Can I get my Prima Luna to sound more like a SET/300B?

You might consider adding a 300B preamp.  I use one with solid state amps.

May give you enough of the flavor?

Dear sublime obsessive of audio alchemy!!!!

 

Currently I can hear the air in the palm of the hand in the clap of “be my husband by Nina Simone. 

 

Can hear so much more shape, attack (?), decay (?) texture (?) in the fellow and flute and percussion of yo yo ma Japanese melodies.  

 

The top end shrillness either Matthew Hallsal was tamed, while maintaining top end sublime clarity and separation. 

 

The imaging in this album is also really really tightened. Love it. Side to side, center, depth is like never before revealed. Heart drops. Jaw drops. Hair raises. 

 

Killer touch on cymbals… Noise floor seems lowered, i think I am getting the calm quiet timing that people speak of on the silversmiths. The soundstage is a warm wet embrace. 

 

I apologize to you all, I was a bit hasty in incorporating my kaliadascopic upgrades to my system, so that it is a little difficult to report on the components individually. And I know that most if not all require some degree of break in. 

 

Recent upgrades since the start of this thread:

 

Cardas Clear Coaxial Cable (from Zen MC2): This had a wonderful effect, the sense of breathing mountain air after being in a hazy city. Wetness to the widening image and soundstage… poise to the positioning of the instruments… 

 

Silversmith RCA Interconnects (from Duelund 16ga): There was a sense of precision and directness to the instrumentation (i was able to burn these in for 5 days on my frybaby). 

 

Ray Tubes Reserve El34 (from Gold Lion KT77): These also contributed to the silky open soundstage and delicious texture to the instruments… the darkening off the blackness, the silence… the gravitas. 

 

Duelund 12 GA Speaker wire (From Duelund 16ga): The depth of mids and bass speed and precision definitely improved over 16ga. It didn’t seem to reduce top end texture at all, simply adding more dimension and meat. 

 

Anticable 12ga Crossover - 15” Driver in the Pure Audio Project Duet 15 Horns (From Duelund 16ga): I think I sense more bass speed and precision and depth, and perhaps some clarity to the mids

 

Anticable 4.2 Flex Crossover - Horn: this will happen next week after burn in on my frybaby)

 

Radiotechnique 12AU7 center gain tubes on the Prima Luna amp (from Mullard NOS 4003): yes on the spaciousness, the slightly quelled mids when compared to the mullards, and definitely more space and texture between and within the instruments. It’s lovely. I am hearing new dimensions. Horns and cymbals and cellos and so vivid. 

 

Truly wow. I catch myself applauding spontaneously…  dances with the lady. Lovely. 

 

And so I will quell my restlessness and sit with what is really very sublime… some time in the future I will reward myself with a 300B, 2A3, or Pass Labs (?) amp for some future reward… 

 

Thank you all i love these conversations. 

 

Tasty bits. Sublime musical hallucinations to all. 

 

R

So, have you used the amp in triode mode?

 

DeKay

Having direct experience with your mods, exception of Silversmith IC and Ray's EL34 I can easily envision the improvements your hearing.  While some take exception to modifying equipment, I've found it key to the fine tuning of one's system, adding together a number of small incremental improvements can be a recipe for magic.

@whyrichard  Another amp you should put on your future list should be a EL84 based push pull. I recently purchased mono blocks using Bendix 6094 (special iteration of EL84), these without a doubt the most SET sound push pull tube I've heard. I never expected any push pull could have the immediate, expressive sound of my custom mono block 300B running Western Electric tubes. Every EL34 amp I've ever heard or owned has sounded relatively limpid to this push pull. These tubes have tighter, harder hitting bass, more extension in highs and wonderful natural mids. These tubes are crazy in that they take the best aspects of both EL34 and KT push pull tubes, and have just enough of the 300B sound to fool you into believing this a SET amp.

 

In speaking of these amps in another thread Ralph @atmasphere reminded me of one of the first EL84 amps, Dynaco ST35. This was the exact amp my best bud had way back in the day, rest of system was Linn LP12 and Dynaco speakers in a pseudo quad setup. That setup was without a doubt my reference system for many years, The EL84 is a special tube more should be aware of!