decooney

Responses from decooney

I like my Peachtree Nova300 more than my new (to me) Pass XA30.5 HELP!
@adam8179Is the preamp section in the Peachtree not a good match with the Pass amp? Possibly. And, not unusual. Not all integrated amps have great preamplifier sections in them. Retry with the MZ2, re-evaluate then.  And, is the XA-30.5 brand new ... 
Demo'ing Class A amps, Appreciation Suggestions from those who recently been there
Chorus, Okay. Looking over some old notes and references. Interesting, and a completely different direction from low watt. "High Current Amplifier" with proper drive for the FSMs. SET or tube amps with fleawatt grunt isn’t going to cut it on those... 
Demo'ing Class A amps, Appreciation Suggestions from those who recently been there
@chorus , Are these an accurate photo of your FSM speakers?http://usr.audioasylum.com/images/3/38319/fsm.com.jpegAre you using the 16ohm tap on your speakers when testing?With FSMs, (I'm not a Tannoy expert - at all) but It's appears (as you are) ... 
Orchid vs. Istanbul — anyone compare these MHDT DACs?
@hilde45 While I don’t normally refer to other forums/threads, page 23 on the Head-Fi Headphone Review forum, thread (MHDT Labs: R-2R NOS Tube DACs) speaks to the updated Stockholm > Istanbul, Orchid, some Pagoda . I’ve only heard the Havana, P... 
Cary Audio CAD-280SA V12R
If you are looking to keep a softer more veiled over sound the Audio1 caps are okay, not bad caps, just not great ones. If you want a little more texture, clarity, and musicality, many other caps sound better.  Did not realize the true benefit of ... 
Demo'ing Class A amps, Appreciation Suggestions from those who recently been there
chorus OP15 posts04-01-2020 12:15amCooney,I had Golden Lion KT88s. The Leben 300 I just demoed was a step up from the Cary.I am most likely going with the Pass Int25. No tubes anywhere. The whole point I am making is the Pass House Soundis better... 
Demo'ing Class A amps, Appreciation Suggestions from those who recently been there
chorus, Reason I asked is the 120S with KT120s, stock input tubes, and stock caps is kind of a dry sounding amp (imo) in comparison to others I've owned, demo'd, heard several from Cary and Inspire.  The Pass amps, even with a good tube preamp hav... 
Seriously considering tube preamp…opinions?
It's hard to go back to SS after quality tube gear.    
Demo'ing Class A amps, Appreciation Suggestions from those who recently been there
@chorus,What did you not like about the 120S you sold? Can you describe what was missing for you? Much has to do with speakers too, of course. I have to ask, and know a few who bounced back and forth between that 120 amp and SS and back to tube la... 
Cary Audio CAD-280SA V12R
Nope, just 210ma per side, total.  If you get the fancy Cary meter to plug in, you'll likely check bias more, or a simple headphone 1/4" TRS type jack plug with wires and voltmeter.  Let amp warm up good, keep volume down or preamp off, set bias s... 
Cary Audio CAD-280SA V12R
It's just 210 div by 6, per "rail" as you noted.  If you are handy, pull lower cover, look and see if it has those four of the thin silver'ish Audio 1 coupling caps.  
Cary Audio CAD-280SA V12R
If I may suggest to those with V12Rs, Output Tubes:Don’t be so quick to yank/replace/chuck those Ruby’s for others, some were the actual Shuguang EL34-BSTR tube version which sounded really good in that amp 1) if it’s biased right and 2) if you ha... 
Tone controls -- assuming you're ok with them, when would you try them?
@cscrutinizer, Thanks, decooney. I'm looking for a tube pre and am considering the Aretha and Don Sachs. I've read only a few, not too descriptive, but positive posts about the Aretha. The Sachs has had all rave reviews. I would have Don add a tap... 
Tone controls -- assuming you're ok with them, when would you try them?
@cscrutinizer As I recall Holger’s Erhard Audio "Aretha" 6SL7 based preamp with tone controls. Off the top of my head don’t remember if it has the tone defeat or loudness switch options or not, or if those were available when he ordered it a few y... 
Cary Audio CAD-280SA V12R
Yes. It’s actually "I" to "R" upgrade. I owned a stock V12R for a while and sold it a year ago to try other-brand Monoblocks to test different amps with my custom designed speakers. The lucky new owner loves it and has compared it to other high $ ...