I recently reviewed the VTC for EverythingRecording and will post that link below. But the TL;DR edition is that, like another user here, I realized pretty quickly this was going to be a review unit that was NOT going back. Took me about half an hour, and that's because I wanted to give the tubes time to warm up fully.

The VTC is one of those units that, though scant on features and parameters, really doesn't need them to be a great piece of gear. You just push the inputs until you get the amount of GR you want and then back that off a bit because frankly, the Tegeler will let you get away with a lot more than you should. You can drive levels deep with a quicker attack and long release, letting the pins swim a bit between 2-4db and get an extremely lush sound.

The way it softens and shines 8k and above puts a great polish on groups or mixes, but it also really puffs its chest out in the low/low-mids - giving your mix a 'come at me bruh' attitude. And even if you CAN push the VTC hard, it's at its best when you leave it around 2-4db of GR on peaks.

I know that these days it's sinful to not have a blend circuit and that the lack of an ext. key input might be a turn off for some people. But the simplicity is what I LOVE about this compressor. I've been a huge DW Fearn VT-7 fan but it's just been outside my budget. Honestly, with the VTC I think I've got 'that thing' (being the tube d-mu topology that uses the tube as the gain cell, not just a sweetener) in spades.

The workmanship is great. The price is amazing. The company are wonderful people who really care about their products. And even if those weren't all perfect, I'd still want one. I have been dreaming of a Stamchild or the VT-7 for a long, long time - but I'm extremely happy with the VTC in my arsenal instead.

<modsnip: linking to external reviews is not allowed>

I got mine directly from Tegeler during their November sale, at a pretty good discount. I hesitated, as my room is getting a bit cluttered and I always wanted to keep my HW count on the modest side.

The videos online didn't really sway me one way or the other, but rather my experience with their EQP-1. Pultec clone, amazing sounding, wonderfully built.

They sent the VTC in a beautiful box. Here are some things I discovered early on that surprised me:

Drums: adds this weight and aggression in the tone - not in the transient shaping of the compressor, but something in the DNA of the sound.

Bass: lots of dynamic control without any lifelessness whatsoever. I can't overstate this as I compared it to some other favourites of mine and it smoked all of them.

Vocals: just wonderful, again, something in the DNA of the sound.

However it wasn't until using it to mix an album that I discovered just how great this thing is. I had it on my "rth buss" which is where the drums and bass go before going to the 2buss.

Turn it off and the whole mix sounds like a plastic toy.

Thats even with RND 542s on the mix buss and some well recorded tracks.

You can't always force the input gain to do what you want with the gain reduction. Of course, increasing it will eventually cause more GR to happen, but not in the way you think. Your volume will go up and up and still you could be only at 2 db GR. Doesn't always apply but there is some interesting stuff with that.

I believe is has something to do with using the tubes for the gain reduction part of the circuit as opposed to the amplification parts.

There is no mix knob and no external sidechain. I wouldn't use either, but for some people that might be an issue.

Tegeler were super kind about it, at such a low price and with their generous return policy. Good people. Felt like a gift. I highly recommend.