What can you tell me about First Sound pre-amps?

I see I've been away a while, and the thread has grown.
Kalan, I've had FIM outlets ever since I "returned" to the land of audiophilus nervosa, so that's not the issue.

I find it interesting that I've NEVER had this issue with brass before, not on any system I've ever had. I find it puzzling, but still don't know what's causing it. It's not as though it's horrifying: it's just noticeable on fortes.
I've already written Emmanuel, who suggested an upgrade to the Paramount, but I don't think I should have to upgrade to resolve this.
I'll just live with it for now...

Kalan:
One more thing. My rack is the Finite Elemente Spider -- which doesn't have any shelves to speak of. The equipment sits on elastometers that fit onto the wooden legs of the stand, so there's no sound bouncing between shelves. Ingenious solution, I must say! The equipment sits in "open air," so to speak. Nice rack, much better than the Billy Baggs, which sounds "dark" by comparison, and "heavier," too. The music seems freed up on the Spider and more delicate.

Mphnkns, So you have the outlets and shelves covered. Good. Did you mentioned in another response whether you're using a power conditioner or power strip of some sort? If you are, by pass it and go direct from the wall.

Could you please tell me (again, if you've already said) what power cord(s) you're using on the First Sound---and what the power cords are elsewhere in your system for that matter? If you have access to Silent Source power cords, give them a try.

Also, what model of First Sound are we talking about? (Sorry if you're repeating things, here...)

The only other thing I can think of is that guidocorona's suggestion of the 'cuivre' phenomenon on brass may be coming through with the First Sound in such a way that happens to mesh right in with the rest of your system's qualities so as to make it more apparent than with other pre-amps.

Your case is an odd one. I have found that the First Sound pre-amp is neutral, and it seems to be sensitive to system integration issues possibly more than some other pre's.

Kalan:
Ive used quite a few power cords. I think it isn't likely that that's the issue. Transparent, Nordost, Shunyata, PS Audio. If none of those work, that's not a compliment for the First Sound. Emmanuel, by the way, LIKES the Shunyatas, so that scenario doesn't work.
And you can be sure that I've covered all the bases with Emmaneul over line conditioners, and whether or not to use them with the FS (he says NOT).
The system integration suggestion may be the truth. I would then suggest that a preamp that can only work with very specific cords, interconnects, amps, etc. might be an issue in itself.
In case it is not clear, the earlier version of the FS sounded equally edgy, BUT it SEEMED more powerful from the upper bass down. That may have been the Shunyata King Cobras, of course. Hard to say.
In any case, the unit, which I do like, still seems leaner to me than it once did. It's my experience that leanness and extreme detail go together. Is yours different?

MPHKNS, I still hold that the brittleness you hear in brass fortissimo is not an artifact of the First Sound, but was there in the performance. I have heard it many times in non amplified live venues. Depending on the situation, cuivre is an artifact of sub-standard instruments or caused by performers with limited control, but is at times even artfully introduced as an intentional effect by extremely skilled performers.
If cuivre is not perceivable on other linestages, that may be more of a limitation of other designs than a flaw in First Sound.

Mphnkns, Please don't infer from my inquiries about what you have or have not done that I imply that you have not covered your bases. I merely ask about your situation as a form of trouble-shooting so I can possibly help out.

As far as describing my First Sound as having "leanness" or being "edgy," those terms would be almost the farthest from my impression of all of the First Sound models I have heard. I would describe the sense of detail from my First Sound as more subtle and lifelike than many other High End pre-amps: CAT Ultimate, Lamm LL2, and ARC Ref 1 MkII---all of which I auditioned in my system for a few days. With the FS, I would say that the details seem to just occur in the flow of the music without forcing them 'in your face.' The sense of transparency, with a well-setup First Sound, strikes me as clear and unveiled with little electronic haze or interference.

I am not familiar with the earlier versions FS units so I can't comment on greater power from the mid-bass on down one way or the other. I have learned that working with two 20-amp dedicated lines, FIM outlets, and Silent Source power cords has helped out a lot to realize what the FS can do---and I am sure I can do better. Likewise, using wood shelves and Aurio Isobearings have enhanced the performance of my rig. In my system, the bass power and dynamics are big and satisfying.

You mentioned about something a long the lines of the Nordost Valhalla may not agree with the FS but that you did try other interconnects. Can you be more specific? What other interconnects? Did change out interconnects both upsteam and downstream from the FS pre-amp? Have you listed your entire system somewhere and is it current? I'd like to explore your case more, but I would need your entire system setup description---including your room---to go much further if you would like some help on this, that is. You have said that you've tried various power cords such as Nordost, Shunyata, PS audio, and Transparent. Did you make these power cord substitutions only on the FS or elsewhere in the system as well and exactly which models did you used? (I have actually heard the Shunyata Diamondback exhibit a slight "bite" in some systems.)

I assume that you know more about HiFi that I do. I assume that you have a better ear than I do. It may just work out that another pair of virtual eyes and ears focused on your system may prove useful to you.

I tried Nordost Quattro Fil with the First Sound. Not good. (I would say the sound was edgy and lean with Quattro Fil, as a matter of fact.) I ran Nordost SPM speaker wire for two years. With the Audible Illusions M A3 in the system, the SPM was fantastic; with the First Sound, I prefer Mapleshade Double Helix Plus, or Audience Au24, or best of all, Shunyata Lyra speaker wire. Even though the speaker wire is a few links downstream from the First Sound, it mattered a lot when I changed to the FS pre-amp. Likewise, changing the power cord on the CD player almost does more that putting that same power cord model on the pre-amp. This stuff illustrates why it would be helpful to get your whole system's list and description. E-mail me off line if you want. Totally understandable if you don't want to go into it all.

This is the combo that's working for me these days:
VPI TNT 3.5 TT/SME V 'arm/Benz Micro Ebony LP cart'/Lukascheck PP-1 Phono stage; Ayre CX-7 CDP (running RCA unbalanced); First Sound 4.0 w Paramount Plus Upgrade; Cary SLAM-100 mono power amps (running in triode-mode Push/Pull at 95 watts); Coincident Super Eclipse (original version, 6-Ohm instead of the standard 14-Ohm); Arcici Suspense Rack; wood shelves and Aurio bearings; Audience Au24, or Shunyata Lyra speaker wire; Two dedicated, 20-amp AC lines; Silent Source Signature power cords throughout; 12.5 x 17' room with acoustic foam on parts of all walls except the speaker end. (LEDE config for now); Speakers fire down the long wall; Speakers are positioned about 5 feet from wall behind them and about 2.5 feet from the side walls. Floor is wall-to-wall carpet over concrete.

Time for me to eat crow, confess my sins, and otherwise expose my idiotic tendencies: I MISS MY FS PREAMP. Not sure what the hell i was thinking selling it!

Maybe I'll get a used one, maybe a paramount, though they're really rare to see.

Art, is this after having spent some time with the deHavilland? Try a little b-b-q sauce on that crow. I hear it goes down easier that way.

good one, Boa2, but i prefer hot sauce, and not that weak Lousisiana stuff, uh-uh, Im talkin some of that Korean make-you-see-God hot sauce on my crow.

Art
Sorry to hear that you're regretting the sale of your FS. :-( Have you seen this on the 'gon?
http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?preatube&1121548272

hope your back in the saddle soon.

paul

hi paul. i certainly did see the ad. i have emailed him 3-4 times trying to get basic info (age, condition, seriel #, even a picture), but no replies. From a zero feedback member, it's enough to shy me away. I was drooling at it, though - no doubt

I am the guy who wrote the post to which Mphnkns referred. I do think the FS is a wee bit on the bright side and it may not be as smooth as other preamps, but I STILL think it is at top, top-notch performer and overall, maybe the best that I have ever heard. It took well over a year for me to find out how good the F.S. was. Let's just say that I find the F.S. unbelievably sensitive to tubes and I didn't do much tube rolling with it until I sent it back to Seattle for the 2004 upgrade. I am still trying to find a tube to cure some or all of my "complaints", but more about that later.

The beauty of the F.S. is in the transparence and the clarity and the absence of veils, haze or fuzziness- the electronic artifacts that you don't notice until they're gone. The incredibly low noise floor leaves others behind in the musical details which it reveals. The dynamics on this preamp are outrageous, but it never sounds false or artificial, as if they were there just to impress us. Female vocals are exceptional, delivered in a very intimate, up-front, close-miked way. It is not a subtle, refined presentation, but one which often borders on the aggressive, and I mean this in a good way. If you like female jazz vocals and you want a very high resolution CD which will show you what the F.S. can do, I recommend DeeDee Bridgewater's Dear Ella. Another extremely high resolution CD is Marian McPartland's 85 Candles. This one has vocals as well as plenty of instrumentals from stars of the jazz world past and present. Each CD ranges from the intimate to the aggressive, but the F.S. is never laid back on either CD and it delivers that you-are-there transparence.

Do I think the F.S. is a little hot? Yes, I do. It will jump at you (ring) on certain piano notes. Is it the smoothest linestage that I have ever heard? No, it is not. I hear a significant mid-bass peak despite the various tubes that I have tried (Siemens 6922, Telefunken 7308 and Siemens 7308). The upper mids are a little sharp. I wouldn't call it lean-sounding as the middle mids are quite smooth and the unit does deliver a lot of bass-maybe even a little too much. The very solid bass does nicely balance that slightly aggressive upper-mid area. So, although I wouldn't call it lean, I do hear what Mphnkns hears and I would call it a flaw, but it is one which I am willing to forgive, because of all the things which this unit does exceptionally well.

I would also point out that the rest of my system, perhaps save the Theta DAC, I would call it neutral although would call it laid back: Vandersteen 3A Sig speakers, Pass Aleph 4 Amp, Theta Generation Va Dac and Micromega T Drive transport. I usually cannot tolerate bright sound at all, so the fact that I find the F.S. a little on the bright side but I still love it says a lot for F.S. I have the F.S. Presence Deluxe Mk II 4.0 with two heavy duty power supplies. I also have a CAT SL-1 Ultimate which I still use from time-to-time. The cabling is JPS Superconductor (the original) from pre to power, Kimber 4TC shotgunned biwire on the speakers, Kimber PBJ from Dac to preamp and Ensemble Digiflux between transport and DAC. I use two Shunyata Sidewinder II power cords based on Emmanuel's recommendation.

So, I have embraced the FS, even though it is not perfect. It is right up to the limit of what I would tolerate in upper-midrange sharpness, but this is balanced by its unbelievable dynamics, clarity and transparence. I would try to work with this one rather than give up on it. The things that it does right are very hard to find in other products.

Just an opinion, please don't get me wrong. Given the level of your pre-amp and other equipment, i think you need better cables. Perhaps the brightness and edginess you're hearing are caused by the lack of linearity of the above cables. Just a suggestion.

Cheers.

Thank you Eps, but the cables which I have chosen work very well in my system. They are not bright and I have compared them against megabuck cables from Siltech, Purist Audio, Marigo Labs and NBS, I will stick with what I have. The only cable which I can't really vouch for is the Shunyata, because I really haven't experimented with power cords on the F.S. Also, with my CAT pre in the system, it is never bright. Don't get me wrong. I am not complaining at all about the F.S. because I love it, but at least in my system, it IS the cause of what I hear.

Excellent description, Rayhall. It is rare to read such a thoughtful discussion of a component's sound, and yours is both detailed and refreshingly free of cliches and empty descriptors.

Cool Rayhall

Hi Rayhall. Excellent description. I may have heard osme of that agressiveness in my FS, but was never able to articulate it as well. I would also say i forgave it because it is such an involving preamp, and did all those other things sooooo very well. I no longer have mine, but miss it. Im looking hard at the CAT for my system, and would be very interested in what/how the two preamps differ in your system, aside from what you already mentioned aboutthe CAT not having any of that hardness.

Much appreciated - Art

better yet, ray - sell me your preamp. you dont really need two, do ya? :}

Rayhall: Have you discussed with Emmanuel the impedance match between the FS and the Pass Aleph 4? I know the FS output impedance is higher than normal and the Aleph input impedance is lower than normal. I don't know if an impedance mismatch would cause the artifacts you describe, but it might be worth investigating.

Hi Art,

No deal! I am keeping them both. If you search my threads, you will see where I have pontificated on the CAT many times before and even compared it to the F.S. I'll sum it up for you quickly:

1. CAT is warmer and smoother with a more of a "middle of
of the hall" sound.
2. CAT has deeper bass (in my system). See Morgan's
comment about the high impedance F.S. matched with
low impedance Pass Aleph series.
3. CAT's midrange is a little bit more laid back and is
more full, ripe and lush. One thing the First Sound is not is lush. I wouldn't say the CAT has a lot of tube
bloom, but it is certainly more bloomy than the F.S.
4. CAT has the second best dynamics which I have heard in
a preamp. Guess who is first?
5. CAT is less detailed than F.S., but surprisingly has a
lot of high frequency detail to my ear. Although not bright, the CAT will do a great job at the extreme high end in revealing overtones, if the rest of your system is up to the task.
6. F.S. is dead quiet, while the CAT has an almost imperceptible, but still noticeable, high frequency hiss.
7. They are about equal in soundstage.
8. F.S. has better imaging. Definition of boundaries of instruments in the soundstage is better. Placement of instruments in soundstage is more diffuse and more difficult to localize with the CAT.
9. CAT is very clean sonically but has nowhere the transparence of the F.S. Only in direct comparison can you hear the difference in clarity and transparence. As good as the CAT is: neutral, natural and musical, it does not impart the "you are there" quality to the same degree.

Which one you pick will depend on your tastes and,I guess, which best matches the rest of your system. In my opinion, you couldn't have two class A products which sound more different. I am keeping them both!

Hi Morgan,

In 2003, after owning the F.S. for a few months, Emmanuel emailed me, due to things that I had written here on Audiogon about the F.S. Although, I never trashed the F.S., it was evident that I wasn't completely happy. One of the first things that came up was impedance mismatch. I asked him what could be done, short of getting rid of the Pass Amp or the F.S. He basically said that nothing could be done. Also, I corresponded with Drubin, who is also involved with this thread and who had a Pass X series amp at the time and who was hearing a lot of what I was hearing at the time. I believe Drubin and I got into the subject when he started a thread with the title of something like
"what is the Sound of an Impedance Mismatch". I believe the sound is rolled-off deep bass, reduced dynamics and perhaps somewhat rolled-off highs, but I am not sure about the last thing. I definitely have rolled-off bass, and the dynamics were ordinary until I discovered Siemens tubes, which turn the dynamics to anything from outrageous to just superb, the Siemens 6922 with the outrageous dynamics and the Siemens 7308 with just superb dynamics. With Telefunken 7308's, the overall sonic presentation of the F.S. is quite ordinary. I haven't heard that brightness is a consequence of impedance mismatch, though. Emmanuel suggested several things:
1. Cabling, including power cabling.
2. Whether the F.S. is plugged in directly to the wall or is powered via a power conditioner/power strip
3. Checking polarity. Making sure that speaker cables invert polarity in order to "correct" inverted polarity of the F.S.

It is through these contacts with Emmanuel, that I bought the Shunyata Sidewinder Gold power cords and eventually got the unit upgraded at the end of this year.

I think that is more likely that I am hearing the character of the F.S., at least through my own listening prism, which is probably less tolerant of bright sound than most people. Certainly the F.S. would never be described as unlistenably bright by anyone whom I would respect for their sonic opinions, but I wanted to corroborate Mphnkns, who seemed a little frustrated with the unit, that others hear what he hears, even if we don't see it as a fatal flaw. Artg also seems to agree. I wouldn't want mine changed either, for fear of losing what it does so well. Instead, I'll just use the other preamp sometimes, until I can afford to put together a second system around the CAT.

Thanks, Drubin!

Rayhall thanks again. I bought a CAT SL-1 Ultimate MK II today. I had been eying it for a long time, so it was time to finally pull the trigger. I'm partial to smooth, lush and midhall performance. Plus David Berning himself likes the CAT with the Berning. I am hoping this will be the last peice of gear I buy for a loooong time. Time to start enjoying the music. Anyway, thanks for the input!

BTW, what tubes are in the CAT? I have a set of nice 6922's from my FS days that i would love to put back into service.

Hi Art,

Now you've got me interested! I have always wanted to know about the Mk II and what it sounded like relative to the Mk I. Since I have a Mk I, your experience might differ somewhat, but I love the Telefunken 6922's in the V6 and V7 position, Telefunken 12AX7 in the V8 and V9 position and a Telefunken 6DJ8 in V10. If you don't use phono and your unit has a phono section, you can economize with the tubes in V1-V5. Otherwise, use the same tubes in V1-V5. If the cost of this tube substitution is too expensive, you can either leave or acquire the stock EI Yugo 12AX7's. They are not bad at all. But do replace the stock Sovtek 6922's. With Telefunken, you will get deeper bass, better dynamics, and better extension in the high frequencies. As far as the Mark I is concerned, I have tried many tubes in the CAT Ultimate, particularly in the V6 and V7 position, and I doubt that you will find better than the Telefunken 6922. With other NOS tubes that I have tried, you are bound to lose something

You just made my day. I has spent a small fortune on a pair of Amperex 'pinched waist' 6922's (US) from 1960, which were simply awesome in the FS. I did not sell them with the FS, so now they will have a home in my CAT!

I hope they work for you in the CAT. I have found tubes which work in the F.S. often don't work in the CAt and vice versa. I would, if I had any money left, compare them to the Telefunken 6922.

Art's system changes make my head spin! Way to go, guy. Can't wait to hear how you like the CAT. (Of course, you also have new speakers to get used to.)

Artg and Rayhall, The CAT Ultimate compared to the First Sound 4.0 is the same road I also traveled last year. I also wrote on at least one other thread about the CAT vs. the FS. And the impedance mismatch issue cropped up in a big way in my system with the CAT. The CAT had an extremely aggressive quality when paired with my Cary SLAM-100 amps (whose input sensitivity is .75 V). The First Sound is a much better electrical coupling with the Cary amps than the CAT was and the F.S. is by far the more natural and 'easy' pre-amp-although I would not say laid back.

Artg, Please update us on how the CAT integrates with your system over time. (I think we have both mentioned that the F.S./Berning 270 combo is a good one, too.)

Rayhall's experience with background noise in the CAT vs. the F.S. agrees with mine. The F.S. is much quieter. My system responded to the CAT exactly the opposite of Rayhall's experience. The CAT was anything but laid back. The CAT was bright to point of un-listenable. I know this is NOT the CAT sound, and I chalk it up to my power amps' sensitivity. The CAT's bass was simply astonishing--although overblown in my case.

The F.S. has detail galore but does not force it like the CAT did--in my system. The upper-mid band prominence that seems to be coming up in discussion associated with the F.S. turned out to be coming from PS audio outlets and the shelving I was using. Power cords, signal cabling, shelving, and tubes all matter a lot with the F.S.--maybe because of it's remarkable transparency and (theoretical) lack of coloration otherwise.

All other pre-amps I have worked with (Lamm LL2, AI M3A, CAT Ult, cj LS-16, ARC Ref 1 MkII) to some degree seem to hype the signal to get the music to come through above their respective, attendant noise floors. The F.S. seems to lay the signal bare by lowering the noise floor and then gets out of the way. The music takes on a less-processed quality---as Rayhall said so well.

Hi Kalan. Thanks for the unit. David Berning really recomends the CAT with his amp, so I'm thinkign there will no mismatch issues, fortunately. I wont be able to compare it to my FS, which has not been away for over a month, AND my system is seriously different: new source, new speakers, upgrade to the amp - it's pretty muuch new.

i mean thanks for the info... my typing is rather poor.

Well, Artg, we will await your report on the CAT's new home in your system. Please update us.

Hi guys -
Not to side track this thread too much BUT.... What are you FS owners, using as ICs between your FS and your amp? Emmanuel likes copper with no teflon insulation. Any suggestions?

thanks
paul

I'm using Empirical Audio Holophonic.

Wow Art, now the CAT? Very cool. You move so fast! 8-) Does your unit also have the phono stage or just a line stage?

With all the discussion here with the CAT Ultimate having some impedance mismatch and other interface issues with amps, I am sure it would be quite happy hooked up to its relatives, the JL-3's. Now you need to bring it AND the Berning AND the Capitole over for some listening. Just wish I had a tonearm cable with RCA connectors. Just let me know or I can lug over the Callisto to hear how it sounds in your system.

John

OK, John. I wont receive the CAT for another 3+ weeks, but it would be fun to hear the relative contribution(s) of all these components in two different systems. My unit will only be a linestage - I dont spin vinyl and dont have any plans in the forseeable future. Plus. it could be added on in the future should that need arise. I would definitely like to hear the callisto in my system, so once the peices are in order, we can play.

On the FS cabling question, I had stereovox IC's, which a re actually silver, but very very smooth, and I thought mated well with the FS. I also had tried Nordost Valhalla, but much preferred the stereovox, which had all the openness and detail, but was richer, and had a more fleshed out tonality vs the valhalla.

Luminous Audio Synchestra Reference

I have been working with Emmanuel and have just had a 4 chassis Presence Deluxe MK2 hot-rodded version upgraded to Paramount Plus and the Vishay Attenuator package. I also had him reconfigure to the standard version w/ multiple inputs.
I had the regular Presence Deluxe MK2 before this. My impressions are as follows:

1. Even the "lowly" Presence Deluxe MK2 is superior to anything near it 4k price range. It is quiet, smooth and does everything a preamp should do - accurately preamplify the music signal while adding no signature of its own.

2. The 4 chassis hot rod version goes a number of steps beyond. You get all of the above and more. Channel separation of course is primo. There is an immediacy and closeness to the music that really helps emotionally connect one to the music. It is one of the best preamps out there at any price. Because of the inconvenience of the single input I was going to sell it. I found nothing that bested it. I found a couple for 10k and above that came close.

3. Instead of selling it I decided to make this my last preamp. I contacted Emmanuel and he worked with me and upgraded the preamp as well as converting it to multiple sources. I read in Guidocorona's post that there are tradeoffs between the Hot Rod (more musical purity)and regular version, and I must agree. However I was totally unprepared for the sound revelation I had when I listen to the Paramount Plus and Vishay attenuators. I won't go on and on here, but suffice it to say that this has got to be on a short list of the world's BEST preamps. I was not prepared because I could not imagine the sound becoming that much better than what I already had. But it did.

I have no affiliation w/ Emmanuel BUT that being said I cannot say enough about his customer service, almost fanatical dedication to MUSIC (I mean that IS why we're here right?) and his products.

I would be happy to expand on my experiences concerning these preamps. email me and I would be happy to give you my number and chat.

In comparing FS with CAT, i found CAT the clear winner.

Very different-CAT with strong dynamics and a stark, very clear sound that cuts through-if you have the right system that would complement and can handle those attributes, might be an excellent match.

The CAT on the other hand, immediately reeks of class and musicality-smooth, lush yet concise, vibrant. The First Sound might be 2% clearer, but IMO the CAT's vibrancy and aliveness is considerably more engaging, to me..

Immediately i thought "here's a winner".

Analogbass, I am assuming you meant the FS has "strong dynamics and a stark, very clear sound that cuts through...", right? Im going nuts waiitng for my new SL-1 to arrive. I also had the Presence Deluixe whch was really wonderful (I miss it), but so much has changed in my system since i had the FS that there will no way for me to comapre the CAT and ther FS.

celebrat - WELL DONE. I was considering getting a paramount to replace my Presence Deluxe, but none materialzed on here - nobody wants to part with theirs. You did the right thing. It will only get better and better with further break in. Please take a moment when you get a chance and give us more details about how the upgrade improved the sound!

I misplaced the acronyms, referring to FS in the first instance, as in strong dynamics, stark, clear sound.

I suppose it depends on taste at higher levels, but the CAT jumped out in front in terms of musicality and rightness, immediately inviting, vibrant and silky smooth but not at the expense of anything else that comes to mind. FS on the other hand, had some strong attributes, but was not strikingly musical, beautiful or involving, IMO, as someone who goes with first impressions and then confirms them..

Analogbass - which incarnation of the CAT were you comparing to which FS preamp?

Artg
What are you going to replace your CAT with? Just curious. Though maybe you might climb the FS ladder. Hope you are well. :-)

Oldpert, still havent decided, but i did finally decide to put the PW6922's up for sale, which signals it probably wont be a FS since the FS was amazing with that particular tube...

Art, what happened to you system thread? It seems to have dematerialized. Did you compare the CAT with the Callisto last weekend?

Guido: The man is taking drastic steps. We hope to do some listening sessions this weekend.

Guido - John is correct, i am in flux (once again). I am changing sources and preamps, and will eventually repost my system thread (all i did was make it private, it's not deleted), once it all shakes out. I do know that a Reimyo CDP777 is in play...with that in mind, I will want THE most transparent and neutral (still preferrably tubed) preamp i can find.

Art, concerning pres, I was recently very impressed by the sheer beauty, power and newtrality of the VAC Ren II. As mentioned already you may want to have a listen to the VAC PHI, on which the REN II was apparently based on. Like the Callisto, the VACs are fully balanced designs complete with phono stage. Another benefit is that they have ridiculously low output impedance. As for digital sources, I seem to have redeveloped a crush on the mighty Teac X-01.

Returning to this topic to revist the confusion around my use of the term "granular" to mean finer increments. I was running some focus groups a few weeks ago with IT managers who talked about the need to impose more "granular" restrictions on access to information, by which they meant, basically, finer increments. Maybe I picked up the term from the IT world. I knew I wasn't crazy. :-)

Drubin, the terms commonly used are:
Finer Granularity -- to indicate a trend towards smaller increments or more detail.
Coarser granularity -- to indicate a trend towards the opposite.