Question for AH 2.0 and 2.1 owners?
I am in the market for a new preamp and looking for the following physical/mechanical requirements:
balanced in/outs
remote control
HT pass through or unit gain
I have certainly read quite a bit of interesting comments on the AH preamp and also some accusations in other posts, but a trial period will ultimately tell the value for me.
My questions are:
Does the 2.1 have an HT pass through or unity gain, I didn't see a reference to this on the AH site.
Can anybody comment on the suspected symetry with Watt/Puppys (5.1) and Krell FBP amps? Soundstaging depth, width and focusing abilities of the 2.0/2.1? Smoothness in the treble region? Balance along the entire frequency range?
Thanks, ckoffend |
Markwatkiss: "... trust everyone is well."
My TP2.0 is still doing great and I enjoy it immensely. My amp, on the other hand, rolled over on me (don't ask - it involved sparks...) and I'll be down and out for about a month.
The good news is that I'm getting an "upgrade", so it should be even better when it returns.
No music... stinks.
Rob |
Hi guys,
If you know of anyone who is in the market for a TP 2.0 that has been upgraded to a 2.1 there is one available one the following site canuckaudiomart.com,under the pre amp category.
The seller informs me that the AH doesn't have the synergy he's looking for.It's been very quiet on this thread,trust everyone is well. |
Some of you may be interested, also, in other sound system development work that Joseph is doing.
In a thread named "Sonos Questions" I reported on some improvements that Joseph has made to my Sonos digital source. The external power supplies that I am testing have greatly improved my pleasure in the Sonos system. Sonos provides an excellent user interface but the sound quality needed some help. Joseph's power supply improvements have delivered that help. |
Some of you who have indicated an interest in the TP 8.0 might be interested in a 6Mooons review of the TP 8.0sMCpn which will appear in the next couple of days. the review includes some photos of Joseph's listening room and sound system and mine.
We've also been told that a review of the TP 2.1nB/8.0iMCpn
wil be appearing in Stereomojo soon.
Victor |
According to Joseph, later this year. Victor, can you confirm this?
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AH tube amp? Coming when? Woo hoo. |
I would imagine that Uncle Pat is too busy enjoying his new monobloc amps. (o: |
Oh where oh where is Uncle Pat(Rx8man) gone? Anyone seen em?
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Mitch, I am trying the Dimension IC cable in my system again. I currently own his Transparency cable and use it throughout my system - power, IC's and speaker cable. I tried the Dimension before and prefered the Transparancy in my system at that time. I have a new room and amps so I want to compare them again.
I found the Dimension a little darker sounding in my old system. The Transparency cable sounded more like it's name.
It could be the Dimension cable was not fully broken it. We will see.
Still looking forward to the coming AH tube amp!!!!
Bill |
Hi Victor, thank you for your concern with providing us the most complete information you can. I know your posts here are much appreciated, but please don't sweat the website. Building a website is like painting the Golden Gate Bridge...once you finish it's time to start over again. Besides, if the website answered all our questions, we wouldn't have as much to talk about on Audiogon. I was simply curious regarding some of the technical aspects of the cables, and specifically the wire material - copper, silver or alloy. I realize some of that information may be propriatory, and that's ok too. The other reason for my post was to get some user feedback, specifically on the Dimension IC's, and the difference between the Dimension and the other AH lines, prior to my audition. Those are questions I wouldn't normally bother you guys with, since your time is better spent building equipment and cables. |
I would like to comment on some of the remarks made about the Audio Horizons website's inadequacy. Joseph and I couldn't agree more and we are working to correct it. Our problem is both time--Joseph has little to spare--and money. Again Joseph has little to spare. Still we are in the process of redesigning the website from scratch, includng the retaking of our photos, whose quality is modest at best. It is a big project for us to understake, but hopefully in the next thirty to sixty days you will begin to see the consequences of the changes.
Meanwhile, I encourage those of you who have questions which are not answered either in our ads or on the website, to please contact me. I'll do my best to answer. And if I can't, I will put the question to Joseph.
Meanwhile, I want to thank all of you for your continuing enthusiasm and support. Joseph and I both appreciate it.
Victor |
Mitch here is a email i received from Joseph regarding the differences in Transparency and Dimension, this was last month. Maybe he doesnt want the conductor material known, not sure though. Maybe he will chime into this discussion.
The geometry is total different in between them, Dimension takes double time to build and the material.
Best,
Joseph |
Thanks Stltrains and others for the comments. I believe Victor is going to send a pair of the Dimension IC cables for me to try when I audition the TP2.1 preamp. I will be comparing them against my Purist Aqueous Anniversary cables in the position from source to preamp. I appreciate the shielding and vibration efforts reported to have gone into the consruction of the AH cables, but I was curious that I could find no reference to the type of wire used (silver, copper or an alloy). |
La45: You are right on the mark. I too sense an extremely low noise floor. One can pick up on recorded sounds that resemble the barest whisper. I'm now extremely interested to hear that Dimension interconnect though I currently own two other highly regarded and very fine sounding brands. |
Mitch i understand your frustration with Audio Horizons Web site concerning Dimension ICs and Speaker wiring. The only mention is the price list. Let me say though that after getting and using Dimension ICs and speaker wire i am totally floored at its quality build and of course its musical presentation. In my case i retired my JPS Superconductor 2 ICs and speaker wire. I would not have believed it. Now my whole system is Dimension wire. I went the same route as you the 30 day trial. I believe that before you buy if possible you should try. Hope this helped and good luck. |
Just one more observation. Joseph's IC(dimension)seems to reflect his passion for noise as a curse on the signal. Terrific balance and very low noise signature.
Gabriel Gold Revelation, KCI silkworm are two well known and very good cables. Its a matter of taste.
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Pardon my mistake ! Of course, I meant the top of the line Dimension, not Discovery. |
Mitch...All I can say is that I just received Joseph's Dimension speaker cable. Absolutely wonderful tonality, clarity, detail and presence. In my system, it relegated to obscurity some very fine Siltech cable. I agree with you---at AH's prices, just go for the top of the line Discovery. |
Can any of you guys enlighten me on the basic sonic signature of the four levels of AH cables available (Concept, Harmony, Transparency and Dimension), and whether the conductors in these cables copper or silver? At the AH prices, I would be most interested in the best performance regardless of price (probably Dimension or Transparency?), and I would be comparing them to other very good cables, but I cannot find that information on the website. Also, what are the X-series speaker cables shown on the website? is that a former name of one of the four levels listed above? I am going to audition the Dimension interconnects and was just curious for a little more information and some user feedback. |
It is interesting how different connectors sound with different conductors. I am currently experimenting with an OCC copper conductor power cord using the new Oyaide P-004 and C-004 connectors. I also have one of Joseph's Premium power cords and am using the a FIM 303 male connector with it. Joseph uses the basic Wattgates on his cords. |
Just wanted to ad that Josephs' Power cord is a joy. If you are at all interested try upgrading the termination to Oyaida connectors. It makes the cord SING!
Harmonix Studio Master and Black Sand Violet before the awakening.
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Stltrains,
I am glad to have played a role into helping you choose the AH preamp. I am happy now with the sound of my system. I am glad that you have a very nice system which you are enjoying as well. Let us know how those Lessloss cords work out for you. Enjoy the music, my friend. |
Sherod to a nube here i have to say if it wasnt for your posts to this thread i may not be a Audio Horizons owner now. glad you are happy in music again. keep us posted on 2.0
My new dimension wire is settled into my system and i am very pleased. replaced my JPS superconductor 2 wire.
Got my Lossless PCs in and using them with my nuforce amps very well made and sounding power cords. they replaced my black sand violets. |
The White Christmas video is one of my favorites. I never knew who sang it. Thanks for letting me know. Every Christmas, I e-mail this video to my family. It is my "signature" Christmas video. |
Sherod,I just played the Badaboo White Xmas.
Clyde Mc'fadder and the Drifters.
Circa 1954.I had the original on a 45rpm Atlantic label.
It brought about smile (actually a grin)
Thanks for the memory.
Now i may even look into this preamp |
I have reverted back to the original TP 2.0n version. The older wire harness, although not quite as quiet, sounds much more natural than the new harness( at least in the TP 2.0n version). Regarding the tube choices, I have found that an early 1960 Siemens Cca with the grey plate to sound the best in the critical 1 and 3 locations. I want to experiment with some different versions/brands in the less critical 2 and 4 locations. In the meantime, I like some late 60's(?) Siemens A-frame E88cc in those locations for now. The combination gives me a very large soundstage with excellent depth. My next minor tweak will be to experiment with some copper shielding for the old wire harness. For now, I am back to my happy-go-lucky self. I am also happy to still be in the AH preamp family, although you may call me the black sheep of the family, if you wish. (o: |
I've tried a lot combinations, including amperexes and telefunkens. I think all Siemens is best. Two Siemens gray plate E88cc's in the 1 & 3 positions and telefunken E88CC's in 2 & 4 did sound very dynamic; however, it seemed to flatten my already flat soundstage. I think as a concept, however, combinations worked very well in the TP 2.0. |
I tried two Siemans cca's in position 1&3 and two Siemans e88cc in positions 2&4. This worked quite well, though the matched quad of cca was slightly better. I also mixed EH tubes with Siemans - it was not as ideal but still OK |
Congrats. Eddie any comparisons to other preamps you have owned.
Does anyone know if one can use two different pairs of tubes without problems or do you have to go with an identical quad. |
I want to thank everyone on this thread for influencing my decision. I just today received my TP2.1R from Joseph and Victor, and my immediate reaction was astonishment.
This is an absolutely wonderful Preamp. I just played music non-stop...music I thought I knew very well. Cliche as it may be, I had amazing decay of notes, clarity of even the breath before the flute was played, depth of stage and sweet tight bass and the subtlest of instumental nuance just gave me a Yo Yo Ma concert in my living room.
You guys really got it right. This is one excellent preamp!!!!! |
I thought about them but will listen to the preamp first with my NOS tubes and will alter it later if I want to go in a particular direction. |
Welcome Frankk,
My unit has two sets of outputs. I would confirm with Victor or Joseph. Tubes do have a major impact on the unit's sound. The Siemans tubes sourced by Joseph are the best I have heard in the unit. Not sure if you paid the extra cash for these NOS tubes? They are well worth it as an FYI.
Bill |
I forgot to ask but does the unit have two pairs of outputs since I will require it for my self powered woofers. |
Frankk i auditioned both balanced and non, i went with balanced due to the super quite delivery. i could have lived with the non balanced 2.1 for sure.
you will be very happy with the non balanced 2.1. you may want to look into some tube rolling when the time and your pocket book are right.
i'm sure other posters to this thread will chime in.
welcome and enjoy. |
Add one more member to your group.
I will be getting mine next week hopefully and let you all know my thoughts about the preamp. It is going up against a hot-rodded Dehavilland Ultraverve. Other components include Bastanis Prometheus mkIIAF, Quicksilver monoblocks, and CAL DAC.
Mine is a non-balanced version but hope it nears the performance of the balanced version that others write about. |
I've followed his rack building from the beginning. He makes some mighty fine looking racks. I see that some manufacturers are using his racks at the RMAF and CES. I know that Stehno has gone through quite a few outstanding preamps over the years and with his claim recently that the new AH TP 2.1 preamp is the best he's ever heard is great praise indeed. |
Thanks Sherod !
Not to side-track, but John Stehno is da man when it comes to minimalist rack designs and techniques, seeing and hearing them is believing. |
I already know that it was you, Pat. You da man!! |
You'll never guess who he received the recommendation from. |
Here's an interesting thread you might find intriguing. read the posts by Stehno, new owner of the TP 2.1:
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?aamps&1198942394&read&3&4&
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Pat,
I'm happy to hear that those Nuforce monos fed by the TP 2.0 pre are keeping you up late at night. If I had only three monitor speakers to choose from, I would have picked those same three that you did. I hope you can arrange a trial of each in your own system. Keep us posted. |
Sherod'
You are forgiven, my brother from another, no further explanation necessary !
I have 3 possible contenders : Intuitive Delta Summits, RSAD Sasons or SP Techs.
I'm enjoying the NuForce monos behind our TP 2.0, the sound is truly sublime. |
I just wanted to add that after talking with Joseph and Victor over this last year and a half, I have come to the conclusion that not only are they both honest and sincere, they both have a strong love of music and both of them desire, like most of us audiophiles, in achieving the purist, most natural reproduction of that music through their audio systems. I really appreciate that. |
Pat,
I'm sorry to have made this upgrade issue so confusing. Actually there was nothing wrong with my amps. The damage they suffered was caused during the shipment from me to the factory. All VAC did was replace a few resistors to a little better and quieter ones; basically to prevent future noise issues. I did, however, have a problem with my speakers. After returning them to the factory in Canada, they found the mid-woofers to have both voice coils to be strained. They rebuilt them for no charge and what's amazing is the speakers had already gone past their guarantee coverage. What a great company Reference 3A is. I want to get a feel for the sound once again of the original 2.0n version and after a while, I will replace the parts required to upgrade to the 2.1 version for a final evaluation. I apologize to those who were either considering an upgrade or were considering buying a new 2.1 preamp and were unsure because of my posts. So far, I have been the "only" one who had issues( sonically) with my upgraded preamp. Everyone else has been very happy when they have upgraded. So maybe I had wax in my ears during that time or I was so stressed out that I wasn't focusing on my listening. Just remember that for those who are considering in trying out a new preamp, Audio Horizons still offers a money-back guarantee, so for those newcomers who have been sitting on the fence waiting to try a preamp in this price range, I say go for it and don't hold back. I would imagine that Joseph is very busy, so if you want to upgrade your 2.0 versions to the 2.1 version, you had better call Victor now to find out what the queue is for Joseph's schedule. Before I put back in the 2.1n upgrade, I am going to replace the original internal wiring harness as that's the only thing left for me to have the original version back as it was. As an experiment, I am going to hear for myself the difference that the wire harness alone has on the sound. Stay tuned for an update.
Now Pat, don't wait for me. You do the upgrade and let us all know what you think. And hurry up with your decision on the new speakers ( Sasons) that you will be getting. I hope that you and the wifey got what you wanted from Santa. |
Thanks La45 !!
Sherod, you might get the upgraded version again, strange, maybe your amps had something to do with your original decision ?
This was slightly confusing to me, possibly to others ? |
Thank you all for the best wishes. I realize how influential that I've been since I was one of the early buyers of Joseph's preamp. I am still feeling positive about Joseph and his work. Victor is also very loyal to Joseph and he is a very considerate and helpful person for AH. I will keep you all posted on my journey with the AH preamp. |
Sherod glad your system is up and running, man it would be a real bummer for me and the wife to be with out music.
My AH speaker cables have fully broke in and no doubt Josephs wire is first class in build and sound very impressed.
I have Lossless PCs ordered since early Dec. Still no delivery. Looking forward to giving them a try hopefully soon.
Wishing all the very best sound this New Year. |
Yeah for Joe. Nice to see a fellow audiophile making a change in life or at least surroundings.
Sherod, we wish you happy and prosperous New Year. Please let us know if you have a change of heart on the AH upgrade. You are a big influence on this thread perhaps more than you know.
Rx8man and Markwatkiss, best wishes to both of you.
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Wow, Joe! From one coast to another. Is this a job relocation? Oregon is a very beautiful State. I hope you find a home with the right listening room for your system, especially after designing your own there in N. Carolina. My daughter currently lives in Fayetteville, N.C. |
