In many respects, this is down to sheer resolution. You hear it in the diction on the vocal, in the leading edge definition of the guitar break in the middle eight. But most of all, you hear it in the sleigh bells that punctuate the verses. Crystal clear, each bell separate, distinct and precisely located in space on the CH, it’s much more of a cohesive rattle on the VTLs – although its presence is arguably better integrated into the track as a whole, the rhythmic pause it provides a chance to take a breath. Play the track through the VTLs and there’s no ignoring the sense of purpose and intent that drives the performance and the music. The avalanche in the title is definitely cascading more convincingly from the tube amps outputs than the delicate frosting delivered by the Swiss pairing.
Here to stay!
I can add heft and musical purpose to the solid-state system by shunting the speakers back by the requisite 15mm. It’s a move that brings the sound much closer to the VTL’s weight, power and momentum, without damaging the astonishing clarity and resolution, but it still doesn’t match the solid, planted presence and sheer body of the tube amps. The VTLs simply go deeper when it comes to delivering bottom-end weight, with the dimensionality and musical substance that results. Interestingly – and unsurprisingly – substituting the M1.1 for the A1.5 redresses the balance, the CH taking on the stable sense of power and presence that the VTL offers, but with the greater transparency, clarity and resolution shown by the smaller amp. But that step comes at a not-inconsiderable cost that takes the comparison well outside price parity.
These amplifier combinations come at the performance from opposite sides. Neither is typical of its technology and in many respects, fully optimised within a system, they are closer in musical presentation than you’d at first imagine. But where the CH might be described as the more cerebral performer, the VTL is more emotive. Where the CH offers clarity and resolution, the VTL delivers presence and musical purpose. The CH excels when it comes to individual instrumental texture and timbre. The VTL knows few peers when it comes to delivering the performance as a whole. Apply the air guitar test and both amps pass, but for different reasons, the VTL’s solid lines soaring majestically, the CH’s intimate detail and human agency, pulling you closer to the technique and agility in the playing. It’s indicative of differing perspectives. The CH arguably places the musical ‘how’ ahead of the ‘why’: the VTL is all about that why, offering less insight into the how.
It’s a finely balanced comparison. As always, you pays your money and takes your choice but in this instance that choice is going to depend on partnering equipment as much as personal preference. Initially, I conducted the comparison with the Stenheim A5 SE speakers – a deliberate choice as the speaker works well with either set of electronics. Swapping them out for the Wilson Benesch Resolutions definitely tilted the balance of virtues, the lower efficiency and wider bandwidth of the Wilson Benesch playing to the clarity and bottom end agility of the CH, the heft, weight and presence of the VTLs, actually widening the gap between the two by highlighting their different characteristics.
