I started this thread in January - and your input helped shaped the final result. Thank you. Here is what I ended up with (pictured above): Wilson Sophia 3s, VTL 6.5, VTL 450 mono blocks, Linn Klimax Source (latest rev), QNAP NAS, Transparent cabling, Audience Response Power, Oppo 95 CD player.
I was hesitant to write immediately after it was installed (April) ... I wanted to live with it for a long while prior to posting. Here is the punchline - I love it. It was amazing from the start, and has seemed to get better and better. I'll acknowledge that "better" and "amazing" are essentially useless words, but they serve to provide a directional indication of how I feel about the system. I won't attempt to verbally describe a sonic and emotional experience - but trust me, it is good.
Is it good enough to justify the expense? Most people would say no - and that comment comes before they know the dollar sum (which I don't share)! But the value I place on the manner in which music is conveyed, and the emotional implications thereof, makes it important to me. The practical side of me says "it does have resale value, so it won't be a total loss."
Two more points. First - what happened to Spectral? I loved the sound of Spectral. Loved. And I often wonder what would have happened had I gone that route. That said, in the end the VTL simply connected with me on a "wavelength" that struck the right nerve. Not by a landslide, but enough for me to make the call. I can't technically argue the "tubes vs SS" thing -- you guys would eat me alive for my lack of knowledge on that front. I can only say that, for me, this was the best of the options I heard and could afford.
Second - NAS/Network/Digital. Here again I can't argue the vinyl vs. digital thing. I can tell you that a few hardcore vinyl guys - with enormous dollars put into their rigs - tell me that they are stunned at the 'analog' and 'tangible' presence that this system generates - particularly the higher res material, though well recorded is well recorded regardless of resolution. To be clear, I've not one record to my name, so I don't really know what they mean. Clearly I don't know what I'm missing with vinyl - which is fine for now. I chose to go digital because the cost of entry to vinyl (and space as I live in Manhattan) was too high. So I'm "all in" digital and, for now, am not looking back. One word of caution - the Network/NAS thing is buggy. It will work like a gem for months, then, for no apparent reason, freak out. No music. Sometimes it self corrects(don't know why) and sometimes I have to bring in the techies. Just strap in for this frustration if you go this route. And when you're down because of technical issues, know that our vinyl brethren are still in business.
Thanks again to all...
I started this thread in January - and your input helped shaped the final result. Thank you. Here is what I ended up with (pictured above): Wilson Sophia 3s, VTL 6.5, VTL 450 mono blocks, Linn Klimax Source (latest rev), QNAP NAS, Transparent cabling, Audience Response Power, Oppo 95 CD player.
I was hesitant to write immediately after it was installed (April) ... I wanted to live with it for a long while prior to posting. Here is the punchline - I love it. It was amazing from the start, and has seemed to get better and better. I'll acknowledge that "better" and "amazing" are essentially useless words, but they serve to provide a directional indication of how I feel about the system. I won't attempt to verbally describe a sonic and emotional experience - but trust me, it is good.
Is it good enough to justify the expense? Most people would say no - and that comment comes before they know the dollar sum (which I don't share)! But the value I place on the manner in which music is conveyed, and the emotional implications thereof, makes it important to me. The practical side of me says "it does have resale value, so it won't be a total loss."
Two more points. First - what happened to Spectral? I loved the sound of Spectral. Loved. And I often wonder what would have happened had I gone that route. That said, in the end the VTL simply connected with me on a "wavelength" that struck the right nerve. Not by a landslide, but enough for me to make the call. I can't technically argue the "tubes vs SS" thing -- you guys would eat me alive for my lack of knowledge on that front. I can only say that, for me, this was the best of the options I heard and could afford.
Second - NAS/Network/Digital. Here again I can't argue the vinyl vs. digital thing. I can tell you that a few hardcore vinyl guys - with enormous dollars put into their rigs - tell me that they are stunned at the 'analog' and 'tangible' presence that this system generates - particularly the higher res material, though well recorded is well recorded regardless of resolution. To be clear, I've not one record to my name, so I don't really know what they mean. Clearly I don't know what I'm missing with vinyl - which is fine for now. I chose to go digital because the cost of entry to vinyl (and space as I live in Manhattan) was too high. So I'm "all in" digital and, for now, am not looking back. One word of caution - the Network/NAS thing is buggy. It will work like a gem for months, then, for no apparent reason, freak out. No music. Sometimes it self corrects(don't know why) and sometimes I have to bring in the techies. Just strap in for this frustration if you go this route. And when you're down because of technical issues, know that our vinyl brethren are still in business.
Thanks again to all...
