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Starting from Scratch -Please Help Pick 1 out of 3

Dear Friends,
Hope that all of you are well, in a moment of transitional evolutional state of mind i sold off my Rogue Cronus Integrated, my Tannoy Stirling Speakers ; well pretty much the spine of the entire system.

I wanted to start over, i listen to a lot of varied stuff ; usually very complex stuff ; i love the weight of solid state gear and the resolution of their baselines and the treble which intermittently sound "filled" ; i also love the midrange liquidity of tubes especially on vocals and the natural timbre of orchestras and drum snares.

So i had gone on a spree to audition some gears, some which couldn't be heard are also included as a part of the system (say, i listened to the power amp but not the pre) i couldn't get to some of these due to various difficulties but generally i've put a package of 4 different set ups - i hope learned pundits here can guide through this to build a good system which i will use for a long time.

I am not the type for frequent upgrades.
Thank you!

The Candidates

Group 1
------
Pre : Rennaisance Preamplifier MKIII by VAC (Valve Amplification Company)
Power : VAC Phi 200 Power Amplifiers (Valve Amplication Company)
Speakers : Harbeth SHL5 [or] Devore Fidelity The Nines (Please Pick)

Just love the look of this system!

Group 2
------
Pre : Modwright LS 100 or Ls36.5
Power : Pass Labs XA 60.5 (Class A 60 wpc) but can take a few months to save
up for Pass Labs XA100.5 (Class A 100 wpc) if it really matters.
but evidence shows otherwise :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXGf3AonFCQ
Speakers : Magnepan 1.7
Which sounds great!

But Will the Modwright (semi-tube) impedance match with the pass'?

Group 3
-------
Pre : Leben RS28CX Premium Preamplifier
Power : CS-660P Separate Power Amplifier
Speakers : Harbeth SHL5 (or) Devore Fidelity The Nines (or) Devore Fidelity Orang Utan

Group 4
-------
Pre : Modwright LS100
Power : Pass Labs XA30.5 Monoblocks (30 watts Class A)
Speakers : Devore Fidelity Orang Utan

Also Please Feel Free to Mix-Match and Advice.

Music will be fed from my MAC to my DAC and to these.

Thank You!
thegoodarcher
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
I would only say if you do choose a tube amp. remeber tube ams need a lot of 'care and feeding' to go along with playing music.
My Vac Standard pre is left on 24/7 three years now nad no tube degridation so far.
So that part is an easy tube use. 'no brainer' tubes and i am happy.
A tube amp is a totally different beast.
Jest saying.
thegoodarcher OP
70 posts
 
I see that VAC is getting a lot of love here, having owned the rogue cronus magnum - perhaps puts me rather in the nether-league-:) ofcourse VAC gears are expensive and i am sure they do exude quality - i am just a little concerned about the type of music i play, which consist of film scores (a style known to mash up many genres into one i.e ethnic instruments and a little bit of r&b and maybe even a chamber orchestra mixed with a little bit of electronica) ; i really hope the VAC delivers, known that they do make DACs is a little bit comforting to know that they are very much in the loop - what speakers do you guys recommend for the VAC gears? Devore Fidelity Nines / Harbeth SHL5 or Something Else?
lindisfarne
507 posts
 
I like what you had.
soix
2,133 posts
 
I think you first need to determine what speakers really move you, because your amplification needs/options will vary greatly depending on this. I'd think you'd either prefer the planar sound or conventional cone drivers because they're quite different. I think you need to come to terms with that first, then it becomes much easier (and more productive) to figure the rest of the stuff out. Best of luck.
clio09
2,978 posts
 
VAC will deliver the goods. They do have a signature or house sound, and the components you have specifically identified are well respected in the industry and among hobbyists. I played all types of music with my VAC gear and was never disappointed in the performance.

As for speakers the Phi 200 will drive many speaker models just fine. I think the DeVore's are a good choice. I used Spendor 1/2e and Audiokinesis Jazz Modules. The Spendor's were about 88 dB efficient and the Audiokinesis 92 dB. So even Harbeth might be a nice choice, although IMO they are on the warm side.
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