Honey, I Cooked the Cat! (VTL ST-85 Tube Power Amplifier)
Written: Sep 29 '00 (Updated Feb 16 '01)
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Pros: hypnotic midrange; good bass for a tube amplifier; relaxing sound
Cons: slightly soft bass compared to transistor amplifiers
The Bottom Line: The VTL ST-85 is a high quality tube power amplifier and a relative bargain at $1750.
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| Horswispr's Full Review: Vacuum Tube Logic ST-85 Stereo Power Amplifier |
Audiophiles know that there’s just something about tube amplifiers. Solid state amplifiers, preamplifiers, and receivers (through which most of us listen) are inexpensive, provide tight bass, and are convenient, since you never have to replace tubes. Further, solid state equipment runs relatively cool, meaning you won’t bar-b-que your cat if she happens to settle in for a nap on your stereo equipment.
But there’s something about the midrange of tube amplifiers and preamplifiers that solid state equipment just can’t match. Nobody knows exactly why, but voices and musical instruments reproduced through tube equipment simply sound more like the musicians are in the room with you. The emotional experience of listening to music through tube equipment is more profound than it is with solid state equipment.
I recently had a chance to listen to Vacuum Tube Logic’s ST-85 power amplifier, driving Triangle’s “Zays” speakers. The Zays are excellent French speakers, retailing for about $2300/pair. Associated equipment included a VTL 2.5 preamplifier and a high quality CD player (I didn’t write down the brand).
The VTL ST-85 is a tube amplifier that delivers about 85 watts/channel into 4 ohm loads. It retails for about $1750.00, a bargain (believe it or not) for a high quality tube power amplifier. It comes in an attractive black “cage” (see picture) and has high quality gold plated input and output jacks on the back. Unlike many tube amplifiers, you do not have to select speaker terminals based on the impedance of your speakers. The VTL is optimized for speakers with 5 ohm nominal impedance. For those interested in such things, the ST-85 employs four EL34 tubes and four 12AT7 tubes.
The Sound
The sound of this amplifier was truly amazing. It reminded me of my experiences with the conrad johnson MV-50, except that the bass seemed tighter. Female voice was reproduced with remarkable accuracy, and the soundstage was huge without seeming exaggerated. The music sounded as if it was coming from well BEHIND the speakers, and yet there was ample presence to the instruments. I was drawn into the performance.
Piano, bass, and drums also sounded excellent, though the presentation erred in the direction of “relaxed,” rather than “forced” or “hard.” This is the kind of sound I prefer (and the kind that is usually associated with tube equipment), but it may not be for everyone, especially those accustomed to hard, biting, transistor sound.
The attack of piano notes was slightly muted, relative to some high quality amplifiers I’ve heard, but the overall timbre of the piano was well reproduced. Cymbals were also reproduced nicely, with ample bite and air. In general, high frequency notes were present and realistic, a bit relaxed, and never biting or intrusive.
The bass was just a tad soft (a characteristic of tube amps), but less so than with the conrad johnson MV-50 a classic tube amplifier which enjoyed some time in my system. The mid-bass was substantially less exaggerated than with the MV-50, and the deep bass (below 55 hz or so) seemed subjectively more powerful. The VTL did a much better job of reproducing acoustic guitar than did the MV-50, which tended to exaggerate the heft of the lowest guitar strings with some speakers.
But it is the midrange (as it often is with tube amplifiers) that stole my heart. As I listened, I found myself less concerned with individual bits of the performance than with the whole. It felt like I was listening to music, not artificially reproduced music, and that is the ultimate goal of high end audio.
Conclusion
If you are assembling a high quality, relatively low cost stereo system, you MUST give the VTL ST-85 a listen. Given its character, I would think it would also mate well with high quality speakers from the likes of Thiel, Snell, Joseph Audio, Hales, and Vandersteen. It combines the best attributes of classic tube amplifiers (that magical midrange) with fairly tight bass, rugged good looks, and relative ease of set-up. Like all tube amplifiers, it does run relatively hot, but the high quality black cage will separate your loved ones from the tubes sufficiently that you shouldn’t have to worry about accidentally bar-b-queing them.
As with all stereo equipment, I recommend that you listen to this amplifier with the associated equipment with which you intend to use it, and in the room in which you intend to use it, before making a final purchase. Amplifiers (especially tube amplifiers), preamplifiers, speakers, and rooms interact in unique ways, and you can not always predict what they will sound like together based on their individual characteristics.
With that caviat in mind, I strongly recommend you give this high quality tube power amplifier a listen.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1750.00
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