An audiophool's work..... I mean an audiophile's work.... is never done. Within the last few months, I've added the terrific Holo Cyan2 dac, Hattor Big active preamp with New ClassD opamp and TWL Pete's wonderful HP Digital American II power cord.
They replace a Border Patrol SEi dac, Supratek Chardonnay tube preamp and Audio Envy 3P power cord from the wall that was plugged into Dave's UberBUSS. The system now is quieter and resolves better without sounding lean. I am a big advocate of getting my system to be as quiet as possible. I enjoy the new information revealed from the original recording, the new layering and air in the soundstage.
I am on the Hapa Audio cable tour over at AC and will be receiving Jason's Aero cu and Aero ag polished interconnects soon. I previously auditioned Jason's Haiku version.....hand polished silver wire and connectors. They were very good...very revealing, airy, holographic. They were very pricey as Jason did all the polishing by hand. The latest version has polishing that is automated. To what extent, I don't know. So that will be quite interesting when I get those for review in a few weeks.
Have any of you changed or auditioned gear or cables? If so, pls give us the particulars.
Nick, glad to hear of success of your endeavors. Nice job finding what you needed.
Closer to the music is such a great feeling. :D
Continued success my friend.
steve
Thanks, Steve
I added a Musical Paradise MP-701 MK3 pre to my system. It replaced my trusty Audio Alchemy DLC/PS3. I listened to it stock for a couple of weeks and was very pleased. Nice soundstage, good detail. I don't think there was any improvement to the detail over my AA DLC, but it definitely add some of that magic tuby-ness to the soundstage, and more air and separation around/between the different sound sources in the recording. Swapped in a pair of NOS GE 12AU7 and it brought some more soundstage improvement. Enjoyed that for a few weeks and then swapped in some Mundorf Supreme EVO Oil coupling caps and again noted even more improvement to the soundstage. None of the changes were mind blowing, but they were definitely there. Very pleased with my new pre. Thinking of trying some 6SN7 tubes in place of the 12AU7s, have the adaptors, haven't picked up any 6SN7 tubes yet though...
Quote from: Barry (NJ) on July 16, 2024, 12:00:15 PM
I added a Musical Paradise MP-701 MK3 pre to my system. It replaced my trusty Audio Alchemy DLC/PS3. I listened to it stock for a couple of weeks and was very pleased. Nice soundstage, good detail. I don't think there was any improvement to the detail over my AA DLC, but it definitely add some of that magic tuby-ness to the soundstage, and more air and separation around/between the different sound sources in the recording. Swapped in a pair of NOS GE 12AU7 and it brought some more soundstage improvement. Enjoyed that for a few weeks and then swapped in some Mundorf Supreme EVO Oil coupling caps and again noted even more improvement to the soundstage. None of the changes were mind blowing, but they were definitely there. Very pleased with my new pre. Thinking of trying some 6SN7 tubes in place of the 12AU7s, have the adaptors, haven't picked up any 6SN7 tubes yet though...
Hey Barry,
Good to hear from you. It's been a while. The AA goes back a ways. Was Dusty one of the guys at AA? I wasn't aware those tubes had similar enough characteristics to be able to be swapped out. I really like my 6ns7 Supratek pre, but the Hattor (aka Khozmo) with NewClassD opamp is very good and resolves a bit better. I'm fortunate to have those choices.
Hey Nick,
I bought an iFi lan iSilencer for the WiiM streamer.
https://ifi-audio.com/products/lan-isilencer/ (https://ifi-audio.com/products/lan-isilencer/)
A gift card was expiring this month, so I pulled the trigger. Cleans up the signal from ethernet. Beneficial for cheapo streamers they say. Well, that's my streamer. :lol: Let's see what it does.
Paul
Quote from: malloy on July 17, 2024, 08:35:56 PM
Hey Nick,
I bought an iFi lan iSilencer for the WiiM streamer.
https://ifi-audio.com/products/lan-isilencer/ (https://ifi-audio.com/products/lan-isilencer/)
A gift card was expiring this month, so I pulled the trigger. Cleans up the signal from ethernet. Beneficial for cheapo streamers they say. Well, that's my streamer. :lol: Let's see what it does.
Paul
Hey Paul,
That looks like quite a handy device. My first priority is that of reducing noise and that has continued to yield excellent results. The iFi streamer I had was better than the Auralic Mini and my current Holo Red streamer is better than the ifi. I've heard of the WiiM, but don't think I've read any comments or reviews on it.
Nick
My wife decided I needed to clean out my listening room and dress it up a bit, getting rid of that frat-boy look and feel. So I called GIK and spoke to their knowledgeable staff to solidify the ideas that I had. I have Apogee Duetta Signature speakers. They are dipoles, if you are unfamiliar with them. And as such, my acoustic choices are going to be different than most of you that have cone based speakers. Mainly, I need diffusion on my front wall (behind the speakers) and absorption behind my sitting position. I also don't need first reflection point treatment, because these speakers don't project the way a traditional speaker does.
Anyway, I kept the diffusion panels I built some time ago using dowels of various sizes. Unconventional, but aesthetically pleasing and they work wonderfully, if mostly in a horizontal manner. I added the felt and wood panels across the front wall and purchased a central focus diffuser from GIK. I call him Q-Bert :lol: I also have some small circular corner absorber tubes I placed in the corners of that front wall. They probably don't really act as bass absorbers but they do have a coated side facing out and can help diffuse any high frequencies hitting those corners while doing a bit of something for any standing bass notes. I really can't fit 2' round bass traps there and this seems to be working just fine, which probably has something to do with my subwoofer positioning pulled out of the corners and placed next to the speakers. This results in a quicker sound and much less "boom".
My fat GIK absorption panels I recovered to match my couch and hung them on the back wall behind my sitting position. I covered as much of the wall as I can there. The one open doorway is to a closet where I store my media and the other is to a bathroom. Not much I can do there and yes, it does sound better with those doors open rather than closed. Maybe those rooms act as bass traps, I don't know.
Anyway, here's the results, Enjoy.
Quote from: BobM on July 18, 2024, 11:21:46 AM
My wife decided I needed to clean out my listening room and dress it up a bit, getting rid of that frat-boy look and feel. So I called GIK and spoke to their knowledgeable staff to solidify the ideas that I had. I have Apogee Duetta Signature speakers. They are dipoles, if you are unfamiliar with them. And as such, my acoustic choices are going to be different than most of you that have cone based speakers. Mainly, I need diffusion on my front wall (behind the speakers) and absorption behind my sitting position. I also don't need first reflection point treatment, because these speakers don't project the way a traditional speaker does.
Anyway, I kept the diffusion panels I built some time ago using dowels of various sizes. Unconventional, but aesthetically pleasing and they work wonderfully, if mostly in a horizontal manner. I added the felt and wood panels across the front wall and purchased a central focus diffuser from GIK. I call him Q-Bert :lol: I also have some small circular corner absorber tubes I placed in the corners of that front wall. They probably don't really act as bass absorbers but they do have a coated side facing out and can help diffuse any high frequencies hitting those corners while doing a bit of something for any standing bass notes. I really can't fit 2' round bass traps there and this seems to be working just fine, which probably has something to do with my subwoofer positioning pulled out of the corners and placed next to the speakers. This results in a quicker sound and much less "boom".
My fat GIK absorption panels I recovered to match my couch and hung them on the back wall behind my sitting position. I covered as much of the wall as I can there. The one open doorway is to a closet where I store my media and the other is to a bathroom. Not much I can do there and yes, it does sound better with those doors open rather than closed. Maybe those rooms act as bass traps, I don't know.
Anyway, here's the results, Enjoy.
Thanks, Bob. What a nice setup and diy panels as well. I have never heard Apogees at a friend's or at a show. How long have you had them? Are they completely original or has any restoration work been done? What amplification are you using and what is the accompanying equipment? I have no acoustic treatments in my new home yet, but am looking into it. I am also so fortunate to have my JM Reynaud Voce Grande.... what amazing two way speakers.
Quote from: Nick B on July 18, 2024, 10:50:51 PM
Thanks, Bob. What a nice setup and diy panels as well. I have never heard Apogees at a friend's or at a show. How long have you had them? Are they completely original or has any restoration work been done? What amplification are you using and what is the accompanying equipment? I have no acoustic treatments in my new home yet, but am looking into it. I am also so fortunate to have my JM Reynaud Voce Grande.... what amazing two way speakers.
Mine were original when I got them oh maybe 10 years ago, with little of the dreaded bass buzz, but I bought a subwoofer controller that now sits between my preamp and amp (Mccormack DNA500). The cutoff is 80Hz on that, so the panels and amp don't see anything below that. The dual subs take care of the bottom end and problem solved. I did update the crossover (what a beast!) with caps, resistors and wiring and put it in a separate box behind the speakers.
If you get a chance to hear Apogees, or most any pure ribbon speaker (there aren't many) you should do so and curse me after. One caveat ... they are true one person speakers. The sound outside the sweet spot is good, but, in true racecar fashion, they need perfect setup to bring that amazing presentation to the center seat. But if you are in that seat there's no going back.
Quote from: BobM on July 19, 2024, 12:35:32 PM
Quote from: Nick B on July 18, 2024, 10:50:51 PM
Thanks, Bob. What a nice setup and diy panels as well. I have never heard Apogees at a friend's or at a show. How long have you had them? Are they completely original or has any restoration work been done? What amplification are you using and what is the accompanying equipment? I have no acoustic treatments in my new home yet, but am looking into it. I am also so fortunate to have my JM Reynaud Voce Grande.... what amazing two way speakers.
Mine were original when I got them oh maybe 10 years ago, with little of the dreaded bass buzz, but I bought a subwoofer controller that now sits between my preamp and amp (Mccormack DNA500). The cutoff is 80Hz on that, so the panels and amp don't see anything below that. The dual subs take care of the bottom end and problem solved. I did update the crossover (what a beast!) with caps, resistors and wiring and put it in a separate box behind the speakers.
If you get a chance to hear Apogees, or most any pure ribbon speaker (there aren't many) you should do so and curse me after. One caveat ... they are true one person speakers. The sound outside the sweet spot is good, but, in true racecar fashion, they need perfect setup to bring that amazing presentation to the center seat. But if you are in that seat there's no going back.
Thanks for the background on those Apogees. About 10 years, ago I owned a McCormack DNA 500 and that is quite an excellent amp to drive those speakers. It's good that you solved that buzzing problem by restricting the low frequency and using dual subs. I would consider myself fortunate to someday be able to listen to Apogees, even if it meant being in an extremely limited sweet spot.
Quote from: Nick B on July 16, 2024, 06:57:48 PM
Hey Barry,
Good to hear from you. It's been a while. The AA goes back a ways. Was Dusty one of the guys at AA? I wasn't aware those tubes had similar enough characteristics to be able to be swapped out. I really like my 6ns7 Supratek pre, but the Hattor (aka Khozmo) with NewClassD opamp is very good and resolves a bit better. I'm fortunate to have those choices.
Hey Nick, still passing through every so often ;)
The Musical Paradise 701 is designed to handle all kinds of tubes and also allow for easy swapping of capacitors...
https://www.musicalparadise.ca/store/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=103
Technical highlights1. Onboard filament voltage switches allow support both 6.3V and 5V rectifier, 6.3V and 12.6V signal tubes.
2. Onboard DIP switches allow user to select 4 different levels of output gain to support different input sensitivity of amplifiers.
3. Zero negative feedback circuit provides the most natural sounding.
4. Oversized 150W toroidal transformer provides sufficient power redundancy. It is magnet shielded in the compartment underneath the motherboard.
5. Output coupling capacitors and power filtering bypassing capacitors are user changeable to further improve or customize the overall sound characteristics. No soldering is required.
6. Built with genuine HiFi grade components, such as Vishay military grade resistors, Genuine Rubycon and Nichicon LOW ESR power filtering capacitors, OHVL coupling caps, Bennic XPP bypassing capacitors, ALPS volume control and power switch, heavy gold-plated terminals.
7. Solid aluminum alloy case, suspension feet and knobs.
8. Remote volume control feature.
(https://www.musicalparadise.ca/store/image/cache/data/MK-701-MK3-1024x683.jpg)
Quote from: Barry (NJ) on July 22, 2024, 03:42:12 PM
Quote from: Nick B on July 16, 2024, 06:57:48 PM
Hey Barry,
Good to hear from you. It's been a while. The AA goes back a ways. Was Dusty one of the guys at AA? I wasn't aware those tubes had similar enough characteristics to be able to be swapped out. I really like my 6ns7 Supratek pre, but the Hattor (aka Khozmo) with NewClassD opamp is very good and resolves a bit better. I'm fortunate to have those choices.
Hey Nick, still passing through every so often ;)
The Musical Paradise 701 is designed to handle all kinds of tubes and also allow for easy swapping of capacitors...
https://www.musicalparadise.ca/store/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=103
Technical highlights
1. Onboard filament voltage switches allow support both 6.3V and 5V rectifier, 6.3V and 12.6V signal tubes.
2. Onboard DIP switches allow user to select 4 different levels of output gain to support different input sensitivity of amplifiers.
3. Zero negative feedback circuit provides the most natural sounding.
4. Oversized 150W toroidal transformer provides sufficient power redundancy. It is magnet shielded in the compartment underneath the motherboard.
5. Output coupling capacitors and power filtering bypassing capacitors are user changeable to further improve or customize the overall sound characteristics. No soldering is required.
6. Built with genuine HiFi grade components, such as Vishay military grade resistors, Genuine Rubycon and Nichicon LOW ESR power filtering capacitors, OHVL coupling caps, Bennic XPP bypassing capacitors, ALPS volume control and power switch, heavy gold-plated terminals.
7. Solid aluminum alloy case, suspension feet and knobs.
8. Remote volume control feature.
(https://www.musicalparadise.ca/store/image/cache/data/MK-701-MK3-1024x683.jpg)
Hey Barry,
Keep passing through...we'll be here 😊 That is really a flexible device. I appreciate a manufacturer that provides so many options and great value for it's customers. I've read many positive comments about Musical Paradise. I see they offer other devices including an amp and external clock and a nice looking learning remote for the various devices.
Next up for me is auditioning some copper and silver cables from Jason at Hapa Audio on AC. I have his polished silver coax and it bettered my WyWires Platinum.
This has been about as close to trial by fire as I've ever been.
It all started when I wanted to try a new pair of speaker cable. I had a four channel amp that could be made
into two channel (monoing two channels) and wanted to hear how they sound. Had two sets of SC originally and only had one set of trial. It was awesome sound while it lasted. Fried the amp cause the speakers were 4 ohm. Went through a slew of amps trying to come up with one I liked and during that process my wife who lost her vision inadvertently turned the volume all the way up through the remote didn't realize she was on the wrong channel. When she pushed the right one it blew out the mid range on a speaker. Of course you can't get a new driver on a twenty plus year old speaker so now gotta find a good combination.
With having a job it became quite the challenge. To get to 500 hrs on a piece in thirty day requires the unit to be on over 16 hrs a day and the manufactures kept telling me to give it time to break in. That ended up with purchasing and having to sell as used six different amps and two pair of speakers. I estimate I've lost over five digits money wise and yet I pursued on. I got a little crazy with it cause during that time I was dealing with my wife's situation (which got worse), not thinking properly and taking someone's advice other than my own ears.
In the end I've found that class D just isn't for me and while I set a limit on my purchases should have gone beyond it in the first place cause I ended up putting out the money through my endeavors.
I now have Dali Rubicon 6 speakers, Coda Continuum 8 amp, Sonnet Morpheus mkII dac with Happa Audio connecting everything. I hope to never replace my Accuphase C11 pre or MF MCD cd spinner. Hoping this is it for me. I had original stuff for over twenty years and was happy. I am at happy plus with what the system is now.
And to top it all off I find myself not listening to anything since the loss of my wife. Go figure.
Don
Quote from: dflee on July 23, 2024, 10:43:06 AM
This has been about as close to trial by fire as I've ever been.
It all started when I wanted to try a new pair of speaker cable. I had a four channel amp that could be made
into two channel (monoing two channels) and wanted to hear how they sound. Had two sets of SC originally and only had one set of trial. It was awesome sound while it lasted. Fried the amp cause the speakers were 4 ohm. Went through a slew of amps trying to come up with one I liked and during that process my wife who lost her vision inadvertently turned the volume all the way up through the remote didn't realize she was on the wrong channel. When she pushed the right one it blew out the mid range on a speaker. Of course you can't get a new driver on a twenty plus year old speaker so now gotta find a good combination.
With having a job it became quite the challenge. To get to 500 hrs on a piece in thirty day requires the unit to be on over 16 hrs a day and the manufactures kept telling me to give it time to break in. That ended up with purchasing and having to sell as used six different amps and two pair of speakers. I estimate I've lost over five digits money wise and yet I pursued on. I got a little crazy with it cause during that time I was dealing with my wife's situation (which got worse), not thinking properly and taking someone's advice other than my own ears.
In the end I've found that class D just isn't for me and while I set a limit on my purchases should have gone beyond it in the first place cause I ended up putting out the money through my endeavors.
I now have Dali Rubicon 6 speakers, Coda Continuum 8 amp, Sonnet Morpheus mkII dac with Happa Audio connecting everything. I hope to never replace my Accuphase C11 pre or MF MCD cd spinner. Hoping this is it for me. I had original stuff for over twenty years and was happy. I am at happy plus with what the system is now.
And to top it all off I find myself not listening to anything since the loss of my wife. Go figure.
Don
Don,
That is a long, difficult and expensive journey to get you back to this point. What is the original amp that was fried? I've heard very good things about Coda amps and preamps.
As to not listening after your wife passed, it happened to me as well. I stopped listening for a long time. One day I thought...this is nuts. I love music, have listened and enjoyed for decades and my wife appreciated my love of music as well. So I forced myself to start listening again. And it didn't take long for me to enjoy it again.
Nick
Sorry to hear of your loss Don. My mom just died last sunday evening at 96. Will take a while to get the
equilibrium back, so hang in there my friend.
steve
Steve,
I'm so sorry to hear about your mom's passing.
Nick
Quote from: steve on July 24, 2024, 04:30:34 PM
Sorry to hear of your loss Don. My mom just died last sunday evening at 96. Will take a while to get the
equilibrium back, so hang in there my friend.
steve
Losing family is unlike any other loss. Condolences, Steve. 😔
Sincere condolences Steve.
May your memories be good ones.
To a certain degree I am glad for my ignorance in audiophilia. I've got a really good sounding system
put together (to my ears anyway) and without the knowledge that a lot of you (Steve and Dave for example) have on how to make things sound better and what the innerds of a piece are made of will say in my case ignorance truly is bliss. Gotta admit I actually miss the scrutiny I got when bringing in new equipment and
her really good ear of sound. Had a piano tuner come in to work on the Mason and Hamlin grand that hasn't been touched once Shirley lost her sight to the point she couldn't read tablature. Found out it was built in
1923 and when he was done he played some on it. It reminded me that there is nothing that can compare.
All we can do is enjoy the music through whatever means possible. And ya, I hope to find that enjoyment
again. If not than I've put a great deal of money into nothing.
Thank you Gentlemen. I appreciate your friendship and prayers, especially at this time.
Music can do wonders for the soul, like a good medicine.
All the best to you, my friends.
steve
ps. Let's get back to Nick's topic of changes.
Something I changed, actually testing right now is lowering the filament voltage and checking
tube life of the JJ E88cc tube. With today's tube prices, would like to obtain maximum tube life.
Lowering filament voltage too much will cause premature tube failure. I am thinking that the
ratio of actual idling plate current vs the maximum listed in the particular tube specs will
determine how low the filament can go. However, this could be wrong due to an assumption
I am making.
A 12ax7 has a maximum plate current of 9ma while typical idle is listed as 1.2ma.
or 13.3%
A 6dj8, E88cc has typical idle plate current of 15ma while maximum of 20ma, or
75%.
Both are running the plate current and other characteristics in the linear region.
I have seen an ARC SP-3 preamp running the 12ax7 filaments nearly dark with
low filament voltage as there is plenty of reserve cathode current capability according
to the specs in the manuals.
I am testing the JJ E88cc for optimum tube life at ~8.6ma, plate current each section
or 43% of the maximum listed plate current.
cheers
steve
Rewrote this post due to parts on hand for a small test chassis. The 11A preamp will take
much longer to evaluate while the small chassis will be on 24/7.
Quote from: steve on August 04, 2024, 09:26:32 PM
Something I changed, actually testing right now is lowering the filament voltage and checking
tube life of the JJ E88cc tube. With today's tube prices, would like to obtain maximum tube life.
Lowering tube life vs filament voltage will most likely vary with descent tube type. For instance:
A 12ax7 has a maximum plate current of 9ma while typical is 1.2ma.
A 6dj8, E88cc has typical plate current of 15ma while maximum of 20ma.
Both are running the plate current and other characteristics in a nice region.
I have seen an ARC SP-3 preamp running the 12ax7 filaments nearly dark with
low filament voltage as there is plenty of reserve cathode current capability.
I am testing the JJ E88cc at low, and lower filament voltage to check for optimum
tube life. Too low and the cathode will be depleted and short life.
cheers
steve
Fascinating test, Steve. Keep us posted
Nick
This is not a truly representative test as only 1 used JJ E88cc tube with two sections,
A, B are being tested. I will have to perform more tests with more JJ E88cc tubes for
better overall accuracy but should give us a good indication. Tube has been turned
off just a couple of times so far.
Test started on 8-11-24, measurements below are from 8-15-24.
Very early on, approximately 90 hours, the tube appears stable.
I did make a change from 2 watt to dual 12 watt plate resistors on 8-11-24
for increased heat related stability. Different RL resistance values A and B
are due to availability from the old parts box.
RL A are two Mills 12 watt resistors in parallel for 7.11K ohms
RL B are two Mills 12 watt resistors in parallel for 7.71K ohms
Voltages and currents are approximates.
Filament 5.85 volts dc
B+ voltage 142
Plate A voltage 71.8 volts
Plate B voltage 63.8 volts
Plate A current 9.86ma
Plate B current 10.13 ma
We'll see how the tube acts over time.
cheers
steve
Missing a couple of posts, but if I can recall, at the voltages presented in
my last post, I believe and plate voltage rose only 1-2% after nearly 800
hours. Please correct me if I am off.
That is incredible since at 6.3 volts filament, the plate voltage change was dramatically more with fewer hours. So it appears that gas is not degrading the cathode, but the cathode temperature is limiting the hours of usefulness.
The TS 6550 output tubes seem to be doing well with reduced filament voltage. After hundreds of hours,
I could not tell the sonic difference between the used tubes and brand new tubes I have in the boxes.
The plate current is also very very close as the octet were matched when new.
cheers
steve
Quote from: steve on March 26, 2025, 09:23:42 PMMissing a couple of posts, but if I can recall, at the voltages presented in
my last post, I believe and plate voltage rose only 1-2% after nearly 800
hours. Please correct me if I am off.
That is incredible since at 6.3 volts filament, the plate voltage change was dramatically more with fewer hours. So it appears that gas is not degrading the cathode, but the cathode temperature is limiting the hours of usefulness.
The TS 6550 output tubes seem to be doing well with reduced filament voltage. After hundreds of hours,
I could not tell the sonic difference between the used tubes and brand new tubes I have in the boxes.
The plate current is also very very close as the octet were matched when new.
cheers
steve
Steve,
I have noticed a few small errors as well. We went from a 2017 SMF version to a 2023 version. Whether or not that's the cause, I really don't know. Our tech, Jean aka JB, backed up the data and handled some BS from the previous web hosting company. He really did a nice job for us considering all that.
I am just trying to get used to the different layout and version changes. I still can't find how we can post a simple photo. I might have to ask JB. That was one of the things I wanted improved. JB can change, add things etc. But there will be a fee, although I consider his fees to be very reasonable.
Nick
Quote from: Nick B on March 26, 2025, 10:12:33 PMQuote from: steve on March 26, 2025, 09:23:42 PMMissing a couple of posts, but if I can recall, at the voltages presented in
my last post, I believe and plate voltage rose only 1-2% after nearly 800
hours. Please correct me if I am off.
That is incredible since at 6.3 volts filament, the plate voltage change was dramatically more with fewer hours. So it appears that gas is not degrading the cathode, but the cathode temperature is limiting the hours of usefulness.
The TS 6550 output tubes seem to be doing well with reduced filament voltage. After hundreds of hours,
I could not tell the sonic difference between the used tubes and brand new tubes I have in the boxes.
The plate current is also very very close as the octet were matched when new.
cheers
steve
Steve,
I have noticed a few small errors as well. We went from a 2017 SMF version to a 2023 version. Whether or not that's the cause, I really don't know. Our tech, Jean aka JB, backed up the data and handled some BS from the previous web hosting company. He really did a nice job for us considering all that.
I am just trying to get used to the different layout and version changes. I still can't find how we can post a simple photo. I might have to ask JB. That was one of the things I wanted improved. JB can change, add things etc. But there will be a fee, although I consider his fees to be very reasonable.
Nick
Hi Nick,
I like the new site, pretty cool. I am not worried, my simple reply is fine.
Have not really looked, but yes, it would be nice to upload photos,
files etc, especially for technical discussions. I am sure things will be ironed
out.
If donations are appreciated, please let us know. I can donate a bit if needed.
Cheers
steve
Quote from: steve on March 27, 2025, 05:44:50 AMQuote from: Nick B on March 26, 2025, 10:12:33 PMQuote from: steve on March 26, 2025, 09:23:42 PMMissing a couple of posts, but if I can recall, at the voltages presented in
my last post, I believe and plate voltage rose only 1-2% after nearly 800
hours. Please correct me if I am off.
That is incredible since at 6.3 volts filament, the plate voltage change was dramatically more with fewer hours. So it appears that gas is not degrading the cathode, but the cathode temperature is limiting the hours of usefulness.
The TS 6550 output tubes seem to be doing well with reduced filament voltage. After hundreds of hours,
I could not tell the sonic difference between the used tubes and brand new tubes I have in the boxes.
The plate current is also very very close as the octet were matched when new.
cheers
steve
Steve,
I have noticed a few small errors as well. We went from a 2017 SMF version to a 2023 version. Whether or not that's the cause, I really don't know. Our tech, Jean aka JB, backed up the data and handled some BS from the previous web hosting company. He really did a nice job for us considering all that.
I am just trying to get used to the different layout and version changes. I still can't find how we can post a simple photo. I might have to ask JB. That was one of the things I wanted improved. JB can change, add things etc. But there will be a fee, although I consider his fees to be very reasonable.
Nick
Hi Nick,
I like the new site, pretty cool. I am not worried, my simple reply is fine.
Have not really looked, but yes, it would be nice to upload photos,
files etc, especially for technical discussions. I am sure things will be ironed
out.
If donations are appreciated, please let us know. I can donate a bit if needed.
Cheers
steve
Thanks, Steve. We are good right now.
First off, thumbs up on the new site look.
I recently picked up a Bluesound Node Icon- I fell for the hype of the 'dual DAC' that was going to change my life sound wise. It sounded good, but not over the top good. It works flawlessly and I love the user interface.
So... I picked up a Chord Qutest DAC. WOW. I love the sound of this piece.
In retrospect, I could have gotten a less expensive streamer since I'm using an external DAC. Live and learn...
I also picked up a digital interconnect from TWL, so my cd player just got a major sound upgrade.
All good here.
Jim
Quote from: James Edward on March 28, 2025, 08:12:44 AMFirst off, thumbs up on the new site look.
I recently picked up a Bluesound Node Icon- I fell for the hype of the 'dual DAC' that was going to change my life sound wise. It sounded good, but not over the top good. It works flawlessly and I love the user interface.
So... I picked up a Chord Qutest DAC. WOW. I love the sound of this piece.
In retrospect, I could have gotten a less expensive streamer since I'm using an external DAC. Live and learn...
I also picked up a digital interconnect from TWL, so my cd player just got a major sound upgrade.
All good here.
Jim
Thanks, Jim. Glad you like it.
One of the guys at the old Vegas audio club I was a member of had the Qutest and we quite liked it. As to the Bluesound, it has an internal or external power supply? I ask as some diy guys upgraded the power supplies and got a nice bump in performance. Glad you got a good usb cable! I might need another power cord from Pete one of these days