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"After several years in the field, customers expect upgrades and improvements to a reference product. With the 7.5 in the field for almost 5 years it's important to give the product a face lift and upgrade. Customers owning reference products expect breakthroughs. In the case of the 7.5 Series II, we were working on the phono stage and we realized that you need a lot of current for the cartridge cable distances. We looked at the tubes that could handle that kind of current. The 12AX7 cannot handle current at all - it starts to draw grid current. I think that other competitors have put it in their phono stages but we did not want to use a current-starved 12AX7. We never wanted to use the 6DJ8, 6H30, 6922 for any of those applications because we just don't like the sound of those tubes. They are TV tubes. Designers like them because they have great low output impedance and all that good stuff. But to us the 12AX and 12AU are tubes that were designed for high fidelity. And if you look at 12AU7, its linearity is very, very good and actually has a lower plate input impedance. So running higher current we were able to lower the plate-in impedance even more and drive the MOSFETs better. So we actually get a much wider frequency response. The Series II is just a ¼dB down at 200,000Hz. Series I was 1db down at 100k. So we were able to do far better using the 12AU7."


Another complaint from the original Series I was too much gain as mentioned earlier. The 12AU7 tube with its lower gain solves this problem and dramatically lowered the noise floor as an added benefit.

Series I to Series II ... it's more, more & more
This review hopefully offers insight for two groups: the new prospective purchaser and also the existing owner of the original Series I who is considering an upgrade. Starting with the current owners of the Series I, the single word that best fits the Series II upgrade is "more." The Series II in most cases improves upon the attributes of the original while eliminating the few minor weaknesses. The upgrade is superior to the original in every respect - more lifelike, bigger, greater goose-bump factor and increased detail yet without the slightest hint of artificial emphasis or etching. The words "silky, organic and vivid" consistently appeared in my listening notes.
One of the most notable changes is an expanded soundstage. I've heard upgrades that sometimes shifted the soundstage as though the sound were in a box moved slightly forward or back, yet the internal volume of the box remained relatively fixed. The Series II does not move the soundstage but expands the box like blowing up a balloon for a bigger, more expansive view into the music. In my medium-sized room, the sound projects so far forward that at times I am caught inside the music. Feel free to debate the effect and whether it is to your personal tastes but I like the intimacy and contact with the music. Listen to Santana's Abraxas "Singing Winds, Crying Beasts" [Columbia KC 30130] as its sheer power sweeps through around to the sides and at times when the sound gods are just right, it appears to encircle you.
The original Series I was extraordinarily neutral. It didn't knock your socks off in a hifi sense but as you cycled through your music and heard previously unnoted details, texture and air in your recordings, you ultimately understood just how good the original was and is. The Series II however did knock my socks off upon initial listening, again with nothing artificial or hifi. Those of you who like absolutes, here they are. The Series II is absolutely more exciting, more vivid, more Technicolor, wider, deeper and quieter than the original. It projects slightly forward, the soundstage is more 3D, the bass is tighter and possibly slightly deeper. I know that for some, the word neutral might evoke a somewhat bland and characterless sound; it could imply a lack of natural tonal colors and textures found in real music. Well, the 7.5 is neutral yet it is also deliciously vivid.

The review vocabulary is of course subjective and varies from reviewer to reviewer. One might ask, how I could simultaneously describe a component as neutral yet vivid with a Technicolor presentation? To me, neutral does not mean without character. It means that a component does not display the overt characteristics of either traditional solid state or tubes. It does not favor a specific frequency range and does not suffer material sonic deficiencies. Remove quantifiable failings and what you have left is a vivid and dramatic presentation of real music. So what we have is a component that is richly detailed and extended from top to bottom with deep tight bass effortlessly presented. It swings with ease between the delicate and raw power dynamics yet does not exhibit the classic sound of any stereotypical topology.


There is no perfect reproduction. If there was, you would not be able to distinguish reproduction from live. That doesn't exist today and baring a new technological breakthrough, probably won't in the short term. We have at best an approximation of music through a set of mechanical devices that hopefully pulls us in, excites us and touches our soul. If you get that wonderful toe-tapping rhythm of real music, great, but it is by definition an approximation so don't buy into absolutes. No absolute sound, no perfect neutrality.
I am fortunate to regularly attend Philadelphia Orchestra concerts. My wife and I have a pre-concert tradition that includes dinner at a downtown restaurant with a live piano and bass. The simplicity of two instruments in an open space should be easy to reproduce but it's not. When I come home and put on a comparable recording of say Oscar Peterson's West Side Story [DCC LPZ-2012] or Ray Brown's Soular Energy [Pure Audiophile Records PA-002], both offer similar instruments and incredible fidelity yet they pale compared to reality. So for me the point is not the reproduction of real music; we can't get there yet. My musical nirvana is when the
components get out of the way, allowing me to suspend disbelief for a short period of time and be drawn emotionally into the musical event. By these criteria, the 7.5 nails it. I find myself transfixed, losing track of time and focusing on nothing but the music.


The Sound
In a wide ranging discussion with Luke, we discussed the subject of tube versus solid-state, specifically the challenges of a pure solid state design that not only is neutral but allows the essence and the emotion of the music to pass. His answer, simple and concise was, "...well, for me it's easy, I use tubes." Whether it is tubes, MOSFETs or the solar alignment of planets, there is no doubt that the 7.5 brings emotional involvement to the table.
Luke believes, as do others, that tubes bring a harmonic richness and feeling to the music which is a personal litmus test for me. Can a component portray the emotion, the energy, the meaning of the music; draw you in and leave you sometimes strained, sometimes exhilarated as one feels after live music? Yes, the Series II does and it also matches almost everything a pure solid-state unit brings to the table in terms of speed, definition and dynamics, all the while maintaining the three-dimensional realness of tubes. It's a tube-like seductiveness merged with a solid-state resolution. Again from a source not typically cited in audiophile reviews is "You're The First, The Last, My Everything" from Barry White's Can't Get Enough [20th Century 7-444]. From the body, depth, and presence of the intro with his growling almost guttural beginning flows a startling, visceral presence that's deep, emotional and holographic. Plus, it's undeniable sexy.
Series II dynamics are far more explosive than the original which was already close to the top of my list. Nothing is rounded and nothing is etched, with a total lack of mechanical or electronic sound. On Ray Brown's "Take the 'A' Train", the bass has an immense and startling presence, a solidity with solid-state body and tube-like bloom and decay. The attack of the initial note of the piano combined with the lingering decay really brings out a realism that defines the recording. Harry Belafonte's Belafonte At Carnegie Hall, "The Marching Saints" [Classic Records LSO 6006-200G] starts simply with just Harry and a bass and builds to a full orchestral peak. Ending with a thunderous climax of orchestra and applause, the 7.5 never compresses nor runs out of steam, with no hint of hardness while always maintaining its composure. As Belafonte almost shouts, "Day'O", the VTL's initial attack explodes into the room followed by a natural bloom and decay. I've head it a hundred times before and it was just loud. Now there is a real presence and 3D perspective to the voice.


As with the darTZeel, the 7.5 does not take resolution and clarity to the point of dissecting music into its detailed components. It allows you to focus either on an individual performer or to listen to the performance as a whole. You hear and see into the music to almost hear the detail of the real musical event while maintaining a continuous whole. We've all heard superbly detailed high-end components where you hop around from selection to selection, pointing to various snippets of meticulously outlined sonic images. Short term excitement? You bet. Long term musical satisfaction? Not in my book.
Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture under Reiner's Chicago Symphony Orchestra [Classic Records LSC-2241] with its cacophony of divergent melody lines that some might find trite is an excellent piece to hear the inner resolution, dynamics and the sweetness of the strings which vary between simple and delicate, then progress to layered and complex. By the way, it's fun. The 7.5 maintains front to back depth, with the strings never getting lost in the background nor becoming brittle. Finally, the bells at the end can perversely torture your system. The 1812 throws a lot at your system; that's why I like it. Maintain the harmonics as the 7.5 does, without compression, congestion or hardness... then you have something really special.
Probably not many reviewers use Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells [EMI 100] as a test recording, it's certainly the antithesis of music recorded in real space. For those of you who skipped over the 70s, Oldfield played about twenty instruments, each layered one on top of the other using massive overdubbing. So why you might ask, is a 70s version of a processed musical event of any value in evaluating possibly the best preamp of its time? Well, it's the same as the 1812 Overture; I love to see how the system handles a musical piece that starts simple and builds in complexity. It is one test that helps me to identify a great component. The change from micro to macro, from the delicate intro to a demanding crescendo tells a lot about your components. It doesn't matter whether it's real music or in this case totally processed, the 7.5 envelops you in a delicious soundfield. If you're looking for polite, get off the train now because this ride ain't for you. It's dynamic and exciting with a deep low end that will test the resolution of any speaker system.


Another Carnegie Hall live performance masterpiece, The Weavers Reunion At Carnegie Hall [Classic Records LSC-XXX] "The Saints Go Marching In" is presented with a live palpability that moves into serious goosebump territory. Five individuals come magically alive in front of you, singing both as individuals and a unified group. The 7.5 is all about the excitement, musical body and physical presence and delivers that fleeting moment when you suspend disbelief and get lost in the musical experience.
VTL vs. DarTZeel
An interesting sonic comparison is to the recently reviewed darTZeel NHB-18NS. Certainly both are state-of-the-art contenders yet it's a somewhat unfair comparison since the darTZeel costs almost $10,000 more. Although each implementation is vastly different, the darTZeel and VTL both share a similar underlying design philosophy - ultra-wide bandwidth, incredibly simple signal path, disdain of feedback, unique volume controls and ultra pure power. The VTL like the darTZeel is one incredibly complex "simple" machine. A massive amount of design engineering and complexity were required to produce a product that operates flawlessly and intuitively in everyday use; two very different paths of form and function but each headed to a shared goal.


Tubes have a magic. They add to -- or more correctly, reinforce -- the natural harmonics which are the multiple pitches present in all recordings. However, sometimes they have the effect of blunting or rounding the leading edge. Tubes add to richness, some believe, by sustaining decays. Solid-state seems to have a clearer, more distinct and quicker leading edge, giving the impression of speed. Tubes foster richness; solid-state, speed, clarity and resolution. These elements essentially define the difference between the original Series I and the DarTZeel. One was not right and the other was not wrong. They were two top competitors tackling that elusive absolute sound in a totally different way. Amazingly, the Series II bridges the gap between the original 7.5 and the DarTZeel, sounding neither tube nor solid-state but really evoking some of the best characteristics of each. The 7.5 delivers a well balanced palette of richness, focus and resolution. Although the DarTZeel is the purest and highest resolution component that I've ever heard, the Series II takes one giant step in closing that resolution gap with the darTZeel. My review of the darT 18NS offered a comparison between the two and this comparison still holds.


"... the sonic comparisons between the darTZeel and the VTL 7.5 were actually rather easy. At first I wondered whether two such exalted pieces might have similar sonic footprints, making the comparison difficult. Boy was I wrong. Any non-audiophile raised on Bose would have no difficulty distinguishing between the two. Having lived with the VTL for several years, I know its sound intimately. The ability to switch back and forth between the VTL and darTZeel provided a fascinating comparison. The VTL's soundstage blooms farther out into the room. The 18 exhibits a slightly smaller 3-D soundstage but improves upon the clarity within that soundstage. When listening in the nearfield, the VTL immerses you into the music whereas the darTZeel presents the music to you. The VTL has slightly better macrodynamics, the darT the better microdynamics. The darTZeel extends moderately in front of the speakers, approximately 50% of the forwardness of the VTL, but extends very deep behind the speakers, farther than the VTL. Both preamps present a wide soundstage, with the VTL's ever so slightly broader. The VTL is warmer, with a subtle mid-bass emphasis compared to the 18. Here it gets tricky: while the VTL has apparently deeper bass with more visceral slam, the darT is more defined, tighter and has a clear edge in clarity and air. Although the VTL sound appears deeper, rounder and fuller, I refer you to Hervé's [Deletraz of darTZeel] caution in comparing the 18's bass response. Do not get tricked into an initial impression that the 18 lacks in low-end. It doesn't.

"The crucial midrange in each preamp is smooth, neutral and emotionally satisfying. Again these preamps sound different. The darTZeel wins slightly with its extended highs and that special air. The VTL has a tube-like emotion to the sound while the 18 offers unbelievable resolution. The VTL has a full-featured audio control center while the darTZeel is - well, less endowed. That is assuming six inputs, an integrated phono preamp, recording outputs and three types of primary outputs qualify as minimalist. Do not take these comparative comments out of context. Just because the darTZeel resolves like no other preamp does not mean that the VTL is lacking. And just because the VTL has a luscious 3-D soundstage does not mean that the darTZeel is lacking. Unless you had the ability to switch back and forth between these two in an ultra-high resolution system, you might not draw any of these conclusions. If you are looking for the final pronouncement as to the superior unit, you're not going to get to it from me. At this stratum, both are world-class contenders. When I listen to the darTZeel for an extended period, I am positive it is the one that I want and could live with for the rest of my life. Switching back to the VTL a week later and it could be my long term reference preamp."


From a sonic perspective there you have it - absolutely, definitively non-committal. They really are both that good. But it isn't just about the sound. It's the entire package including convenience, functionality and flexibility. While the darTZeel might just havea lead in resolution and ultimate purity, the VTL pulls me in with its glorious midrange, bass and soundstage. When you take into account all of the elements including functionality, the 7.5 is to me in a class by itself.

Summary
Every component has strengths and weaknesses; some excel in the micro, some in the macro. The problem is that having lived with the Series I for three years and now the series II for a good spell, I actually have a problem discerning a serious weakness. Realizing there is no such thing as a perfect electronic reproducer, I looked for music that would highlight a component's subtle flaws so as to give a fair assessment of sonic signature. Yet from the smallest duets and chamber music through Jazz vocals through large symphonies and rock, the VTL consistently delivered music that grabbed me and kept my attention with passion and emotion. I could throw out a quibble like my preference for the ability to turn off the front display or maybe adding a few ticks more resolution as with the darT, but to dwell on these negatives would give them disproportional weight. The 7.5 is virtually flawless in form and function - with the sweetness of tubes, the excitement and dynamics of the best solid-state, flexibility and a host of customizing options.


So if it's perfect, then everyone with the appropriate credit limit on their Master Card should run out and immediately buy one, right? Well, here is my buying checklist:

1. Do you want and need ultimate flexibility and programming of a processor controlled preamp?
2. Do you like the forward, immersive, vivid presentation of music?
3. Do you want the best and are you willing to pay for that last few elusive molecules of sonic perfection?

Yes? Then the 7.5 is for you.


Some reviews called the Series I "perfectly neutral". I discussed with Luke Manley the universal rave reviews of the original. With the II bettering the original, now what? You get the point. Luke humorously deflected my question by suggesting that the Series II was "more perfect". The concept of perfection aside, the Series II is a stunning achievement. With a cost of $16,500 for the new unit and $4,500 for the upgrade of Series I to II, it's expensive but you do get a significant improvement for a component that already was vying for state-of-the-art. The Series II receives my highest recommendation.


Interview with Luke Manley next.