The tubed VTL MB300 monoblocks mated so well with the Acarian Alón V loudspeaker that I wanted to reacquaint Stereophile readers with them, and comment on developments since J. Gordon Holt first reviewed the amplifier in October 1988 (Vol.11 No.10).
Though the sweet, liquid, holographic quality of triode tube operation has often been written about, it remains difficult to describe unless you've lived with it in your own system. It's...seductive. Detail is presented in a casual, graceful manner…
Whenever I switched to the Conrad-Johnson Premier Twelves from the far more powerful VTL MB450s, I never felt as if I was losing dynamics, authority, or control. In fact, the C-Js sounded faster, tighter, and punchier overall, particularly on the bottom—like bouncing a quarter on a bed made with hospital corners instead of one whose sheets have merely been tucked in. The Twelves elicited the best bass I've gotten from the Audio Physic Virgo speakers.
The VTLs created a bigger…
While setting the bias is less convenient without the built-in meter, it's still relatively easy (once you remove the cage) using an inexpensive RadioShack digital meter, a plastic-shafted or insulated flat-blade screwdriver, and the well-written instructions. During the year or so I had the 450s in and out of my…
This Signature update of Vacuum Tube Logic's MB450 monoblock features a fully balanced input stage, remote voltage turn-on trigger, revised bias points and trim pots, new ground-loop circuitry, and a hair-trigger, fast-blow fuse for the B+ power rail, which (as I can attest to from several blown fuses) prevents a bad tube or a serious power anomaly from frying your circuits. Topping things off are a set of sophisticated new Multicaps in the signal path and to come, a pair of external-current inrush limiters, each…
Since Chip Stern's update on VTL's second-generation MB-450 Signature back in October 2002, the amplifier has undergone further changes and improvements. It now features a completely redesigned input stage that incorporates advances made during the development of VTL's mighty Siegfried monoblocks. The '450 now has a true balanced input stage, the asserted benefit being superior common-mode noise rejection without the use of an input coupling transformer. Despite these improvements, the MB-450's price remains unchanged…
Description: Tubed monoblock power amplifier. Rated power: 300W (no load specified). Power bandwidth: not specified. Frequency response: not specified. Sensitivity: 775mV RMS. Source impedance: 0.1 ohm.
Dimensions: 19" W by 10" H by 10" D. Weight: 75 lbs each.
Price: $4900/pair (1988); $6990/pair (1996); $9000/pair (2002).
Manufacturer: Vacuum Tube Logic of America, 4774 Murietta Street, Suite 10, Chino, CA 91710. Tel: (909) 627-5944. Fax: (909) 627-6988. Web: www.vtl.com.
It was in that spirit that in 1991, when I was still a toddler, John Atkinson and Richard Lehnert—at the time, the entire editorial staff of this now august publication—decided to honor in print the overwhelming reason why audiophiles spend so much time and money celebrating sound: they love music. It was with…
The Charlie's Angels soundtrack is a chaotic mix of rap, disco, rock, and Latin music—perfect for an Angel lifestyle of danger, intrigue, and fun. As in most…