Quote from: P.I. on August 18, 2026, 11:45:06 AMQuote from: Jack on August 13, 2026, 11:27:12 PMWell it seems to me that since you want resolution, the Kozmo volume control and don't want to spend $5k your best bet is to stick with the combination you are using now. As to rolling op amps the "warmest" sounding ones I am aware of are the Sparkos and were when I had a pair of amps that you could roll op amps in. Another option is to try the Schitt tube buffer from Amazon for $119.00. If you don't like what it does then send it back. A quality one like the one from Modwright is a whole lot more.I have a Khozmo with the 64 step ladder attenuator with AMRG resistors. I replaced the Staccato op amp with a Sparkos Dual Pro op amp. The Sparkos is considerably more open and dynamic than the Staccato. Fast, detailed without any form of glare. I've tried others: Burson; Orange and stacked versions of ROTM commercial versions. The Sparkos Pro is the best I've heard so far.
Quote from: ejk link=msg=115494 date=1787069681 :thumb: :thumb:![]()
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After a few weeks this is how I have settled my setup with the Uber Buss. Preamp and Pass labs into Uber and the Orchard amps into the Puritan Labs. The only amps I have not tried in the Uber are my Quicksilver Mid Mono tube amps since they share the same power cords as the Orchard mono amps.
Quote from: steve on August 18, 2026, 08:25:32 PMBeen there. Done that.Quote from: Nick B on August 17, 2026, 09:01:06 PMGot to thinking and anyone could perform an experiment with their single red and blackQuote from: steve on August 17, 2026, 03:35:32 PMQuote from: Nick B on August 17, 2026, 02:01:12 PMQuote from: steve on August 17, 2026, 09:09:27 AMQuote from: Nick B on July 15, 2026, 09:05:27 PMQuote from: steve on July 15, 2026, 03:57:38 PMOne other point that needs mentioning is the use of UL mode.
UL operation can be used in both A, A2, AB1, AB2, and B. I have
never seen UL used in Class C as distortion is extremely high,
thus not necessary.
Output power of UL operation is similar to Pentode/Tetrode mode,
which is very generally around twice the output power of Triode mode.
Frequency response is different from triode mode (which is also different
than both Pentode/Tetrode mode) as the screen of the tube is connected
to a portion of the output transformer primary, so some negative feedback
etc. As a result, the damping factor is increased a little.
Cheers
steve
Hi Steve,
I have only owned a couple of tube amps and I can only recall for sure that my VAC 90 monos allowed the option to switch to UL. That was so long ago and my system was so simple without using any products to control noise, that I don't recall if I preferred one or the other.
Nick
I think most prefer triode mode over UL. UL does fill in the lower midrange/upper bass
vs triode and controls the highs more, appearing as less. If too much lower
midrange/upper bass, one can use a smaller speaker cable.
I use 11 wires in parallel in each leg, so it is simple for me to remove just one
wire to thin the lower midrange just a little for more like triode mode.
The highs are a different story in that fewer parallel speaker wires will mean a
little higher inductive reactance in the highs, thus reducing the highs.
Of course, with a single, large speaker wire, adjustment is prevented.
cheers
steve
Hi Steve,
Quite interesting that you use 11 wires in parallel and that you can fine tune the sound by easily disconnecting one or more of the wires.
Nick
Yes. Anyone with multiple parallel speaker wires can test and find out if more
or fewer wires gives optimal reproduction.
The impedance is minimum near lower midrange/upper bass. A change in dc resistance
will affect this band more than higher frequencies on that particular driver. Kinda
changes the slope of the frequency response.
If one uses a 3 way speaker, two crossovers, there could be another range of
frequencies at the 2nd crossover where an impedance dip occurs, where the sound
will also be affected more than other higher frequencies.
I use a two way, so basically at just the one crossover is where the majority
of sonic change occurs.
Cheers
steve
Thanks for that, Steve. Not easy designing quality equipment. I currently have a 2 way, the JMR Voce Rande, and it's probably the best speaker I've ever owned. The only 3 way I ever owned was the Shahinian Diapason. A classic speaker from many years ago. My next speaker might be a 3 way.
Nick
speaker wire by paralleling a wire across the red and the black speaker wire.
That would basically halve the inductive reactance of the speaker wire.
Can't hurt anything performing such.![]()
steve
Quote from: Nick B on August 17, 2026, 09:01:06 PMGot to thinking and anyone could perform an experiment with their single red and blackQuote from: steve on August 17, 2026, 03:35:32 PMQuote from: Nick B on August 17, 2026, 02:01:12 PMQuote from: steve on August 17, 2026, 09:09:27 AMQuote from: Nick B on July 15, 2026, 09:05:27 PMQuote from: steve on July 15, 2026, 03:57:38 PMOne other point that needs mentioning is the use of UL mode.
UL operation can be used in both A, A2, AB1, AB2, and B. I have
never seen UL used in Class C as distortion is extremely high,
thus not necessary.
Output power of UL operation is similar to Pentode/Tetrode mode,
which is very generally around twice the output power of Triode mode.
Frequency response is different from triode mode (which is also different
than both Pentode/Tetrode mode) as the screen of the tube is connected
to a portion of the output transformer primary, so some negative feedback
etc. As a result, the damping factor is increased a little.
Cheers
steve
Hi Steve,
I have only owned a couple of tube amps and I can only recall for sure that my VAC 90 monos allowed the option to switch to UL. That was so long ago and my system was so simple without using any products to control noise, that I don't recall if I preferred one or the other.
Nick
I think most prefer triode mode over UL. UL does fill in the lower midrange/upper bass
vs triode and controls the highs more, appearing as less. If too much lower
midrange/upper bass, one can use a smaller speaker cable.
I use 11 wires in parallel in each leg, so it is simple for me to remove just one
wire to thin the lower midrange just a little for more like triode mode.
The highs are a different story in that fewer parallel speaker wires will mean a
little higher inductive reactance in the highs, thus reducing the highs.
Of course, with a single, large speaker wire, adjustment is prevented.
cheers
steve
Hi Steve,
Quite interesting that you use 11 wires in parallel and that you can fine tune the sound by easily disconnecting one or more of the wires.
Nick
Yes. Anyone with multiple parallel speaker wires can test and find out if more
or fewer wires gives optimal reproduction.
The impedance is minimum near lower midrange/upper bass. A change in dc resistance
will affect this band more than higher frequencies on that particular driver. Kinda
changes the slope of the frequency response.
If one uses a 3 way speaker, two crossovers, there could be another range of
frequencies at the 2nd crossover where an impedance dip occurs, where the sound
will also be affected more than other higher frequencies.
I use a two way, so basically at just the one crossover is where the majority
of sonic change occurs.
Cheers
steve
Thanks for that, Steve. Not easy designing quality equipment. I currently have a 2 way, the JMR Voce Rande, and it's probably the best speaker I've ever owned. The only 3 way I ever owned was the Shahinian Diapason. A classic speaker from many years ago. My next speaker might be a 3 way.
Nick
Quote from: Jack on August 13, 2026, 11:27:12 PMWell it seems to me that since you want resolution, the Kozmo volume control and don't want to spend $5k your best bet is to stick with the combination you are using now. As to rolling op amps the "warmest" sounding ones I am aware of are the Sparkos and were when I had a pair of amps that you could roll op amps in. Another option is to try the Schitt tube buffer from Amazon for $119.00. If you don't like what it does then send it back. A quality one like the one from Modwright is a whole lot more.I have a Khozmo with the 64 step ladder attenuator with AMRG resistors. I replaced the Staccato op amp with a Sparkos Dual Pro op amp. The Sparkos is considerably more open and dynamic than the Staccato. Fast, detailed without any form of glare. I've tried others: Burson; Orange and stacked versions of ROTM commercial versions. The Sparkos Pro is the best I've heard so far.
Quote from: steve on August 17, 2026, 03:35:32 PMQuote from: Nick B on August 17, 2026, 02:01:12 PMQuote from: steve on August 17, 2026, 09:09:27 AMQuote from: Nick B on July 15, 2026, 09:05:27 PMQuote from: steve on July 15, 2026, 03:57:38 PMOne other point that needs mentioning is the use of UL mode.
UL operation can be used in both A, A2, AB1, AB2, and B. I have
never seen UL used in Class C as distortion is extremely high,
thus not necessary.
Output power of UL operation is similar to Pentode/Tetrode mode,
which is very generally around twice the output power of Triode mode.
Frequency response is different from triode mode (which is also different
than both Pentode/Tetrode mode) as the screen of the tube is connected
to a portion of the output transformer primary, so some negative feedback
etc. As a result, the damping factor is increased a little.
Cheers
steve
Hi Steve,
I have only owned a couple of tube amps and I can only recall for sure that my VAC 90 monos allowed the option to switch to UL. That was so long ago and my system was so simple without using any products to control noise, that I don't recall if I preferred one or the other.
Nick
I think most prefer triode mode over UL. UL does fill in the lower midrange/upper bass
vs triode and controls the highs more, appearing as less. If too much lower
midrange/upper bass, one can use a smaller speaker cable.
I use 11 wires in parallel in each leg, so it is simple for me to remove just one
wire to thin the lower midrange just a little for more like triode mode.
The highs are a different story in that fewer parallel speaker wires will mean a
little higher inductive reactance in the highs, thus reducing the highs.
Of course, with a single, large speaker wire, adjustment is prevented.
cheers
steve
Hi Steve,
Quite interesting that you use 11 wires in parallel and that you can fine tune the sound by easily disconnecting one or more of the wires.
Nick
Yes. Anyone with multiple parallel speaker wires can test and find out if more
or fewer wires gives optimal reproduction.
The impedance is minimum near lower midrange/upper bass. A change in dc resistance
will affect this band more than higher frequencies on that particular driver. Kinda
changes the slope of the frequency response.
If one uses a 3 way speaker, two crossovers, there could be another range of
frequencies at the 2nd crossover where an impedance dip occurs, where the sound
will also be affected more than other higher frequencies.
I use a two way, so basically at just the one crossover is where the majority
of sonic change occurs.
Cheers
steve
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