|
Brownsfan, Charles, what tubes are simpatico with the 34se. |
Thanks Charles, based on Brownsfan review I just pulled the trigger on a Dynamo 34 SE myself. They will be in the office system with the M-Lore, 95db, 8ohm nominal, source is Sony S9000ES, Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC.
As soon as my new house is finished (late spring), I intend to purchase the Coincident 300b unit you have. Might go with Daedalus, Coincident, Devore 096, Line Magnetic 755, or something like that. |
Brownsfan, Charles, thanks for all your wonderful conversations on the
A'gon about Coincident SET 300B as well as this Dynamo newcomer.
The rectifier tube is already upgraded with a Upscale NOS Phillips. I
checked my tube stash and found a matched pair of Sylvania VT 229 SL7
from the 1940s. I'm already doing some research on re-tubing the Dynamo.
Some choices might be the Psvane Black Treasure, their newer stuff as
well. Perhaps the SED Winged C. I have some new Reflector 6L6 6n3c that
I like in another amp, that might be interesting provided I can use those
types in this amp. I'll likely contact Brent Jesse as well as Jim McShane
and Mr. Blume. If you have any further suggestions please post. Best, Rob |
Interesting review in Enjoy The Music on the Coincident Dynamo SE in the context of affordable system with new Tekton Reference loudspeaker that took a Blue Note Award. |
Since I once owned the Golden Tube SE40 as well as Golden Tube's 300B model (both of which I liked a lot), I thought I'd chime in because yesterday I received delivery of the Coincident Dynamo 34SE previously discussed in this thread above. This is a used unit that I purchased for $800. The Coincident currently sells for $1,299 new; and, I will say right now, without equivocation, that this amp is indeed, one of the best audio bargains of all time.
The model I received is configured differently than the factory standard. Instead of EL34s this unit has Gold Lion KT77s with about 250 hours on them. Also, the rectifier tube is a NOS Phillips 5R4GYS bought from Upscale Audio, instead of the normal rectifier 5UG or 5AR4 as recommended by the manufacturer. It also sports a pair of 6SL7GT from Shuguang that comes standard with the Coincident Dynamo34SE. In addition to the amps mentioned above I have owned Forte 4, RM10, McCormack DNA, Dynaco ST70, Rotel, various Cary among others and currently own Cary V12, Cary SEI300B and Primaluna Dialogue One.
The Coincident is special and it is an absolute bargain. Congratulations to Israel Blume, the designer, manufacturer and distributor.
I will write a review soon. But first I'm going to purchase SED Winged C EL 34s as well as Shuguang 6CA7 Black Treasure tubes. I will also seek out some NOS RCA Red Base 6SL7 to try. I already have Sylvania NOS 6SL7s. Costly NOS tubes, but this baby deserves them.
Brownsfan, how is it going with your unit? Will pm you. |
Hi Charles,
Thanks! When I move into my new home (late spring) I will likely purchase the Coincident 300B/preamp combo. You, as well as Brownsfan and some others, have provided me with the information I needed to make a well-thought out decision. I sincerely believe the Coincident will provide me with my best listening experience. |
Hello Charles1Dad,
First, thank you for all the helpful comments. I believe I will likely go Coincident speakers, or one of the following: Dadaedlus, Devore Orangutan O96/93, Line Magnetic 755 Field Coil or something else like these. I currently own Tekton 4.5, Tekton M-Lore, Tekton Lore plus Infinity Prelude Composition. The Infinity is actually a good speaker from around the year 2000, at a cost of about $3,495. It is 96db efficient, 6 Ohm, with a built-in amp that drives the 12 inch solidly to 25 Hz. This speaker sounds really nice with the Cary 300SEI, even better with the Cary V12 SET, run at 50 watts Triode. The tubes I have run in the V12 include KT66, El34s, as well as NOS Reflector 6n3ces.
I am listening to the Dynamo 34SE hooked up to the Tekton M-Lore, 95db, 8 Ohm, clean 38Hz. Transport is a Sony SACD S9000ES connected to a Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC with Shuguang Black Treasure 12au7 tube, older Custom Power Cords, MIT digital cable, Silnote interconnect and PS Audio Statement speaker cables. Somehow, it all meshes; and my 16x14 office is a great listening room, never a problem, easy set-up. |
Brownsfan, I'm looking at Brent Jesse tubes as I write this, listening intently to the little Dynamo, the music just flows, neither too Yin or Yang, just right to my ears. The stage is wall-to-wall (14 feet) and deep as the recording allows. Timbre is right on the mark. This unit gas never been bright, save right out of box. Took about 30 minutes to settle down, then, Magic! Please keep me posted, I'll pm you as I make further notes and receive other tubes, likely order today. Best. |
Was, not gas, Heaven forbid... |
Charles1Dad,
Thank you for the heads up. I just finished reading the excellently written review by Tim Smith and must wholeheartedly agree with his comments. The Coincident Dynamo 34se is every bit as good as he says it is.
I am going out to dinner with some friends now, but will later add some remarks about various other tubes and ancillary equipment that supplement the 6 Moons review. |
Sorry for the delay, but my dinner turned in to a spontaneous trip to Hawk Cay in the Florida Keys with my dinner mates. Hawk Cay is beautiful and dynamic just like the Coincident Dynamo 34se.
The Dynamo is located in my 14x16 home office, so all my top-notch gear is located in the living room and bedroom. As such, beside the Dynamo I've gathered together a bunch of my older cables, interconnects, DAC, transport, and so forth. I mentioned them earlier in this thread. My speakers here are the same Tekton M-Lore Tim Smith used in his outstanding 6 Moons review. Please read Tim's review. It says everything about this amp better than I ever could, it mirrors my experience almost exactly after I changed some tubes. Remember, I bought this model used for eight hundred bucks and I decided I'd spend the $500 dollar difference of its retail price on tube or other upgrades. My used unit came with Gold Lion KT77s with about 200 hours on them and a highly recommended NOS Phillips 5R4GYS which should be compatible with this amp but not recommended by Israel Blume, plus the standard Shuguang Electron EL34 as well as a pair of Shuguang 6SL7.
How did it sound? I thought it sounded very good but knew I could improve it. My wife thought there was something off, she didn't like the bass. I told her not to worry I was calling Brent Jesse and ordering a Mullard 5AR4 rectifier plus installing a matched pair of Sylvania 6SL7WGT 229 that I had in my tube stash. For now the Shuguang EL34s were staying in the unit as I wanted to get a feel for them with the new rectifier and 6SL7s. Once installed in the amp these tubes elevated everything, there was a huge transformation for the better. To borrow from Tim Smith, "purity of tone, the sense if space, PRaT, the inner detail, the fatique-free musicality, the druggingly delicious sweetness that single-ended tube amps provide, life-like vocals, a realistic guitar pluck, the long decay of a single piano key, a realistic double bass arco or banjo hammer-on in our listening room." Yes, the Dynamo does all those things and more. It is stunning, truly amazing.
I am going to purchase NOS RFT Siemens EL34s as well as Black Treasure 6CA7s, the NOS RCA Red Base 5691s for sure, perhaps later different cables, etc. This amp is worth it, it deserves the best; or, leave it stock. It is killer good. A no brainier. It is the best bargain I ever heard. Israel Blume deserves high praise. I could live with this amp forever. It does so much right. Read Tim's review. The best bargain SET to these ears, for once my wife agrees. Perhaps the best bargain in all of audio. |
Charles, I'm fairly certain Brent Jesse has the Mullard CV378. A couple of other thoughts I didn't mention in my comments: The stage was enormous, all instruments were easy to identify, truly coming from black backgrounds. Voices were centered and extremely real. Nothing was syrupy. Totally organic and natural, the music flows as it should. Dynamics are fabulous. This little Dynamo can play anything, large orchestra, Chamber, Jazz, Rock, Folk; it gets it all right. This amp is going to be a lot of fun, not only rolling tubes and tweaking, but discovering the music all over again. And I have a great urge to go out and purchase more music because at heart I am a music lover and this little baby delivers the music. |
Brownsfan, Charles,
After the new house is finished (late spring) the first purchase I'm going to make is the franks. Between now and then l'll be having fun with the Dynamo. The Mullard is superb as it stands, but I likely will try some other rectifiers. The NOS Phillips 5R4GYS I firmly believe will substitute/perform wonderfully in some other compatible amp. A bargain at $65 from Upscale. Has anyone used KCA tubes? They seem to have a good supply of NOS RFT Siemens. According to Tim Smith, in his system the Siemens provided a "fatter, warmer sound". My only concern now is, how am I going to get any work done? I keep spacing out on the music. |
Charles,
Yes, our musical tastes are very similar. In fact I started following your threads because you made statements about the quality/type of sound that you like and I stood up and took notice, thinking gee, this Charles person is someone to pay serious attention too; and then between Arthur Salvatore's comments and your own on the Coincident and Mr. Salvator's previous write-ups on the Golden Tube 300B, I knew you guys were on to something truthful about high-end audio that cut through the hype.
The above statement also applies to Brownsfan, whose musical tastes in both equipment and music are sublime. Of course there are some others, but you and Brownsfan epitomize the sound that I seek.
Mapman, definitely a winner. I hope you get to hear it for yourself, the Dynamo is shockingly good. I can't praise Israel Blume enough, he nailed this amp. It truly allows the young budding audiophile/music lover, older ones too, to enter a world of really fine musical reproduction at a nominal cost of entry, 2nd system or main system. Like Tim Smith stated or implied, keep the Dynamo and upgrade build around it, it will do expensive speakers justice provided they are reasonable in sensitivity, say 92db, and an easy 8 ohm load. Same for all other ancillary equipment, including tubes, cables and so forth. This amp will reflect and appreciate the upgrade; but you really don't need to do a thing, this amp will still sing. |
Charles,
Good luck, let us know how it works out. Have you bought any tube from Andy at Vintage Tube? |
Brownsfan,
Your experience mirrors my own. My father, mother, uncle and other relations were musicians. My uncle had a large pre WWII collection of 78s, he lived in the house next door and I too spent hours upon hours listening to them. Between my parents and uncle we always had great music rigs in either house plus live music. My uncle had, beside the 78s, more than a thousand records, my parents perhaps half that many. Boy, I wish that I could have gotten some of those discs and rigs; but sadly it was no to be. |
None. The Dynamo does not need a preamp. I'm only using a CD transport and a MiniMax DAC. You can use it with a preamp if you want too. See Tim Smith's 6 Moons review, he did use a preamp during a small portion of his time with the Dynamo. It's really not necessary unless you need additional inputs. The Dynamo only has one. |
Rebbi,
I totally agree with Brownsfan. I've got some good listening hours on the Dynamo now and I am truly blown away by how good it sounds, even with the stock tubes. The rectifier likely must be replaced; but you don't have to spend a lot of money to do that. Get a NOS Mullard 5AR4, if possible, but there are many rectifier tubes in the $40-60 range that will sound great. The Shuguang EL34s and 6SL7s that come stock with the Dynamo sound fine, but can be greatly improved upon. Tomorrow I have a pair of RFT Siemens EL34s coming, can't wait to hear them. I also have 6CA7 Black Treasure on the way, I haven't yet pulled the trigger on the SED Winged C. I was fortunate that I had a beautiful matched pair of 6SL7WGT-VT229 military in my tube stash. Between it and the NOS Mullard rectifier I purchased from Brent a Jesse it really upped the Dynamo's performance, even with the stock Shuguang EL34s. I love this amp so much I'm thinking of selling one of my other amps and purchasing another Dynamo; it will appreciate all the good ancillaries you can throw at it. You asked the question: What is the best SET bargain in all of audio? This is it! |
A summary From Pro Guitar: What is a Rectifier?
What does a rectifier do? If you dont know, dont feel bad, youre about to find out. A rectifier changes alternating current (AC), like a wall outlet, to direct current (DC) that is required to run all electronics inside your amplifier. Thats it, its really that simple. The AC voltage comes from the wall into the transformer of your amp where it is then run through the rectifier to get DC voltage. This is before all audio circuitry so an important thing to realize is that NO AUDIO SIGNAL PASSES THROUGH THE RECTIFIER. It is purely for voltage conversion. So how does it affect the tone if no audio passes through it?
Rectifier Types:
So now we know what the rectifier does. In audio, guitar and bass tube amplifiers, there are two different types of rectifiers you will see, solid state and tube. There are several commonly used tube rectifiers in amps, 5U4, 5AR4 (GZ34), 5Y3, and 6CA4 (EZ81). Each has different voltage handling and characteristics for different output levels and circuits but each accomplishes the same task in the circuit. Thats it, no magic, no mystery, purely a power issue.
A solid state rectifier is made up of two to four diodes in a circuit (generally, there are single diode rectifiers but they are somewhat uncommon in guitar amps) or an IC that is made up of diodes. The solid state rectifier, while being diodes and not tubes, accomplishes the same task as a tube rectifier, it is simply there to convert AC voltage to DC voltage.
Tone:
So if a rectifier does not pass audio, how can it affect the tone of an amplifier? Well, the rectifier is the first post-transformer link in the power supply and changing the power supply voltage will cause different tonal characteristics. Tube rectifiers have an internal resistance so the more current that is pulled through a tube rectifier, the more the voltage drops which in turn causes the output power of the amp to drop. This drop affects the rise time of the tube (the time taken to produce the proper voltage output) and as the note decays the voltage builds causing a compression like effect. This is commonly referred to as sag. Since low frequencies require more current to reproduce, this sag causes a tube rectified amp to have a spongier low end and distort easier. This natural compression and sustain is sought after by many guitarists of certain genres (blues, classic rock, country) but not for everyone. Many players feel that a tube rectified amp responds better to touch dynamics and sound warmer than the solid state counter-parts. Different types of rectifier tubes will have different tonal characteristics in the same circuit as well but, as with all tube substitutions, BE CAREFUL. Not all rectifier tubes are interchangeable so consult a qualified technician before substituting. |
I'm very much in to TONE. The tone of an audio amp for me is extremely important. Therefor, the right rectifier makes a world of difference in the total sound. |
Mapman,
Warmer, smoother, tone of instruments accurate, well saturated color, and so forth... |
Ok, I did not explain that too well. Let me try again: in music, the timbre also known as tone color or tone quality is the quality of a musical note or sound or tone that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices and musical instruments, string instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments. The physical characteristics of sound that determine the perception of timbre include spectrum and envelope.
In simple terms, timbre is what makes a particular musical sound different from another, even when they have the same pitch and loudness. For instance, it is the difference between a guitar and a piano playing the same note at the same loudness. Experienced musicians are able to distinguish between different instruments based on their varied timbres, even if those instruments are playing notes at the same pitch and loudness. (This with a little help from the Wikipedia).
The little Dynamo does all this and more in spades. |
Mapman,
I'm not a professional reviewer, but as the great film director, William Wyler once said when asked, what he wanted, from a particular actor after about 40 takes, he said, "I'll know it when I see it. I think this is the correct response to your question, only change it to "you'll know the difference when you hear it for yourself.
By the way, my unit was bought used and did not come with the stock rectifier tube. It arced over and the original owner replaced it with Kevin Deal recommended NOS Phillips ST bottle 5R4GYS. Nice tube but not recommended for this unit by Israel Blume. With this rectifier in the amp it sounded brighter, my wife did not like the tone of the bass, the sound was less warm, lean and thinner. Nor did she or I like the Gold Lion KT77s that the previous owner had installed paired with the Phillips rectifier and stock 6SL7s. I will revisit the GL KT77s with the Mullard rectifier as well as the Sylvania military 6SL7. Should be fun and interesting. First I'm going to test out the RFT Siemens and Black Treasures, then the SED Winged C at a later date. |
I really love this Dynamo amp. The RFT Siemens EL34s from Brent Jesse are breaking in as I am writing this piece. Playing is Louis Armstrong/Duke Ellington, "The Great Summit/The Master Takes". The stage is ginormous as in really big, wall-to-wall, 14 feet across plus another 4 feet of small hall entry/exit. I'm not getting any work done. Truly great height, width, depth. The RFT's are a bit richer, bass more powerful, than the Shuguang that came stock with the amp, which has a little more air and space; but remember, the RFT Siemens is breaking in, only about 10 hours on them. In either case the tone, saturated colors are wonderful, so natural, organic, as the music flows forth. Piano is exceptional. Great timing, pitch, PRaT, it has it. Louis is right there big as life. As a bass player myself, I'm loving the Bass, tapping my toes, no one note, hard or hollow bass. It recreates the tuning/tone of the player. Great Gatsby, this is sweet, so live, and dynamic.
Mapman, my brother has a Sophia Baby among Leben and Harbeth. If you want to compare the Dynamo youre going to have to move up to the Sophia 91-03. I know it sounds crazy, but that is what I hear. In fact, I'm going to sell my Cary V12, Cary SL98, perhaps Primaluna Dialogue One, push my chips to the center of the table, pick-up another Dynamo, as well as the Coincident Franks/101 tube pre and be done with it.
This little guy costs 1,300. No preamp necessary. It is the greatest bargain in audio to these ears. I don't make this type of statement easily, if ever.
My brother and I are putting together another shoot-out fest with some mutual audiophile buddies. Hopefully soon after Halloween. I'll report on the Sophia, but I already know it's an also ran. |
Oh yeah! Dukes Place is the Place to be, I am at Duke's Place... |
Charles, yes, I know, so true. The Cary V12 is a nice amp, as is the Primaluna Dialogue One. Yet there is just something very special about Mr. Blume's design and implementation that has grabbed me. It doesn't matter what genre of music you throw at the Dynamo, it plays it with aplomb. For days now I have given it large complex classical, smaller less complex classical, chamber, chants, ancient music, modern music, all types on Rock, Jazz, small combo' stuff, big band, female vocal, male vocal, electronic and accoustic, live...it does it all...a SET that can rock! Or, can sort out big orchestral pieces without breaking a sweat. Can't wait to hear the Franks. |
No, I never thought it more difficult. I used to play with a number of Berklee College of Music people in Boston (ages ago). As you know as a trumpet player yourself (my first instrument), practice, practice, practice, good teachers, it all becomes second nature. As I stated elsewhere here, I come from a family of musicians. I haven't played formally since the 70s. Took a different career path. |
I really enjoy bassist like Renaud Garcia-Fon playing oriental music con arco on 5 string bass. I played an Ampeg fret less all those years ago and did a fair amount of bowing. |
Charles,
Thanks, I'll pick it up, always liked Kenny Burrell. Chambers was a fixture in the 50s and 60s on double bass, really an influential figure as well as an inspiration to aspiring bass players. |
Charles, Brownsfan,
Late spring is when the new house is scheduled for completion. Seriously causes all the anxious moments described by you, Brownsfan, in your house search and impending move, but it is calming thinking that I will have the music room I always wanted; and I now know for certain after reading your comments on Franks, (listening for myself to the Coincident Dynamo SE) that the Franks/CSL combo is the type sound system I also always wanted. The speaker, ancillary hunt should be fun, but the best part will be "listening to the music." |
My Niece and her boyfriend just completed walking a good portion of the Appalachian trail. They're hear for dinner tonight. Some years back one of my brother-in-laws walked the whole thing. My wife and I have walked various parts. Always exhilarating!
Yes, I too see good times ahead. I will certainly discuss speaker and source with you and Charles as we go along. |
No, the Cary combo of V-12, SL98 actually sounds better than the the Primaluna Dialogue One. Also, I liked the V-12 with the Audible Illusions Modulus 3A as much or more when I owned that wonderful preamp. The Primaluna Dialogue has many more inputs and it's tube rolling with its auto-bias capabilities is second to none. It is overbuilt like a tank, looks and sounds great at about 68 pounds. I definitely upgraded the Primaluna sound by replacing the stock power tubes (Shuguang), with Reflector 6n3ce (6L6) and input/drivers with costly NOS Sylvania black 3 mica 5751s as well as Bugle Boy 12Au7s. I'm cutting my throat here, but to my ears, my wife' s ears, the Coincident Dynamo 34se sounds better all-around. |
Brownsfan,
Please let me know which recording of Shostakovich Symphony no.13, Babi Yar, you used in your listening test as I would like to purchase that copy if I don't already have it. Thank you.
Best, Rob |
Brownsfan,
Thank you so much for the recommendation. I do not own that copy, will buy. I enjoyed reading the various commentaries on this cd.
Charles, my wife plays classical guitar, her ears are stellar, she is my touchstone when it comes to the quality of sound. Plus, she really enjoys the equipment search (shows), and listening to tube differences. Absolutely no resistance to music or equipment purchase. Such a blessing.
Saki70, I hope my comments above helped you. If you have any further questions on equipment I own, please don't hesitate to ask. |
Rebbi,
You do not need to roll the tubes, it sounds really great stock. You misunderstood the discussion. I enjoy rolling tubes to tweak the sound to my preferences. In fact, as it turns out, I believe I now prefer the sound of the stock Shuguang EL34B slightly better than the NOS RFT Siemens I recently purchased at a cost of $200 for the Dynamo based on Tim Smith's 6 Moons review. If you read Tim's review he used the Siemens, SED Winged C, Psvane Black Treasure, as well as the stock tube; he settled on the Siemens. That of course was to his ears in his space, with his ancillary equipment. In my space with my ears and my ancillary equipment, I think now after listening that the stock tube (again, my space) sounds more open, airy, better separation between instruments, easier to discern what is where, provides a bigger, stage. The RFT Siemens is a bit richer and warmer still, deeper bass, yet not better, just different. Both tubes exhibit wonderful tone, excellent harmonics, dynamics, stage and so forth. The Dynamo will play everything you throw at it in a natural and organic way, it is a musical amp, neither too Yin or Yang, but just right. I have a matched pair of Black Treasure 6CA7s on the way from Grant Fidelity, but you don't have to do what I am doing, comparing and contrasting tubes. The Dynamo sounds great as is.
To answer your other question the volume control is not a problem for me, likely not for you. I'm only going to play CDs on this amp, so no problem with additional inputs. |
Rebbi,
I am going to put my Primaluna Dialogue One up for sale this upcoming week. Great integrated lots of inputs, in great condition, for $1,950 plus shipping. So, just a heads up. Of course I'll be running the sale through Audiogon, will not cheat them out of their fees. Plus, I will be selling great NOS tubes for it, and other stuff. I trust it's ok to mention this here? |
Charles,
Yes, your statement is completely true. Additionally people must understand that Tim Smith, in writing his stellar review of the Coincident Dynamo 34se, has a different room, different speakers, different power cables, different interconnects and speaker wires, different DAC, transport, power conditioning and so forth. The bottom line though is that the wonderful Coincident Dynamo 34se will sound a bit different in each individual' room than in Tim Smiths room with his rig. What remains constant is that the Dynamo is stellar. You, the listener, can leave as is, or tweak, taylor the sound as you like or not. That is the beauty of a well-made musical tube amp. You have a choice. |
Tailor, not Taylor, I'm at a birthday party, must br too much wine. |
Hello Tim,
Thanks for chiming in on this thread. I agree with all of what you said about the Primaluna. But like you did, the Primaluna is going to help fund a Coincident 300B and a Coincident (CSL) 101 tube preamp for me, as well as new speakers, one of Coincident, Devore, Line Magnetic 755 field coil, Daedalus, something like that. The money from the Primaluna might go for some tubes or wires. It won't stretch very far. The Dynamo 34se will stay in my office system. It makes me very happy.
Again, really glad to read your further thoughts. Other writers for Internet and audio mags often enough chime in on the A'gon. Your review on the Dynamo was really thorough thanks much. |
The OP never mentioned cost or that he might have difficulty financing a new amp, or that he would have to sell his Manley. That info came way late, after Tim Smith chimed in. The OP stated what his equipment is and asked, what's the best BARGAIN in SET's these days. In seems to me that the OP got a lot of great responses to his question. I know I took a fair amount of time responding to the OPs actual question. The Line Magnetic 518i may be a great amp, but it is no bargain by my standards. If we want to get cute about the term bargain I suppose a statement such as, it means different things to different people depending on their financial means at any given time. But seriously, in the context of this thread, the term bargain never meant the cost of a Line Magnetic 518i, or anything like that. |
Saki70,
Those comments were LOL. Likely, most of those folks are in an Asylum. Straight-jacket Extreme Tubegoobers (SET Asylum). |
I tend to agree with Deckert and Brownsfan. But I will say this: on large orchestral pieces, in my 16x14 foot office where the Dynamo's currently reside, hooked up to 95db 8ohm speakers I would not want to push the volume control much beyond 10 o'clock, even though they can go much, much louder without strain, but I'd like to save my hearing. Today I was playing large scale movie music, Gladiator, Ben Hur, El Cid and others, pretty wow experience. |
Great comments everyone, this has been a enjoyable thread.
Brownsfan, I especially like your cautions. You're completely right that no one (at this point) is going to get a world class amp for 1.3K; but as Tim Smith also correctly pointed out you can get awfully close. For 1.3K that is an incredible bargain to even approach world-class. Plus, no preamp necessary. This amp does so much right. Like you and Tubegroover, I also like the fact that some tube manufactures are finally making much better tubes.
I would also like to caution that a product like the Dynamo, for it to work best needs efficient speakers with high impedance, say true 93-94db or higher, minimal 8ohm impedance. Soon, I'm going to hook up the Dynamo to my 6ohm 96db efficient Infinity Prelude Compositions that hit 25hz in the bass due to its built in 300watt mash amp driving its 12 inch woofers. Still shaking my head how Harman Kardan screwed up future iterations of this good speaker.
Almarg, what can I say that hasn't already been said, your contribution to the A'gon can't be overstated, always an honest, helpful poster. I really want to pick your mind on the Daedalus speakers down the line. |
Charles1Dad,
Point clearly stated, I could not agree more.
For everyone else My comments were merely stating the obvious and re confirming what a pleasure it is to find something in this price range that is truly good. |
Hi Rebbi,
The build quality is high. A mini tank. You will be able to pass this amp on to your grandchildren.
My BlackTreasure 6CA7 tubes finally arrived from Grant Fidelity on Monday. I've been burning them in since then. I can already hear that they are going to be better than the Gold Lion KT77, RFT Simens NOS EL34 and Shuguang EL34B. Will report later as they continue to burn in. In my system the bass has been extremely good, a SET that rocks. Not slow, syrupy. The PRaT has been right on. This is not hyperbole. |
Mapman,
Thanks for the heads up on the Glow One/Two. Another promising (bargain) amp that can apparently do justice to the music with the right speakers. I really enjoyed the 6 Moons review. |
Well, Rebbi, your head seems to be spinning in the typical audiophile conundrum, what to do? I say this in a well-meaning way. It is really difficult to know which way to go when you can't listen to audio prospects in your own room. Budget restraint often compound the problem. Few brick and mortar stores don't help either. So, when do you take the bungy jump?
You've had a lot of good feedback on this thread. I think Tim Smith's review was spot on concerning the Coincident Dynamo. Brownsfan and I backed up his review. Of course neither one of us own the De Capo's. The caution by Almarg about the real measurements of your speakers gave me a pause. But I will say this: I have heard the DeCapo's many times in friends homes (the older version) and they are all that you have expressed. Terrific speaker. I like my Tektons much, much, more. They are less expensive, more efficient, go much deeper with quality bass, dynamic, outstanding midrange and throw a very wide coherent soundstage. Recently I have played these speakers with Cary V12, preamps Cary SLP98, Audible Illusions Mod 3, Cary SEI 300B, Primaluna Dialogue One with upgraded NOS tubes. I have also listened to my brother's Leben 600 amp with Harbeth HLF5, the Jolida FX10 with Tekton 4.5s and some others. The Tekton Lores and M-Lores with Coincident Dynamo sounds as good or better than all these combos. The differences are in small degree. And the Coincident with the Shuguang Black Treasure 6CA7 tubes, Mullard 5AR4, Sylvania 6SL7 WGT military tubes or RCA red base are killer.
When you asked the original question of best bargin I assumed
fairly low amount of money, like less than $2,000. Is that the case? It seems
that posters are now mentioning much more costly SET amps.
In any case I hope you find what ticks all your boxes.
Best, Rabi |
I have friends with Art Audio amps, very good product, but given your budget restraint tubes will cost you, no matter what 300B you decide on. Almarg provided you with a great solution for more inputs for the Dynamo. As Tim Smith wrote, re-tubing the Dynamo is only a $100 expense for all the tubes. I would spend slightly more. Get the new rectifier from Gold Lion or Mullard.
At any rate, you need to get whatever floats your boat. Collectively A'gon members have given you a boat load of good advice. Good luck. Best, Rob. |
Saki, I believe you stated you own the Primaluna Prologue integrated, which I know intimately. I also own the Primaluna One with excellent upgraded tubes from the stock tubes. I also know this integrated intimately. Both my wife and I like the Coincident better with the various Tekton speakers we own, especially the M-Lore. Granted it is a close call, but the Coincident is the winner in our view. The Primaluna is a really good amp, versatile, great tube rolling possibilities; but for some reason both my wife and I think the Coincident is more organic, the music flows better. The tone, timbre, bass and dynamics are better on the Dynamo as now constituted. I admit that I haven't experienced every option on the Primaluna Dialogue. Tim Smith said that the Primaluna is twice as good with KT120s over the EL34s. I don't know? Since the Coincident has only 2 power tubes as opposed to 4 in the Primaluna it's much less expensive to operate with premium tubes. |
