Scifi,
I was hoping to get a schematic of the preamp to see what the values of caps were in the power supply. I've been experimenting with my tuner and recently replaced the Panasonic FC caps with some Elna Silmic II and the difference in musicality was mind-blowing. These Silmic II RFS(Black/Gold) electrolytic caps are amazing. I've ordered some more to replace in key audio positions of my tuner. |
Sabai,
I would definitely contact Victor at the email posted by Sherod. You would get a faster and more cogent reply by doing that.
Sherod,
Victor could give you the values of the caps in your preamp. I have 2 2.0uF V caps in my preamp and 4 .22uF V caps in my DAC. |
Thanks, Scifi. I'll pop the top on my preamp and look at the cap values. Joseph has always been nervous when people get into their preamp and make changes. No point stirring the pot. ;o) |
Sherod
Caps you need to look at are behind the compliment of tubes on the right side in the rear of the unit. The V caps are very good. I have the TfTf's installed although if I had it to do over again I would opt for the copper V caps. Unfortunately the 2.0 copper V caps are very very pricey. Thus Joseph has opted to use the .22uF values of the copper V caps but in doing so it requires some sort to modding by Joseph in order to accommodate that value. |
I'd like to know what Joseph charges for this mod to accommodate such a low output cap. The original TP 2.0 has a 4.7uf cap. Too low a value can raise the bass roll-off too much. I experimented with lower value caps in my TP 2.0 preamp and they just didn't sound right. I understand that this output cap is very important. I found the original Hovland and the Claritycap MR to sound the best. I would imagine that the V-Cap copper would be the best sounding of the lot, but like you said, they are very expensive and if a lower value can be used, then I'd like to know how.
I have been experimenting with electrolytic caps in my tuner power supply. The previous modder had Panasonic FC caps in there, an upgrade from the originals, but when I replaced those with Elna Silmic II caps, the sound improved greatly. I'm thinking about doing this in my preamp power supply. |
I can't remember what the cap upgrade cost. It was done in conjunction with other upgrades including a new wiring harness etc.
Best to email Victor for a price quote.
I will say it has been my experience that Joseph's labor costs are very reasonable in all respects. |
Scifi,
Thanks -- in the process. |
I made some cable changes recently -- added David Elrod. Now the Siemens Cca are the perfect pair in positions 1 and 3.
A while back Gammajo mentioned loading the TP with bookends. For years I have done bottom loading of all components and speakers with sand boxes -- Tupperware-style containers filled with dry beach sand. I just tried top loading the TP with a single container (about 5 lbs. of sand). The sound seems to improve. Two containers make the sound diffuse. I just tried top loading my transport. Seems like more improvement. Has anyone else tried loading with their TP system? |
Has anyone tried Siemens E188CC in positions 2 and 4? |
Ken,
Haven't tried the Siemens E188CC's in positions 2 and 4 but currently am trying some Russian made Voskhod 6n23p grey plates from 1975. There are many variations of this tube but these are reputed to be the best. They are relatively inexpensive especially when compared to a CCa but comparable or even better in some aspects IMO.
Send me a PM and I can provide the email of my source.
Tom |
Tom, thanks for your kind offer but I will pass. I have tried a zillion tubes here including some of the top-rated Russians. None even come close to the E188CC. You should try a pair if you can. |
I will have to put them on my short list. Are they grey plates from the 50-60s era? |
Scifi,
There are 2 kinds. You want the A-frame version only. There is a current listing on Ebay. If you Google Ebay Siemens E188CC A-frame the first item is what you are looking for. |
A few years ago, I posted about problems with the used 2.1 I purchased... Then, I ended up moving across the country, and dropped off the Gon for a while.
Anyway, I did get some relief from the seller, so that was fine. I haven't fixed it yet, but I did trace the problem to a poor solder point on one of the caps. I turned it on with the lid off, and tapped the components one by one with a chopstick until I found the one that does it.
Anyway, I happen to have moved to Sacramento, so I'm going to have Joseph repair it and maybe upgrade it to a current model.
Lastly, I've been running a quad of Siemens ECC88 tubes, and thought I would upgrade these a bit. Does it make sense to quad match a set in there, and can anyone tell me what the sonic characteristic of of the two positions on each side?
If I splurge on some high wire tubes, what positions should they go in?
I can actually do a little testing, as I have a few pairs of amperex tubes, a quad of EH's, but I want to have an idea what I'm doing before I go there.
Does one position affect imaging more than the other, does one affect noise levels more than the other, etc?
Blending a pair of Mullards and Tele's, do I get great imaging with a great midrange?
Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
---Michael |
Reading through (very long!) thread, I see that positions 1 and 3 are the most important... I'll put some good glass in there.
I guess I'll roll things around to see what the impact is on the sound otherwise, since this thread is mostly dead.
---Michael |
Mjm6,
IMO all 4 positions are crucial. I did not realize how true this was before installing the E188CC in 2 and 4. |
Mjm6,
IMO all 4 positions are crucial. I did not realize how true this was before installing the E188CC in 2 and 4. |
Mjm6,
IMO all 4 positions are crucial. I did not realize how true this was before installing the E188CC in 2 and 4. |
I was going to start a new thread but I thought I'd stay with this established one. I recently emailed Victor Comerchero to ask him a question and there was no response. Victor is usually prompt in responding so I was a little concerned after a week passed and no reply. I googled Victor Comerchero and found that a Victor Comerchero passed away in Sacramento on Dec. 21, 2014. The photo in the obituary looks just like Victor's photo in an Audio Horizon photo with Victor and Joseph at a show. If Victor has passed, why hasn't anyone mentioned it, especially from the current AH product users. I don't want to start rumors. I just wanted to get a status on Victor if anyone knew something. |
Sherod, after seeing your post this morning I emailed Joseph and he confirmed that Vic died of a heart attack Dec. 20, 2014. I too was unaware, as my last correspondence to Victor was earlier that same month. He was always helpful and easy to work with ... the outgoing PR guy complement to Joseph's quiet engineer persona. Take care.
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Thanks for the confirmation, Strateahed. I had suspected he had passed. I read up on Victor and he had quite a career. He was a prominent English professor at Cal State until he retired after 39 years. He befriended Joseph and while in retirement , he helped him get AH off the ground and being an audiophile, he enjoyed what he did as spokesperson and marketing director for Joseph. I hope that Joseph has found someone else that will help him as Victor did. I'm sure that was a huge loss for Joseph. I still have my original TP 2.0 preamp which I've tweaked quite a bit. |
This is an old thread that died a while back, but if anyone still has their AH preamp, I bought a quad of Black Gate capacitors, 470uf, 160v from Joseph and mounted them to the chassis to replace the four caps on the main pcb. After a long break-in, this made a huge improvement in musical naturalness and dynamics. I can post a pic if anyone is interested. |
Sherod, thanks for the information, much appreicated!
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