Thank you Arnie,  I've had my son and his fiancé, here for the holidays and no time to experiment.  With you and Christian on board with same choice I'm more eager than ever to install the RCA CRC Jan 5R5GY.

We had a good session this evening with one new visitor.  Wish I had the new tube in the system before we began.

albertporter December 30, 2015 07:15

Arnie,

I have the same RCA 5R4GY as you and when speaking with Andy at Vintage he mentioned the 5R4 Chathum “potato masher” rectifier.  I remembered I had a few of those so on my living room table are four sets of rectifiers.

Cation R4, RCA 5R4 , Sylvania Gold Brand GB-5931 and old Tung sol 5U4GB.  I don’t know exact age of Tung Sol but they are straight side with double top getter and box appears to be from 1950s.

Please post results of your test, I know Rockit loves the RCA and suspect they are excellent but who knows what each of us will get from these.

albertporter December 22, 2015 04:46

Arnie,

I'll be interested in the shoot out between the 1940s RCA 5R4GY and that prime DHT version.

Allnic designed the H-5000 to run with FY3, maybe we have not been looking at the right version.  Please do post results, I know how your system sounds so it will be pertinent to mine.

albertporter December 17, 2015 03:14

No you did not miss anything, the old was easy and “bubbled to the top” is a perfect description.   We all knew it was a new contribution and those that wanted to view clicked and those that didn’t passed it by.

I hope they return it to the original but at least for now Virtual Systems can be found.  A week ago it was total disconnect which would cut my visits to Audiogon even more than now.

albertporter December 08, 2015 03:20

Hello Arnie,

Good to see our Virtual Systems posts showing up again  here at Audiogon.  Several systems including yours is always of interest to me.

albertporter December 07, 2015 04:18

Great report Arnie, pleased to read you are ever evolving and improving your wonderful system.

albertporter June 21, 2015 21:49

Arnie,

Now I’m even more interested in adding an Entreq to my own system. It’s been on my radar for months, I need to move it up the priority chain.

albertporter January 27, 2015 04:51

Arnie,

Exciting news, I hope to hear your system again sometime in the near future. From reading about upgrades it appears to have taken another leap in performance.

albertporter May 26, 2014 23:45

I've heard your system so feedback on that tube would be helpful. Wish I could hear Rockitman's system some day.

albertporter February 21, 2014 20:47

I have a sort of Audio Prepper Nervosa Syndrome going on with tubes lately.

Ahh....welcome to the club.

I have boxes and boxes of NOS tubes. Probably several hundred. I'm always afraid the "perfect" tube will go away just when I need it for XX brand of gear. :^).

albertporter February 21, 2014 03:34

Upscale Audio has this Amperex from the 60s for $65.00. I bought four of them for $55.00 each just four months ago, so perhaps his claim they will eventually be $100.00 each is true?

I have not tried them yet.

http://www.upscaleaudio.com/Philips-5R4GYS-Made-in-Holland_p_562.html

albertporter February 18, 2014 05:40

I am very interested in the outcome of this test.

albertporter February 10, 2014 22:41

Thanks Rockitman, reads like I need to try the Mil Spec Nuvistors in my HA3000.

Are the same sound otherwise as what came from Allnic?

albertporter January 27, 2014 21:50

Dragon_vibe
This is by far one of the best systems iv seen on the internet? Very well laid out. Room looks Stunning. Can not imagine how it feels sitting there listening all day long. Top Class!

Dragon_vibe, I can tell you how it sounds. I visited Arnie some weeks back and not only is he a gracious host, his system is top tier.

Of all the systems I've listened to in my 30 plus years as an audiophile/music lover his ranks among the very, very best.

I've heard systems that were "different" and high performance but it's almost impossible to achieve more than what Arnie has. It's remarkable in it's control, low distortion and tonal color.

I think equally important is the fact that Arnie loves music. The system is not just a toy. When I visited for two days he played LPs I had not heard. When I returned home I purchased several of those titles.

That does not happen often, I own and listen to thousands of titles so Arnie not only has a ultra high performance system that I respect, he is a kindred spirit in music.

albertporter December 24, 2013 22:38

Hi Albert,

I've purchased a NOS pair of the Bendix 6106 Red Bank rectifier tubes to try in the H5000. I should have them here sometime next week and I will give them a try. Although I hate to change anything because the analog front end is sounding so good right and I still only have 9 hours of playing time on the H5000.

That and swapping out all the 6550 tubes on my VTLs on Friday are keeping me from any more tests at this moment.

My 6101 Bendix rectifiers will have to wait, I just finally got around to a second round with the two sets of 300B. I think we both agree the Russian (low impedance) solution was best.

The Allnic DHT5000 is so much better than anything I've ever heard, that alone is a big adjustment. I have a few more hours than you but based on previous experience there is more to come.

After we spoke about the 6550s (well past their prime) I put in the KT88s. It will be interesting to discuss the differences when we listen together again.

albertporter December 14, 2013 22:48

I too am interested in what the Bendix rectifiers bring to the sound. I have a pair but have not listened to them.

albertporter December 13, 2013 01:14

Super :-).

albertporter August 09, 2013 01:53

Arnie, That reads like the perfect recipe.

Being able to set two identical tube amps to ideal damping for the driver it operates is heaven.

I want to hear this someday. I also need to save up some money and get a pair of these new VTL.

albertporter August 08, 2013 22:07

Thanks Arnie, very interesting about VTL changing to 12BH7 after using the 6350 for more than a decade. The 12BH7 is probably easier to source and maybe lower distortion.

What I'm most interested in is if VTL managed to keep the Siegfried Series 2 sounding as "tube" like as pervious models.

If VTL changed the output transformer it could be months before it completely stops changing but it's certainly positive that you've gotten this much performance out of the box.

albertporter July 31, 2013 18:32

Please do post listening results, especially if you can separate the upgrade to Series 2 and what that delivers beyond the already excellent Siegfried.

albertporter July 31, 2013 05:42

Arnie, mark me as officially jealous.

I love my VTL 750, cannot imagine how the new Siegfried series 2 will sound.

albertporter July 24, 2013 04:01

Arnie,

(the Rockport Arrakis are just short of 7 feet tall) and it does sound pretty good.

The epitome of humble :-). Safe to say way better than "pretty good" and I intend to take you up on that offer to listen when I visit John Frech.

Maybe we can agree on a good time sometime soon or at least by Fall when Texas weather gives us a break.

Happy 4th of July !

albertporter July 03, 2013 20:27

I have active version Vibraplanes, one purchased used and one new from Steven at SOS.

My pump is Silentaire which is Italian manufacture. It appears to be the same as supplied with Kuzma Airline.

It's a model Super Silent DR-150, distributed by Werther International, Houston Texas at that time but perhaps discontinued since it does not appear on their site now. http://www.werther.com/. It would be easy to call and check.

I purchased from a vendor at Ebay but I don't find that model listed today. I found one here but price is a bit higher.
http://www.madisonartshop.com/supersilent-dr150.html

The main difference between the various pumps is the maximum available pressure, noise level and reserve capacity. Although Super Silent is 40 DB and considered super quiet, I would not tolerate that noise level in my room.

You can run almost any length hose, and it's TINY. Maybe the size of a 10 gauge wire. My pump is in another room and impossible to hear.

I have no experience with Minus K, it may be equal or better than the Vibraplane. However, the Vibraplane technology is mature and well documented, self leveling and adjustable via the pressure gauge.

Last, if cost is a factor, my used Vibraplane was a $600.00 Ebay purchase and in great condition. Back then (2009) the pump was $499.00. At those price points this purchase was one of the single biggest performance bargains in my system.

albertporter September 23, 2012 21:20

Hi Albert,
I have a suspended floor but its pretty solid. It is made of 3 layers of 3/4" plywood.

I have a suspended floor as well. It's a blessing to be able to access the underside. I have six audio cable runs, one HDTV and all those dedicated AC lines.

Those would be impossible with a slab. Still, the floor not as solid as a concrete pour.

My construction is similar to yours, two 5/8 epoxy lamination layers over lam beams supported by steel plates and concrete piers.

My flooring guy did about 1.5" of concrete on top as float and level before laying the Multicolor India Slate.

The Vibraplane was a huge upgrade for both my turntable and Studer A810 in spite of my hard work. I'm guessing the Rockport slams your room pretty good. I believe a Vibraplane would be worth the test, at least for the Beat.

I got mine from Sounds Of Silence but they turn up used here at Audiogon and also at Ebay. Please post results if you ever try one.

albertporter September 22, 2012 21:55

That should read, I wonder if the Stillpoints change would still apply if the turntable was supported by a Vibraplane.

The Vibraplane was a huge upgrade for me. Do you have a solid concrete slab or suspended floor?

albertporter September 22, 2012 05:54

I wonder if the Vibraplane change would still happen if your turntable was supported by a Vibraplane?

I don't remember reading comments about your floor. Do you have a solid concrete slab?

albertporter September 21, 2012 23:37