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Since Hi Fi '96 in New York, VTL has consistently ranked in the top 3 for the Best Sound of the show in the Stereophile Hi Fi shows. Here is a synopsis of those Hi Fi shows.
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Hi Fi '99 in Chicago - 2nd place for Best Sound of the Show In Chicago Hi Fi '99, VTL teamed up with Joseph
Audio, Oracle Audio, Cardas Cables, Graham Engineering and Stanalog
Audio Imports to capture second place best sound. VTL introduced
the new MB-750 Reference Monoblock
amplifiers, driving the Joseph Audio Pearl loudspeakers. The
analog front-end was the Oracle Delphi turntable, using a Graham
2.0 Reference tone arm and van den Hul Frog moving coil cartridge,
and the digital front end was the Oracle Reference CD Turntable.
The entire system was wired with Cardas Golden Reference Interconnects
and the Cardas Neutral Reference speaker cables, all with power
conditioning provided by Audio Power Industries. |
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Hi Fi '98 Best Sound of the Show
The Hi Fi '98 winning system was put together by Los Angeles dealer CH Automation and Theater Systems, and had at the heart of the system three pairs of the VTL Wotan MB-1250 monoblocks in triamplified configuration driving the Martin Logan Statement loudspeaker system. The front end was driven by the top of the line Wadia digital separate components, fed into the VTL TL 5.5 preamplifier and all connected together with Cardas Power, Neutral Reference and Golden Cross Cables. (See "Wotan power" for more detail on this system.) The system was voted best sound of the show, and many reviewers and spectators commented upon the stunning power and delicacy, "deep sound stage, lightening fast dynamics and extraordinary transparency", and more than one commented upon the system's overall dynamics and bass response being more typical of a big dynamic system driven by solid state amplifiers, rather than that of a dipole system driven by tubes. Many show-goers noticed the payoff from a carefully setup system synergistically coupled together, with careful room measurement and treatment by Bob Hodas (www.bobhodas.com) and selective equalization using a Z-Systems RDQ-6 digital equalizer, to reduce two key room resonances excited by the system. Winning best sound at Hi Fi '98 is the culmination of our efforts to demonstrate the realism in the musical experience gained from using near limitless power - a total of 2500 watts per channel in this case. The Martin Logan Statement speakers provided an excellent vehicle to demonstrate that tube power can be refined, detailed, tonally neutral, richly textured, as well as dynamic and authoritative. The Wotans drove the 30' x 40' room and 40 spectators without strain, with sound stage images that were stable and room-filling. We at VTL are proud to have been a core member
of the winning team, and most of all we're thrilled that our power
statement to the audiophile world has been consistently recognized
and well-received. |
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Hi Fi '98 Additional Achievements VTL was honored to partner with Joseph Audio, Cardas Cables, Audio Power Industries, and Muse Electronics in the room judged 5th best sound at Hi Fi '98. The system in this room was the VTL TL 5.5 Preamplifier with phono stage, the VTL MB-185 Signature monoblocks, driving the Joseph RM 25si loudspeakers, with front ends provided by Muse (24/96 digital) and VPI (analog), interconnects and speaker cables from Cardas, and power conditioning by Audio Power Industries. Jeff Joseph demonstrated his flair for playing
the best music at the show with alternating musical sources using
the CD player, the DVD player, and the VPI turntable: Jazz, blues,
vocalists and interesting and stimulating selections throughout
the week. A great room to demonstrate power with agility in an affordable
system. |
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Hi Fi '97 in San Francisco - 3rd place for best sound, and a tour de force of music and teamwork For Hi Fi '97 and in collaboration with The Audible Difference of Palo Alto, we put on one of the most ambitious shows we've ever done. Our entire product line was on display in three rooms with the goal of demonstrating the versatility of VTL products with a number of leading loudspeakers (all cables were provided by Transparent Audio.) In the Chelsea Room, our entry level products, ST-85, MB-125 and the TL2.5 preamplifier were paired with the B&W Silver Signature and the MB-175 Signature Monoblock with the brand new B&W Silver Signature 30. This room had its distinct characteristic of a refreshing, clean and open sound with beautiful highs and good bass support. The MB-175 using the 807 tubes was a match made in heaven for the Silver Signature. We enjoyed playing a wide variety of music selections for our audience, ranging from classical, jazz to female vocalists and rock.
The Hampton Room showcased our powerful MB-450 Signature Monoblocks and the TL5.5 preamplifier with the Wilson Watt Puppies. The effortless control of the MB-450's on the Puppies astonished many listeners. Repeatedly we heard from those familiar with the Watt Puppies that the MB-450 seemed to be a great match for these demanding speakers. Our third room, the Executive Board Room, was where audio history was made. This room was the brainchild of Rich Green, the owner of the Audible Difference. Rich's vision was to bring together the system made up of the truly state-of-the-art audio components to present a selection of four channel surround sound live concert recordings. These recordings were made by recording engineer Peter McGrath using a four channel surround system called MS recording, recorded using a microphone designed by Jerry Bruck of Posthorn Recordings. In this room the VTL Wotan MB-1250 drove the EgglestonWorks Andra speakers in the front and the VTL MB-750 drove the EgglestonWorks Rosa in the rear. The Nagra 4 channel 44.1KHz digital tape deck was used for the playback of the four channel recorded tapes with the Z-System RDP-1 Reference Digital Preamplifier providing gain control. What made this room special was not only the accolades we received and the special mentions that poured in after the show, it was the outstanding teamwork that developed amongst the principals who put this show together. The principals of this team are Rich Green of Audible Difference, Peter McGrath then of Egglestonworks, Doug Blackwell of Transparent Audio and Luke Manley of VTL.
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CES 2000 VTL has consistently rated highly for sound quality at the annual trade-only CES, demonstrating a small sized system with high powered amplifiers and a high resolution front end. This year we used the new Reference MB-750 to drive the Avalon Eclipse Classic, with the Wadia 270/27ix front end, and all connected together with Transparent Reference XL power, interconnect and speaker cables.
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