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 Siegfried Reference Monoblock Amplifier 
The Myth and the Machine
 | Feature Summary
| Data Specification
From
Vision to Market
When VTL introduced its awe-inspiring 1250-watt Wotan amplifier in
1996, Luke Manley, VTL’s President, called it “the culmination of
all we know about amplifier building at VTL.” But even as he spoke
those words, change was brewing—both in the audio industry and at
VTL. The growth of home theater meant that amplifiers were being
called on to perform an array of new functions. Meanwhile, VTL was
confronting the question of how tubed equipment would fit into
modern home entertainment systems. Reliability and consistency of
tubed components were issues that had to be decisively resolved.
With these questions in mind, Luke began formulating ideas for a new
Reference amplifier; tubed to be sure, but packed with technological
innovations and breaking new ground in sonic excellence. After five
years of intensive R&D, designing, testing, refining and listening,
VTL’s newest addition to the Reference family is ready… Siegfried
800-Watt Reference Monoblock Amplifier has arrived.
* * *
When Luke began developing the concepts for a next-generation
Reference amplifier, he laid out the following design goals:
- The Reference amplifier should deliver a new sonic standard worthy
of its marque as a member of the Reference family – it should
provide unsurpassed sound quality as well as excellent measurements
on the test bench
- The amplifier must be able to drive a wide range of speaker types
to their optimal performance, with consistent performance under all
conditions
- The amplifier must be self-optimizing and provide a full range of
diagnostics for sustaining peak performance.
- The operation of the amplifier must be intuitive and user-friendly
while providing flexibility in its control functions, for
integration with modern home theater systems
From the outset, it was apparent that Siegfried would not be a
business-as-usual design. “The R&D process ended up being an
intensive cross-disciplinary collaboration between multiple teams of
engineers in different parts of the country,” says Luke Manley.
“Tube circuit designers, power supply experts, software engineers,
control circuit experts, and industrial design specialists all had a
hand in shaping Siegfried.”
The quest to make Siegfried “smart” was a major part of the design
process. VTL was committed to eliminating the continual tweaking and
guesswork that usually come with owning large tube amplifiers.
Automatic self-regulation was understood to be the key to keeping
Siegfried operating at peak performance. To that end, engineers
embedded a logic-controlled automatic tube biasing circuit inside
the amplifier to ensure that Siegfried is running optimally at all
times. A full range of diagnostic functions were also included to
let users know which tubes need to be changed, amplifier operating
time, tube life, real-time AC voltage and more.
Siegfried’s sound quality took a significant leap forward, due in
part to the use of new precision-regulated power supplies. Benefits
heard include increased dynamic headroom and a tighter, more tuneful
bass. Listening tests also revealed a new vividness, with a
noticeable increase in agility and articulation within the music. A
balanced input stage keeps the noise floor vanishingly low.
Siegfried’s physical package received special attention in the
design process. The thick and extremely rigid chassis (provided in a
tower configuration) is clad in non-magnetic material and rests on
large non-resonant feet to banish mechanical interference. The
sleek, modern appearance of Siegfried matches the cosmetics of VTL’s
TL7.5 Reference Preamplifier. A curved fascia is inset with a
digital readout and three buttons. With its subtle interplay of
brushed, ribbed and polished aluminum, Siegfried has a commanding
yet refined visual presence; unmistakably a product for the most
serious and discerning music lovers.
“I couldn’t be more pleased with the way our new ‘smart’ amplifier
has turned out,” says VTL’s Luke Manley. “Siegfried has surpassed
everyone’s expectations with respect to sound quality and ease of
use. This is an amplifier you can turn on and forget about; allowing
you to sit back, relax and simply enjoy the music.”
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Siegfried The Myth and The Machine
Who is Siegfried, the Hero?
Siegfried is the greatest hero of Germanic and Scandinavian myth.
The name is a conjunction of ‘victory’(sieg) + ‘peace’(friede). If
you think of Siegfried as a sort of Teutonic Achilles, you wouldn’t
be far off. He is superhumanly strong, a great warrior, headstrong
and nearly invulnerable. As a grandson of Wotan, the most powerful
god of Germanic lore, Siegfried has a spark of the divine in him,
yet his passion and pride reveal him as fully mortal. Siegfried was
raised in the forest away from civilization. He is intuitively
sensitive to the ways of the natural world, and exhibits a childlike
simplicity in his interactions with others.
What is Siegfried, the Amplifier?
The newest member of VTL’s Reference amplifier lineup, the Siegfried
800-Watt Reference Amplifier expands the boundaries of what a
powerful tube amplifier can be. Directly descended from VTL’s Wotan
MB-1250 Reference Amplifier, one of the most powerful tube
amplifiers in continuous production, Siegfried shines in its own
unique way. This 800-watt all-tube monoblock provides all the muscle
you’d ever need to handle the most demanding musical passages, but
offers so much more. Logic-controlled automatic biasing of all tubes
means ‘smart’ Siegfried constantly checks itself for optimal
performance. A full range of diagnostics alerts users to the status
of each tube, including when to retube. Siegfried puts an end to the
guesswork formerly inherent in large tube amplifiers, while crossing
new thresholds of sonic performance.
What does Siegfried, the Hero, do?
After reforging the broken sword of his father, Siegfried sets out
on two quests, both of which can only be accomplished by one who
knows no fear. His first quest is to slay a giant dragon. Using his
wits, Siegfried kills the beast as it emerges from its cave,
symbolizing the light vanquishing the dark. The dragon’s blood makes
Siegfried nearly invulnerable and also allows him to understand the
language of nature. A bird tells him of a fair maiden, Brunhilde,
who sleeps within a Ring of Fire. For his second quest, Siegfried
uses the redeeming power of love to awaken and free Brunhilde,
creating a new beginning for human consciousness on earth.
What can Siegfried, the Amplifier, do?
Thanks to huge precision-regulated power supplies, VTL’s Siegfried
amplifier handles the most demanding loads with ease, ensuring
consistency of performance under any conditions. A brawny 800 watts
of power results in impressive dynamic headroom and tight, deep,
resounding bass. A simple audio circuit and audiophile-quality
components give a bold, vivid freshness to music. There is nothing
glaring or artificial-sounding about Siegfried; instrumental timbres
and human voices come across in an extremely natural way.
Siegfried’s uncanny handling of rhythm, pace, dynamics and texture
connects to those ineffable qualities that define the soul of real
music. Siegfried allows users to immerse themselves in its glorious
sound without having to wonder whether the tubes are all performing
properly: Siegfried continually optimizes tube bias and reports
diagnostics on each individual tube, leaving the listener to think
about nothing more taxing than the next piece of music to enjoy.
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Feature Summary
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Fully
logic-controlled automatic tube biasing: Re-biases between music
passages, to keep tubes in optimal operating condition
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Smart
fault-sensing: Alerts user to all faults, with automatic shutdown
and front panel fault display
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User
diagnostics: For information on tubes and operating parameters,
with tube change time reminder, automated fuse testing, line
voltage display
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Precision
regulated power supplies: For consistently musical performance and
deep bass
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Balanced input
stage: For dynamic sound and superior noise rejection
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Extended tube
life: Logic-controlled soft-start sequence and optimized operating
conditions
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Tetrode/Triode
and Phase: Automated switchover with circuit protection
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Fully remote
controllable and RS-232 Interface: For integration with centrally
controlled systems
Data Specification
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