Our preamplifiers and integrated amplifiers introduced since 1998 herald a new era in VAC design philosophy, and address the preamplifier’s changing role in today’s state-of-the-art home entertainment systems. The increasing number of digital audio formats (DVD, MD, DSS, etc) and the growing popularity of multichannel music and cinema software presents the audio designer with a new set of challenges: it is no longer sufficient to create a component that flatters traditional stereophonic program material. A cutting-edge preamplifier must also accommodate a wide variety of sources and perform flawlessly with both music and movies.

The new VAC components do, without any compromise to the purity and fidelity of traditional two-channel sources. They allow cost-no-object stereo systems to integrate seamlessly into a home theater context when needed.

Basically, the VAC Cinema Bypass input is a fixed gain input that allows your source component to control volume, and passes this signal through to the stereo power amplifiers without further processing. It is similar to a tape monitor input, except that it bypasses the volume control, thus eliminating confusion when switching between stereo sources and home theater sources. It allows a cost-no-object stereo system to integrate seamlessly into a home theater context when needed, without any degredation of two channel performance from traditional stereo sources.

The Cinema Bypass input may also be used with stereo components that have their own level control, such as d/a converters.