VAC Renaissance Pre-amp owners - Help

Found out that it's the switch that got installed. Something is wrong and it only works in one setting and not on the 8416 setting. Also, left and right channel are unbalanced - at the lowest volume setting the left channel is silent and out of the right channel you can clearly hear music.

Do you mean the switch between 8416 or 6922/e88cc/7308?

Mine is set to 6922/e88cc/7308 ... rolling NOS Amperex 7308. When I need a change, I roll the stock Golden Dragon e88cc ... cheaper than changing preamps :-):-) Both are excellent but very different sound.

Yes-the switch doesn't work in the 8416 stage. It only works in the 6922/7308 but I have 8416 tubes in the sockets. Is your pre-amp louder in one channel than the other?
Thanks

That sucks, so I suppose the unit has to go back?

Off that subject I still have not switched between those two tube configurations but reading your replies and Knghifi it appears that your pres were set opposite when received. Are they normally sent out set in a specific? and if so what is that?

Question to any owners, curious what have you found the sonic differences to be when you switch from between 8416 or 6922/e88cc/7308.

The Sig MKII uses 8416. The earlier Sig MKIIa uses 6922/e88cc/7308. The later Sig MKIIa has a switch (6.3 volts and 12.6 volts) where you can use 6922/e88cc/7308 or 8416.

My Sig MKIIa has the switch and stock tube is Golden Dragon e88cc. The preamp works fine and sounds FABULOUS. I don't have any 8416 to test and don't plan to roll any 8416. Kevin recommends Philip 6922/e88cc/7308 as an alternative to stock so between those 2, there's no reason to roll any 8416 even though it's also an excellent tube.

Pookie10, I suggest you contact VAC and return the unit for repair. The preamp probably got damaged during transit. I know Kevin personally test/listen to every Sig before shipping so if the 8416 was in the preamp at VAC, it was working before ship.

The Amperex NOS 7308 gold pins has a bolder and more neutral with better defined edges compare to Golden Dragon e88cc ... Golden Dragon is softer. One is not better than the other but just different. I'll probably roll some Ediswan and Mullard down the road but for now I'm very satisfy with sound.

I also ask Kevin about HiFi Tuning Gold fuses. Here's his reply

/*****

The labeling on the hifi 'tuning' fuses suggest that they may incorporate a capacitor bypass across the fuse element, which will to a small degree assist in filtering any harmonic content due to thermal tracking. Logically, this would be more of an issue with a Class AB or Class B power amplifier than with a Class A preamplifier, but I've learned not to use theory to prejudge the result.

*****/

Since I purchased the fuse after placing order for the preamp, I AB against stock while keeping everything else constant. I found HiFi Tuning sound was noticeably smoother and less hifi-ish. I heard someone @theCableCo found the fuse made no differences in his Sig MKII. I don't know his system and NOT surprise it's system dependent. With many many thousand invested in a system, $35 is worth a try.

HiFi Tuning fuse is directional. In the wrong direction, the sound is lean and constricted. I use HiFi Tuning fuses in all my components and have never found direction alters the sound so dramactically as in the VAC.