How and with what amps, cables etc are VMPS speakers voiced?

warnerwh · « **on:** 21 Aug 2003, 05:00 am »

Just curious how Brian does this. Also wonder if anybody misses any of the older "house sound" of VMPS speakers.

audiochef · « **Reply #1 on:** 21 Aug 2003, 05:49 pm »

I know some years back ,Brian was using a Classe 400 power amp with Cardas cabling to speakers. Preamp has always been the same as present,tubed Jadis.Cd has been via Krell. I'm thinking around the time he started introducing ribbons into his line up,he changed yhe power amp to Plinius Sa250 . Cabling is now between Kimber select and Analsis plus. As for ''house sound'' if you mean the big woofer ,large warm sound,yes this is something Ido cherish which is the reason I'm holding on to my TTSEs. Not that the RM40s are not all the above, just different.

James Romeyn · « **Reply #2 on:** 23 Aug 2003, 05:18 am »

Brian is using the Ampzilla 2000 monos, I can't even remember what his DAC is now as he has gone through so many in the past couple years. I did like the old house sound, but don't reallly miss it. But believe or not my wife might.

audiochef · « **Reply #3 on:** 23 Aug 2003, 10:47 am »

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the Amzillas used only when demoing the RMXs?
I don't think he's using a dac , just his good old trustworthy single box Krell cd player.
Stan

Horsehead · « **Reply #4 on:** 23 Aug 2003, 01:42 pm »

I'm just taking a couple of guesses here-

Amps- Plinius 250IV and Ampzilla 2000
Preamps- Jadis JPL and CTC Blowtorch
CD Transport- Krell MD10
DAC- ART/DIO Modded
Cables- Kimber Select 3035 and Analysis Plus
AC Conditioning- Bybee, PS Audio P300 and, recently, Audio Magic Stealth
LEDE Room.

Never got to hear the old VMPS "house sound", but my RM40s sound absolutely incredible.

James Romeyn · « **Reply #5 on:** 23 Aug 2003, 07:42 pm »

Quote from: audiochef

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the Amzillas used only when demoing the RMXs?
I don't think he's using a dac , just his good old trustworthy single box Krell cd player.
Stan

I've seen & heard Brian's system in all its incarnations over the past 20+ years (at least four locations including the Berkeley "storefront"). To my knowledge he has never even had a one box Krell in any of his rooms. His current Krell is a transport/digital output only, no analog capability, about $7k list. Originally he used this transport with the matching $10,000 Krell DAC. Brian received them aprox mid-late '80s. The transport never hickuped, constantly used & roughly transported & kicked around at too many shows. If you dropped it from a plane it'd probably still work, & put one heck of dent in the tarmac. Dan sells only competent, superbly finished, tried & true designs with literally unbelievable build quality & no surprises. That plexiglass top might have been used a million times & still drops down flawlessly. Believe me when I tell you Brian is not a maintenance intensive individual.

No, the Ampzilla's are the only amps he uses unless he needs more than the 4 or 6 he now has opened. His current DAC is the best I've heard. Am pretty sure it's Dusty's great Channel Island. Better than the Bolder moded piece, which killed the Perpetual Tech combo (with upsampler). The PT was superb in static audiophile terms, but amusical to me & kinda hashy. I always perferred my much less expensive Philips SACD1000 over the PT.

warnerwh · « **Reply #6 on:** 24 Aug 2003, 04:18 am »

Does anybody know if Brian voices speakers with a single run or biwire run of speaker cable? thanks

audiochef · « **Reply #7 on:** 24 Aug 2003, 05:45 am »

As I recall, all cabling through Plinius and classe were single runs.
Stan

James Romeyn · « **Reply #8 on:** 24 Aug 2003, 04:37 pm »

Brian changes cables more frequently than...well, maybe more frequently than he gets his Albert Einstein haircuts (equal to or better than my self-cut styles, & much more consistent!). Anyway, my $185/1m pr California Custom cryogenicized interconnects we compared at his place a couple months ago beat his best ($600 Bolder & $800 Analysis Plus). 40 day money back warrranty - $10 ship/handling, price includes shipping, Neutrik RCA plugs, single-ended only at this time.

shokunin · « **Reply #9 on:** 25 Aug 2003, 06:38 am »

When I was at Brian's about a month ago, he was using Krell CD transport, didn't see which DAC, Jadis Preamp, Analysis plus and Bolder Single Ended Cables out to Ampzilla 2000's and Kimber KS-3035 speaker cables. Brian also had an Philips SACD1000 and a turntable as well.

The Plinius was there on the lower shelf of the rack but it looked a bit dusty

. Seems like the Ampzilla took over as his main amps.

audiochef · « **Reply #10 on:** 25 Aug 2003, 03:53 pm »

I'm surprised that the most crucial aspect of voicing has been overlooked here on this subject. Countless hours of Brians listening via his gifted tallent in hearing. This is what makes it all so different and special.
Stan

James Romeyn · « **Reply #11 on:** 26 Aug 2003, 01:46 am »

Quote from: shokunin

When I was at Brian's about a month ago, he was using Krell CD transport, didn't see which DAC...

Dusty's Channel Island DAC is about as big as 1-2 packs of smokes, easily lost in Bs jungle of gear.

James Romeyn · « **Reply #12 on:** 26 Aug 2003, 02:05 am »

Quote from: audiochef

I'm surprised that the most crucial aspect of voicing has been overlooked here on this subject. Countless hours of Brians listening via his gifted tallent in hearing. This is what makes it all so different and special.
Stan

I know B is great & all that, but I gotta tell this story: In the early '80s we are enjoying music at Bs soundroom. A guy arrives & demos the "Mini Tower" (long discontinued). B auditioned with the customer & expressed no dissatisfaction with the sound. The customer leaves, then for some reason a grill is removed. The single 5-1/4" mid range hole was empty with the two wires protruding. Could we say no one noticed because the Mini Tower sounded great even minus it's only midrange?

Brian Cheney · « **Reply #13 on:** 26 Aug 2003, 03:37 am »

At the 1985 Chicago CES I noticed a problem with the sound on the morning of the second day, so I spent about 20 minutes tuning the subwoofer to my complete satisfaction.

After I was done I discovered the woofer had been frozen solid the entire time.

I managed to swap out the driver before my host discovered the problem.

warnerwh · « **Reply #14 on:** 26 Aug 2003, 08:48 pm »

It's beginning to sound like the deaf leading the deaf around here. Maybe we are all really tone deaf and our minds just imagine the sounds being good.

James Romeyn · « **Reply #15 on:** 26 Aug 2003, 09:32 pm »

Quote from: warnerwh

It's beginning to sound like the deaf leading the deaf around here. Maybe we are all really tone deaf and our minds just imagine the sounds being good.

Yeah, & we are all getting pretty darn good at it! What, could you repeat that?