Another new DAC: Audio Mirror

No fuse swapping for me.I'm just not comfortable poking around inside my components.Cables,tubes,and isolation gizmos are more my speed.

I've talked to @1markr a bit via pm, but wondering if anyone else has tried tube rolling in this dac.  He recommended orange globe label Amperex JAN 7308s and Holland Philips SQ Miniwatt E188CCs, but not Amperex 6922 PQs. I accidentally bought the latter (pinched waste I think) for my trial period. At least I'll get to try them vs stock.

And for people considering the miflex. I had them on the outputs of my Don Sachs pre and didn't like them as much as he did. Good tonality, but flat and 2 dimensional. I replaced them with Mundorf Supremes and prefer the later. A lot more layering to the sound. Haven't tried them in the pre, but I do have duelund tinned copper casts on my speaker crossovers and love them. I doubt miflex would beat them there (Jupiters were quite a few steps back).

Hey jtcf...great to hear..and the good news is...its only gonna get better!..Enjoy and keep us posted!..What about the fuse....have you considered to jump it out?..in stead of wasting money on SR blue fuse or the likes?

I've got only about 35hours on my new Tubadour iii (Dueland caps) and it's sounding really really good.There's the tiniest bit of hash over some of the vocals but of course I'm listening for it and being extra critical.It's just an open, organic,dynamic sound.Excellent separation and detail but doesn't highlight any one frequency band.
My equipment is all tubed so I've been playing a CD on repeat quietly every day for 3-4hours then listening for what changed that day for a couple of tracks.Today it was sounding so clear and beautiful with acoustic music I thought I'd throw it a challenge - The Blues Brothers soundtrack,which I've always considered almost unlistenable.Sigh.....let's see if Aretha will make my ears bleed again.I cranked up the volume and just could not believe what I was hearing.Aretha was fabulous!Put it back on track 1and thoroughly enjoyed the entire disc.Season of the Witch by Dr. John was just incredible,so many layers in that song and little percussion sounds.As jmolsberg said "holy smokes!"
I'm sure there are other dacs that can do this,that,and the other better(more sparkle,more bass,etc) but not everything better.You know how that goes - improve one aspect but lose another.I'm very glad I took a chance on the Tubadour.It was really difficult to choose what to try among the several well thought of R2R dacs.I actually was expecting to try two or three before discovering "the one".

Yes The Caps are a tight fit but Vlad had no problem with the install...running stock tubes at the present...What do you recommend?...and yes...there is no better DAC that i know or heard at this price...if so...please turn me on to it(But i still wouldn’t sell my AM3..TRUTH!)...To cal3713....give it at least 4 days of no stop playing b 4 you sit down and get its grove on...After the first 2 days i was ready to send it back...but i have been at this game for over 30yrs and knew to chill and give it another day or so ...and then the sky opened up and the musical sun ran down over my system and i knew this was a keeper!

@audio123 

I really wanted to, and was going to try those Miflex caps in my Tubadour, but then I found out how large they measure! Massive! I didn’t know how I would be able to fit them in there. I ended up going with the very nice Jupiter Copper Foil and Wax caps, and love ‘em, and love this DAC. What tubes are you running?? 

I just ordered one (fully upgraded).  Will update at some point during the 10 day demo...  I have high hopes.  I tried to update my PS Audio Perfectwave DAC with a Directstream and ended up going back to the PWD after a month or two.  The DSD just didn't sound natural in my system.  This will be my second attempt at a new digital source.

The Cap that i forgot to mention by name Is The Miflex KPCU (And Read  what Soinc Craft has to say about this cap...and they KNOW caps!!)

Ok...so i have been hearing about a Polish Cap The KPCU (From Don Sachs-- this the Cap that he Listens to in his Pre) that is One of the BEST caps out there at any Price....so i sent my stock AM3 Dac up to Vlad ( To Once again break out his Magic Audio wand) and He to is impressed with this Polish Cap.(Especially at its price... nothing can touch it) so he installed the KPUC caps...Z-foil resistors and had him jump out the fuse(voids the warranty..but i love to take chances..HA!).....well all i can say (After 250hrs of burn in) is that this GREAT stock Dac just Blew my mind with more Detail..Mini and Macro...soundstage that grew in every direction(width..height and depth) and a sound that made me quit Listening to my 5K anolog rig!!...so i call this Mod His Mini Maxed out version and couldn’t be more excited with the results!...and would not trade or sell this DAC for any other(last dac after many others was the Schitt yggy 2 that made my ears Bleed after more than One Hour..TRUTH!) So if you have a stock AM3 or are getting ready to place a order...ask Vlad on this great Polish cap upgrade that will save you about $200 (compared to his maxed out Duelund Cap Version) and will turn a very good Dac into something VERY special!.. some more audio food for thought and as always with anything audio YMMY! and PM me if you want any more info on this special Dac>>>Love..Peace and Audio Grease!

I have had a week to compare Tubadour III to my analog setup (herron audio vtph-2a, vpi traveler, dynavector 20x2L) and it has proved to be a worthy competitor. the vinyl is a little sweeter and slightly more articulate, but it is damn close! who knows in six months? i am feeding the dac with mac mini, ssd, usb, audirvana. being that is not the upgraded version, not completely broken-in, and certainly not the best source, it is crazy good... with Vlads upgrades and a better source - holy smokes.

Not surprised!!    Welcome to the club!!....Not a better Stock dac for $1500...if so....PROVEI IT!!...because YOU CAN"T...TRUTH!!

My Tubadour III was delivered today and I am very pleased. The vacuum tubes bring body and dimension to the digital music. Whisper quiet. Very musical and involving DAC 👍👍

I got my Holo Spring2 KTE version about a month ago and it is fully burned in. All I can say that this DAC is fantastic. I am using the I2s input with NOS.Tremendous trransparancy, globs of detail, glorious mids and great solid bass..Highly musical. I don't have a Audio Mirror to compare unfortunately but did so with my buddies PS Audio Direct Stream and Schitt Yagdrasil Analogue 2. We all agreed the Holo Spring was better in almost every way. I have a pretty good analogue setup and I prefer digital playback at this point. The I2s input is amazing on this DAC.

Got m eyes and ear on a used or New PrimaLuna Stock Evo 100 Dac (I know its not a fair fight...the evo is twice the price...but one of our members got the MAXED out Version $2400)....so stay tuned for this update!!

Hello Folks,
I think I need to clarify something I saw on this forum. It could be my mistake when I replied to one of my customers about tube life of 5977. It is 5000 hrs. not 3000 hrs. Please look at this link where it is  showing tube specs. The life is 5000hrs at 30 degrees Celsius ambient temperature. Here is the link:
https://frank.pocnet.net/sheets/201/5/5977.pdf

@toolbox149
Vlad has a pair of 5977 tubes soldered together, and attached to a 9-pin adapter, which inserts into a standard 9-pin socket.  So there are two pairs of these = four 5977 tubes.  What's nice is you can roll a pair of your favorite 6922 / 7308 etc. family of tubes into the T3 if you prefer a diff sound.

I ordered it after conversing with Vlad. I wanted something on par with my analog front-end? Hopefully it ships today or tomorrow. I did not go for the upgraded version, easy enough o accomplish at a later date. I use Audirvana and have limited experience with digital. Anyone recommend the Audirvana settings for this DAC?

Just checking into this unit and the tubes. When I looked at the 5977 mini-tubes I was surprised to see a tube with no pins, like a usual tube has. Instead, there are some longish looking wires hanging out of the bottom.
So, how are these tubes hooked up? Do you solder them into place? How do you do tube rolling or change tubes (especially since the life span of these tubes is pretty short - about 3,000 hours)?
While I'm at it, has anybody compared the T3 to a P S Audio dac?
Thanks

Greetings Martin-Andersen
...Great Dac...Just order it and Listen for 10 days...if you dont like it ship it back to Vlad and only Pay for shipping....Its the only way to see if its the right Dac for your system and taste...Love mine (VERY musical with great deatail and a soundstage that is deep and wide with decent Height...The Bass is good but not the tightest or lowest i have heard)  and i had many dac’s before it...most were more expensive than the very Reasonable $1500 Vlad charges for his standard Dac..

Has anyone compared the T3 with a Chord Qutest or Hugo 2?

Any update on the T3? I want to know if it have a good grip on the bass. It scores low on bass in the http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0419/Audio_Mirror_Tubadour_III_Review.htm review.

My system needs a smoother midrange, some sparkle at the top and a tight bass

What more can I say about this DAC that hasn’t been already said?
Its a keeper and yes, it did get better over time.
Better than my Yggdrasil in my system. If you have a warmish sounding system, the Yaggy may be for you IMHO
I’m running Volti horns and 300B Quicksilver amp . Horns can be brutal if not done correctly. The edginess I was experiencing with the Yaggy is now gone. So was the "in your face" presentation. The AM is one, smooth operator. Smooth with detail. Not warmish. No obscuring of detail. Its all there in a musical presentation . If anything, the Yaggy had the edge on bass reproduction. Went a bit lower and tighter. Theta Dacs were famous for that and it shows in the Schitt.

For what it’s worth.........

Give Vlad’s dac a shot if you’re in the market. All you have to lose is the return shipping.

Gonna give the SR fuse a shot in a few months

Greetings emil...who about an update on how you AM3 is sounding after a couple weeks burn in?...can you make a comparison to your old DAC?...curious minds  linger to hear your thoughts!......and thanks for your time

Thank you, gentleman

You are correct where the fuse is located. Just need to pull out the tray and the fuse is clipped into place. These fuses are directional so if the music doesnt seem quite right change the direction. The impact should be heard within an hour and improves daily.

@emil according to @musichead it's a 2A, slo-blo, small (5x20mm); looks like it might be placed in the cavity in (above) the AC IEC, but I'm not 100% sure about that.

Re: SR fuse

can some please provide the fuse value or link to it?

is the fuse located internally?

Much appreciated

@audio123

for $750, Vlad will use Dueland caps and Z-foil resistors in the DAC
He highly recommended these when I asked if any upgrades were available.
I'm sure they can be retrofitted to existing AM 3s

Hello
Been reading and researching any news on the Audio Mirror Tubadour mkIII. I am intrigued by the Audio Mirror Tubadour mkIII .  So many great products to choose from it makes your head spin because  of all the great designs and reviews. Well to hearing "reference dac at a real world price" really does it for me . 

I currently own Museatex Bitstream dac that has been supremely reliable and musically satisfying for about 9 years. Time for a upgrade you say?  All was well and fine  until I started reading about the latest dacs. Has anyone compared the Audio Mirror Tubadour mkIII to a MHDT Orchid?  I am interested in this comparison trying to make a decision soon. I really like what the Audio Mirror Tubadour mkIII brings to the table. I really don't know how you can go wrong with either. Thanks.....

Chuckie

@1markr  Thank you very much for the clarification. 

   LP

@lpretiring - I can answer this for you, since I had this exact email exchange with Vlad about the very same thing, as it is my concern as well. 

With the stock tubes (the two pairs of sub-miniature 5977 tubes, which incidentally have a pair installed on each 9-pin adapter) the max voltage is only 1v. If using a pair of 6N1P (or other tubes in the 6922 family) the gain is 6db, so you will max out at 2v.

emil...what changes in your Maxed out version  compared to the stock version Have you had done? and if you don't mind sharing.... what was the Difference in price compared to the stock $1500 unit?

Can someone please tell me what the voltage output is on the Toubadour III? I'm going to need more than the common output of 2 Vrms. The spec is not listed on the website, and my inquiry was never answered by the manufacturer. The answer will tell me to consider the Toubadour or just decide between the MHDT Orchid and Pagoda.

   LP

Oh heck Yeah...the first 50hrs I was thinking about sending it back.to VLAD...(yggy2 was still in the house)....The next 50,,,it was.. Alright!...after 120 hrs it was ,,HELL YEAH!!...give it time (after 250hrs it MAXED out) and sold the Yggy2 and have been enjoying one FINE ANAOLG sounding Dac ever since...Let us know you experience.....as always with audio.....YMMV....Enjoy!!

It improves over time for sure. Try a SR blue fuse in it improved mine significantly. 

Have about 24 hours on my maxed out AM 3 and I'm enjoying it immensely.As for my frame of reference and in my system of course, I preferred the Yaggy over the Border Patrol and now the AM3 over the Yaggy,Does it really get better with use?

Well done, Vlad

Website says to contact them so I suspect you e-mail them and provide your contact info.

Lame question here;
How do you order this dac? 

@emil  Thanks! I found that after I posted the question.

Has anyone compared this AM T3 to a Metrum Onyx, which is what I have. I think it’s an excellent DAC and I love it, but having a tubed DAC is something I’m considering as well.

@1markr 

according to this review
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0419/Audio_Mirror_Tubadour_III_Review.htm

" Tubes used in the DAC are two 5977 sub miniature triodes, a pair in each channel. They use a special tube adapter, which is plugged into a regular 9 pin tube socket. You could unplug the adapter, which would then allow you to do some tube rolling. So you could substitute tubes like, 6DJ8, ECC88, 6N1P, 6922 and the Soviet 6H23 P. After experimenting with many tubes the AM team found that the 5977 were the best sounding tubes for this application. Second best sounding tubes are the 6N1P."

Hey folks, what tube family does the Troubadour III use, and what’s the recommended tube to use ? Also, what is the fuse value?  I am finding it intriguing....

I have the Schitt Yaggy and agree with Audio123's description of it.
My maxed out AM 3 should be arriving in a few days.Looking forward to it.

I also just ordered the Tubadour with all the upgrades. Very excited to try this dac!!

My buddy just ordered the Tubador with every possible upgrade...around $2200.  When I get his "review" I will jump on the bandwagon if its a stellar report.

Installed a SR Blue fuse in the AM DAC, nice! really nice!
Can't get over how good the older CDs sound, especially the early Blue Notes. Either they were mastered based on this type of chip or the chips where designed based on the mastering or maybe both?
Read the review, I guess Vlad didn't pay the required advertising fee. The review was meaningless?