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When I reviewed VTL's 25W Tiny Triodes in April 1991, I found them to be incredibly fun little suckers to play with, but got frustrated with their inability to drive my Spica Angeluses to reasonable levels with most of my recordings. I loved what I was hearing, but there wasn't nearly enough of it! As it turns out, John Atkinson was listening; not just to my plea, but also to the new VTL Compact 160 monoblocks in preparation for a full review. However, while all this was going on, David Manley decided that the power-supply voltages in the 160 weren't beefy enough to exploit his new KT90…
The more I listened to the Compact 160s, though, the more I liked them. Rather than grab me by the cojones like the Tiny Triodes, they just blew me kisses from across the room. Extended listening proved the new VTLs to be more neutral than their forebears, with a softer but still detailed high end. If a cymbal crash was there, the VTLs reproduced it in all its doped-brass glory. Jug Ammons's tenor (Groovin' With Jug, Capitol/Pacific Jazz CDP 7 92930 2) came through with all of its squeals and overtones happily intact. But bright I wouldn't call the VTLs.
The midrange, long an area in…
Sidebar 1: Alright—you: up against the wall
No, I'm not Daryl Gates. I was just telling the Muse Model 18 active subwoofer that its services weren't going to be needed for this review; I can't very well judge an amp from 75Hz up only, can I?
The playback system included the Well-Tempered Record Player fitted with either an AudioQuest 404i or the Sumiko Blue Point, this taken to an Audio Research SP-14 and "hotrodded" via its rec-out jacks to Aunt Corey's Homemade Buffered Passive Preamp. CDs were played on my modified Philips CD-50.
Interconnects were Straight Wire…
Sidebar 2: Measurements
Unlike the EL34-equipped Compact 100s that I favorably reviewed a couple of years back (Vol.11 No.11), the Compact 160s have this front-panel switch to switch between pentode and triode modes. Nice for the listener; awkward for the reviewer who therefore has to measure every aspect of performance twice. I'll try to concentrate on the differences between the two modes, but bear with me if the words "pentode mode" and "triode mode" pop up rather frequently.
Looking first at output impedance, the 160 is a typical classic tube design in that it doesn't much…
Sidebar 3: Specifications
Description: Tubed monoblock amplifier. No specifications given.
Dimensions: 13.5" W by 8.5" D by 7.5" H each.
Serial numbers of review samples: AMC 1605305 and 1605306.
Price: $3000/pair (1991); no longer available (2014). Approximate number of dealers: 25.
Manufacturer: VTL Amplifiers Inc., 4774 Murrieta Street, Suite 10, Chino, CA 91710. Tel: (909) 627-5944. Fax: (909) 627-6988. Web: www.vtl.com.
A visiting manufacturer recently told us here at Stereophile of an ongoing informal "survey" he was conducting. He would ask strangers to name three brands of loudspeakers. Their responses were not what I would have expected. They almost invariably named Japanese companies—two of the most commonly mentioned were Hitachi and Panasonic. Other than my spell-checker insisting that I change "Hitachi" to "hibachi," I have nothing in particular against these two manufacturers; they are well-recognized in many product categories. But loudspeakers? I can only guess that the respondents were dredging…
The rear connection panel, site of the bi-wire terminals and the tweeter-level control, was a bit small and cramped when used with heavy-gauge audiophile cables—when will manufacturers stop recessing these panels? And one of the terminals on one of the XPLs came loose during the testing. It never lost electrical contact, but had to be tightened with caution to keep from twisting and (possibly) breaking the internal contact.
The cabinet finish of the XPL series is noteworthy. Our 160s were dressed in a flawless, high-gloss black lacquer which would not be out of place on a top-quality…
Sidebar 1: Associated equipment
Analog Source: Oracle Delphi Mk.IV turntable, Oracle 345 arm, Dynavector XX-1L cartridge.
Digital Source: Sony CDP-X77ES CD player
Preamplifier: Rowland Consonance.
Power amplifiers: Threshold SA/12e and Krell KSA-250.
Loudspeakers: PSB Stratus Gold.
Cables: Interconnects were AudioQuest Lapis and Cardas Hexlink (the latter in a 25' balanced configuration from preamp to power amp). All listening was done in the bi-wire mode using 7' lengths of AudioQuest Clear.—Thomas J. Norton
Sidebar 2: Measurements
Fig.1 shows the magnitude and phase angle for the impedance of the XPL-160. The port is tuned to about 33Hz. The system's minimum impedance of 4 ohms indicates an easy load for any reasonably designed amplifier to drive.
Fig.1 JBL XPL-160, electrical impedance (solid) and phase (dashed). (2 ohms/vertical div.)
Fig.2 shows the (MLSSA-derived) impulse response, the lazy hump typical of high-order crossovers. Particularly notable is the lack of ultrasonic ringing which is often visible on the tail of the impulse response, especially on systems…
Sidebar 3: Specifications
Description: Three-way loudspeaker. Drive units: 10" woofer, 3" metal-dome midrange, 1" metal-dome tweeter. Crossover frequencies: 800Hz, 4kHz. Frequency response: 40Hz–25kHz (–6dB points). Impedance: 6 ohms nominal. Power recommended: 20W minimum, rated 150W continuous, 600W peak. Sensitivity: 90dB/W/m.
Dimensions: 15" W by 33" H by 13" D (dedicated stands increase height to 42"). Weight: 62lbs.
Price: $2498/pair (1991); no longer available (2014). Dedicated stands optional at $222/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 75.
Manufacturer: JBL…