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Thread: Audio By VanAlstine. What do you think? |
    
Silver Member Username: Smwick
B.C
Canada
Post Number: 189
Registered: Dec-07
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| Posted on Saturday, February 14, 2009 - 02:18 am: |
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Does anyone have any experience with VanAlstine audio equipment? There are a lot of very good reviews on other forums. Seems to be well respected within the industry. |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigne
Dallas,
TX
Post Number: 13339
Registered: May-04
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| Posted on Saturday, February 14, 2009 - 02:37 pm: |
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Without doubt Frank VanAlstine is very bright.
Some would say his equipment is also.
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Silver Member Username: Smwick
B.C
Canada
Post Number: 190
Registered: Dec-07
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| Posted on Saturday, February 14, 2009 - 04:05 pm: |
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Jan, have you heard his gear? |
Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigne
Dallas,
TX
Post Number: 13340
Registered: May-04
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| Posted on Saturday, February 14, 2009 - 05:47 pm: |
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Only long ago deleted models. VanAlstine made his name modifying gear, mostly Dyna tube gear. He is very smart and very opinionated. Not that that makes his products bad.
Have you read any reviews or heard an VanAlstine gear? It is good value for the money if you can get beyond what is his signature sound and buy into what he believes. Not everyone can.
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Silver Member Username: Smwick
B.C
Canada
Post Number: 191
Registered: Dec-07
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| Posted on Saturday, February 14, 2009 - 07:41 pm: |
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I haven't heard any of his stuff, but have read some very good reviews. I have read that some people have switched from brands like Bryston and Audio Note to VanAlstine and have no regrets. I haven't heard anyone mention that it's bright sounding, more that it is very natural and transparent. |
Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigne
Dallas,
TX
Post Number: 13341
Registered: May-04
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| Posted on Sunday, February 15, 2009 - 12:55 am: |
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"Bright" is the wrong word for what Van Alstine produces. Think "hard" and listen. People move from brand to brand and have no idea what they have. Don't put stock in those accounts. What matters is system synergy.
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Platinum Member Username: Nuck
Post Number: 11601
Registered: Dec-04
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| Posted on Sunday, February 15, 2009 - 07:28 am: |
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Fast attack and slam?
Does it have any soul? |
Silver Member Username: Smwick
B.C
Canada
Post Number: 193
Registered: Dec-07
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| Posted on Sunday, February 15, 2009 - 09:27 am: |
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I agree with you Jan on system synergy. It's probably the most important aspect of building a musical system. |
Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigne
Dallas,
TX
Post Number: 13342
Registered: May-04
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| Posted on Sunday, February 15, 2009 - 09:57 am: |
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Which means you must audition equipment within your own system and with the music you enjoy.
In general audio reviewers fall into two categories, the professional writers you you see monthly and provide the ability to know and learn from their experiences. These are the writers who you recognize as either having or not having priorities that closely match your own. You can learn quite a bit from these reviewers even if you wouldn't own the system they use as a reference. The writers who match your priorities offer excellent insight into how to judge music reproduction. But you must first learn their priorities before you can put their words to use.
The other category is the person who writes to see himself/herself taken seriously by someone who doesn't know them from Adam. It's rare that you can actually gain knowledge from these writers. You can see an opinion, but we all know what opinions are similar to. Without the context of what other equipment they prefer and how they listen, you might as well be reading the ingredients to a can of soup.
You might say the same could be said for anyone writing on an audio forum. We see what we care to see and disregard that which doesn't fit into our already formed opinions. That's dangerous if it causes us to spend money or form a larger opinion without personal experience.
Doesn't Van Alstine offer a trial period audition?
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Silver Member Username: Smwick
B.C
Canada
Post Number: 195
Registered: Dec-07
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| Posted on Sunday, February 15, 2009 - 05:55 pm: |
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Very well said Jan. And yes he has a 30 day trail period. |
Silver Member Username: Nmytree
Post Number: 228
Registered: Aug-04
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| Posted on Wednesday, February 18, 2009 - 12:42 am: |
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I have an older Van Alstine Fet Valve 500 amp. I got a really great deal on it.
The JJ/Tesla tubes in this amp do come off as sounding a little tilted towards the high frequencies. I'm not sure if that qualifies it as bright. But that's the way I perceived it.
Recently, I did some tube rolling in my Vincent Audio SA-T1, for the purpose of attempting to tame down that percieved "brightness" or balancing out whaqt I perceived as a tilt to the highs.
The SA-T1 utilizes three 12AX7 tubes and one 12AU7.
It took several different tube rolling combos and several tries, but eventually.....
I changed out the two New Sensor/Reflektor Tung Sol Reissues in the output stages and replaced them with two New Sensor/Reflektor Mullard reissues.
I replaced the 1967 Tesla ECC802S/12AU7 tube, with a NOS 1953 RCA blackplate squaregetter...JRC 12AU7; that I've been sitting on for several years.
And for the power section tube, that sits in the front panel, I replaced the Tung Sol reissue with a .........NOS 1959 Grey plate, square getter..Sylvania Baldwin 12AX7.
This combo did the trick and I'm very pleased. I have it driving my Jamo C807 floorstanders, with the SA-T1, Vincent S6 CD Player and Rega Apollo.
This amp has some major b*lls and really puts forth some powerful bass lines and lower frequencies. Cellos sound absolutely majestic and beautiful.
The Jamo C807 are very impressive in this bass, cello and lower frequency areas. I'm amazed at how strong ...how prominent the bass line has become, after switching in the Fet valve 500. And the C807 was already impressive to my ears with all that.
I also just bought a Van Alstine Super Pas 4i SL pre amp, which utilizes two 12AX7's in the Phono section and two 12AX7's in the line stage. Bought it on audiogon for a real good price. But it hasn't arrived here, yet.
Will be interesting to see how the synergy of this pre amp and Fet valve 500, differ from my SA-T1 with the Fet Valve 500.
But I agree, system synergy is very significant. |
Silver Member Username: Smwick
B.C
Canada
Post Number: 196
Registered: Dec-07
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| Posted on Wednesday, February 18, 2009 - 01:02 am: |
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NMyTree, let us know how it works out for you. |
Silver Member Username: Nmytree
Post Number: 229
Registered: Aug-04
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| Posted on Wednesday, February 18, 2009 - 02:15 pm: |
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And for the record, Van Alstine's current amps (and pre amps, too) are much more refined than even the amp I have.
I wouldn't describe this amp as "hard".
It does have a muscle element to it in the bass and lower frequencies. But if a recording has delicate elements to it, this amp does it more delicately than the when it's muscling the bass.
It's not the most refined amp in the world, but it a good sounding amp. I've heard a lot worse in terms of hardness.
This is not an edgie, harsh sounding amp. Not at all. It's just not at the top of the heap in refinement. |
