Thanks Teajay!
Never even heard of it before. |
Salectric,
No worries. I am both cursed and blessed by the fact that I can try lots of things inside my system for long periods of time, free of charge. I only make a change if it is clearly for the better and it is only then that I actually buy a piece of equipment. I don't regret a single change that I have ever made.
What you don't see on my system page is the dozens of things that I've tried at home and rejected.
Onhwy61,
300Bs can't drive MBLs in the bass but I think I would part with the MBLs before parting with the amp. I suppose I could bi-amp but I haven't been pleased with the results in the past. |
Salectric,
By the way, those lists of all the equipment I've had in my system cover years and years; not the last few months.
Thanks to all for the suggestions so far; I've always wanted to try the Tron Syren and the VAC. |
Salectric,
Please realize that you are preaching to someone who took two months to research and locate the type of lacquer would sound best on the spruce, pine, and cedar, that cover his entire listening room.
If you have indeed looked at my system you will see that I have addressed electrical and mechanical interference to the utmost degree. If a component cannot perform in my system it is certainly not the fault of the quality of AC I am feeding it, nor what it is sitting on, nor the room it is in. I would also never judge a component before it is fully broken in.
End of conversation. |
Jtimothya,
If you'd like you can click the 'threads' link beside my name and read my very long and boring threads that attempt to explain what I'm looking for. I realize that most audiophiles don't know what I'm talking about most of the time so I'd rather not try to restate it all in this thread. |
Thanks again to everyone. I should note that I have not ruled out one of the preamps on my original list: Aesthetix Callisto Signature. It's the best I've had in my system (I never owned it, I just borrowed it).
One of the reasons I started the thread was that I was hoping to hear from some SET owners.
I worry that adding a linestage that looks as 'complex' as the Callisto might rob me of some of the purity and immediacy that I am getting from my very 'simple' little amplifier. |
The SET is an integrated with a passive line section. In fact, this is the ONLY 'premplification' that I have ever used with my SET. The other linestages (those listed above) were in my system with amps such as the: Manley 250; Atma-Sphere MA-2; and Hovland Stratos.
I've always like what an active preamp brings to the table but you might be on to something with the passives.
Thanks. |
Thanks Pubul57.
Larryi,
I owned a Sira many years ago and though it was noisy, I loved the way it lit-up the soundstage with ambient information.
You mention the ANUK M-8. Do you know if it is similar to the ANJ M-77? Someone recently warned me that ANJ equipment with all silver wiring might "rip my head off" considering the speakers I use. Before that warning, I'd never heard of ANJ being bright, brittle, or strident. Having said that, I have no love for silver wiring in cables. |
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Anybody heard the Audio Space Reference 2 full-function preamplifier?
It uses 300Bs and is a truly balanced design. Jonathan Valin did a review of it in the August 2007 issue of "The Absolute Sound."
Hear are some quotes:
"the Audio Space Reference 2 sounds in the midrange less like hi-fi and more like the real thing than virtually any other preamp Ive auditioned."
"Usually when one thinks 300B, one thinks of a warm, gorgeous, euphonically colored sound, rich in second harmonics. Here the sound is beautiful, of course, but utterly naturalnon-colored, non-electronic." |
Yes, that is certainly a possibility although when I heard it a few years back it came across as beautiful but euphonic (not that there is anything wrong with that).
I think the Audio Space will more closely match the 'modern' 300B sound that I was getting with the Mastersound integrated amplifier.
I should note that I made mistake earlier in this thread: the Mastersound 300B P.S.E. integrated amp has an active line section. I was incorrect when I said that the line section was passive.
I will pair the Audio Space with my Hovland Stratos amps this weekend and see how close I get to the magic of the little Mastersound integrated. |
The Audio Space preamp and Hovland Stratos amps did not get close enough to the magic of the little Mastersound 300B integrated.
It looks like I will be selling the Hovlands and going with the Mastersound 845 monoblocks. |
Hello Atmasphere,
To say that the 20 watt, 300B 'drove' the MBLs would be very misleading. There was next to no deep bass, there was nothing in reserve for dynamic peaks, and I couldn't play my system over 91dB. Nonetheless, it did produce the best vocals, best acoustic guitar, best electric guitar, and the best cymbals that I have ever heard on any system.
If I had the funds I would buy the 300Bs just to play select songs.
The Mastersound 845 monoblocks (50 watts; parallel single ended; Class A; no negative feedback) really do drive the MBLs. I don't know how this is possible but it's true. Mastersound does make 117 watt SET monoblocks but I have no desire to get them right now because the 50 watts is more than enough. How can this be? As you know, I know next to nothing about the technical aspects of amplification but perhaps it is because there is a big output transformer for a set of dedicated 4 ohm taps? Each little monoblock weighs 75 lbs. Mastersound makes their own transformers by hand, in-house, and they are very secretive about the windings etc. Maybe there is some magic in there.
I had thought about going to horns rather than letting the 300Bs go but now I'm enjoying my MBLs again. I've moved them into a bigger room that is all wood and that's helped as well. |
Atmasphere,
I think I will always be on the hunt in audio. It is part of what makes the hobby fun for me. The goal I have for my system is to replicate real life and since I will never accomplish that something will always be amiss. I'll never find the holy grail and I'm fine with that. It's more about the journey than the end goal for me. In the midst of all the obsession over equipment I still find time to listen to about 10 to 15 hours of music per week.
As for the room, it made the Hovland Stratos amps sound drier and more clinical but the Mastersound 845s are quite nice in there (yes, just a happy accident). I will post some pictures of the room on my system page this afternoon.
My amplifier hunt for the MBLs is over but I may end up with horns and 300Bs in the future. There are two nice looking wooden horns in Germany that I would like to hear.
Thanks again for all your help; you make great gear and the level of customer service you provide is above and beyond anything in the industry. |
If I ever get a pair of high-efficiency speakers I'll have a great time trying out various 300B SETs!
MBLs and Tubes:
A fellow audiophile here in Canada has tried lots of excellent amps (SS and tube) on his MBL 101Es and it looks like he will be going with a pair of CAT JL3 Signature monoblocks. These are tube amps. All of the CAT amps can drive MBLs and the amps don't put out lots of watts (100 to 150 p/c). When asked how his amps are able to drive MBLs when 1,000 watt monster SS amps can't, Ken Stevens of CAT answers: it's his big output transformers!
'Vetterone' here on Audiogon also drives his MBLs with Berning tube amps (OTL).
I have been told by a reliable source that the owner/designer of MBL products uses a relatively low-powered tube amp on his personal pair of MBL 101Es (and he loves heavy metal music).
So you see, there are quite few of us using and loving tubes on MBLs and none of us are using 'high-powered' tube amps either.
Many people have only heard MBL speakers at shows and this is unfortunate because they are usually being played way too loud, they are being driven by SS amps (made in China, I think), with digital source material, in a bad room with bad AC. |
