8 watts of SET bliss using W.E. 300b,Takatsuki TA-300b and EML 300b XLS tubes.
First Watt SIT-3 amp
Nelson Pass limited edition amp which has the sound signature somewhat of a SET amp and SS Class A amp combined.
Horning Hybrid Eufrodite Ellipse
Hi-efficient speakers that mate well with SET amps. Very musical and refined sound.
PurePower 1500+
ac regenerator & conditioner with battery back-up
PI Audio Group Digibuss
Digital filter with Furutech GTX-D NCF (R) outlets and IEC. Isolates and filters my digital components from sending digital nasties back into my system.
Black Cat Graceline 2 phono cable
Turntable to SUT
High Fidelity Cables CT-1 Ultimate IC's
connected to all componets except Turntable
HIJIRI HDG-X million digital AES/EBU
connected between server and Dac
HIJIRI TAKUMI MAESTRO PC
Used from Digi-bus to DAC
Amp and Preamp
Triode Wire Labs Obsession, Digital American HP PC's, Spirit II phono cables
Obsession connected to Regenerator, phonostage, Digital American HP to Grimm MU1,
I like it very much! It is a true hi-end dac. Doesn’t have any digital artifacts at all. Quite, musical, with good drive and openness. Imaging, soundstage, width, depth all very good! Smoothness without losing detail. I use it with a Grimm MU1 and the pairing is wonderful!
@snopro beautiful system.. I am thinking about getting the Mola Mola DAC, how do you like it?? Please let me know.. I currently have a hifi Rose RS150B and few run of the mill DACs,
With updated system, I am itching to get a DAC that will pair well..
They are all really nice. I would put the Taks and WE in the same tier and the EML just below. The WE are a little warmer in the mids and upper bass than the Taks. The Taks are a little faster and tighter in the bass and the treble maybe more extended and refined.
The EML are very dynamic and go the deepest in the bass but, isn't as refined sounding as the other two. The midrange doesn't have as much texture and beauty.
Thx Jason really enjoy listening to music through this set-up!
My Supratek is an older model the newer ones use output transformers.
Changed all the parts, Dave Slagle custom chokes, Magnequest interstage transformers, Dact attenuator, naked vishay and tantalum resistors, oil and black gate caps in power supply, cardas wiring, Jupiter Flat Stack output caps with Duelund silver bypass caps, WBT rca connectors, teflon tube sockets. I think thats all of it! LOL
Yes, I think the pairing is very good. It is a wonderful sounding SS amp. It has very nice tone with an open and transparent sound. It has zero grain and is almost as fleshed out and natural sounding as my 300b's but, goes deeper in the bass and has a wider soundstage.
It's a special SS amp. If it matches up with your speakers, which It does with mine and I'm sure yours you would be impressed.
I like to switch off between the two amps. I love both of them.
I have a pair of Horning Eufrodite mkii and wanted to see if you tried the First Watt amp with your Hornings and if so thoughts? I currently use a Aesthetix Atlas with mine and love the sound....
I've had limited listening experiences with the Zu speakers. Having heard Horning Eufrodite recently I can certainly agree that they're open, refined and dynamic. Good choice.
Hi hic and jetrexpro, The HFC's are wonderful so clear, open, and natural sounding.
David, the Zu's were really good and I enjoyed them a lot. The Hornings are a step or two above the Zu's in refinement, bass, and openness. Really a beautiful speaker to listen to.
System upgrade: I sold my Druid V and Undertone sub for a pair of Horning Eufrodite Ellipse speakers. Needs lots of brake-in but, sounds very good so far.
Musical, refined, with beautiful tone and a big open soundstage.
Thank you Tom for your kind words. I'm really enjoying music thru this set-up. Your system must give you much joy. Wonderful components, those Total Reference Speakers must sound unbelievable with your excellent choice of components.
Tom, I also use the Star Sound platforms beneath the Frankensteins and all other components. They do improve the sound quality and are definitely worthwhile (and very cost effective).I suspect that the SRA is an excellent product as well. Charles,
Joe, thank you for getting back to me. I will report back to you when I have made up my mind on isolation bases for the Frankensteins. I will now add the Sistrum Apprentice to my list of possibilities.
Hi Tom, Actually, I use The Sistrum apprentice bases for my Franks with very good results. The SRA bases are excellent also. I'm using them for my SACD player and phonostage. They cost more money and are made specifically for that component.
Both work great, really couldn't compare because the SRA are made for the weight distribution of the component it's made for.
I own the Coincident Frankenstein MKII amplifiers. I noticed in one of your system pictures that your Frankenstein amplifiers were situated on top of a Silent Running Audio VR isolation base. I am currently in the process of evaluating possible isolation base options for my Frankensteins.
Did you have these bases manufactured specifically for the Frankensteins? if so, did you notice any benefits? Did Israel recommend the SRA bases for the Frankensteins? Thanks for your time. Tom
Dmarkov, thanks for the kind words. The SRA and Sistrum both improve the components that sit on them. Which ones work better? I don't know, because the SRA are made specifically for that component it sits on, so I didn't compare.
Yes those are Apprentice platforms under the Franks. They definitely need a few days to settle in. When I first placed them in the tonal balance leaned out a bit, but came back with tighter bass ,better dynamics, and inner detail.
Hi Snopro, What a neat system you have and I recognize some of the equipment :) I have a question regarding SRA and Sistrum. What are your impressions of both? Are these the Apprentice platforms under the Franks?
Charles/Joe, The Coincident 300b amps are really something. So clear and rich sounding. Well done and not mega buck price. The Supratek preamp sounded really great to. Jupiter caps must be very good. I mentioned it above but yesterday brought home the importance of a great room. All of the dealer's showrooms and audio shows that I've visited have four walls that are parallel and for a large scale system just hurts the dynamics and musicality. Joe has none of these concerns in his room. But his room is also not dead sounding; actually it is quite live.
Here in brooklyn we have long slender apartments and lots of neighbors close by so I have some built it disadvantages. My AN-e's need more more to breathe. I am also constantly turning the volume down so I don't bother the neighbors. Acoustically my room is very good in that there are only two parallel walls and we have a throw rug down, so like Joe's room there there are no standing waves (slap echos) and the room is not totally dead, but it needs to be much bigger to realize the potential of my speakers. Joe, You are welcome anytime. Soon I'll be receiving Audio Note Ultra Hi B Core output transformers and I'll invite up once I have installed them. They should be here any time now.
Hi Joe, I look forward to your impression of the Elrogs given that Israel Blume had a different view compared to Bill and I. He found them better by only a subtle margin. You have different speakers/system to provide another individual perspective. Israel, Bill and I used various Coincident speakers. I don't know how many hours Israel's Elrogs had. Out of the box they impressed me be they clearly improve with burn in. Charles,
Charles, I was using the Takatsuki's. I ordered the Elrogs but TubesUSA (George) send them to my old address. The Post Office is forwarding them to my new address. It's been almost a month, hopefully they will arrive this week.
Looking forward to hearing them in the Franks, especially that you and Brownsfan think so highly of them.
