Vinyl Through Valves, Built by Hand in Chino
The VTL TP-2.5i is a valve phono stage from VTL’s Performance Series, built by hand in Chino, California, by VTL’s own technicians. VTL calls the TP-2.5i an entry to true high-end analogue sound, and a record played through the TP-2.5i carries the qualities VTL names: highly resolved detail, firm control in the bass, and a midrange of rich texture and tonal depth.
Of all the work in a record player’s signal chain, the phono stage has the most delicate task: lifting the faint signal of a cartridge and restoring the tonal balance cut into the groove. VTL keeps the signal path purposely simple and direct, with audiophile-grade components throughout, so that as little as possible stands between the stylus and the music.
Descended from VTL’s Flagship
Completely redesigned from the earlier TP-2.5, the TP-2.5i draws on VTL’s flagship phono stage, the renowned TP-6.5, and delivers a large measure of the musicality and resolution of that senior design. VTL names the improvements as speed, delicacy, nuance and drive, qualities that count most where music moves quickly: the whisper of brushes on a snare, a walking bass line, the attack of a piano chord.
The family resemblance to larger VTL designs is easy to hear. Detail and linearity arrive together with controlled bass, tonal depth and a sense of space that VTL believes most phono stages lack.
Consistent with the VTL ethos, the emphasis is on the sonics rather than razzle-dazzle operational controls.
A Route for Every Cartridge
Separate inputs serve the two kinds of cartridge, moving magnet and moving coil, so one of each can stay connected at once. The moving magnet stage is pure valve. For moving coil designs, the TP-2.5i offers two routes: an active hybrid stage that pairs JFETs with valves, or a set of internal step up transformers. Either route passes on through the valve moving magnet stage, so the transformer setting keeps the entire signal path in valves.
Loading and gain are set by the owner, with six load settings and two levels of gain on the active moving coil stage, so the TP-2.5i can be tailored closely to each cartridge. The moving coil cartridges at Audio Lounge include partners worth hearing through the TP-2.5i.
The Quiet Way In: Step Up Transformers
Built into the TP-2.5i, the MC step up transformer stage works at a ten-to-one ratio, giving close to the gain of the active stage with far less noise. Some low-output cartridges with a low source impedance simply sound better through transformers, and the quieter route opens the TP-2.5i to a very wide range of moving coil designs.
VTL added shielding to separate the power supply from the audio circuit, reducing the noise the transformers pick up, and moved the mains filter components to the supply side of that shield. For anyone weighing a separate moving coil step up transformer against an active stage, the TP-2.5i holds both answers in one chassis, the choice made when the TP-2.5i is set up for a particular cartridge.
Silence as a Design Goal
Quiet backgrounds let the fine detail of a record emerge, and VTL addresses noise throughout the design. A shunt regulator in the power supply lowers the noise floor and opens the soundstage into a wider, more spacious and cohesive picture. The power transformer, similar to the one in VTL’s TL-2.5i preamplifier, uses a balanced winding technique to radiate far less magnetic field.
Multi-stage filtering removes radio-frequency interference carried on the mains, for a darker and quieter background, and VTL designed the TP-2.5i to be free of microprocessor noise. A passive RIAA network restores the tonal balance of the record, and a buffered output drives low impedances through any cable.
The VTL phonostage projected an immense soundstage and excellent dynamics.
Mono Records and Rumble
One front-panel switch serves a function that is set inside the chassis to either of two roles. As a mono switch, the control folds both channels together for records cut in mono, welcome for anyone collecting early jazz and classical pressings. As a rumble filter, the control rolls away the lowest subsonic frequencies. Mute and power switches complete a front panel that otherwise leaves the music to speak.
Built Like VTL’s Senior Designs
VTL gave the TP-2.5i a build and finish close to VTL’s senior models. An aluminium top and thick side panels mount to a well-braced chassis for rigidity, a non-ferrous loop surrounds the audio circuit, and the parts are audiophile grade throughout, with REL capacitors among the components.
The TP-2.5i shares the cosmetics of VTL’s TL-2.5i preamplifier, with a front panel in silver or in black, so the two can stand side by side as a matched pair. VTL’s technicians build every TP-2.5i by hand in Chino.
A Demonstration with the Right Cartridge
A phono stage is best judged with the turntable, arm and cartridge of the system at home. To hear the TP-2.5i on Wigmore Street, an enquiry is the first step, and the session can draw on a record player from the turntables collection and a partner chosen from the integrated amplifiers range. The TP-2.5i joins the wider phono stages collection, and once the finish is chosen, the TP-2.5i waits in the showroom for collection.
About VTL
Behind the three letters stands Vacuum Tube Logic, a name with roots in the recording studio. The first VTL designs grew from studio playback amplifiers created by David Manley, an engineer in recording and film, and production for home audio began in Britain in 1983. David Manley and his son Luke then took VTL to the United States, and in 1987 production settled in Chino, California, where every VTL component is still made. In 1993 the two went separate ways, David to found Manley Labs and Luke to lead VTL. Power, purity and simplicity guide the engineering: ample, well-regulated power supplies, short signal paths of premium parts, and components built to be enjoyed for generations. From Performance Series to Reference, the VTL range at Audio Lounge gathers the family in one place.
Questions About the VTL TP-2.5i
What is the VTL TP-2.5i?
The VTL TP-2.5i is the valve phono stage of VTL’s Performance Series, built in California by VTL’s own technicians. The TP-2.5i amplifies and equalises the signal of a turntable cartridge, with separate inputs for moving magnet and moving coil designs, an active moving coil stage and internal step up transformers. VTL derived the design from the flagship TP-6.5 phono stage and offers a choice of silver or black front panels.
Is the VTL TP-2.5i a valve phono preamp?
Yes. The moving magnet stage of the VTL TP-2.5i is pure valve, built around two 12AX7 valves, with a 12AT7 at the output. The active moving coil stage is a hybrid that pairs JFETs with a 12AU7. Through the step up transformers, the signal passes only through the valve moving magnet stage, so VTL describes that route as an all-valve path.
What does the MC step up transformer inside the VTL TP-2.5i do?
The MC step up transformer raises the small signal of a moving coil cartridge tenfold, at a ratio of 10:1, before the valve moving magnet stage. VTL rates total gain at 65dB, close to the active stage, with far lower noise: the signal to noise ratio is 64dB through the transformers against 46dB on the active route. Cartridge loads of 100, 470 or 1k ohms can be selected.
Is a moving coil step up transformer better than an active stage?
Each has a place, and the VTL TP-2.5i offers both. VTL notes that certain low-output cartridges with a low source impedance sound better through step up transformers, and the lower noise of the transformer route suits a very wide range of cartridges. The active stage gives a wider choice of loading for cartridges that need a higher load. The Audio Lounge team can suggest the better route for a particular cartridge.
Which cartridges suit the VTL TP-2.5i?
Both types suit. Moving magnet cartridges of 1.5mV output or more see 46dB of gain and a load of 47k or 100k ohms, while moving coil cartridges down to 0.2mV have two routes: the active stage at 56 or 62dB, with six load settings from 100 ohms up to 47k ohms, or the step up transformers at 65dB, with a choice of 100, 470 and 1k ohms.
Is the VTL TP-2.5i the same as the VTL TP2.5?
The VTL TP-2.5i is the present form of the VTL TP2.5, the name VTL also uses for the stand-alone phono stage in the range. VTL completely redesigned the TP-2.5i from the earlier version, drawing on the flagship TP-6.5, with a shunt regulator in the power supply, a new low-radiation power transformer and extra shielding that keeps the supply apart from the audio circuitry among the changes.
Does the VTL TP-2.5i have a mono switch?
Yes, on the front panel, as one of two roles for a single switch. The function is set inside the chassis as either mono, which combines both channels for mono records, or a rumble filter, which rolls off to -3dB at 10Hz. Power and mute switches complete the front panel.
How does the VTL TP-2.5i connect to an amplifier?
Through one pair of single-ended RCA outputs, into a line input of a preamplifier or integrated amplifier. The buffered output has an output impedance of 375 ohms, delivers up to 8V at under 1% THD and drives low impedances through any cable. Frequency response runs from 10Hz to 100kHz within +0/-1dB, and channel separation exceeds 60dB from 20Hz to 20kHz. Audio Lounge’s preamplifiers include suitable partners.
How large is the VTL TP-2.5i?
The VTL TP-2.5i measures 48.3cm wide, 35.5cm deep and 9.5cm high, and weighs 11.3kg packed. Power consumption is 25 watts. The chassis shares the cosmetics of VTL’s TL-2.5i preamplifier, with an aluminium top, thick side panels and a silver or black front panel.
Where can the VTL TP-2.5i be heard?
In London, on Wigmore Street, by an appointment made through an enquiry to Audio Lounge. Bringing a familiar cartridge or a few well-known records to the demonstration makes the session more telling. Once the silver or black finish is chosen on this page, the TP-2.5i is held in the showroom until collection, and the team can talk through loading and gain at the handover.
