Anyone famaliar with the manufacturer,and in particular this pre amp.The credentials and testimonials seem impressive.The advertised 10 day audition is appealing.
Sherods comments on the Clarity Cap MR are interesting. I've always felt that the Hovland could be improved upon, but don't have the stomach to be the pioneer. Thanks, Sherod for continuously taking the plunge. Interstingly, the "mystery caps" in the 2.1 have a copper cover on them so they are difficult to identify; however, the exposed ends seem to resemble the Clarity Cap APW. Just a coincidence I suppose.
Pat, I have a gut-feeling that an improved and more powerful power supply( quieter, with more dynamics and headroom) will be introduced by Joseph in his new preamp. Whether it is tube or SS regulated is a matter of taste, cost and preference. The power supply is very important in the make-up of a great preamp.
Mark, I believe the only U.S. distributor currently is Madisound. The cap is the new MR line cap. The value I chose is 4.7uf, which Madisound sells for $118.00/ea. I have read that a German distributor, Capsandcoils, sells for roughly half that price. Here is a site to click on. The new MR caps are blue in color. Also, I highly recommend reading the white paper on their 2-year research and development.
Sherod, I'm just researching the Clarity caps you referred to.What is the exact model,it appears there are at least a dozen in the catalogue I was perusing. Thanx,Mark
I look forward to Victor's announcements. In the meantime, I have had enough time to evaluate these new Claritycap MR caps in my TP 2.0n and they are something special. They have taken the preamp to a whole new level. I know, I know. You're going to tell me, "But Sherod! You raved about the Vcaps you had in there and then you suddenly decided to go back to the Hovlands. Are you absolutely sure this time?" Yes, this time there is no mistake. These relatively new caps are a revelation. Their sound is quite neutral, and they have a cleanliness and transparency across the frequency spectrum that make the Hovlands actually sound like they are broken. Intertransient silence is phenomenal and dynamics are incredible. They just do everything right and are a perfect complement to the TP 2.0n. I wouldn't know how they would sound in the newer 2.1 version. If I had to pick one thing that really makes them stand out, it would have to be their dynamics. The micro-dynamics are so amazing that you'll hear things on recordings you never knew were there and the macro-dynamics will simply stun you. To suddenly be listening to a quiet passage of a recording at say, pianissimo, then a sudden fortissimo of music appears that will make you jump out of your seat is truly amazing. I have done a lot of internet googling about these caps and so far, most of the information is how good these caps sound in speaker crossovers, but in electronics, I'm going to assume they are equally amazing. They are fairly expensive, but in my opinion are well worth it. Hopefully Joseph will be able to evaluate a pair soon and I'm going to guess that he will be as impressed as I am. These caps are so revealing that they will help you to fine-tune other weak areas in your system. I have also found another power cord for my preamp which further reveals the musical pureness of the recording, thanks to these revealing and remarkable caps. Stay tuned for further reports.
As you know, Joseph tries to offer upgrade paths. So, with respect to my system, I will receive upgrades to my existing 2.0nB (which has been modified previously from the original configuration).
Several weeks have passed since I listened to the preamplifier modification. I recall that the modifications to which I listened were test bedded in a 2.1 chassis. I don't recall the list of all changes made, but there were substantial changes made. These changes that I saw may be enough to justify a new model designation (changes such as new transformer). That may be the path Joseph takes. Victor would be a reliable source of that information.
Joseph brought the test unit over to my home twice to listen to it in my system. So, I've had the pleasure of listening to the new preamp upgrade in my system for about two hours. That was enough to persuade me to order the the upgrade.
Before I say more about the improved soundstage, lower noise, greater detail and more natural sound - which I heard in these listening sessions - I will wait to receive the upgrade into my own system.
Cedar, Thanks for the preliminary information on Joseph's new SET amp. Could you give us some information on your Beta testing of the TP 2.0/2.1 with new upgrades? I have had these new Claritycap MR caps in my TP 2.0n preamp for about 100 hours. At this point, I don't want to take them out yet. Joseph is going to order a pair and experiment with them when he returns from Thailand in early April. I'm happy to hear from all the AH preamp family. It has been a while since I've heard from current or past users. Please keep this thread alive and post from time to time.
I just wanted to say Hi to all the AH family outhere. Glad to see this thread is alive again. FYI, I'm still quite happy with my AH 2.1nB preamp. Like others I am very curious in regards to the upcoming updgrade.
Rx8man and Siltrains, we will be announcing a new upgrade to the 2.0 and 2.1 some time in early April. Cedar who lives in Sacramento and acts as one of our beta testers has heard it and can comment more fully on what sonic difference it makes. More details to follow shortly.
Victor i was checking about the upgrade to 2.1. Likely what Rx8man has in mind. No big deal for sure as i am quite happy with my AH preamp. Thanks for responding. Mike
I would love to hear his new amp, but am sad to hear it is a SET amp and won't work for many full range systems. I was hoping Joseph would make an amp that could work in a broader range of systems.
I own Silverline Bolero speakers that are 92db effecient and 8 ohms. While a SET amp could run them to decent volumes, it can't run them to the very loud levels I sometimes like.
Others will get to enjoy his new amp, but it seems Joseph choose a smaller target audience with the decision to go the SET route.
Hello Siltrains. I responded to your post earlier this morning that My server acts up from time to time and I never received your emails. If you don't hear back from Joseph or me within 48 hours, assume for some reason we never received the email and try again.
Perhaps you will get this message in a different form when the moderator approves my first post.
Hi to all. Hope all of you are well and still abundant in these interesting times. I am very happy to see this thread is back. Just reporting in on changes. Still using my AH 2.1 with early 60's Siemens CCA's. Now have Kool Cable gold Silkworm IC and Nuforce Reference 9V2 SE mono amps and am enjoying the sound with the AH - good synergy. It is great to hear that an AH amp is on the way. I emailed Victor in January a few times and each time received an immediate response, so maybe he is not receiving sltrains mail - perhaps call them to check? As email servers have tightened up I notice that now at times my email is blocked and stuff going to me is shunted to deleted or spam that is from private parties that I know.
Well, I'm delighted that this thread has been returned to service by Audiogon. It has been missing too long.
As I have reported before, I have beta tested products on behalf of Audio Horizons. These products include the various DACs, line level preamps, wire, and now I can report, a tube power amp.
The power amp I tested is a low watt SET. It is a functional unit but not in the final cosmetic form. I listened to it for about 3 weeks and returned it to AH yesterday.
I loved it and expect to buy one when it reaches production. I don't know when that will be. Based on my observation of other AH product development, cosmetics take time for Joseph to sort through. I won't expect this amp to pop out right away. A functioning unit doesn't translate as quickly as I would wish into a final product. If the past is an indicator, Joseph will continue to play with the circuit and layout, too. I don't want to raise your hopes prematurely - but the amp does exist.
My loudspeakers are 92dB efficent and high impedance - Coincident Technologies Super Eclipse III. Played through them, this amplifier delivered rich detail, tonal balance (consistency, if you will) from top to bottom of the audio frequency, airy top end, and solid tight bass. Sound stage was deep, and with good quality recording, there were no obvious boundaries to it.
I have had a number of fine solid state and tube amplifiers in my system over the years. This one is the best yet in my system.
As for details about the amp itself, it is under development by Joseph, and it is not my story to tell.
It does seem strange that they continue to advertise their products on this site, but would not respond to several e-mails from one of their good customers and proponents. I too have been curiously keeping an eye out for information on the new "flagship" preamp they posted about.
I emailed Victor and Audio Horizons several times in the past 5 months about the upgrade with out a response from AH. Mighty strange i would say. Hoping all is OK with Victor and Joseph. I'm a happy music lover with my 2.1nrb with early 60s Siemens CCAs.
I just recalled that Victor was going to make an announcement( it's been a while) of a new all-out-assault flagship preamp. Has anyone heard any news about that lately?
I just installed a pair of new Claritycap MR caps in my TP 2.0n preamp. So far, they only have about 24 hours on them, but I think these might just raise this already great-sounding preamp to another plateau. Stay tuned.
Tvad Thanks for the perfectly tailored to my situation answer. Followup questions, if I may, that you can answer privately or on this thread. How do you like and how would you describe the 60.5 sound? Did you audition the XA100.5's and see any differences? I have heard the XA100.5's and they seems fabulous but are over my comfort zone in price. Joe
I am still in love with my AH 2.0 but am getting the itch to upgrade my amp, currently Aragon 8008BB dual mono 200 watt per with 26 watt class A. Has anyone been talking recently to AH about whether they are going to build an amp? I am driving speakers biwired that are 92db and 8ohm top and 4ohm load bottom. I am considering Pass Labs XA60.5 or XA100.5 or INT 150 integrated. Do you think the 60 will be powerful enough, it is all class A doubling into 4 ohm. Anyone have comments on this or others to consider. I have never had monoblocks. Are they really that much better than a quality single box unit? Thanks for your input.
Sherod- Great info about your DIY experience. Any others? I am not afraid of the iron myself. But that wire harness story, you are a brave man.
Stltrains, will take you up on your offer for sure since Louisianna is a fascinating destination especially for its music vibes.
Upgrade for the AH, lord have mercy time to start saving in my piggy bank. Thanks so much for waking us up. Now, Victor no more promises lets see the upgrades.
I'm wondering if this upgrade will be available for us DIY-types to save money or if we have to send it to Joseph. I look forward to Victor's announcement.
La 45 if you are ever down to the big easy get in touch and we will pass a good time.
For those interested, upgrades to 2.1 will be forth coming a reply from Victor by email.
Sometime in November we will announce two new upgrades for 2009. They are expensive upgrades, one affecting the entire power supply, and one providing another level of upgrade quality to the circuit and caps. Combined, the two would provide a dramatic increase in the performance of older 2.0 and 2.1 preamps.
I will have more to say about this on the discussion forum and in a newsletter later this month.
La45, It's been a while, but I paid Joseph to install the upgrade on my preamp. from what I recall there were three things done in the upgrade. When I decided to "downgrade" back to the original version, Joseph was very kind in walking me through it to revert it back myself to save on labor and shipping charges. The first upgrade was in the power supply. This upgrade required replacing two diodes with two capacitors to increase the voltage . The next was replacing the main output caps with the newer versions. The last one, and most difficult was replacing the wire harness. The hardest and most time-consuming as it was very difficult soldering the wires back to the volume pot. I actually broke off one of the pot terminals and had to order another new pot from Joseph( $40.00) All of this hassle has made me reluctant about doing else to it. I have, from time to time, contemplated trying a pair of the expensive Dueland DSF copper caps. I have read that these are amazing, particularly in speaker crossovers, but they would work in the preamp since Joseph keeps the voltage low in the outputs. I have for a long time, been a DIY guy as I have gotten better with soldering and it is fun sometimes if you like to do that DIY technical kind of thing. If you're not confident in doing it yourself(diy) then let Joseph do it as you could hurt either yourself or void your preamp warrantee.
Too bad...Louisianna is a trek for me from Connecticut :) Would have liked to meet you. Perhaps if you are serving up Gumbo and I happen to be at Mardi Gras....
Sherod
Indeed its hard to pinpoint opinion on this thread as to the 2.0 upgrade. You are right that systems and preferences vary and are none absolute. I happen to respect a more critical mind like yours especially when you made it a mission to improve the older version yourself by upgrading the caps.
Luis, If you read through the previous posts, you'll see that the majority of those who upgraded to the 2.1 version actually liked it better, so that puts me in the minority, and there's a good probability that you might prefer the new version more. It could be just the way my system is put together that makes me prefer the older 2.0 version. The Fusion Impulse power cord is a perfect compliment for my preamp, however, this is an Audio Horizons thread and Joseph has his own power cord line. I don't want to take away from that.( I still use the original Premium power cord version in my system). I think we discussed this in a phone call a while back where we both preferred the less expensive model, the Premium, to the Transparency model.
Yes La45 i am enjoying Josephs Dimension ics and speaker wire. I have compared them to JPS superconductor 2, and Josephs Transparency line. I've been to AHs web site recently and see it has changed some. What i dont understand it the lack of description concerning Dimension cables. One thing i noticed though is the price has not changed since i made my purchase and thats a good thing. I am in Louisiana and drive La 45 every day. Have a good one.
Thanks for the info. I probably will keep things the same then and perhaps try the Fusion cords. I have gone Server digital (PC Audio)these days with the Transporter and I am still working on maximizing its potential.
Stl you seem to like the Dimensions. Did you compare them? I am on the east coast and my set up is Single ended with Grover's/Joseph's Mix of speaker cable and Harmony IC with an eye on the Silkworm cables to try.
La45 i use Dimension balanced, rca ics, bi speaker wiring and can say they help create my systems believable 3d airy presentation. Thats because they seem to have no impact of there own just pass sound clearly. Well made and highly transparent. BTW are you located in any area near La45.
Luis, I'm not sure what the differences are between the new and old harnesses. The new harnesses are smaller gauge and more flexible than the old. Maybe Joseph or Victor can further explain. Joseph might want to keep the two versions proprietary. As far as the sound of the 2.0 vs. the 2.1, in my system they were very different. In my system and in my humble opinion, I preferred the original 2.0, although now that I feel that the old harness had a better sound to my ears, I might some day put back in the new version caps to give them another listen. My system sounds so good now that I'm afraid of changing anything for fear of moving backwards. I've done that on occasion when experimenting with tweaks and sometimes after trying a combination of various tweaks and going backwards with the sound, I'll forget just what I changed and trying to get back what my ears originally liked would be painstaking. I've learned the hard way to do one tweak at a time, document that tweak, and listen carefully before trying the next tweak. I'm tired and not thinking clearly tonight, so I hope I didn't make things seem too confusing. (O:
I wonder about the new harness you mentioned Sherod. Any more info about its design? Does the 2.1n & 2.0n at least share the same musical bloodline?
Who makes the Fusion cords? Clio09 mentioned that you are a big fan.
So glad that you are into "real" music these days. And as to the new Mullards, I am not surprised. Nice to see you are doing well. Rx8man seems to also and thats important in a good or bad economy.
I still have my original 2.0n version. I don't know if I ever mentioned it, but when I reverted back to the 2.0n from the 2.1n, the biggest difference to my ears was with the wire harnesses. I much prefer the old harness vs. the new one. My latest system epiphany was finding a pair of NOS vintage Mullard Ecc82, 1958 tubes I put in the driver stage of my VAC Musicblocs. These Mullards raised the musical level of my system another huge notch. Thanks for keeping this thread alive, Luis. I hope you are well. I'm still sold on the wonderful compatibility of the Fusion Audio power cords on my amps and preamp. With these Fusion cords, there's an ease and naturalness along with excellent dynamics that is close to that "Absolute Sound" we compulsives try to achieve. I'm so content with my system right now that I'm actually listening to it less due to my recent comeback to playing my trumpet again. I bought a refurbished Bach Stradivarius that I'm having a blast on once again. Although the economy sucks right now, I'm doing my best to keep a positive outlook on life. It takes some work, though. (O:
Anyone heard Joseph's top of the line IC? Any impressions will be helpful. Dimension I believe is the name. Anyone has thoughts on how the AH 2.0 is holding up in their system.
Sometimes adhesives that bind the stacked plates which are part of the power transformer will weaken and allow vibration. We hear it as a hum. I suspect that is what your friend is hearing. It is a common occasional problem with transformers of any manufacturer.
Knowing that it exists, even if you can't hear it while listening, is annoying. However, as long as the hum is inaudible, it does not degrade the quality of the music you receive from the system. It is not an electrical problem; it is a mechanical one - the unadhered sections of the transformer plates are vibrating.
If adhesive failure is the problem, then when you press down on the top of the power transformer to dampen the vibration,the sound probably will go away. I think the solution is replacement of the power transformer rather than repair of it. The adhesive failure is between the plates and cannot be repaired.
If that is the problem, it requires skill to remove the transformer withour damaging the pads of the printed circuit board (pcb). Don't attempt it unless you are good with a soldering iron.
I had this same transformer hum - mechanical - coming from the unit itself and not through the speakers. Some transformer/power supplies do and some don't. May want to check to make sure it is tight as a loose bolt or two will cause a mechanical hum. Other then that, replace with a quiet transformer/power supply.
Markwatkiss is it humming with no inputs connected.
I also have been enjoying my AH without any problems just great musical enjoyment. Though i am using Siemans cca i am looking into trying different tubes to hear what Telefunken and others would bring.
Its been a while since the announcement of upgrade to 2.1 by Joseph is any word known on this upgrade.
Hi everyone,I'm looking for some insight into a technical glitch.I acquired an AH TP 2.0,upgraded to 2.1 status,for a friend.It apparently has a 60 cycle hum which is only noticeable when you stand by the unit and not in the listening position.Well you know how that goes it's driving him nuts.Any insight would be helpful and a pm would be fine.
Never had any problems in the two-plus years I've had my TP 2.0n preamp. Just as musical as the first day I received it. I'm still using the same tubes as well and I have put many hours on my preamp. I'm wondering if Joseph designed the circuit to put minimal stress on the tubes. I've thought of getting a good tube tester to check from time to time how much life is left on the tubes, but I'd imagine that I'll know when they start making noise and/or start losing their wonderful sound. Maybe Joseph or Victor can tell us what signs to listen for to let us know when the tubes need to be replaced.
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