You know what, I've only put about 5-6 hours on the Waudio PC, but I do believe I hear an improvement in the bass - just seems a bit more meaty - long ways from total burn in, however. I will report back in a few weeks (as I do't think I can get away with constant playback -wife/kids great room gets used a LOT)
131 responses Add your response
You would need signal into the amp for everything to cook properly. I would recommend some audible output on the amp. You can take a source directly into your amplifier and use the input level controls on the amp ( you have a tube pre, right ? ). Bypass the pre for this break in period. You might actually like it without the pre, as this would be a " passive " hook up. If you cannot do this, it will all just take longer. But as I mentioned to you earlier, if you listen every day, the amp will do you so much better, in sq, if left on all of the time. It is also possible to unplug your speakers, as many solid state power amps are ok without seeing the load of a speaker. I would ask Behringer, or a tech of some kind, if it would be ok. My 3 Yammie pro amps have no problem with this. Maybe someone else here will jump in at this juncture. Tube amps like to see a load. |
If it were sunny outside, I would be at the pool. Give this cord at least a week, to break in, running your power amp continuously 24 / 7, with a signal ( it can be at low volume ), if you can. After a week, we can talk about another move to make. Keep in mind, some folks, like myself, hear dramatic changes in sq, generally for the better, with just a beefier power cord ( specifically on a large output power amp ), and some, hear little, to no difference. Need to see ( hear ) where you are at, with this one change. Be patient, my son....Enjoy ! MrD. |
bstat, wonderful. I believe jetter ( who is, unfortunately, angry with me at the moment ), stated above, he was enjoying the Waudio pcs. I find that the iec plug might be a little loose at the amp end, and if you find this to be the case, trim a bit of painters tape, or electrical tape, to fit around the end of the pc plug, to widen it a bit ( circumference ), to make it more snug. Most tape is 1 inch wide, so you would need to minimize this, so the plug goes in all the way. You will hear differences, for sure, but the cable will take time to break in. Just does. Enjoy, and keep us posted. Enjoy ! MrD. |
Just got in my Waudio 10AWG power cable. First impresssion: Wow! great build quality and a nice heft to it for only $60. I have not plugged it in to my amp yet, but I hope I notice some subtle changes. Although not sure my system is resolving enough... I feel I may be going down a long road of tweaks here :) What is the next item I should get? Hospital grade outlet? |
Hello everyone,, A Van Morrison quote comes to mind... No guru, no method, no teacher.... hopefull LL I am just a passionate student of kaizen i like your idea and thanks for the refresh on mental block I had on the amp i strongly agree with the biwire approach, if OP needs to borrow a set of cables, I have https://xvideos.onl/ a shotgun set of AQ type six with about ten K frequent flier miles as https://xnxx.onl/ loaners...easy to have an open https://chaturbate.onl/ mind when investment in listening is a flat rate USPS $13 to get them to the next intrepid listener love your idea on vertical biamp, especially w identical transfer function amp ________________________________________________________________ Thank you my issue has been solved,... |
Hello everyone,, A Van Morrison quote comes to mind... No guru, no method, no teacher.... hopefull LL I am just a passionate student of kaizen i like your idea and thanks for the refresh on mental block I had on the amp i strongly agree with the biwire approach, if OP needs to borrow a set of cables, I have a shotgun set of AQ type six with about ten K frequent flier miles as loaners...easy to have an open mind when investment in listening is a flat rate USPS $13 to get them to the next intrepid listener love your idea on vertical biamp, especially w identical transfer function amp |
johnkent3, YMMV. The important thing, is that you are enjoying the Mr.D - now that it's brought up - my mileage did vary with Schiit products... The quality of the freya was sub par because it introduced noise and a slight hum no matter what I did in any of my systems.... The modi 2 über was pretty good sounding but same thing - it was not quiet enough. I was seriously thinking of the Vidar - but was a little apprehensive due to my experience with the company . All of this and - Super Best Audio Friends - they hype the Schiit stuff hugely probably Schiit pretty much keeps that forum alive with advertising - and they're total dicks. Audio science review is the opposite and the only one posting legitimate, unbiased audiophile information. |
RE Lightening quick can't be done. electricity moves much slower than lightening. RE PC & PLC the supply cable to the PLC adds its influence to everything downstream of it. naturally then this single PC can be quite influential and one can deal with it either right off or later on with this knowledge in mind. RE power on 24/7 its all about heat. well, almost. with consumables like tubes, especially NOS tubes, judicious use is pretty much preordained. shut it/them down when not in use, unless you are sitting on a goodly supply of vintage tubes. ... or you don't mind re-tubing more frequently. if you can control the temps where the gear resides and maintain it pretty chilly, I'd say leave whatever on all the time. if the gear is pure Class A it has to be running a signal which will lower the temp and or increase the efficiency of the amp. even if the volume is very low. heat, especially excessive heat kills electronics more than repeated powering up and down. in the Navy shipwide public address system was all tube based of course there were other sensitive electronics which when energized were kept on for months at a time without failures due to heat because the ambient temp in that space was maintained quite low.. certainly it was quite cool in that space! ambient temps were usually in the low to mid 60s. lessen the ambient temp, keep the gear cooler and you will extend the life of your electronics. |
Tube equipment, and hot running Class A amplification, I would ( have ) turned off. All other ss gear, I leave on, which sounds better, and I believe, lessens wear and tear on a product. But, both of these points to leave gear on 24/7, is always debatable. My ears tell me the first, and I have never had a solid state product fail on me. Well, I did have an older PS audio power amp, a 200 C, smoke a little upon turn on, but other than that, never. YMMV |
I would start with the one, for your Behringer, and let your ears tell you. Nothing more. The new pc will be obvious, but it will require a bit of " break in ". How much, depends. Let the amp play music with the new cord for a week, and you will be there ( a tuner or streamer, even at low volume ). I did not ask this, do you leave your amp on 24/ 7. You should, if you listen every day. It is not a class A amp, so you will not be spending so much on electricity. Just get the one pc for now. Enjoy ! MrD. |
It's still in my cart on Amazon. Haven't pushed the button yet. Question: would the power cord still make a difference even when all my gear is plugged into a line conditioner? Would the line conditioner need a power cord upgrade, too? What about my preamp? Is the amp the best place to put it if just buying one? |
mrdecibel, funny you would ask, I just received three of the 6 footers and one is settling in very nicely on my parasound A21+. The others will be powering my Museatex-Meitner monoblocks that I will be getting back tomorrow from being modded by John Wright. I am a novice regarding aftermarket power cords, but these do seem very well made. Thanks for the recommendation. |
PS Audio Sprout 100 is a bargain, and you can stream Bluetooth to it and bypass preamp/dac etc. MM phono stage, Optical digital input to cut the ground, and even can be run preamp out. $599 and you can return it for free if it doesn't work with your system. Plenty of power to even power my Rockports in my Main System to crazy fast bass volumes. Not as sterile like typical Class D amps. Two weeks of burn-in has opened it up and it actually responds to power cord upgrades. |
Correct, you would only vertical bi-amp if using identical poweramps if powerful enough, using the speakers xovers there is no phase problems!!. But not with 2 Aegir’s as 25w is still not enough for the bass. But in horizontal bi-amping still using the speakers xovers, I suggest the OP if he has the superior Class-A Aegir on the mids and highs and an cheap 100w midfi Class-D on the bass which they’re good at doing. And still no phase problems!! Cheers George |
bstatmeister OPDon’t!!!!! bridge them, you gain wattage only, sound quality takes a hit. Horizontal Bi-amp instead, put the Schiit Aegir on the mids and highs of the Vandersteen 2C for the best sounding Class-A mids and highs, and get a cheap 100w Class-D with level control (to match level to the Aegir) for the bass, they’re good for that. (maybe your behringer pro-amp) and use your preamp as the master volume control. http://www.av2day.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/biamp1.jpg Cheers George |
Class D Audio. High power, great price! https://classdaudio.com/class-d-amplifiers/sds-audio-amplifiers.html |
| Post removed |
I own the STA200 and imo, there is not much a better amp suited for a passive pre. For giggles, I hooked my SYS to it directly, plus my Pro-Ject Prebox s2, and the sound was fantastic and quiet. I do prefer my RP-5 which seems to add a little bit of warmth and 3d (just a smidge). I'm curious about the Vidar. Plus, the Class D PS Audio Stellars |
Have not mentioned this yet, but I believe the Behringer amp comes supplied with no more than a 14 gauge power cord ( likely 16 gauge ). I am a power cord junkie, and without spending much money, you can buy a very reasonably priced 10 gauge power cord, which will, ime, give you more of everything you are looking for, and in the case of amp upgrading, you can always use it on the next amp. Hopefully, others will agree with me. If this sounds interesting to you, let me know what length cord you need, and I will recommend one or two, or, you can easily build one. |
May need to add the Schiit Aegir to the list now that it’s available. It’s $100 more than the Vidar, but supposed to sound better overall as long as you don’t listen at high levels with inefficient speakers. The Vandy 2Cs are 88db efficient and I do like to listen loud once in a while, so if I wanted to go this direction, I may have to monoblock them, however if I do this I would have to get a better preamp that is balanced (since that is the only way to monoblock them). So, likely won’t go this direction...taking off the list...LOL |
I'm listening to an STA-200 right now. I use it in my office with a pair of KEF Q150's and an Emotiva XDA2 dac. It's a great amp. I've used it at home with an Exogal Comet Dac and Salk Song3's and it sounded great. I also had the Job225 amp and couldn't really tell a difference so I sold the Job and kept he STA-200. Audio Advisor sometimes has them open box for under $450. Can't be beat at $500 or less in my opinion. However, there are also interesting options in this price point. First amp I'd consider as an option is Van Alstine's new SET 120 amp for about $800. There's also used deals frequently for Odyssey amps and Wyred4Sound amps that are under $1000. There's also the Schiit Vidar and their new Class A amp the Aegis (or something like that, just released today). If you can do tubes I'd look out for a used Primaluna Prologue 4 or 5. You can often find those under $1k. Those are amps I'd consider. |
I am still not convinced it is the amp that is currently his weakness, but, as you say, he is the listener, and purchaser. BTW, I am no longer using my STA 200's in my main system, as I have been going through my closets and found an old gem that I am finding quite incredible ( with a few modifications ). It is an ADA PF 2501, and I am loving it. I also have the smaller unit, the PF 201, but this big boy is balsy, with finesse. I go back with ADA. |
@mrdecibel No doubt the dual STA-200's will be fine but again the Khartago is upgradable and an easier match with more preamp choices. I had to buy the STP-SE to get the Job 225 to work out as it was incompatible with the other preamps I had on hand. The STA-200 could be an even easier harder match. But in the end what we would chose first doesn't matter as he is the one buying the amp. |
When I think of terms like “lightening quick” and “dynamic,” I think about an amp’s current storage reserves, it’s ability to control the speaker load (related to damping factor) and headroom (both voltage headroom attributed to a stiff, beefy power supply with decent voltage rails and current headroom). |
Tomic, ty, and back at ya ! You too have a lot of background and experience. Can you find me ( know anyone ) a pair of ADS L 2030s ? ( from a prior thread discussion )… So, jackd, if the STA 200 sounded fine with the Nola KOs and the Verity Otellos ( both very fine reproducers of music ), I would think a pair, passively biamping the Vandys, would be a good thing. Two STA 200s vs One Khartago….? Enjoy ! MrD. |
@celander For a while I had both the Khartago and the STA-200's big brother, Job 225, with the 2CE Sigs and they both worked great fronted by the W4S STP-SE so if the STA-200 has enough juice it will work well too but I think the Khartago is a better fit. Plus as was pointed out by others the Khartago can be upgraded all the way up to Kismet status using the same case. I've only tryed the STA-200 with the Nola KO's and the Verity Otello's which are more efficient than the Vandies. |