Triode Wire Labs at the 2024 Capital AudioFest!

[Triode Pete]

Some additional feedback from EnjoyThe Music's Rick Becker... https://enjoythemusic.com/Capital_Audiofest_2024/Becker/Part7/page3.htm



316  Triode Wire Labs & Border Patrol Audio

The Border Patrol Audio and Triode Wire Labs were getting to be "same old, same old" when teamed up with Volti Audio for several years running, but the folks at Border Patrol are now the sole U.S. dealer of Living Voice speakers from the UK. (In Canada they are available from Guelph HiFi in Ontario.)



While relatively rare over the years here in the U.S., Living Voice is well represented throughout Europe and the Far East. It is a high-quality brand noted for its efficient, tube-friendly designs and fine finishes. The R80 OBX model shown here was a 2-way ported design with a sensitivity of 92dB/W/m and an easy 6 Ohm impedance. It is available with either an internal crossover or external crossover as shown on the floor behind the speaker in a matching high-gloss finish. Prices start at $42,750 and rise to $49k in gloss finish with the inboard crossover and start at $46,875 and rise to $54,250 in gloss finish with the outboard crossover as shown.



The Border Patrol S20EXD amp puts out 16 Wpc with parallel single-ended Western Electric 300B power tubes. It is point-to-point hard-wired, uses tube rectification, has no negative feedback, features a copper and hardwood chassis, and both the amp and power supply unit have been cryogenically treated. Prices start at $22.5k and vary with the price of 300B tubes selected. From personal experience with other tube amps that put out 16 to 20 Wpc, I can tell you the jump-up from 8 Wpc from a 300B tube is very significant. It opens up the possibility of using more speakers in larger rooms.



The Border Patrol DAC SE-i is a mainstay in this room and ranges in price from $1,650 to $2,125 depending on the number and type of digital inputs you select. It is a basic, non-oversampling DAC with no digital filtering. It features a resistor ladder (R2R) DAC and a tube/solid-state hybrid power supply. Like the amp, it features a copper chassis. It plays files only up to 24/96kHz but it has been highly praised for its sound quality. Sale prices of $250 off plus free shipping to the USA and Canada were mentioned at the show and may still be in effect if you ask.

The Triode Wire Labs cables included "The Obsession NCF" power cord with Furutech FI-50 NCF connectors ($1499), the "High Power Digital American II" power cord ($749), the "Digital American II" digital power cord ($549) used on the DAC, "Bi-Wired American Speaker Cables with TWL Jumpers, terminated with Cardas CAB bananas, (starting at $1099, jumpers at $299/set), "Spirit II" RCA interconnects with Ohno continuous cast 7N copper (starting at $399/pr), and "Passion" USB digital cable ? a true 90-Ohm cable ($329). All are very reasonably priced considering they are handmade in the USA.

For streaming an Innuos Statement Music Server with a Next-Gen power supply with a 4TB SSD ($26,200) was used.


Thanks, Rick!

Cheers,
Pete

[Nick B]

Some additional feedback from EnjoyThe Music's Rick Becker... https://enjoythemusic.com/Capital_Audiofest_2024/Becker/Part7/page3.htm



316  Triode Wire Labs & Border Patrol Audio

The Border Patrol Audio and Triode Wire Labs were getting to be "same old, same old" when teamed up with Volti Audio for several years running, but the folks at Border Patrol are now the sole U.S. dealer of Living Voice speakers from the UK. (In Canada they are available from Guelph HiFi in Ontario.)



While relatively rare over the years here in the U.S., Living Voice is well represented throughout Europe and the Far East. It is a high-quality brand noted for its efficient, tube-friendly designs and fine finishes. The R80 OBX model shown here was a 2-way ported design with a sensitivity of 92dB/W/m and an easy 6 Ohm impedance. It is available with either an internal crossover or external crossover as shown on the floor behind the speaker in a matching high-gloss finish. Prices start at $42,750 and rise to $49k in gloss finish with the inboard crossover and start at $46,875 and rise to $54,250 in gloss finish with the outboard crossover as shown.



The Border Patrol S20EXD amp puts out 16 Wpc with parallel single-ended Western Electric 300B power tubes. It is point-to-point hard-wired, uses tube rectification, has no negative feedback, features a copper and hardwood chassis, and both the amp and power supply unit have been cryogenically treated. Prices start at $22.5k and vary with the price of 300B tubes selected. From personal experience with other tube amps that put out 16 to 20 Wpc, I can tell you the jump-up from 8 Wpc from a 300B tube is very significant. It opens up the possibility of using more speakers in larger rooms.



The Border Patrol DAC SE-i is a mainstay in this room and ranges in price from $1,650 to $2,125 depending on the number and type of digital inputs you select. It is a basic, non-oversampling DAC with no digital filtering. It features a resistor ladder (R2R) DAC and a tube/solid-state hybrid power supply. Like the amp, it features a copper chassis. It plays files only up to 24/96kHz but it has been highly praised for its sound quality. Sale prices of $250 off plus free shipping to the USA and Canada were mentioned at the show and may still be in effect if you ask.

The Triode Wire Labs cables included "The Obsession NCF" power cord with Furutech FI-50 NCF connectors ($1499), the "High Power Digital American II" power cord ($749), the "Digital American II" digital power cord ($549) used on the DAC, "Bi-Wired American Speaker Cables with TWL Jumpers, terminated with Cardas CAB bananas, (starting at $1099, jumpers at $299/set), "Spirit II" RCA interconnects with Ohno continuous cast 7N copper (starting at $399/pr), and "Passion" USB digital cable ? a true 90-Ohm cable ($329). All are very reasonably priced considering they are handmade in the USA.

For streaming an Innuos Statement Music Server with a Next-Gen power supply with a 4TB SSD ($26,200) was used.


Thanks, Rick!

Cheers,
Pete

Congrats, Pete! A beautiful system. Had no idea Innuos made a server that costly. I?ve not had an opportunity to hear any of their products....