VTL Wotan MB-1250 monoblock power amplifier:
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The loudspeaker was our new reference, the JMlab Utopia—a speaker with which I am utterly in love. You might think that 650Wpc into a load as sensitive (94.5dB) as the Utopias present might be overkill. But this was certainly not the case, especially as the Utopias fall to near 3 ohms in the bass.

The sound produced by the Wotan-driven Utopias was awesome. The grip and control in the bottom end always riveted me to the Ribbon Chair. In the Utopia review I'd been a touch equivocal about the French speaker's bass. Now, set a touch farther back and a hair closer together than before, and in the lusty grip of the mighty Wotans, I can say that I'm getting the best bass I've ever heard in our system.

While I'd mentioned in the original Wotan review that some of the solid-state boys got the bass better and tighter, I can now say . . . fawgedaboutit! The extension, speed, transparency, pitch differentiation, control, and ungodly power in the nether regions knocked me out each time I listened at foundation-rattling levels. Really, it was incredible. Mighty macro to nuanced micro, the bass was always totally majestic, sweeping, and encompassing, utterly acoustic and visceral. I've never heard any other amp—tube, hybrid, or solid-state—that dishes the bass like the Wotans managed in our system.

I'd also mentioned that the Wotan was a shade less subtle and refined then the Jadis JA-200, and a hair more grainy. That was then, this is NOW! 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! Integration of initial transients with follow-on harmonic bloom and decay? Perfect! Caveats? None! Nitpicks? Not a one!

Well...the Wotans do run fairly hot, and biasing 48 output tubes individually is a bit of a pain—but at least you won't need matched sets. And the Wotans held their bias quite well with Svetlana 6550Cs, needing very little attention in that way. Additionally, the nonresonant built-like-a-tank structure meant that most tweaks were largely ineffective. Ensemble Tube Sox or Midas Bluenote Tube Dampers made no appreciable difference. (A Shakti Stone perched atop the tube cage just over the output transformer did make a small but noticeable improvement, however.) In fact, the only tweak that really worked, and one that I recommend to all VTL owners (and to all tube-amp owners, for that matter), was popping them onto PolyCrystal amp stands. This paid immediate dividends by tightening up the entire sonic presentation and keeping the awesome bass range tighter and deeper'n'hell. The PolyCrystals also raised the already wonderful imaging a notch further toward ultimate palpability, all the while enhancing air, transparency, and focus.

I've heard many audiophiles say their systems sound pretty good sometimes, rather bad at other times, and, on rare occasions, out-of-this-world fantastic (usually on weekends or in the evening, when the power grid is behaving). I understand; I've felt the same way for years. But with the mighty Wotans driving the Utopias, listening was always an orgasmic experience. Each time I fired them up, I knew I was going to be hearing the best of the best. As an exercise in creating an ultimate statement product for their company, Luke Manley and Bea Lam are to be congratulated for having succeeded beyond even my wildest dreams.

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Footnote 1: Vacuum Tube Logic, 4774 Murietta St., Suite 9, Chino, CA 91710. Tel: (909) 627-5944. Fax: (909) 627-6988. E-mail: lmanley@vtl.com. Web site: http://www.vtl.com.