VTL in the Press
VTL is constantly making news, and here are some of the more interesting quotes, reviews, and articles over the years.
VTL TL7.5 Linestage and Control Center
Arthur S. Pfeffer, Issue 139, December/January 2003, The Absolute Sound.
"... The TL7.5 integrates rather than deconstructs the elements of music. Brute strength? Yeah, definitely, and airily dimensional spaces, too, but the big story is music that flatters the ears. The TL7.5 simply sounds right, right in the critical midrange and right … from top to bottom. "
"...The 7.5 was designed using the Brunnhilde and big daddy Wotan, and this family reunion is sonic Vahalla. The 7.5 and my Brunnhildes leapt into each other’s embrace … and snapped into a “right” tonal and spatial focus that, in my system, neither quite achieves without the other."
Click here to read the PDF file of this review.
Vacuum Tube Logic TL-5.5 Tube Line-Stage Preamplifier
Chip Stern, November 2002, Stereophile
“The TL-5.5’s quickness, clarity, depth of resolution, layered soundstaging, and arresting midrange depth always proved warmly involving and musically compelling..”
Click here to read the PDF file of this review.
Vacuum Tube Logic ST-150 Stereo Amplifier
John Higgins, Issue 133, December/January 2002, The Absolute Sound.
“It always has power to spare…the ST-150 has a feature that sets it apart from conventional tube designs, and allows it stunning range and versatility…”
Click here to read the PDF file of this review.
Harry Pearson, Issue 128, February/March 2001, The Absolute Sound.
"... And, glory be, the tailing off or decay of the instrument's sound as it quietens or stops is more audible with this amplifier than any other I can remember, just possibly any other I have experienced. I would, accordingly, suggest that the better your particular system is at creating images on a stage, the more profound will be your reaction to the Brunnhilde sound..."
"...The midbass transients in their tautness and articulation have a "live" quality... that extends upward through the lower midrange and into the octave above middle C..."
VTL MB-750 Reference Amps: Brunnhilde Rides Again!
Art Pfeffer, Issue 125, August/September 2000, The Absolute Sound.
"... Twenty-first Century state-of-the-art in performance... superb image density, the ability to create an almost infinite number of images..."
Wotan's Little Brother: VTL MB-750 Reference Tube Amplifier
Wayne Donnelly, Vol 4 No. 2, Summer 2000 Ultimate Audio.
"... Even at moderate volumes these amplifiers have an authority that in my experience cannot be equaled by lesser-powered amplifiers. The authority is heard not only in the precise and tuneful bass, but all the way up to the very airy top end..."
Lonnie Brownell, February 1999, Stereophile.
"The ST-85 also exerted more control over the bass. Such results run counter to what one expects when comparing a lower-powered tube amplifier with a higher-powered solid- state model - to the ST-85's favor." "...I was taken by the rich midrange textures produced by the ST-85." "The ST-85 is, in many ways, the finest amplifier I've had in my system." "The VTL imparts a 3-D sense of the original event while retaining truth of timbre, a combination that very few components can match, at this or any price." (Read the full review).
1998 Product of the Year, Stereophile.
"... the Wotan is capable of reproducing the most delicate music with convincing nuance when called on to do so, as well as responding to the call for sheer power and utmost control. Tight deep bass and an astounding lack of apparent effort in the most challenging passages convinced our crew that this was one of 1998's best."...
Wotan MB-1250 Monoblocks
Jonathan Scull, June 1998, Stereophile.
"...Subtle and refined? Absolutely! Grainy? NOT! Power to spare? By the boatload! Tonal color and shading? First class! Midrange magic? Nothing but the best! Sweetness and extension in the highs? Never better! .... Caveats? None! Nitpicks? Not a one!" (Read the full review).
Making Tubes User-Friendly: Luke Manley of VTL
Brian Damkroger, December 1998, Stereophile (Read the full interview).
VTL MB750 monoblock power amplifier
Brian Damkroger, December 1997, Stereophile.
"...With the MB-750's, not only were the individual instruments just about perfect -- disarmingly natural, three-dimensional, ... just the right balance between detail and harmonic richness -- they floated in a seamless ambient environment that was nearly holographic..." (Read the full review).
ST-85 and TL2.5
Jacques Fortin, Vol 4 No 4, July 1997, Quebec Audio.
TL 2.5 Preamp - Heart of Darkness
Arthur S. Pfeffer, Issue 114, October 1998, The Absolute Sound.
"... the TL2.5 is a superb performer and a great value. It delivers the respected VTL sound, incisive and luxurious at the same time and now most tastefully updated for the modern ears."...
The VTL 125 monoblocks and TL2.5 preamplifier
Tamara L. Baker, Issue 112, March 1998, The Absolute Sound.
"... if you are an entry-level audiophile looking to go to the next level, but are not ready to leap for the extreme upper reaches of High End tubes, the MB-125 monoblocks and TL2.5 line stage may be your stepping stone. Hear them."...
The VTL TL2.5 Preamp -- A lean (But Not Mean) Music Machine
Wayne Donnelly, November 1997, Fi Magazine
"...I expected a close shoot-out between these two contenders (referring to the Audible Illusions Modulus 3A and the TL2.5) but to my ear the verdict was obvious in a the first couple of days ... the 2.5 simply delivered more life, more beauty, more emotional involvement... If you're looking at a cost-effective system upgrade, or a low-risk entry into tubes, make sure you give this beauty a strong listen. It's a music maker."
VTL MB-175 Signature Monoblock Power Amplifier
Michael Fremer, Vol.20 No.6, June 1997, Stereophile.
"...tonally balanced, harmonically convincing, dynamic at both ends of the scale, and seemingly not in need of more or less of anything... The 807-driven, medium-power VTL MB-175 monoblock offers an outstanding combination of sonic and technical virtues at a more than reasonable price..."(Read the full review)
First Look at the new VTL TL2.5 Preamplifier
Ben Ho, June 1997, Sonic Review (Hong Kong).
Little Big Man-ley: Vacuum Tube Logic MB-25t Monoblock Triode Amplifier
Fred Manteghian, Volume 3 Issue 1, January 1996,The Audio Adventure.
"A wonderful little amp that lets you enjoy the music and forget the rest ... Attacks transients with body. Invites you to listen to the recording, but doesn't hit you over the head with detail."
The VTL ST-80 Amplifier and TL-2 Line Stage Preamplifier: Well-behaved, Powerful tube gear (It's affordable too!)
Tamara Baker, Issue 106, May/June 1996, The Absolute Sound.
"...but how does it sound? In a word, excellent. It has the tightest, deepest bass of any tube amp in its price range, thanks to its diode rectifier unit. The bass is a good deal tighter than that of many other, more expensive, tube amps.... In fact, this beastie vies with the $8,000 Jadis DA-60 for the tightest tube bass I've ever heard in an amp with less than 100 WPC... To sum up, If you're an audiophile who wants an excellent, minimal-fuss tube amp powerful enough to drive a vast array of speaker types, yet cheap enough to charge on your Visa card..., check out the ST-80."
Audio Updates -- the updated MB-225s
Art Pfeffer, May 1996, Fi Magazine.
"...So I happily report that the Signature transformer is not only a worthwhile but an indispensable addition to both 6550 and KT-90 versions of the MB-225. Heard via Acarian Alón IVs and Vs in my own reference system, the new transformer opens out the amp's response envelope at top and bottom. The extended highs yield an almost palpable vividness and presence to musical and home theater sounds, while the slight aggressiveness or bite that occasionally marks the KT-90's midrange has disappeared..."
VTL MB-300 & MB-450 Signature Monoblock Amplifiers
Russell Novak, July 1996, Stereophile.
"... I was astonished by how well these amps disciplined and directed the speaker... Dynamics and bass response have that casual, natural, almost offhand feel that indicates sufficient power is available - even in triode mode... You don't lose a lot in tetrode mode... but you gain much added power for those thunderous Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony..."
The VTL MB-750 Signature Monoblocks: Tracking the Evolution of a Titan
Wayne Donnelly, Volume 1 Issue 7, September 1996, Fi Magazine.
"...an amplifier that reaches for the essence of every recording I've fed it - grand or intimate in scale, loud or soft in volume - with a satisfyingly full harmonic presentation ... The MB-750 Signatures deliver practically limitless power in most environments, together with a degree of refinement rare in any amplifier. They're among the most involving components I've had the pleasure of reviewing..."
VTL Wotan MB-1250 Tube Monoblock Amplifier
Jonathan Scull, Volume 19 No. 10, October 1996, Stereophile
"...The Wotans developed a real sense of scale and impact without sounding ponderous. Listening to the Gounod at crashingly realistic sound levels, they presented the music in a clean, illuminated, and beautifully setup-up fashion, power, weight, extension, air, and lovely, sweet highs predominated, drawing me ever closer to the music... I'm trying hard to remember when I enjoyed string tone as much as this before, and I can't. Bite and bloom in all the right places... There's a quickness to the way the amps start and stop that belies their huge demeanor... Thinking back on it, every single listening session I enjoyed with the Wotans was filled with pleasure. They always gave every inch of their considerable hot-running selves to enliven the musical experience. My hat's off to Luke Manley. He has fashioned a true statement of the tube-amp maker's art. Here are incorporated the finest qualities of tubes - and lots of them - with few of their oft-quoted failings. Believe me, you'll search far and wide before you find another tube amp capable of grabbing a speaker and controlling it as do the Wotans..."
VTL MB250S Amplifiers
Ben Ho, No. 223, November 1996, Sonic Review (Hong Kong)
For high-end audio...Vacuum tubes are aglow again
Ron Wilson, Issue 909, July 8 1996, Electronic Engineering Times.
I'm Listening To...Luke Manley and Bea Lam
Volume 3 Issue 6, July 1996, The Audio Adventure
Michael Fremer's Reference System -- VTL Signature 175
Volume 2 Issue 2, Summer 1996, The Tracking Angle
Dare to change -- VTL undergoes complete face lift and management style
Issue No. 13, High-End The Audiophile Journal (Singapore)
Copyright © 1996-2000 VTL Amplifiers, Inc.