VAC Statement 450-IQ Monoblocks

Up for sale are my beloved VAC Statement 450IQ Monoblocks. I owned a high end Audio business for over 20 years. I carried a lot of wonderful brands such as VAC, Soulution, Audio Research, Accuphase, Magico etc. When I retired, I had my choice for my personal system, and I chose these for my amps. I can say that IMHO, these are finest amps I have ever heard, unsurpassed by any...except for the new expensive VAC 452-IQ Monoblocks ($150k), and that is why I am selling them, because I have ordered the 452's.

The 450IQ monoblocks ($126k new) are very special amps, and let me tell you why! First of all they are very powerful...450 watts per channel. That is a staggering amount of power for a tube amp. And tube amps are more powerful than solid state with the same power rating. They handle my Magico MPro's very easily, and in addition, the amps have taps for 2, 4 & 8 ohms to match with your speakers. They produce very powerful and tight Bass (not usually a strong point of tube amps). Do they have the absolute slam that the best solid state amps have? No..but it is very close! These amps are very fast, equal to what I hear from solid state. They are extremely quiet, even when nothing is playing. More importantly, they have an unmatched harmonic envelope, but there is one special quality that they possess that I have never heard from any other amplifier. They create an uncanny dimensional envelope around each instrument. The sound stage not only extends to the back, right & left, but forward. The ability to present lifelike images is spooky! If you love acoustic bass, cello, vocals, chamber, classical and jazz , then you will absolutely love these amps!

The other great feature about these amps is the VAC patented IQ Auto Bias system. A lot of other amps claim to do automatic biasing, most often upon startup. But those designs are elementary compared to the VAC system. It monitors and optimizes bias continuously while the music is playing! As a result of this constant monitoring, it will indicate when a specific power tube is weakening and having trouble staying in its optimized range. If a tube ever starts to run away, the sentry circuit immediately shuts the tube down, protecting the amp, and indicates which tube is bad by a red LED. This system is much faster than a fuse based system. No need to worry about the problems that have plagued many other tube amps in the past. In addition, because of this auto-bias monitoring, tube life is extended...with most power tubes good for 5-6 years.

Here are the specific features of the amps. They have a separate power supply chassis which weighs 130 lbs and is connected to the main chassis by three umbellical cords. The audio chassis (which weighs 110 lbs) sits on top of the power supply, separated by three roller balls & cups, thus isolating the two chassis from vibrations etc. As mentioned before, each amp has 2, 4 and 8 ohm binding posts to accommodate the best sound match for your speakers. The tube complement for each amp is eight KT-88s and five 6SN7s. I just replaced within the last year or so, all of the 6SN7s with new tubes. The KT-88 power tubes have been individually replaced over the last 3-4 years, as needed. Because of the IQ system there is no need to replace them all at once!

One other feature, is that these amps have “CHROME” sides on both the audio chassis and the power supply, for a total of four per monoblock. (See pixs) Not only are they beautiful, but they are part of a four layer system to prevent EMF interference. Unfortunately, the chrome layer is extremely difficult to manufacture, and VAC had to drop this feature over a year ago. So even if you order new 450's (still available) you won't get the chrome sides!

The tubes will be shipped in a box separately by Fedex, UPS . However, the amps come in 4 separate original boxes and are very heavy (almost 500 lbs). They must be palletized and shipped by freight only!  Feel free to ask any questions you may have. Get one of the finest amps ever made at a fraction of their cost new!!

LAST CHANCE!  MAJOR PRICE REDUCTION of $9,000 !  
I am not sure that AudioGon is the right platform for amps of this quality and price. Therefore, I have slashed the price by $9,000 for the last 3 days of this listing. If it doesn't sell I am pulling it off  Audiogon and will go in another direction. 

Payment is by Wire Transfer only!