hi Len,

i will try my best to quantify performance differences that i attribute to the Equi=tech isolation transformer over a standard power grid.....and to compare it to the room acoustic gains from a dedicated room. obviously, these are subjective differences from one man's perspective, and so it has limited value.......

the Equi=tech isolation transformer lowers the noise floor considerably, cleans up distortion in the power signal, and provides more dynamic kick. and when you think about what each piece of electrical gear does in your system, it's like basically upgrading every piece of gear you have.....all at once. lower noise, less distortion, better dynamics.....on each piece of gear.

an example; my darTZeel NHB-108b stereo amp has 2 lights on the faceplate that flash brighter as the amp goes into 'near clipping'. prior to installing the Equi-tech, i could play certain tracks of music that would predictably cause those lights to flash on the beat of the music at particular SPL levels. after the Equi=tech i can no longer get the lights to flash. the power grid is so much more linear that the amp is much more stable, it's power supply can handle higher SPL's without sensing 'near clipping'. this is an objective benefit that is crystal clear. yes; subjectively, the amp never sounds hard or strained where it had previously. there is more detail, more dynamics, more delicate refinement, more color and and greater sense of ease and effortlessness.

it's way better.

but the change with those lights is not a matter of my opinion. it's proof of a real change.

another change is that if i have a power outage, there is a 4-7 second lag in the system shutting off, compared to prior to the Equi=tech where it would be off right now. or if the lights flicker the music plays merrily along without skipping a beat. no wonder there is such a sense of increased power reserves.

overall, the music simply has an engaging vivid liveness all the time with the Equi=tech that causes it to always seem special and personal....drawing you into it.

as far as how the effect of the Equi=tech compares to the effect of the overall custom room acousitcal design......that is hard to describe, i'll try my best to take a stab at it.

i'd say that acoustics come first, in fact....it might be hard to assign cause and effect without solving gross acoustics issues before trying to assess the Equi=tech....because you would have a hard time knowing what casued what.

i'd say that the Equi=tech was the finishing touch on every acoustic issue, and the current 'over-the-top' holy sh*t!!!, can-you-believe-that? performance i'm now (and visitors are now) enjoying would be quite a bit less magical without the power grid upgrade. is it the last 1%?, or the last 5%, or the last 10%? that's a subjective question with a subjective answer.

maybe recent visitors to my room might have a better way to quantitate an answer.

i hope that helps.

mikelavigne June 17, 2011 03:51

term with the Equitech isolation transformer, can you assess the level of improvement? Is the improvement as dramatic as room acoustics, or upgrading a digital or analog front end?

Earlier this year I implemented a Rives acoustics design plan for my listening room. The improvement in dynamics and articulation easily justified the cost in my mind. I can't recall any other changes I've made to my audio system that had a more significant impact except for speakers.

I'm now considering installing a balanced 60amp isolation transformer with automatic voltage regulation. The total cost including installation will be about the same as the acoustic room changes I made. But I've not been able to find many opinions or reviews on this type of power conditioning. I'm concerned the sound improvement may be very subtle and not justify the cost.

Your incredible listening room and audio system must easily allow you to assess the slightest change. It would be immensely helpful if you would share your opinion regarding the magnitude of sound improvement resulting after installing the isolation transformer?

lwhitefl June 14, 2011 13:27

yes, i did use the Opus MM2 speaker cables with the 'less than 1 watt' 45 tube amp and will also use it with the 2A3 3-4 watt SE Monos. it sure sounded great with the 45 amps.

i did intend to compare the Odin to my Opus at some point, both speaker cables and interconnect, but it has not yet happened. if someone offers me the opportunity to do that comparison i would do it as i am still curious about it.

i must admit i'm not too motivated for cable investigations these days. everything is sounding very 'together' and my mind is on music and new music mostly......which is the way it should be.

mikelavigne May 08, 2011 03:51

Mike,

Are you using your OPUS MM2 with the low power SE?
BTW did you manage to compare the OPUS MM2 with the Nordost Odin?

microstrip May 07, 2011 21:20

Hi Mike, I'm just wondering if you are planning on using the Dartzeel preamp with the new tubes.

hi Steve,

i have no plans for a tubed preamp. in fact, i'm having the 2a3 amps built with the 50ohm BNC darTZeel 'zeel' interface to optimize the darTZeel preamp and allow me to use the Evolution Acoustics 7.5 meter cables which i now use. the 'zeel' interface allows me to have a long single ended cable and have no issues with length. a regular 7.5 meter set of RCA cables is getting into the length where noise can be an issue.

i love the battery powered darTZeel preamp, and the 2 phono stages i have inside it. i've already listened to the 45 tube monoblocks using the dart pre and loved the combination and a few weeks back i tried a pair of DeHaviland 40 watt per channel tube amps which also worked great with the dart. the dart pre is very quiet and natural sounding, it has none of the mechanical or flat type presentation many, even very good, solid state pres have.

to be fair, i cannot predict the future. and there could be some tubed preamp with my name on it. i could even see having 2 separate 'chains' of pres and amps. but i have no plans at all for that on my horizon.

mikelavigne April 21, 2011 13:31

Hi Mike, I'm just wondering if you are planning on using the Dartzeel preamp with the new tubes.

elescher April 21, 2011 00:21

I've demo'd the Found Music 45 amp in my system and it is quite special. Can't wait to hear what your 2a3 sounds like!

jazdoc April 14, 2011 21:55

Gregadd,
When done properly SET amplifiers can be stunning with the right speaker match. These Found Music 2a3 amps could be special.

charles1dad April 14, 2011 20:00

Single ended direct heated triodes. The holy grail!

gregadd April 14, 2011 16:40

Mark,

thank you for the kind words about my system.

the FIM/Winston Ma 'Steinway' recording session was about as much fun as an audiophile can have. 12 hours with 3 pro audio guys and Winston doing test recordings in my system. and seeing pro audio guys who had never been exposed to high end vinyl playback get their world view rocked.

i'm glad you enjoyed the sound of it.

i wish i could re-record it today in my system as it would sound even better.

again thanks.

mikelavigne April 14, 2011 03:44

hi Jason,

i am excited about my new 2a3 amps. they are being built by my friend Scott Sheaffer, his company is called Found Music and some info on my amps is here. each set of monoblocks are custom designed at this point, which is a pretty cool thing to me. i would try to describe some of the details Scott told me about the amps but i'm having a hard time keeping it straight in my head. i will say that each monoblock will have 2 separate Mercury Vapor tube rectifiers.

i might have them late May to June sometime.

mikelavigne April 14, 2011 03:34

Hi Mike
I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the SET 2A3 mono blocks when they are finished, valves offer a different tone & texture to music.
Thanks Jason.

jasonparmenter April 09, 2011 19:35

The UCD gold version of Winston's Steinway Take 2 release sounds amazing as recorded using your gear and in your room. You have one hell of a system and must be very proud!

zephyr24069 April 09, 2011 14:56

Yes mike all low powered amplifiers are`nt the same, I`ve learned from personal experiences. My Coincident Frankenstein 300b amps can easily drive speakers that other SET 300b amplifiers have struggled with, even though some have a stated higher power rating. As you`ve said varibles such as rhe quality of transformers,power supply and driver tube choice can make or break an amplifier`s real world performance. From your description it seems your speaker is very well designed and thoughtout. Your equitech setup is far more elaborate certainly, but my BPT(balanced high current transformer) has been absolutely wonderful. After over 2 years of use I`ve found no negative side effects. Balance power is the way to go IMO.
Best Regards,

charles1dad March 11, 2011 14:43

Charles,

not all very low powered amps are created equal. this one uses a mercury vapor regulation tube, and has a great transformer and power supply.

and not all 93db 6 ohm speakers are equal. the MM3's only ask the amp to drive the ribbon tweeter and ceramic mid-raange and have a low power friendly crossover.

and the power grid in my room, with the Equi-tech isolation transformer, is very amp friendly in terms of a robust, low noise, linear, power grid. i know with the darTZeel NHB-108 before the Equi=tech certain demo discs would trigger the 'near clipping' lights to flash; whereas since the Equi=tech they almost never flash any more. lower distortion, more linear power always helps amplifiers be more stable.

no doubt the 45 tube 1 watt monoblocks were limited in their output on the MM3's in my large room. i could easily get them to strain. but if i kept them within their dynamic envelope they were breathtaking.

4 times the power.....4 watt 2A3 monoblocks with even better transformers and other tricks might be mind boggeling.

i'm not looking to replace the darTZeel; i'm looking for the choice to travel somewhere else when it strikes me.

yes; it should be interesting.

my previous expereince with very low powered amps was on speakers which were flawed in terms of their ability to do full frequency and stay integrated like the MM3's. to be able to have a low power amp with that amazing purity and have a speaker that can touch all the bases and do bass into the depths is almost too good to be true.

we will see how much of that 'dream' can get done.

mikelavigne March 11, 2011 01:27

Hello,
Mike, I had no idea your speakers have the load capability or the sensitivity to mate with such low powered amps, I look forward to your impression of the 2a3 amp when available. This is quite an interesting and significant contrast to your Dartzeel for sure.
Enjoy,

charles1dad March 10, 2011 20:19

Thank you Mike. Your comments about the low watt tube amps are very interesting. I will keep an eye out to watch what you are doing.

americanflag March 10, 2011 08:58

Garret,

sorry for the delay in my response.

as far as amps and preamps used with the MM3's, in my system i've used 3 amps other than the dart stereo amp.

-big darTZeel NHB-458 Monoblocks; i had them in my room for a month last year. crazy good! takes all the wonderful things the dart stereo amp does and adds; a spooky sense of effortlessness, another gear of speed and control, an even lower noise floor and deeper rendering of ambience which expands the soundstage, and greater slam and drive. in a room/system like mine it must be heard to be appreciated.

-Lamm ML2.1 SET monoblocks; sexy, smooth, holographic, and refined. something gets added which i liked. not strictly neutral but not 'golden' or 'cloudy' either. a bit dark sounding but still with nice energy. the bass integrated perfectly.

-custom set of under '1' watt SET monoblocks using the 45 tube. if i sat in my normal nearfield spot and did not play it too loud -1- watt actually worked with the MM3's...even in my very large room. the bass integrated well. i was surprised. these really touched me. i could hear into the music in a way i never have. the speed 'inside the note' and the level of information was amazing. these amps changed my perception of what a tube amp could sound like. i'm having a set of 3-4 watt SET monoblocks built based on the 2A3 tube which should be a better match for the MM3's in my room.

i have not tried other preamps in my room on the MM3's.

i have heard other amps and preamps on the MM3's and have yet to hear any that did not work well.

if less the ONE watt can work, any amp will work.

mikelavigne March 05, 2011 20:15

Mike,

What other preamps / amplifiers have you used with the MM3's and what was your opinion of the results? Thanks,

G

americanflag February 27, 2011 16:25

i can tell you the visitors to my room that listen to all three have strong preferences for the Rockport.

+1

c1ferrari February 20, 2011 20:52

Fred,

i agree with the idea that anticipated retirement is part of my rational for offering the Rockport for sale, and i agree that no one of my tt's is better at everything, but owning three tt's has allowed me to see just what the Rockport is comparitively capable of. and in overall performance, there is a gap between the Rockport and my other tt's. there is less of a gap between 'The Beat' and the Rockport and the Dobbins SP-10 Mk3 and the Rockport.

OTOH, i enjoy and listen to all three.

i can tell you the visitors to my room that listen to all three have strong preferences for the Rockport.

mikelavigne February 20, 2011 00:05

I think that as each of us approaches retirement, it does result in a change of our priorities. I have also reached the point where I am reluctant to invest more money in my system unless the change makes a significant difference in my enjoyment. Too often we make changes which represent a lateral shift rather than a fundamental improvement. I have vicariously enjoyed your exploration of turntables and analog. If I have understood your posts, your perception is not that any one of the turntables excels over the others in all areas, but that each has its own strong points and that which a listener might choose is a matter of personal taste. I continue to hope that ultimately something will come along which represents the strengths of the other three. Strictly for the sake of simplicity, it would be nice to have one tables with multiple arms rather than multiple tables, each with a different arm. I have often thought that one of the greatest strengths/ weaknesses of the Rockport is its single arm. I know from experience with my Sirios that the arm prefers one particular range of weight/ compliance over others and thus favors certain cartridges over others.

fcrowder February 19, 2011 22:19

Microstrip,

sorry for the delay in my response. i have not done any further Equi-tech tests. however, after almost 6 months i am more and more impressed by what i hear which i give the Equi=tech some credit for. 200 pounds of copper does not break in over night; but i notice an overall gradual increase in the refinement and ease of the system.

last week i had another storm caused flickering of the lights in my room where the isolation transformer in the Equi=tech stored enough power to maintain the sound without interruption during up to 7 or 8 second periods of total power loss. this sort of buffer has got to be kind to power supplies in my gear and really isolate stuff.

the Equi=tech is the real deal.

mikelavigne February 19, 2011 00:34

Adamg and Andrewrona,

i love 'The Beat' tt; but it does not equal the Rockport in performance....and i do not expect it to. the sale of the Rockport is equal parts allowing me to buy other stuff (speakers/amps) i might want and life-style priorities.

owning and enjoying three tt's (and three RTR decks) has allowed me to determine what my personal priorities need to be.

and who knows, the Rockport may not sell and i may keep it forever. that will not be a bad outcome and part of me wants that result. i do not 'need' to sell it. only if i do i can make other choices and keep my dear wife happy too (which is always important).

in any case, if/when the Rockport does find another home i will modify the name of my system. for now, nothing has changed.

mikelavigne February 19, 2011 00:25

How about " The beat is on ".

andrewrona February 18, 2011 04:05