifier, and keeps stiff cables from bending at sharp
angles, and makes the other controls easier to see and operate when bending
over the amplifier.”
I’m a believer! I placed the ’85 on the rack, connected some RCAs, and easily attached the ovesized spades of my speaker cables. I was up and running in minutes.
One of the things that sets the ‘85 apart from the rest of the pack of currently popular integrateds is that this box is upgradeable! That’s right! You can mate it with the VTL ST-85 power amp.
These two were designed to work together so you can biamp your speakers without any external crossovers. You can also use the buffered pre-amp out to use with a subwoofer. Want to get bigger speakers? Moved to a larger room? Or just want to improve your sound? VTL can oblige you!
A steady stream?
After a lengthy break-in period (about 100 hours) I settled into listening.
Since I hadn’t spent any time with tubes in a while I though about
some of the tube myths. Slow. Poorly defined bass. Too warm. No detail.
Rolled off high end. Etc.
This amp is anything but slow. Listening to Bela Fleck perform Vix 9 I was struck by the speed and coherence that the ’85 rendered. The lightning unison lines doubled by Bela and Victor Wooten just wouldn’t work if the amp wasn’t quick. And Victor’s bass? Excellent definition, very believable– but not solid state slam.
The highs ahhhhhh…crystalline. On the Fitzwilliam String Quartet’s rendition of Haydn’s Ill Terremoto I could almost touch the overtones of the violins. The detail – I’ll bet a string player could tell the brand of rosin that was used on the bow!
Oh – almost forgot – the midrange was darn near perfect on everything.
And the soundstage! Even in my acoustically challenged room I felt I could reach a few metres right into it! Deep Deep Deep!
Be sure to match the ’85 with the right speakers. I used the excellent Image 402. This amp is meant for mini-monitors or small efficient floorstanders.
What about headphone output? I compared it to my long-term reference Headroom Supreme /Sennheiser 600 combination. The ’85s headphone output was consistent with all the excellent characteristics I heard while listening through speakers. It made my Sennheisers sing!
After living with this amp I realised I was being drawn further into the music, staying up late every night, and listening to discs I hadn’t touched in months. For my money this is the mark of a true high-end component. There is no doubt. It let me enjoy my music more.
Open the floodgates!
Does it sound like I like this amp? I did. Very much. Trickle Down Technology
works! VTL has indeed succeeded in putting the quality of its much pricier
products into a small package.
What kind of audiophile will be interested in the 85? Someone with a small-to-medium listening room, who pairs the amp with the right speakers (also a nice sub?) and high-quality source components. Someone who wants a killer headphone amp, and doesn’t crank the system REALLY LOUD. Although if you want REALLY LOUD, or to move up – to bigger speakers, bigger room, or both, VTL lets you do it by adding the ST-85.
Given
those constraints it’s really hard to beat this amp. I’ll miss
the IT 85 when it’s gone. Bravo VTL!
Want to comment on this review? Click here for Feedback