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VTL TL-6.5 Signature line preamplifier Wes Phillips, July 2008

Wes Phillips auditioned the VTL TL-6.5 Signature in July 2008 (Vol.31 No.7):

Mom was right: "You get only one chance to make a first impression." For Luke Manley, VTL, and me, that first impression came about 22 years ago, when I was selling hi-fi at a store in New York City, and Manley came by to try to interest us in carrying VTL gear.

Assuming my memory can be trusted, at the time, the entire VTL line probably consisted of only a pair of stereo power amplifiers and a preamplifier or two. They didn't quite look homemade so much as industrial: big, basic, and brawny.

Both…

VTL TL-6.5 Signature line preamplifier WP's Associated Equipment

Sidebar: WP's Associated Equipment

Digital Source: Ayre C-5xe universal player; McIntosh MS750 music server; Bel Canto e.One CD2 CD player & e.One DAC3 D/A converter.
Preamplifier: Ayre K-1xe.
Power Amplifier: Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 300.
Loudspeakers: Avalon Indra, KEF Reference 201/2.
Cables: Interconnect: Shunyata Research Aries & Antares. Speaker: Shunyata Research Lyra.
Accessories: Ayre Acoustics L-5xe line filter, Furutech eTP-609 distribution box, APC APCS15 AC line conditioner; Furutech RDP panels, RealTraps Mini & Mondo Traps.—Wes Phillips

Flying Mole CA-S10 integrated amplifier

The naming of audio companies is a tricky business. Ideally, the name should be distinctive, so that people will remember it, and descriptive of the products. However, given the proliferation of audio manufacturers, it's getting more and more difficult to come up with a name that fulfills these criteria, and some names are similar enough to lead to confusion. In one of my show-report blog entries from the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show, instead of correctly listing a company name as Divergent Technologies, I called it Definitive Technologies, which is the name of an another audio company—and…

Flying Mole CA-S10 integrated amplifier Page 2

There were also some changes as a function of its interactions with associated equipment. The only change of this sort that was unequivocally beneficial was my replacement of a 5m run of Nordost Quattro Fil interconnect between the digital front-end and the CA-S10 with the same length of PS Audio xStream Statement. The Quattro Fil is my preferred interconnect between my Convergent Audio Technology SL-1 Ultimate preamp and Audiopax Model 88 power amps, but with the digital source driving the CA-S10, the xStream Statement gave the sound a more forgiving character, detail still there but not…

Flying Mole CA-S10 integrated amplifier Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Solid-state integrated amplifier. Power output: 100Wpc into 8 ohms (20dBW), 160Wpc into 4 ohms (19dBW). Conforming speaker impedance: 4–16 ohms. Frequency response: DC–50kHz, 0/–3dB, into 8 ohms. Channel separation: >70dB. Signal/noise: 120dB (measured with a 400Hz–30kHz bandpass filter) Input impedance: 10k ohms. Power consumption: 64W into 4 ohms.
Dimensions: 11 1/16" (281mm) W by 2 3/8" (60mm) H by 11 1/2" (292mm) D. Weight: 8.8 lbs (4kg).
Serial Number Of Unit Reviewed: 00001102.
Price: $2000. Approximate number of dealers: sold…

Flying Mole CA-S10 integrated amplifier Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Digital Sources: PS Audio Lambda II CD transport; Perpetual Technologies/Modwright P-1A & P-3A digital processors; Onkyo DX-7555 CD player.
Integrated Amplifier: PS Audio GCC-100.
Loudspeakers: Avantgarde Acoustic Uno 3.0, Paradigm Studio/20.
Cables: Digital: Mystic Reference I2S, Illuminati Orchid AES/EBU. Interconnect: Nordost Quattro Fil, PS Audio xStream Statement. Speaker: Nordost Valhalla. AC: PS Audio xStream Power.
Accessories: Monolithic Sound P3 power supply, PS Audio Ultimate Outlet and P500 AC regenerator; Arcici Suspense Rack;…

Flying Mole CA-S10 integrated amplifier Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

Before performing any measurements on an amplifier, I precondition it by running it for 60 minutes at one-third its specified power into 8 ohms—the worst case for an amplifier with a class-B output stage. With a class-D amplifier such as the Flying Mole CA-S10, however, the output stage is so efficient that almost all the power taken from the wall is supplied to the load at all levels, rather than being dissipated in the output devices. At the end of the hour, the CA-S10's case was faintly warm. This is indeed an environmentally friendly amplifier.

The…

darTZeel NHB-18NS preamplifier

With the introduction of the NHB-108 stereo amplifier, Swiss-based darTZeel quickly established a reputation for pristine, hand-built quality, fanciful industrial design, and elegant circuitry—all accompanied by a healthy jolt of sticker shock. (See John Marks' coverage in his September 2003 "Fifth Element" column, followed by Wes Phillips' full review in April 2005 .) The 100Wpc (into 8 ohms) NHB-108 costs more than $18,000. A lot of change for not a lot of power, but the reviews were unanimous in praising the amp's exceptional sound quality.

The boutique company's second…

darTZeel NHB-18NS preamplifier Page 2

Switching between Enjoyments—I mean sources—engages a mute circuit that avoids pops and clicks by inserting a half-second delay before the chosen Enjoyment begins providing it. The phono section requires eight seconds to engage when selected, but switching back to a line input takes only half a second. Because the inputs are indicated only by Roman numerals and can't be assigned names, you'll just have to remember what you connected where.

The proprietary volume, or Enjoyment, control uses no contacts, relays, switches, or silicon devices. DarTZeel isn't talking about its exact…

darTZeel NHB-18NS preamplifier Page 3

Shortly before I installed the NHB-18NS, an LP reissue of Clark Terry's Color Changes arrived (Candid/Pure Pleasure). Recorded in 1960, when Terry was a member of The Tonight Show's NBC Big Band, the album includes other NBC bandmates, such as drummer Ed Shaughnessy and pianist Tommy Flanagan, as well as veteran bassist Joe Benjamin, trombonist Jimmy Knepper, and French horn player Julius Watkins. The album, perhaps Terry's best, highlights Yusef Lateef's superb wind, horn, and oboe playing in Terry's harmonically charged, color-saturated arrangements. I played it often.

In fact, Color…