Advice on an upgrade


Well, just a little under 3 months ago, I heard a tubed integrated amp (VTL IT85) in my system, and it blew me away. It really altered my reality. I now feel like I'm just starting out on a major exploration, and I'm ready to discover something new.

I'm thinking about selling the VTL IT85, and upgrade to seperates. I live in a condo, and my speakers probably aren't changing soon, as I love electrostats, and don't think there are any other good options vs. my Logan Aerius i. I really like their sound anyway.

ANYWAY, the 80 wpc did fine for me. I think I'd like to find a stereo tube amp, and a nice tube preamp. Balanced outputs/inputs. Something around 100 or 120 wpc I think is fine.

I'm kind of shying away from monoblocks because of their power requirements. I can't add any dedicated circuits to my apartment. Or am I wrong?

Suggestions??

THANKS!

Steve "Dennis" Daigneault
128x128dennis_the_menace

Showing 5 responses by dennis_the_menace

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Are monos the way to go? Here are a few of the pieces I was considering:

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Would a Conrad Johnson be an upgrade from my current VTL integrated? I actually am surprised you say that the VTL isn't warm, because to my ears, compared to my old NAD integrated, it's a lot warmer, and much more "unveiled" or open sounding. I'm considering the VAC 70/70 more seriously, partly because this seems more of an upgrade, and also because it's a duo mono on one block, and i like the look of an open tube chassis... !
Synergy over price/reputation. I understand that. I'll look into CJ auditioning possibilities. Thanks.