Accuphase E-560 versus VAC Sigma 160i


Hello all. For those who have heard both of these fine integrated amplifiers, would you please briefly compare/contrast their sonic signatures? Please note, I am not asking for specific recommendations, simply listening impressions of each.

Many Thanks!
tube_meister

Showing 2 responses by keithr

Interesting comments- I had a Vac Phi Beta and Luxman 590ax in my room on Zu Definition 4 speakers. I would say the Luxman was very, very warm and smooth compared with the Vac. The Lux was like butta' and I didn't like it one bit. On the other hand, the Phi Beta to me was a tad rolled off, go figure. I rolled lots of tubes in it as well (Psvane 12ax7s, Shuguang Black Treasure KT88s, etc).

I've also had the Phi 200 in my system compared with my McIntosh 601s at the time- I felt they sounded really similar, which surprised me. Bass was not tube-like fyi. I didn't get to roll tubes in that amp, however.

Perhaps this is just a long way to say that I couldn't get Vac and Zu to work right. I heard the Sigma 160i on Tads sound spectacular at an audio show, so I'm well disposed to Vac amps.
Jriggy- The Luxman was a demo piece that On A Higher Note circulates around the country when requested. It definitely had lots of hours on it (and I ran it continuously for 5 days- a space heater!) as the dealer and I had scheduling issues. Two other audiophiles and myself thought similarly on sonics.

Zu speakers tend to favor a slightly warm amp, so I thought it would be a perfect match. That was not the case however. I have another Class A amp (Valvet) in the system currently that sounds much better. I was told to demo the Luxman AB integrated as it's less warm, but I wasn't really interested.

The other integrated you should probably audition is the Ayre. It sounds quite good on some systems. I think Ayre, Dartzeel, and Vac would be my audition. Dart imo is the best, but at 2x the price.