Charles,
Nice spec on the Franks. Whatever tube you run in them will have a nice long life. Kudos to Israel.

The Comparison: I've always enjoyed the sound of the Sophia Princess mesh (pp). The EML mesh is better in all the areas you mentioned. Brand new, the harmonic center was a little north of the Sophia but as they got some hours on them it came down. I'd be happy if it stayed where it is but I have a feeling it will get even better.

I'd also describe them as....clearer??? I would have never described the others as microphonic or having a resonance, but like with "our" capacitor findings, when you put something in that gets "less" in the way, then you hear what what the previous was doing.

The meshes do something special but may not be to everyones tastes.

Curious, I read that Israel really liked the KR Balloon in his amp. Have you ever tried them?

onemug February 18, 2013 01:54

Onemug,
The Frankenstein runs at 26 watts of dissipation, Israel runs the 300b in a relatively conservative manner.I`m glad the EML true woven mesh tube worked out fine for you. How would you compare it to your Sophia Electric 'perforated' plate?How do they differ in tone,timbre and harmonics? One mug, I get the impression you listen to music as often as I do.
Regards,

charles1dad February 17, 2013 20:01

I'm very pleased with the EML meshes. I liked them right out of the box and much more so with some hours on them.

Before you think of buying a pair, make sure you ask Mr. Blume what he runs the Franks "plate voltage" and "bias" at. Meshes can't dissipate as much as a solid plate and you could lose their 1 year warranty if the tubes are ran too hot. They explain it on their website. Basically, for warranty, they require the tube be ran between 22 and 28 watts dissipation. My amp runs 350v at 60mA which multiplies out to 21. I think you are going to be fine but make sure.

onemug February 17, 2013 19:23

I`m a deep admirer and lover of jazz music. Three CDs I`ve been listening to a lot recently are really a joy.All rhree are live recordings,just in case anyone is interested.

1)Carmen McRae, "The Great American Songbook" this feaures Joe Pass on guitar.
2)Theloneous Monk, "Live at the It Club"
3) Roger Kellaway, "Live at the Jazz Standard"

They`re all different,but all three are excellent.(if you like jazz).
Regards,

charles1dad February 17, 2013 18:43

Onemug,
How are the EML mesh plate 300b tubes working out? I would like to hear them in my amp one day. They have a great reputation for their sound.
Regards,

charles1dad February 15, 2013 22:27

Andrew,
The SR Quantum fuses initially were a step backwards, the sound loss it's organic character and became a bit clinical and hifi.After about 120 hours or so it just regained the naturalness but with better clarity and resolution.Similar to the Star Sound products but to a lesser degree. The tone and body of instruments are full and complete with very good overtones and harmonic information. I have to say the brass audio points are the first metal devices that I enjoy.Apparently good quality brass is a musical metal.There's no edge or artificial coloration, just nice and natural, the way I like it.
Regards,

charles1dad February 15, 2013 21:51

Now they`re beneath all of my components and without any question this product is beneficial.There is a lowered noise floor, resolution, nuance,spatial information and dynamic contrast are better.The "you are there" perception is heightened.

Charles, you are on a roll. The Sistrum effect is definitely additive. One of the principal attributes that I enjoy is the impartation of ambient energy. That is the essence of a plausible, sonic illusion.

Charles, was the fuse experiment a bust? Try reorienting them? I am still curious about the magnet idea.....

agear February 15, 2013 14:11

If I do anything with the speakers it'll likely be trying out the Star Sound Stands.
Regards,

charles1dad February 11, 2013 17:44

Are you going to replace the Coincident brass feet with Star Sound brass points?

brf February 11, 2013 14:47

I placed the Star Sound brass points beneath my DAC yesterday and the improvement was immediate.Now they`re beneath all of my components and without any question this product is beneficial.There is a lowered noise floor, resolution, nuance,spatial information and dynamic contrast are better.The "you are there" perception is heightened.

They preserve the organic tone and character of my system(perhaps even improved it). Other metal cones and carbon fiber produts I`ve tried before altered the tone.The sound became mechanical with an added edge and loss of natural bloom and fluidity,not this time.Mechanical grounding is is worth striving for.I had always preferred the Herbie`s Tenderfoot over all the others but these Brass points are an improvement in comparison.
Regards,

charles1dad February 11, 2013 08:07

Andrew

They also benefit the use of some mechanical coupling devices. Tom

theaudiotweak February 07, 2013 20:16

Chuck,
Thanks for the suggestion.I tried both directions early on and will do so again when they have additional hours.
Regards,

charles1dad February 07, 2013 17:15

Chuck, that is an excellent point. What markers dictate orientation? I know that was true for the HiFi stuff.

Tom, magnets are being used by a bunch of guys, including tripoint audio, and Rick Schultz. I believe Rick is the one who actually popularized their use in the signal path...

agear February 07, 2013 16:38

Charles1Dad,

Concerning the SR Quantum fuses. After they have enough time to break in, this is what I've found.

Tbg, in his fuse review said it perfectly. In one direction the fuse sounds perfectly transparent but thin. When it's reversed, it sounds more full while still transparent.

Both ways sound good, it's just your personal preference. With my Spectron amp and it's transparency, the direction with the fuller sound works the best for me.

Chuck

krell_man February 07, 2013 15:39

Bill,

The real answer is I don't know why the magnets work for me so well. The same thing happened in my friends system including two additional needed in each of his speakers. They made a greater impact on the ac side of things in my system than the dc. There is a definite difference when orienting the poles with the direction of the dc signal flow internal to the electronics. From what I have read many of the same laws that apply to magnetism also apply to electron flow. I want to know more. Tom

theaudiotweak February 07, 2013 14:09

That is intereting Tom. Is that a Rick Schutlz thing?

My tubed preamp and amp have no fuses...just a breaker/switch as Bill referenced.

I have a single fuse in my source. Replaced stock fuse with HiFi tuning supreme and now the Synergistic. The later takes 300 hours. It still may fall flat. They have a 30 day return policy. U should a good sense by 100 hrs....

agear February 07, 2013 02:43

Well my preamp has no fuses, but rather the on/off is a very high quality breaker. Works just like a fuse with no sound degregation .

On my current CD player modified my TRL and me, I have no issues bypassing the fuse. Not an issue and very little risk of there ever being an issue. So, no big deal on my digital source. I have been using this source for several years now.

Now, I also have monoblock tube amps made by Art Audio. They have fuses, I wish the builder knew how or had incorporated a breaker. I don't feel good about bypassing the fuse in these tube amps.

I may modify with a breaker soon however.

I feel the sonic improvement is on the order of a nice cable upgrade. I know several folks using copper rods in place of fuses in their class D amps. They also experienced significant sonic improvements in the order of a nice cable upgrade etc....

I would not run tube amps without a fuse or better yet - high quality breaker.

grannyring February 07, 2013 01:24

Bill,
Do you feel you`re taking a risk by running the components with fuses(or is that a small risk). How much sonic improvement do you feel you gain?
Regards,

charles1dad February 06, 2013 23:52

Tom, can you help me understand why magnets are used instead of a pure copper rod or bypassing the fuse by hard wiring? What about magnets are better if anything?

I know fuses greatly degrade sound and few really understand how profoundly they do.

grannyring February 06, 2013 23:02

I use neodymium magnets instead of fuses. The difference in sound quality was quite profound. Density, texture and slam, sound stage wall to wall. My mains breaker box is present in my lower level listening room in case I have to run in that direction. I do have to be more thoughtful about warm up times and being present to monitor. I have a friend with some BAT gear he now uses the magnets and proclaims it is the single greatest up grade he has made to his system. Enter if you wish at your own risk. Tom

theaudiotweak February 06, 2013 13:03

My preamp has no fuse in it for best sound. I bypassed the fuse in my digital front end for best sound also. I know this is not a good idea in your amps.....

I played with fuses and found that whole process to be fruitless and a bit frustrating after extended listening. Best not to have them at all if possible.

grannyring February 06, 2013 12:03

Andrew,
At this early stage the results are mixed.With the SR Quantum fuses in the amplifier and linestage there seems more clarity perhaps, however the character has become a bit clinical and cooler and is`nt quite as holistic with an organic flow as it had before.they may simply need more hours,I`ll wait and see.

With the addition of the Takatsuki 300b,Duelund CAST and Sistrum plateform there was no downside.Resolution,information and transparency improved with no loss of the natural-organic character or musicality.If the SR improve with more time,good,if not it`s back to the original fuses.
Regards,

charles1dad February 06, 2013 01:08

Spirit,
I`m as big a fan of SET amplifiers as you`ll find,but realize they are`nt the answer for everyone.If you`re truly pleased with your present amplifiers why change them?(unless you just want to try something different).You`ve put together a very impressive system and it makes you happy(is`nt that the point?).Reading various posts on audiogon you find people who`ve spent quite a bit of money(and sometimes frequent component turnover) and yet never seem happy(at least for long)with listening to their systems.I really enjoy music with my system and if others don`t like the sound I have it would`nt bother me at all.Spirit, it`s clear from reading your posts that you appreciate and enjoy what you have.As Ricky Nelson once sang "you can`t please everyone so you have to please yourself".
Regards,

charles1dad February 05, 2013 09:40

Thanks Charles. Like you, I have specific boundaries on how much/where to spend cash. The main one is not the endless replacement of components in an upwardly expensive merry-go-round. A good example is that even though I know going SET would really work with my Zu Def4s, my Hovland amps show excellent synergy with the spkrs, and as a result I'd rather maximise their performance (and the spkrs) by tube rolling (in the pre) and in effect cap rolling/support upgrade in the spkrs.

spiritofmusic February 05, 2013 08:24

Spirit,
Good call on both of those choices, I believe you`ll have no regrets.
Regards,

charles1dad February 04, 2013 23:40