Wife urging me to upgrade

[Werd]

Dam there is one now on CAM. Ain't got no money.

[drewshifi]

I've used the Copland and lusted after the VAC Standard, which should be well within your price limit if you can find one used.

The Copland sounded great, with great phono section.  I couldn't afford it at the time.
The VAC is a bit more tubey. 

[rollo]

   The preamp is the heart of the system. The AR SP-8 is a classic design. The power supply alone is a tough act to beat.
    While a new design may be more transparent or just new it may not better what you have. Have you considered tube rolling first as an option ? Or have the unit tested to see if any caps over the years need replacement. A small expenditure just may be the ticket.
    Scott at S&G custom Sound could check it out for you.


charles
     

[jimbones]

ok so I replaced one of the final active pieces of my system. It has been a 3-4 year system rebuild. I bought a ModWright LS100 with MM/MC Phono. Break in has been trying my patience. when I used it the first day I was crying and wanted to go back to my SP8 Pre. However, i am letting it play 10-12 hrs a day and it has a way to go, but is getting better. It does some things extremely well and the weak areas I believe may be stock tube related. Time will tell.

[rollo]

ok so I replaced one of the final active pieces of my system. It has been a 3-4 year system rebuild. I bought a ModWright LS100 with MM/MC Phono. Break in has been trying my patience. when I used it the first day I was crying and wanted to go back to my SP8 Pre. However, i am letting it play 10-12 hrs a day and it has a way to go, but is getting better. It does some things extremely well and the weak areas I believe may be stock tube related. Time will tell.

   Since you have the amp a good choice. New will take 400 hours to break in  100% meaning the power supply. Be patient. ENJOY !!!


charles

[sleepyguy24]

ok so I replaced one of the final active pieces of my system. It has been a 3-4 year system rebuild. I bought a ModWright LS100 with MM/MC Phono. Break in has been trying my patience. when I used it the first day I was crying and wanted to go back to my SP8 Pre. However, i am letting it play 10-12 hrs a day and it has a way to go, but is getting better. It does some things extremely well and the weak areas I believe may be stock tube related. Time will tell.

Hi Jim

Could it be that you are so used to the ARC SP8 that adjusting to the new sound of the LS100 is going to take a lot more time?

Also what tubes do you have in the LS100? If you need some different 6SN7s or 12AX7 and 12AU7s let me know. I have some newer stuff and budget old stock tubes I'd be willing to lend you to help figure out the harshness. With the 5AR4 tubes from talking to Jim McShane he was very happy with the Tung Sol Re-Issue and the Genelex Gold Lion Re-issues.

[jimbones]

ok so I replaced one of the final active pieces of my system. It has been a 3-4 year system rebuild. I bought a ModWright LS100 with MM/MC Phono. Break in has been trying my patience. when I used it the first day I was crying and wanted to go back to my SP8 Pre. However, i am letting it play 10-12 hrs a day and it has a way to go, but is getting better. It does some things extremely well and the weak areas I believe may be stock tube related. Time will tell.

Hi Jim

Could it be that you are so used to the ARC SP8 that adjusting to the new sound of the LS100 is going to take a lot more time?

Also what tubes do you have in the LS100? If you need some different 6SN7s or 12AX7 and 12AU7s let me know. I have some newer stuff and budget old stock tubes I'd be willing to lend you to help figure out the harshness. With the 5AR4 tubes from talking to Jim McShane he was very happy with the Tung Sol Re-Issue and the Genelex Gold Lion Re-issues.

Dean, Yes I do believe that is partly the answer. For example. the ls100 sounds lean in the bass by comparison. But after living with it a couple of weeks i realize that it is more accurate. The SP8 had a "thickness" that wa a bit too much. The SP8 was also rolled off a bit on the highs but the ls100 is brighter. Now on certain recordings it sounds wonderful, but on some universally regarded recordings (Blue Cafe) it sounds horrible. One thing the ls100 has is dynamics are great. I'll take you up on your offer in a couple more weeks. i'd like the unit to have more break in time. Thanks!

[toobluvr]

Not surprised about your trials and tribulations w the Modwright gear.  I've had a few Modwright pieces in house and could never warm up to it.  Despite all the praise and accolades, to my ear it just doesn't sound very musical.  Transparent and detailed and dynamic, yes.  But it just did not connect me to the music in that organic and flowing way that I seek in my gear.

I suspect that is what you are experiencing.  To me Modwright sounds a bit dry and more like SS than tube, if you know what I mean.  If you are seeking a more traditional and warm hued tube sound, I don't think the Modwright will provide it.  Maybe tube rolling will shape it more to your liking.  I can't say from personal experience, I didn't stick with it long enough to find out.  But my gut says no.

You can convince yourself it sounds "more accurate", but if that doesn't equate to greater listening enjoyment, it really doesn't matter....does it?

[tmazz]

You can convince yourself it sounds "more accurate", but if that doesn't equate to greater listening enjoyment, it really doesn't matter....does it?

You can convice yourself about all kinds of things. I have often had discussion at GTGs about liking or not liking a particular piece of gear and being asked why I felt that way. We have one guy in the club who always wanted to dissect the sound and pin you down as to why you felt how you did about the demo. I drove him crazy because for the most part, if I liked something it was simply based on goosebumps. I really couldn't say why, but the piece just "did it for me." Of course if I did no like it it was much easier to pick out why. But not always because there were definitely some times that I could not pick out anything in particular that a system did wrong, but it just did not draw me in.

[jimbones]

Not surprised about your trials and tribulations w the Modwright gear.  I've had a few Modwright pieces in house and could never warm up to it.  Despite all the praise and accolades, to my ear it just doesn't sound very musical.  Transparent and detailed and dynamic, yes.  But it just did not connect me to the music in that organic and flowing way that I seek in my gear.

I suspect that is what you are experiencing.  To me Modwright sounds a bit dry and more like SS than tube, if you know what I mean.  If you are seeking a more traditional and warm hued tube sound, I don't think the Modwright will provide it.  Maybe tube rolling will shape it more to your liking.  I can't say from personal experience, I didn't stick with it long enough to find out.  But my gut says no.

You can convince yourself it sounds "more accurate", but if that doesn't equate to greater listening enjoyment, it really doesn't matter....does it?

Interesting. My KWA 100SE was a hit right off the bat. Not very SS sounding at all. The LS100 has it's moments where it sounds absolutely fantastic then on another piece of material it doesn't even sound like the same equipment. I have to give it time. I thought that because it is tube it would have that warm sound.

[rpf]

Dan uses his own capacitors. And his "best" are teflon. Both pieces probably have teflon coupling caps and too many of those will cause a lack of warmth and texture.

[toobluvr]

Interesting. My KWA 100SE was a hit right off the bat. Not very SS sounding at all. The LS100 has it's moments where it sounds absolutely fantastic then on another piece of material it doesn't even sound like the same equipment. I have to give it time. I thought that because it is tube it would have that warm sound.

Hell, don't listen to me!  I've made plenty of mistakes in my gear progressions   (regressions?).        

It was years ago, and I don't even remember the pieces.  I think one amp and one preamp.  Don't recall the models, but they've probably been superceded.

[Werd]

Getting a new preamp can be like a brand new puppie. You gotta watch it piss and shit all over the floor. Needs to be house trained. It takes patience to get it to do what you want.  it's not hard to get rid of lean. It's just how it came to you.

[jimbones]

Bass extension is off the charts good. It does enough things well that I think this "puppy can be tamed"  Was listening to Nirvana Unplugged Acoustic and Cobain's voice was awesome. You can hear all the raspiness and wavering in his voice. Not a super recording but certain things really come through well.

[BobM]

I would bet that at least some part of your solution resides in tube rolling. Another (may sound funny, but try it) could be to try different footers under the pre (and also under the power supply if it is separate).