noromance

Responses from noromance

Nuvista Tubes - General
I see that. And I hope I wasn't patronizing! It's just that they are such different beasts. And what is a tube sound anyway? One would never believe my 1960s push-pull amps were tube if one thought tubes were warm and lush. I have had sand amps th... 
Nuvista Tubes - General
No. Not necessarily. It depends on everything - circuit, quality of transformers, type of tube, configuration of tube, quality of passive components. Adding tubes is not a panacea for some "tube sound." 
401 birch or slate?
@dover Spoke to Matthew at AG who recommended the AS version so I ordered one for the AG/slate 401. If it makes an improvement, I’ll consider the AF one and move the AS version to my birch-ply 401. Thanks and good luck with the 301. 
Taming the high frequency
Can’t the Lexicon be adjusted to tailor the sound? Looks like it has all sorts of settings. Reading around, I see a comment about it being harsh. The Adcom is pretty bright and B&Ws can be a bit up there too. And it’s a digital source. If no g... 
Taming the high frequency
Tissue paper over the tweeters a la Yamaha NS10s in the studios back in the day! 
EL34 equivalent tube types
Would a 7581a work? Tung Sol have a new tube out that is real nice. Super bass and crystal highs. I replaced a quad of 6L6GC with them. 
Taming the high frequency
Consider replacing the Adcom for a tube power amp? Solid core speaker cables? Duller interconnect like the Audio Sensibility Impact? 
401 birch or slate?
Thank you. Was it difficult to fit? Do you use the original bushes? As you know, my new 401 is also an AG version. Early flat window, twin spark. 
401 birch or slate?
@dover  You said "Idler wheel from Artisan Fidelity - this added a significant level of refinement, particularly in the high end"Could you kindly elaborate in a bit more detail what you mean? I'm tempted to get this wheel. I notice there is anothe... 
EL34 equivalent tube types
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/has-anyone-tried-the-coincident-dynamo-34se 
Speaker Suggestions for 300b SET Amp
Spatial Audio M3 Triode Master 
What's Next
Big room. The ubiquitous Tekton DI... 
Hum from Subwoofers
Sounds like your sources are picking up stray mains hum, possibly from transformers or motors that are being amplified by the subs. I'd try running everything without the conditioner. Plug it out and move it away. 
AMPLIFIER BLOCKS
Procure some thick maple butcher block and some brass cones. Spike wood to floor and sit amp on cones. It will improve focus and sweeten the sound and even if the effect is minimal, it will look good. 
Bowers Wilkins/Classe - Anyone had service from them as horrible as me?
Somewhat agree with you. However, many amps have protection circuits, some have digital controllers, rebranded components, potted parts etc. A good diagram will have test points with expected voltages. It may not be worth the tech’s time to try de...