Accuphase E-560 versus VAC Sigma 160i

Kevin may be hard to get ahold of because he's so focused on product design and quality. But when you do get ahold of him in "realtime" communication, on the phone (or in person), it's worth your while. And email chains can be hard to keep going with some folks (guilty, here).

Do you want the head guy at an audio company to act more like the head audio/engineering geek, or the lead salesman?

I sold my VAC pre and don't currently own any VAC gear, but the (factory modded/upgraded, so not quite the average unit) VAC Sigma 160i at my friend's shop sounds so ridiculously good -- neutral, musical, effortlessly non-fatiguing (paired with Magico S1) -- it occasionally makes me think twice...and I've got 200lbs of tube amp with 60lbs of tube preamp at home. I've be very surprised to find better sound than the 160i in a similar package.

Also, while I like my current line stage at least as much as my prior Renaissance III, I'm still reeling from the loss of the latter's built-in phono stage. If you have vinyl, those VAC built-in phonos superb.

Knghifi,
it's highly unlikely as I remain very happy with big Tannoys & Rogue, and it's been that way for a long time now. So I don't have a strong motivation to make a big change. And as amazing as the Magico's engineering and beryllium tweeter are, the big Tannoys still do things a smaller speaker can't.

Not that it's a complete impossibility -- what I heard from the S1/VAC combo was awesome sound that I'd happily acquire if circumstances changed and I needed to go to a smaller, simpler system. Again, it really surprised the heck out of me. Though to be fair, in a downsize scenario I'd also thoroughly investigate Tannoy's new(ish) Definition 10A (though they're bigger and slightly more expensive than S1).