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pro-ject tube box 2, vincent pho-8, jasmine LP2mk2

Just plugged in my new Salience / Jasmine LP2mkII. Very impressed with what I am hearing out of the box. Everything is more refined and detailed in the soundstage than my pro-ject tube box II with upgraded electro-harmonix gold 12AX7 tubes. Both create a big soundstage, which I like. I think the Salience's is bigger. I am hearing new things on records that the pro-ject could not bring out. The Salience also sounds a little warmer and relaxed yet still very defined. Bass is less boomy and cymbals sound much more accurate.

I also tried a Vincent PHO-8 about a month ago but sent it back. Did not like that one. Maybe something was wrong with the unit since it sounded smallish and boxed in soundstage-wise out of the box and had a ground loop hum from the start. The Salience is a 2 box design like the Vincent. No ground loop hum with the Salience.

It is very nice that we have some nice phono preamp options in the $500 range. I will keep the Salience if it continues to impress plus. I like the multiple MC settings.

A couple of questions about the Salience:

1. It says Salience instead of Jasmine on both front panels. Why is this? I plan on covering them or taping over the blue lights since they are quite bright. I purchased from h_salience from eBay.
2. Some people have talked about upgrading the xlr-4 power cable but this one seems quite nicely made out of the box. Did they start making nicer ones with the 2.0 version?
3. The owners manual is photo copied. Should I be concerned?
sbrownnw
redglobe
223 posts
 
Hi Kombiguy,  I have had my modified Jasmine for over 5 years.  I am completely content with it.  I use a Denon SLS1 LOMC.  The Jasmine has a flat response and reproduces the music with great clarity across the whole sound spectrum.

I don't know if your Jasmine has the upgraded capacitors.  If they do not, consider upgrading to Jantzen Superior Z-caps or their Silver version.  See my other threads on the subject.
rockinroni's avatar
rockinroni
287 posts
 
I've had a Jasmine phono pre for I think 7 years now it takes a long time for the output capacitors and the coupling capacitors to burn in and then it will sound its best it takes probably six months for that to happen I've done a lot of reading on capacitors and I decided to upgrade my coupling capacitors to the Clarity film capacitor wow the name is true I got so much more clarity to the sound I was using a Lehmann Black Cube before this and it is so much better than the Black Cube for my shelter 501 Mark II
rockinroni's avatar
rockinroni
287 posts
 
Just as an update I've been reading about some new phono sections out there and the New Black Ice 149f looks to be the new Giant Killer now it's more costly than the Jasmine but it's my next upgrade I think I can sell my Jasmine and then for about double the price I can make a vast Improvement that's the thing about this hobby it's just about overtime making trading in adding some more cash making improvements to your stereo time will tell which one is better but I like the tubes in the black ice and of course then you have to do to Tube replacement I already have a pair of the Siemens 7308 which I read here on audiogon take the black ice to the Nirvana level that sounds pretty good to me
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