Digital Drive: VRS Revelation Audio Playback system by Tuckers

I have had my VRS now for almost two weeks. I am comparing it to my main digital rig, a Sprectral SDR 3000 Reference Transport, Audio Note Kondo digital cable, Audio Note 3.1x balanced DAC with Amperex orange 6992 tubes and Bendix 5852 rectifier tube (about $16K retail for the lot).

The VRS is a custom built Windows XP computer. You can find out about it by seeing the web site listed below. In order to use it, you must rip a CD to the hard drive and play it back in a software player. You can create playlists and have tremendous flexibility playing back music the way you want to.

The VRS is clearly and decisively better in every way to my other rig. It took a good week to burn in to the point where it was better, but every day it gets better and better. The positive difference in sonics between my previous system and the VRS is akin to the difference of that system and a $500 CD player.

The Audio combo sounds glassy, veiled, congested, with a shrunken soundstage compared to the VRS.

The VRS has an expansive soundstage, the whole back wall of my room 'lights up' with the soundscape. With the Audio Note the soundstage was about 2 feet higher and three feet wider than my speakers. You really don't hear the speaker location with the VRS on good recordings. Images have more density than I have heard from digital before, and while a bit larger than life, are better than most digital sources. Images are in general placed about four feet back from where they are with the Audio Note rig.

The VRS is naturally warm sounding, there are none of the attendant sharp edges and bright forwardness that I am used to hearing on every CD based system I have owned and all that I have heard. Vinyl-lovers will really like the sound of this system, as these are the artifacts that drive most crazy.

The high-end sounds very recessed at first, because it is not being pushed up front like most CD playback systems, and it is integrated into the body of the instruments instead of floating ahead of them. But they are there. Acoustic air is captured better than anything I have heard except with direct recording played back on the EMM LAbs ssytem.

The midrange is totally liquid and flowing, it's almost unremarkable in that it doesn't call attention to itself, it just plays music.

The bass has more definition and power than in my previous system, and that was no slouch. Bass lines are revealed where they were submerged before. Coherency in the bass is excellent, there are less peaks and valleys, I can hear all of an acoustic bass playing, especially the fingering and plucks.

Dynamics are excellent, better than my previous. Though this area is the one where I suspect some improvement can be made.

Transparency is better than any Redbook playback I have heard, and exceeds most SACD I have heard. The only real exception being Ray Kimbers demonstration of ISO Mike he has given the last few shows.

I have found that real care is needed in ripping CDs to the hard drive. I apply Mapleshades Mikro-smooth first, followed by Vivid, followed by a demagentising. It improves the rip, making it more transparent and clear. And since it's premanent, it's worth the effort.

Vincent Sanders calls this sytem the "revelation" and I have to say I agree. I never thought I would hear redbood digital in my house this good.

VRS Audio Systems (Open in New Window) VRS Audio Systems (Open in New Window)