Hi folks,

Sorry for the slow response. I don't visit my system page often and don't get notices when someone's posted here.

Jwm, I've not heard the MY Sonic Labs Ultra Eminent. Sorry.

Peter, I'm equally curious, but haven't tried one yet.

Needfreestuff,

I haven't heard the ZYX Diamond Gold but I can speculate based on similarly-featured models that I have heard.

1. That big blue ball on the front acts as a vibration storage and reflecting device. Stray mechanical vibrations enter the ball and bounce around inside for varying lengths of time (depends on the frequency and the phase when it first entered the ball). Because the material (lapis lazuli) is dense, highly organized (crystalline) and highly inelastic, it does not damp internal vibrations well, if at all. At some point the vibrations, little diminshed, exit the ball and go right back into the cartridge generator. Result: multiple time- and phase-shifted echoes of the original signal... ie, sonic mud.

On the Omega, this effect was instantly obvious, intensely annoying (to my ears) and resistant to all efforts to tweak it away by fiddling setup parameters. A high level background murmur is inherent in this design, for the reasons explained above.

As the Diamond uses the same ball, there's no reason to expect anything different.

2. If "Gold" indicates coil windings made of gold wire (vs. silver or copper) than it would be my last choice of the three. I've compared copper/silver/gold coil windings on multiple ZYX models. In every case, the gold was the least dynamic, most muffled and most artifically smoothed. This is a simple side-effect of each metal's mass. Gold is heaviest, silver next, copper lightest. The lower the moving mass, the more responsive the cartridge. A plain and simple cause and effect.

Components that smooth or deaden the sound are not my cup of tea. Some people like to "tame" a rough or spiky sounding system by band-aiding on a smoother component somewhere. This is fundamentally wrong and defies the essential concept of audiophilia, which is faithful reproduction. If one has a spiky sounding system, find out the cause of the spikiness and adjust or replace it. Fixing problems at their source is the path to sonic and system improvement. Covering them up is like brushing dirt under the rug... temporarily better but worse than useless in the long run.

My $02!

dougdeacon May 08, 2015 13:51

System edited: Updated main cartridge listing to UNIverse II.

dougdeacon January 23, 2013 15:54

System edited: Upgraded disc player and TV for blu-ray. The Marantz UD-9004 (discontinued, available at bargain prices) makes a major improvement to sound quality from all sources... CD, SACD, DVD-A, DVD-V, blu-ray. Paired with the new Panny plasma (professionally calibrated) makes for stunning PQ too. We're movie junkies at the moment, and loving it!

dougdeacon June 10, 2011 16:51

Hi Tom,

Thanks for visiting my page. If I checked it myself more often I might have noticed sooner!

We haven't had time to visit Nick and hear his new amps yet, despite many gracious invitations. Some day when work calms down...

Totally understand and agree about the Salamander rack. I've told anyone who cared (and probably several who didn't) that it's the weakest link in our system.

FWIW, it's isolated from our suspended wood floor on weight-specific sorbothane. Additionally, every component that's susceptible to vibration is suspended on cryoed Symposium Rollerblocks, additional shelves on more weight-specific sorbothane, or both.

That said, we're very aware that improvements are possible, but our living room geography is very restricted. We'd probably need a completely custom built unit to hold our gear in the space available. There go my finances - again.

dougdeacon July 26, 2010 17:19

System edited: Updated TT description to include new drive belt, a notable upgrade.

dougdeacon August 17, 2008 18:02

Gee, I go skiing for a week and everyone drops by!

If your name's Mark then I guess you're invited. ;-)
If you're not Mark but you're good people, you're also invited!
We're in central CT, except when I'm in Beaver Creek or somewhere else snowy and steeeeeep! :-)

Our Triplanar has a single run of Discovery wire from clips to (RCA) phono plugs. Haven't had the Nordost rewire yet but that's of interest. Our I/C's and speaker cable are all Valkyja and the increase in transparency and speed accuracy vs. any other wire we've heard is notable. Great stuff, though completely unforgiving of problems elsewhere.

Back to the slopes!
Doug

dougdeacon February 08, 2008 21:23

Hi Mark,

Thanks for dropping by (and please do so for real if you're in the neighborhood).

I work at it pretty regularly because, like a sensitive instrument, it's a constant effort of love to keep things in perfect tune. Also, Paul gets all cranky if anything's off. ;-)

OTOH, four of the five A'goners who've visited decided to duplicate our system to one degree or another. They spent all kinds of money they didn't plan to, so I guess it's good for the economy. :-)

dougdeacon January 15, 2008 16:23

I can count hobby age instead of real age? That's great news for the new year! Thanks. :-)

"Never judge anything but in-room performance." Truer words were never spoken. I get emails (I'm sure you do too) from people who want me to tell them the "perfect" arm for some cartridge based on effective mass/resonance calcs or something. Heh. Would that it were so easy.

You're right about soundstaging and imaging. The 803D's are barely larger than the N03's but they are taller, so they throw a much taller and deeper stage without sacrificing image tightness. Neat!

That small footprint is important for another reason. Wider/deeper speakers would block our paths into the living room. We'd have to enter/exit by climbing in a window and that would excite the BlockWatch. ;-)

The efficiency means our 57wpc Doshi-modded Lectron amp supplies all the power they need. The impedance curve is tough, but that's handled by superb output transformers and Nick's remarkable power supplies. People who say B&W's need umpti-hundred watt SS amplification just haven't heard a really good tube amp. I can literally knock pictures off walls with a 40Hz test tone if I want to, but the amp's transparency and sound floor also remind me of some great SET amps. Best of all worlds? I don't know but we're happy. :-)

Best for the new year and I know you mean it. Thanks.
Doug

P.S. Sorry for "Marc". Don't know where that came from...

dougdeacon January 01, 2008 16:41

Hi Marc,

Thanks for noticing. The sonic upgrade vs. the N803's is absurdly out of proportion to their looks, specs or model designation. The diamond seris is not an incremental improvement, it's a whole new ball game. We are having trouble going to sleep, every record is new and improved. :-)

Any sign of the Phantom yet? I'm guessing it will do a great deal to make you happy!

Doug

dougdeacon December 27, 2007 05:32

System edited: Just upgraded from N803's to 803D's. WOW!!! Too busy listening to write more. Thank you Santa! :-)

dougdeacon December 22, 2007 19:10

Sirspeedy,
We haven't done anything new in that regard, except to leave the Surgex out of the circuit. The better our system gets the more noticeable its dynamic choking becomes. :-(

Our equipment designer suggested an isolation transformer. Another A'gon member (forget who) is using one from this company.

We haven't got one ourselves yet so we're living on the edge. We also turn off the Exact Power when the system's not in use.

dougdeacon October 21, 2007 14:42

System edited: Valkyrja I/C's replaced Blue Heavens. Imagine going from Camry to Carrera. Impossible to justify, impossible to resist.

dougdeacon June 06, 2006 16:48

System edited: Just picked up some used but minty SPM speaker cables, replacing Blue Heaven II's. A nice improvement but nowhere near as big a jump as the retail price difference. Thank goodness for ebay and A'gon! We've gone way past the turnover point on the diminishing returns curve. The Blue Heavens remain the very best bang-for-buck cables and interconnects I've heard. They shamed more than a few much pricier models from competitors. Compared to the BH II's, the SPM's have more realistic weight in the bass and midrange and a less grainy top end. The top end does seem a bit recessed, but these are changing by the hour as we play them. I suspect the balance will be fine once they settle down, and they are certainly more refined and fuller bodied. My friend Cello would really like them.

dougdeacon May 05, 2006 18:17

Heh! All I'd need would be a bigger listening room to squeeze them in without completely blocking the doorways.

Oh, and a new job. Right now my audiophile purchases are limited to a new bottle of RRL once a month!

dougdeacon April 30, 2006 01:48

Nick's amp is just what you'd expect. Sonically and musically incredible and a remarkable bargain too. Oodles of unlimited power, rise and decay times as good as I've heard from any amp, total control of the woofers. It produces musically realistic natural waveforms, a palpable physical presence in the bass and a harmonic envelope even Debussy would die for. All this without any "tubiness" whatsoever.

The better our system gets the better the B&W's get. They shamelessly reveal every shortcoming or flaw, but once everything's good - OMG! I demoed ML's before buying the B&W's, but couldn't avoid hearing the disconnect between a dynamic woofer and electrostic panels. Maybe the electronics in the shop weren't up to it. They certainly didn't have anything like Nick's stuff. But no shop does.

dougdeacon April 28, 2006 20:21

Uppermidfi,
SUT = Step Up Transformer, like my BentAudio Mu's, used for gain- and impedance-matching when using a LOMC and a MM phono stage.

Raul overstates the case against them IMO. It is simplistic to say that "any" phono setup without SUT's will sound better than "any" phono setup with one. I have heard good, bad and indifferent results from both. It is only the very highest level that SUT's cannot reach. Below that they can provide excellent sound for the money. I'm just guessing, but I'd say you also believe that not everyone wants or can afford reference level equipment. ;-)

Raul,
The problem with the LP2 is not simply that it uses SUT's. That is a minor quibble. The real problem is it provides inadequate gain and inappropriate impedance for LOMC's. I don't know which cartridge they had in mind, but it wasn't anything like the ones you or I normally discuss. It wouldn't work for a .6mv Shelter, never mind anything with really low output. It's just a poor design, SUT or no SUT.

dougdeacon January 25, 2006 21:21

Hi Owl,

Thanks for noticing our new baby. I have also heard an LP2, in the Lamm owner's own system. It seems provocative to say so, but compared to an Alaap that unit was indeed "laughable".

Nick's power amp has also shocked some high end dealers and manufacturers. Assuming a good speaker match, it too is capable of outplaying more costly, big name competitors. If you haven't heard one, talk to him.

Dealing with Nick is indeed a pleasure. It's a remarkable experience to work directly with a designer who will deliver a unit, take the time to listen and then volunteer to make changes or adjustments that make an already good unit even better.

Thanks for the tip on the Tele 801s. We're fairly new at tube rolling and Nick provided two or three different tubes for each of the six positions in our two units. It's a lot of work, but someone has to do it! We've already discovered that the most neutral line stage tube with the stepped attenuators is not the most neutral tube with our volume pot, so what works best in one Alaap isn't necessarily best in another. Custom components are quite an adventure aren't they?

HALOS don't improve our Alaap at all. They were a big help on our c-j PV11 but now they just deaden the sound. I suppose this might change with different tubes.

Cheers and happy new year,
Doug

dougdeacon December 31, 2005 20:40

Yep. He posts on VA once in a while but rarely (never?) here AFAIK. If he says he's heard something, take whatever he says about it to the bank.

Cheers,
Doug

dougdeacon December 29, 2005 21:34

Nick,
Thanks for diving in and rescuing me from a discussion of tube types, where my "expertise" is beneath description.

Scott,
What we've been seeking since we dove into the higher end two or three years ago is simply the most accurate and natural reproduction of acoustic instruments and voices attainable within our budget. Our musical tastes are 90% classical, 5% jazz and 5% "where did we get THAT?".

Since our standard is live music, our goal for every component has always been neutrality. Neutrality means we don't want to hear it do ANYTHING. I don't want to listen to a component, any component. Whatever waveform goes in is what I want to hear coming out. A component that bloats or smooths (Koetsu, Grado) is as objectionable as one that sharpens or exaggerates (Shelter 901).

By mere good luck we have very neutral and revealing speakers which cover everything save the bottom octave. Choosing speakers that reveal everything forced us to make honest decisions elsewhere. People who give up on B&W's because they're "too bright" or "too brutal" are giving up on the wrong component. If the speakers tell you some other component is flawed don't blame the messenger, fix the problem.

What led us to Nick's design was a good friend of his, "M". We met M at a mutual audio buddy's gathering and he decided we might be worthy candidates for a Doshi amp and/or preamp. A few months later Nick and M drove 3 hours to let us hear his modded power amp and his preamp, then just a prototype, in our system.

We've since heard the power amp in several other systems, where it routinely outclassed the more conventional competition. I've personally heard it shame both a Berning ZH270 and Marc Levinson monoblocks, to pick two extremes. Nick and M can tell more such stories. We ordered the power amp first because, in our system at the time we heard it, it gave the bigger bang for the buck.

Rauliguegas and others have told us that even the best stepups are compromises. While the S&B's are surely among the best, we understood the theory and were eager to hear for ourselves. Added to that was the urging from Rushton and Zaikesman (above) to move up from our PV11, which they knew to be too warm and tubey for our tastes.

Nick's preamp includes an FET gain stage for the MC inputs. All gain thereafter is from tubes. The MC inputs have plenty of gain for our .24mv ZYX UNIverse. The MM inputs have 45 db of gain. The line stage has either 9 or 15db depending on the customer's requirements. We have the 9 db version and it's plenty. Tube rush is nearly inaudible from the listening position unless gain is set ridiculously high.

When we first got the preamp we still preferred our S&B's to the FET inputs. Nick is never one to be satisfied, and he took that as a challenge. He drove 3 hours (again) to hear for himself, took the preamp away and drove it back (again!) a week later. Since then our S&B's have been collecting dust. The FET inputs are clearly better and they're still improving with break-in. By comparison, the S&B's are bloated, rounded off and "tubey" sounding.

Nick's line stage is even more impressive. It has turned CD's into listenable music, yet it reveals the differences between CD, SACD and DVD-A more clearly than I've ever heard. DVD-A'a are so good that only the best LP's beat them, and that's comparing a stock Denon DVD-3910 to a $17K vinyl rig.

Nick's preamp bettered the Lamm phono/line pair, without difficulty, in a revealing system I'm familiar with that incluces big Sound Labs. It was literally no contest. The Lamm owner ordered a preamp from Nick that very day and put his Lamms up for sale. I heard the prototype destroy a Supratek Cortese, at least equal a Grange and outclass several Marc Levinson front ends - and our preamp is MUCH better than that prototype.

Did it accomplish what we were seeking? Oh yes. :-)

dougdeacon December 27, 2005 05:40

Thanks for the tip! Guess it was silly to post tube types as part of the system, unless I learn to get better at updating.

dougdeacon December 23, 2005 14:40

We're using Svetlanas. Sovteks were okay. Haven't heard the Teslas AFAIK. I'll have to ask/dig around to find out what else we've heard.

When we picked the amp up Nick spent an hour or so tube rolling for us. He gave us two quads of Svets, since they were the most neutral of what we heard.

dougdeacon December 21, 2005 22:13

Alex,

Sorry for the slow response. Apparently using an iso transformer in this way COULD provide balanced power. It depends on the transformer and how it's tapped off.

No web info on Nick's products. He only builds a handful per year.

dougdeacon December 20, 2005 19:34

Hi guys,
Thanks for the kind words and advice. You were right about the PV11 of course. It's the kind of component that does nothing obviously wrong. One might happily live with it forever without ever knowing how much more is available.

Of course I had to say that in case we decide to sell it! ;-) That may actually be hard given the sentimental attachment that comes with 14 years of happy ownership. I may just display it on the coffee table as a sculpture.

Nick's preamp seems to have both unlimited dynamics and a bottomless noise floor. Last night it scared the bejesus out of the cats, and me, when the two giants came on stage during 'Das Rheingold' (Solti). It wasn't just the house-shaking impact of the huge drum hits and fortissimo Wagner tubas. It was the drums' lifelike texture and the individuality of different tuba-ists in the midst of all that racket. I played three sides and at all times we could hear the footsteps of the singers when they changed position. When a character's voice moved without audible footsteps it was obvious they'd spliced multiple takes. I don't know if I really wanted to hear that level of detail, but there it is.

At the opposite extreme, this morning it brought the strings and box of Ralph Kirkpatrick's clavichord to life in a very quiet room. No instrument is more delicate than a clavichord. The loudest sound it can make is quieter than a normal conversation. To get the texture right at realistically low volumes is terribly difficult.

Part of the credit goes to Nick's amp of course, which we've had for some time. In contrast to what you may read on other threads, in our system with our speakers it walked all over a Berning ZH-270. No contest.

Alex,
Sorry to hear we've both made similar discoveries about various surge protectors. The biggest hit we've taken was not from lightning. It came when a transformer blew on a nearby power pole (if you think Wagner's loud...). That fried our new stove's electronics, but the Surgex saved the sound system. Nick suggested we try a 3-5KVA isolation transformer on the line. I'm looking into those.

dougdeacon December 13, 2005 17:11

Hi Nate,

I hope your new rig is finally settling in. You win the Patient-Audiophile-of-the-Year award.

I keep meaning to take some pix but I can't do it now. Paul's spinning Crystal Clear Records Sonic Fireworks Vol. II. The air's shaking too much to hold a camera steady. ;-)

To tell the truth, Nick's preamp and amp don't look like much. They're massively overbuilt but totally un-chic, quite the opposite of me! ;-)

dougdeacon December 11, 2005 20:56

System edited: Just posted our new preamp, which we've had for about a week. Enjoyable as the PV11 was, the new preamp just destroys it. We are in audio heaven.

Thanks to a balanced and isolated line input even CD's sound like real music. The increase in low level detail from LP's is remarkable.

The biggest overall change from the c-j is the elimination of the warmth and bloat that Rushton and Zaikesman were discussing (above). Nick's preamp is neutral, neutral, neutral. It's so well damped that Herbie's Tube Dampers aren't needed, they actually do more harm than good.

The music is glorious. Me happy!

dougdeacon December 10, 2005 21:24

System edited: Just noted that our Surgex surge protector (same topology as Brickwall or ZeroSurge) does in fact limit dynamic headroom. Our power and weather are too unstable not to have very robust surge protection, so we'll be seeking something to replace it.

Sigh... it never ends does it?

dougdeacon December 10, 2005 20:37

Ken,

As you can tell, I tend to forget to check my system page for long stretches. Thanks for the kind words and yes, the UNIverse is that much better. Here's hoping you get to hear (or own) one soon.

We're going to be posting our old CDP and amp for sale soon, so I guess I'll have to learn how to post photos. Maybe I can get a few of the system while I'm at it.

Cheers,
Doug

dougdeacon September 01, 2005 20:22

Sirspeedy,

Thank you for reminding me about the Herbie's. I should have mentioned we have two HALO's on each tube in the PV11. I quite agree with your favorable impression of them.

Doug

dougdeacon May 22, 2005 23:04

Hi Gregory earl,

We have had a couple of microphonic tubes over the years, but our current set (which seems to want to last forever) has given us only occasional problems. Unfortunately, we've had them in there so long I forget what they are! :-(

I'll poke around a bit and ask my tube guru buddy what he recommends. He's building me a custom preamp so he'll know. (Same guy who built the amp I just posted to the system.)

Doug

dougdeacon May 21, 2005 23:54

System edited: Last month our new tube power amp replaced the SS c-j MF2500A. The new amp is a custom/proprietary EL34-based design made by a friend. He uses only the highest quality components, with particular attention to the power supply and tube regulator circuits. This results in a tube amp of enormous and surprising power reserves, yet with little or no tube warmth or bloat (at least with the Sovteks). We demoed his personal amp in our system before ordering one for ourselves and were quite amazed at the improvement. No other tube amp we've heard compares with this one, and other people he's built them for have been equally impressed.

dougdeacon May 21, 2005 23:50

System edited: Added the ZYX Universe, easily the finest cartridge we've heard. It completely outclasses the Airy3, which in turn outclassed a Koetsu RSP and Shelter 901. This cartridge takes the natural reproduction of music from modulated vinyl grooves to a level we never imagined. Five people besides ourselves have heard it. Between them they've heard various top models from Koetsu, Miyabi, Dynavector, Lyra, Benz and others. So far it's unanimous: the UNIverse bests them all. Hardly scientific of course, but that's what I know so far. We've played it on two tonearms in three systems, both tube and SS, using Sonus Fabers, B&W's and Sound Labs. In every case it has not just excelled but astonished. The UNIverse lists for $7K and sells for nearly $5K, yet four of the five people who've heard ours are ordering one for themselves. The fifth would if he could. It offers the superb groove tracing and neutrality of the Airys, but seems orders of magnitude faster. "Faster" doesn't seem like much, but I don't know how else to describe how it does what it does. Resin on strings? No problem. Vibrato on a singer's voice? To a degree I've never heard short of live. Dynamics? Staggering, whether you want the micro-dynamics of a held sax note or the macro-dynamics of a bass drum or rock band. Imaging? 3-D and solid. Integration? Seamless. Soundstaging? Unique in our experience: the front of the sound stage, audible on every other cartridge we've heard as a wall seperating the music from you, simply does not exist. The UNIverse places you and the physically palpable musicians in the same sonic space. In the month we've had it seven experienced listeners have been unable to name a single flaw or omission in its musical performances. There must be something, somewhere, of course. Nothing's perfect. But so far we haven't found it.

dougdeacon December 27, 2004 16:01

Hi Rushton,
I don't think I knew, or perhaps I'd forgotten, that your Io Signature replaced c-j gear. I'm not sure I want to know, if you understand my meaning. Say, are you guys on a mission? We've added nearly $7K worth of goodies in the last two months. Help! <:^)

I doubt an Io is in our near future. We'd have to add a room onto the house to accomodate it, and that might cost nearly as much as the Io itself. Going directly from phono stage to power amp must be a sonic treat. I wonder if the Rhea can do that. Guess I could look that up myself...

Since we're plugging gear here, have you listened to a ZYX? As you can see by my comments above, it does all the things we both seem to like, and better than the other cartridges I've heard.

dougdeacon September 27, 2004 15:51

Well let's think about this for a minute...

...the PV-11 cost $1,800 in 1991

...adjusted for 13 years of inflation @ 4% = $2,997 in today's "dollars"

...multiplied by 6.5 to match your upgrade = $19,481

Hey, an Io + Callisto would save me money! I'd have enough left over to buy another record! Where's Albert?

dougdeacon September 24, 2004 14:11

Hmmm, I just noticed that in list price terms, our analog front end represents over half the value of the system as used for vinyl playback. I guess that's taking the "source first" approach pretty seriously. :-)

We've never heard any decent phono stage except our PV-11 and Cello's Supratek Cortese. Of course it's difficult to compare phono stages across systems. We have more top end extension but I think that's due to our B&W metal tweeters vs. his Sonus Faber cloth ones. Lots of people call the c-j stuff warm. It doesn't sound warm to me, but I'll admit I have no real basis for judgement. The improvements in noise floor, focus, neutrality, tautness and clarity wrought by the TriPlanar and ZYX have been so palpable that it's clear the PV-ll was not limiting those, at least not before.

The stepups are indispensable for listening to a LOMC with a PV-11 of course. Were you running MC's directly into the PV-8? Even a fairly lusty .5mv cartridge like the Shelter sounded veiled, undynamic and soft if fed directly into the PV-11. Those tubes just don't like being pushed that hard. Without the stepups the Airy probably wouldn't be audible at all! ;-)

Load swapping with the BentAudio Mu is a breeze and it gives you a nearly infinite array of choices. For the Shelter 901 we actually found the best load with two resistors in each terminal of the Mu. That would be nearly impossible with an MC gain stage. OTOH, cartridge loading when going directly into a gain stage is far less critical. I wouldn't have to decide whether 37.5 or 38 ohms is best.

I do have a hankering to hear an Aesthetix (not the IO, the Saturn series stuff). We both want a gain control with repeatable settings. So many records need to be played within a small range of volumes to sound right. This makes the PV-11's uncalibrated gain control an annoying distraction. The little yellow sticky on each LP jacket with its optimal arm height certainly has room for an optimal gain setting too, if I had a way to measure it. A remote would also be nifty. We ain't gettin' any younger!

dougdeacon September 23, 2004 15:48

ZYX Airy update, a/k/a more insufferable babbling:

We're up around 50-60 hours and the change curve is definitely flattening out. I think we've reached 95% of stability, further changes will be gradual and subtle.

What happens to the Airy during breakin is that you move closer and closer to the musicians. We're now in the front row. We're hearing more detail than the Shelter 901 but it's never a case of, "Wow, did you hear that pin drop?!" You just hear the things you'd hear at a concert, naturally, and always integrated into the musical tapestry.

The noise floor of the Airy is astonishing, just like Arthur Salvatore says about his Fuji. It's lower than a Shelter, lower than a Koetsu. It takes quiet passages down to hold-your-breath levels. This is absolute magic. CD fans brag about their dynamic range. Hah! I don't think any CDP at any price can do this.

Partly because of this innate quietness, big dynamics, when called for, are SHOCKING. The poor cats hate that, and even we find ourselves jumping once in a while. As Zaikesman just said about the EP, these big dynamics are always individual-instrument based. It's the drum or the trumpet that blasts you out of your chair, not the stereo.

And vocals, OMG. Male, female, soprano, bass, solo, chorus. Just real voices from top to bottom, with no trace of congestion and every bit of real humanity.

Even mediocre recordings reveal their music well. I could babble on forever...

We checked azimuth with the Wally Analog Shop last night. My setup by eye turned out to be pretty good, just 0.5db of crosstalk. Wally says 1db is "good" and 2-3db is "okay". It hardly seemed worth bothering but just for fun I turned the headshell a tiny amount and measured again. Now it's 0.2db! That's stupendous performance for any cartridge, and it goes a long way toward explaining the Airy's amazingly broad, stable soundstage and solid, pinpoint imaging. I don't really listen for those things very often, but it is pretty cool when a big orchestra + chorus spread about before you and everyone has a place and stays there. Hmm, how about that Speakers Corner reissue of Mahler #8 tonight?

dougdeacon September 22, 2004 19:49

Zaikesman,
We obviously have similar sonic priorities. Your description of the guitar concerto with/without the EP sounds like me describing ZYX vs. Koetsu. We also prefer the detail, *provided* it remains musical, realistic and is not thrust upon us. I'd much rather hear violinists playing together than hear some entity called a violin section.

I recall the EP doing that for the lower registers during CD playback. As I mentioned, we didn't get the analog rig until after the EP captured all the power cords in sight. Doing an A/B in our system is just too much work, due to lack of accessibility. So I appreciate your insights.

Especially re: your old PV-8. If balanced power doesn't help a c-j pre much then I can hold off for awhile without getting the upgrade itch. Many thanks for that.

dougdeacon September 22, 2004 19:20

Spencer,
Sorry, we haven't heard any version of the 501. Being confirmed maniacs we jumped from ADC XLM MkII directly to Shelter 901. No point in half measures, we go 10x the price with every upgrade!

BTW, don't get the idea the 901's a bad cartridge. Far from it, it's an excellent cartridge and at $1500 it's almost a steal. (Well, in comparison.) Until we heard the $2800 Airy the 901 was our favorite. We genuinely preferred it (on one arm) to a $4000 Urushi or $5500 RSP. For "only" $1500 that's pretty lofty company.

Stay tuned to the Analog message boards BTW. We're about to post an interesting offer...

dougdeacon September 22, 2004 19:13

Zaikesman, thanks for the extensive report on your EP. Hopefully Steve will see this, or you can point him to it.

At the time I bought our EP-15A I asked the dealer about the balanced power unit. He actually discouraged me from buying it by saying the EP-15A yielded 95% of the benefit in his system and the SP15 only gave another 5%. You gotta love a dealer who'll turn aside a willing buyer if he doesn't think they'll get good value from a purchase. He earned our cable and interconnect business with that honesty. (Aberdeen Components, big plug to Anthony).

Our vinyl front end has improved a lot since then, so it's possible we'd appreciate that 5% more now than we would have. Great, another toy to buy! :-(

"Those who value 'bloom' over focus or 'relaxingness' over detail might not entirely like the view the EP provides. "

Perhaps this is why we liked it. Since we first got the EP we've climbed pretty high up the ladder on the vinyl side. In that process, we've learned that seekers after "PRaT" and lovers of certain analog components considered "warmly musical" are actually valuing bloom or coloration. They're listening to the equipment, not the music. We hear the seductiveness, but to us it just isn't worth the cost. Give me neutrality or give me death! Ahem. Sorry. Presumably the EP's clean sine wave and steady voltage help each component maintain its neutrality.

Your description of the EP's effects on treble and (especially) bass ring true. There's no doubt bass response is tighter and stronger, and like you we detected no significant effects on overall tonality or harmonics. Just a clearer view of what's on the source.

dougdeacon September 21, 2004 20:23

System edited: Sold OL Silver with HIFI mod and VTF-on-the-fly tweak. :-( Went to a good home though. Enjoy!

dougdeacon September 21, 2004 17:22

System edited: Added the ZYX, a significant upgrade from the Shelter 901. It's just breaking in, but even fresh OOTB it is refined, neutral, self-effacing and breathtakingly quiet. Like the Tri-Planar or a Schroeder Reference, the Airy seems to be one of those rare, magical components that just steps out of the way. It seems to impose little or nothing of itself on the music. The Shelter 901 puts you right up there on the conductor's podium. You WILL hear every little noise, including surface noise. If the trombonist in the fourth row sniffs between bars, you'll hear it and the cartridge will force you to notice. It is detailed, dynamic and impressively energetic. The ZYX Airy puts you a few rows back in the hall, where what you hear is well integrated music. Imagine moving from a listening position 3 feet in front of a speaker back to the sweet spot. The Airy is, umm, hardly there at all. Lovely. It's worth noting the changes that have occured so far (10-15 hours in): - perspective has moved from back-of-the-hall to row 20, I expect this will continue to some degree as the suspension loosens up, but I doubt the Airy will ever stand us up on the podium like the Shelter does, it's just not that sort of cartridge - low-mid frequency dynamics have gone from distinctly soft to almost realistic, they were rather vague during the first 4-5 sides but then things started to wake up, this occured somewhere before hour #5, the change was quite noticeable and it's continuing to improve - HF detail is extending steadily, I have no idea where it will finish but again, I doubt it will ever be as ruthlessly revealing as the Shelter - it is NOT getting more pleasant or less edgy because it was NEVER unpleasant or edgy to begin with, the ZYX gives you a musically enjoyable breakin period, many other cartridges including a Shelter 901 are insufferable when brand new, unless you enjoy fingernails on blackboards A full review may follow once it fully breaks in.

dougdeacon August 30, 2004 14:20

Forgot to say, please DO knock on the door for a listen. Friendly A'goners are always welcome.

dougdeacon July 28, 2004 17:14

Hi Spencer,

'Cello' invited me to the audition of his Teres 340-2 (two armboard 340) about 3 weeks ago. Stomping good table, and Chris Brady came in to set it up.

Cello has a 2.2 and a Vector, both brand new, with a Shelter 901 and a Koetsu RSP. I brought my 901 along for comparisons and CB brought his Schroeder Ref and Urushi. Quite a pile of toys, which I heard for five days on his (really fine) system.

The Schroeder Ref easily beat the Graham and Basis arms. No contest. It's in another league and quite possibly in a league of its own. It's the only component of any kind I've heard that just disappears.

I "think" the Tri-P beats the 2.2 but I've only heard the Tri-P in my system and the 2.2 in Cello's. The Tri-P is certainly more articulate and clear in the bass, but it's really on the neutral side of neutral. The Graham is more forgiving of setup errors and equipment problems. The Tri-P is complex, exacting and it will tell you if you screw up anything at all. The Graham is easier to set up, work with and listen to in a relaxed way. The Tri-Planar is almost ferociously intense, which takes some getting used to.

Tri-Planar vs. Schroeder? I know one person who owns both and he says the Schroeder wins. We may still buy one, but there's a 6-8 month wait for a Reference and Frank has a new model coming on which the details are still sketchy. The Tri-P was available immediately for half the price and it met our desire for a topnotch arm with easy VTA adjustment. Don't know yet whether it's a keeper.

dougdeacon July 28, 2004 17:12

Hi Ken,
You should know by now not to get me started, but you asked... :-)

We're on a major learning curve with the Tri-P. Half the adjustments on it I'd never even imagined. Then Tri Mai told me about some others that aren't even in the (generally excellent) manual. Many of these adjustments interact. For example, changing the cueing mechanism height affects the point across the record where antiskate first kicks in. Oy! Aligning a cantilever is a snooze by comparison.

We thought about a Vector and listened to one briefly. It and the cartridge on it were too new to draw meaningful conclusions, but the lack of VTA on the fly was a no-go for us anyway. The Teres VTA adapter works well, but it's below the armboard and that's just too awkward in our setup. The VTA tower on the Tri-P is robust, fine threaded and right up on top. It lacks the coarse scale that makes repeatability so easy on the Graham, but otherwise it's actually better. Smooth as silk, no tools required and large enough for Mr. Magoo.

I envy the ease of setup/use of the Graham 2.2, but this arm is faster, more dynamic, more articulate and more revealing. Nothing hides. By comparison the Graham is a bit softer, slightly warmer, a touch veiled . If the Graham is a Koetsu, the Tri-Planar is a ZYX or Shelter. If anything's wrong, you'll hear it. If everything's right, wow!

The N803's start rolling off at 32-33Hz, but we only just learned they have meaningful response down to... 16Hz. How do I know? Because we just heard the 16Hz test tone on the HFNRR resonance tracks, clear as can be! Un-friggin-believable. Our HIFI-modded OL Silver is every bit as dynamic as the Tri-P, but no way does it go this low or articulate bass so clearly. Maybe I'll play Reiner's 'Zarathustra' tonight. :-)

OTOH, the Tri-P doesn't quite take the cartridge and just disappear behind the music like the Schroeder Reference can. Then again, no other arm that I've ever heard, or even heard of, can perform that bit of magic. With the Tri-P you listen and think, "That's an amazing tonearm!" With the Schroeder you listen and think, "That's amazing music."

dougdeacon July 27, 2004 17:28

System edited: Added the Triplanar VII. The OL Silver with Twl's mod is a fabulous performer for a sub-$1K arm. In dynamics and bass control it actually beats several world class arms. But like all Rega's it's a pain to adjust VTA, which we now do on nearly every record. The Silver also has resonance and tracing problems at mid-hi freq's, especially on inner grooves. The three top arms we've heard do these things much better. I hope to mount the Triplanar this weekend. It's quite an amazing device to look at and work with. The more you study it the more you appreciate how much thought and care went into it. Adjustments are easy to understand and everything - I mean everything - is adjustable. How many arms have you used where: a) antiskate force varies progressively across the record, to match increasing skating forces, b) you can adjust not only how much antiskate force is applied, but at what point on the record it starts to kick in and, c) you can adjust not just cueing height but also cueing speed. I don't know how it sounds yet, but it's certainly one impressive piece of kit.

dougdeacon July 22, 2004 17:58

System edited: Added the Loricraft.

dougdeacon April 30, 2004 01:30

Sorry for the slow response. Totally forgot to check this thread.

The only musical improvement from the EP that I can recall was the unlimiting of dynamics. It's been so long since things *weren't* plugged into it that I can't say for sure that it did anything else. I will say that, at least with top quality vinyl, backgrounds are wonderfully black and the system can reproduce musical information that is at or below the level of tape hiss.

dougdeacon April 30, 2004 01:27

DtM,

All our components are plugged into the EP as follows:

Analog outlets:
- preamp (tuner is plugged into preamp convenience outlet)
- power amp
- Teres motor (no battery option)
- VCR

Digital outlets
- CDP
- DVD player
- TV
- HDTV tuner

I think the advantages of the EP are three:

1. We have a lot of short (< 2 sec) brownouts in CT. With the EP those have no effect on anything. The TT maintains speed, the power amp never falters, the TV never flickers. This was not true before the EP.

2. The fairly hefty transformer in the EP provides a large reserve of immediately available current. When the power amp suddenly wants to dig deep the reserves are there. Great dynamics and a total lack of compression.

3. The digital/analog filters in the EP seem to work. When playing an LP I can't hear any differences between having the CDP powered up, in standby or completely unplugged.

dougdeacon April 12, 2004 15:42

System edited: Just moved the system from "Ever Evolving" to "Done for now". That's how big a change the new analog rig has made. This was not just another upgrade. I've done six of those in the last year and they all helped, alot. But none of them satiated the desire for something even better, until now. Now all we want is a better record collection.

dougdeacon August 31, 2003 03:08

System edited: We just installed our new Teres + Origin Live + Shelter + BentAudio analog front end. If you've ever heard a high end analog setup, you know what sudden rhapsodies we're experiencing. I am still too stunned to find words to describe this musical revelation. If you have not heard a good analog system, you are cordially invited over for a musical evening. Just give a call and bring a bottle of wine. Something nice please, not from a box ;) Bring a driver too, someone who doesn't care about music. Why? Because any music-lover who hears what we're now hearing may be too staggered to drive safely, even if s/he doesn't touch the wine. We have found the real thing.

dougdeacon August 31, 2003 02:38

System edited: Brought the Shelter 901 to life. Wonderful performers and great workmanship by John Chapman. New TT and arm are on the way.

dougdeacon August 13, 2003 14:48

System edited: Analog front end taking a major leap forward. Woo-hoo!

dougdeacon August 04, 2003 12:54

System edited: New power amp, and a fine one it is!

dougdeacon June 05, 2003 20:44

System edited: Added Exact Power. Power amp probably our next upgrade.

dougdeacon May 09, 2003 21:41

Warren,

Thanks for the ideas.

Many people have recommended Audiopoints/Sistrum. I will certainly try them out. Isolating the equipment rack from our lively wood floor made the most sense to me, and the sonic improvements are VERY apparent to both of us. OTOH, putting dampening devices in direct contact with components can be a very bad thing. (Especially beneath speakers, which are *supposed* to vibrate!)

Power conditioning is definitely in our future. I'm leaning toward Exact Power, but I'll certainly read up on your solutions before deciding. Thanks again!

dougdeacon May 05, 2003 14:11