- 47 Labs FlatFish Mk 2 CD Transport: Charney batt PSU & Upgraded Clock
Minimalist but musical CD transport. Ergonomically a pain to use but with great sound. Very smooth and analog sounding. Upgraded this by replacing the stock Dumpty power supply with a Brian Charney battery powered PSU. This battery PSU is so much better - better bass, soundstage and dynamics - a huge improvement. Really gives the FlatFish a significant improvement - like a new CD transport. Highly recommended. Also, the Flatfish was upgraded by Brian Charney with an AudioComm SuperClock 4 and other upgraded components. This transport now has greater dynamics and jitter has been reduce such that I no longer use the Altmann DeJitter.
Upgraded with the Chord Blu Mk2 which is a must in combination with the Chord DAVE to bring out the best in each other.
Zero sampling, no digital filter, tube DAC. Very analogue like and musical. Smooth with great tone and timbre. Upgraded with Gold Lion 6X4 and 6CA4 tube rectifiers and Mullard/Amperex E88CC Holland D Getter pinch waist tube. Also using an Acoustic Revive grounding conditioner.
Upgraded to Chord DAVE DAC with Chord Blu Mk2 Cd transport and upsampler. This combination is the best digital so far in my system. Still keeping the Zanden 5000DAC because of its unique organic sound.
- Galibier Gavia TT with Durand Talea 2 tonearm
Heavy mass loaded base with heavy Aluminium platter coupled with an integrated graphite mat driven by a wide mylar tape belt using a precision DC motor powered by a 12vDC SLA battery. Very quiet and transparent with good soundstage. Dynamic, good bass and excellent PRAT. This is a belt drive TT with dynamics and PRAT of a direct drive/idler drive but with the quietness and transparency of a good belt drive. Can use 2 tonearms; Typically a Micro Seiki MAX282 (3 armwands)and a Fidelity Research FR66s updated with new Silver internal wiring. Also have a AudioCraft AC4000 LTD (silver) and a Durand Talea II tonearms. My Gavia has the latest large block armboard with micro-P2S adjustments. Updated with new DC motor & controller and new belt. All cartridges are setup using the Mint LP Arc Protractors and/or Uni Protractor system.
- Technics SP10mk3 + Porter plinth FR66s. Fully serviced and rewired with new Silver wires and Rhodium connectors by Ikeda
SP10mk3. Totally refurbished (new caps, IEC power socket, calibration, new IC) and upgraded with revised Richard Krebs mods by Bill Thalmann of Music Technology.
Also fitted with the SDP (Special Decoupled Platter w/isolated spindle)
platter by Acoustical Systems. The SDP brings a further refinement, expanded soundstage to the SP10mk3
- ViV Laboratory Rigid Float 9 inch
An amazing arm. Just sits on the plinth, no offset angle, easy to setup and sounds quite amazing. Highly Recommended.
- Technics EPC-P100C MkIV MM cartridge
Low Output Moving Magnet Cartridge. Very good tracking ability, smooth sounding with lots of details.
Very good cartridge even though its an MM.
- Koetsu Coralstone Diamond Platinum
The Coralstone Platinum was my favorite cartridge. Amazing. Very palpable and musical. Check out the shootout review in my threads.
Now upgraded to Diamond Cantilever version. Added detail and transparency. Excellent.
- Various MC/MM/MI: SPU Gold, Koetsu Onyx Plt, FR7Fz, Ikeda 9CIII
Here are some of the cartridges in my possession besides the Technics EPC-P100C mk4 and AKG P100LE. (Not in any order of priority): (1) Ortofon SPU Silver Meister Mk2 run nude. Very dynamic and sounds better without its integrated headshell. I have a custom made Gun-Metal adaptor for mounting into a standard headshell. Works well with my Fidelity Research FR-66s arm. Sold and bought SPU Gold which is better all around. Just bought a used SPU 85th Anniversary and this is even better. (2) Sold my SPU Mono GM and bought Miyajima ZERO - my new reference mono cartridge. (3) Fidelity Research Fr-7fz and Fr-7f - the Fr-7FRz is better. Detailed, transparent, smooth, lush and musical. Very heavy cartridge but works well with my MAX282 with heavy J arm(XP282Au) or FR66s. (4) Ikeda 9CIII. Cantileverless cartridge. Great cart. Very immediate sounding. I'm looking for the Ikeda 9R as a result. (5)Audiocraft AC-3 MC. This is a very nice cart and will give new $$ carts a run for their money (6) Fidelity Research PMC-3 MC. Cheaper and later relative to the FR-7. Nice for its price, similar house sound to the FR-7 but not quite up to the Fr-7f in terms of transparency and resolution. (7) Denon DL-103D. Ceramic body. MC(8) Satin M18BX, quadrophonic MC with berylium cantilever. (9)MM cartridges: Acutex 412STR, Stanton 881s, MM cartrdige with JICO shibata stylus, B&O MMC1 & MMC2, Azden YM-P50VL (A couple of friends whose ears I trust have tried it and both like it very much), Andante P-76, Empire 4000D Mk3, Technic EPC-P205C Mk3, MM cartridge, Glanz M71E, AKG P8ES. I have not heard them all but hopefully...one day... Just added a Transfiguration Proteus MC cartridge, my first new contemporary MC cartridge in a long time. But sold to upgrade to a Koetsu Coralstone Diamond Platinum which I really, really like.
Tube LCR phonostage. Best phonostage I have yet encountered. Big, spacious, palpable sound with lots of presence and dynamics.
- J&R Essential 3160 phono+linestage
This is a dual mono, Class A, no feedback, solid State Fully Balanced Phono Preamplifier. Phono Stage uses balanced input from the cartridge. Enough gain for use with low output MC to not require step-up transformer (60db). Have completely seperate MM and MC phono stages. Sublime, detail, smooth, neutral, natural tones and very dynamic.
Now upgraded to Wavac PR-T1 preamp. Better.
- Tribute Inductive Volme Control
Bought a passive inductive volume control from Tribute. This is a stereo unit. Put it into a DIY case with 4 RCA inputs using Silver Neotech internal cabling. Very transparent yet quite dynamic sounding preamp. In fact, its probably the most transparent preamp in my collection. Very pure sounding, yet smooth, dynamic and very musical. Needs to have enough gain from your source to your power amp to bring out it's best and need to match the source and power amps impedances. Once you can do this, it's very good and probably the best value in a preamp. Works great with my Wavac phono and Zanden DAC into my Berning 300B ZOTL amp. This combo is now becoming my favorite. Used to have the Bent Audio TX-102 Silver TVC. I think the Tribute is better. More organic sounding and more musical.
- Berning 300B ZOTL (New Siegfried)
It's a new version of Berning's famous Siegfried 300B/811 ZOTL amp. Dave B. told me he likes this better than the original Siegfried 300B. He says it sounds better. This is Serial #3. He only builds on special request. Hence, it is built like a DIY amp and is very simple/DIY looking. It's a pair of 300B driven by 6SN7 (2pcs), 12au7 (1pc) and 6au6(2pc) tubes. Stereo single chassis. It has 7 watts into 6 ohm, 6 watts into 4-8 ohm and about 4 watts into 16 ohm. Technically, it's a 300B single ended, class A, choke loaded, ZOTL amp. No output transformers. This is now my favorite 300B single ended amp. Great transparency, detail and speed. But also smoothness, speed, liveliness, linear freq. response from bass to treble. This has all the attributes of OTL but without the leanness and sometimes brittle/tilted high end. AS warm and rich as traditional 300B OPT amps. Need to match with NOS tubes for best results. Liking it very much with the EML 300B XLS tube. The Elrog 300B was better than the EML.
But now running with 1940's engraved base WE300B. Wow! Beliismo!. With Opoe 6SN7 and 1950's Mullard long plate, D getter 12Au7.
Best amp in my system so far.
- DIYHiFiSupply LD91 MonoMax SET amp + Noguchi OPT
300B SET monoblocks utilizing an upgraded version of the WE91 circuit using a direct coupled reactive interstage driven by a 5687 triode tube. My version uses a pair of Noguchi FM-24WS output transformers which uses the Hitachi FineMet cores. This is an upgrade over the standard OPT. It's a 300B with more power (in my case about 10W since I use a 5K primary instead of a typical 2.5K primary which gives 16W) but with a more typical 45 SET type sound. So I am able to get something similar to a 45 type sound but with more power than a typical 300B. It's a more liner freq bandwidth than the typical 300B i.e. more bass and treble extension. And the FineMet Cores are really good. My favorite cores for OPTs. The best of both worlds IMHO. I use vintage 1950's WE300B tubes, vintage fine mesh shield WE 310A pentode driver tubes, Tungsol black plate D getter 5987 triode tubes and vintage 1960's WE 274B rectifiers. The tubes cost more than the amps but IMHO add another level of refinement and musicality to the amps. Update: Have switched to the Sophia Royal Princess 300B. This is a really good 300B. For the first time, I found something that I like generally like better than the vintage Pre-1970's WE300B (I don't like post 1970's WE300B anyway). It has much better bass and treble extension but still retains enough of that mid-range magic (though the vintage WE300B's mids are just a bit nicer, more detail and microdynamics). Really pushes this amp up significantly. I have to say that this is now my favorite amp in my collection. Just added the Takatsuki TA-300B tube. Better mids than the Sophia Royal Princess, more layered soundstage and more holographic sound. Slightly less impactful bass and not as forward as the Sophia Royal Princess. I prefer the TA-300B and it is closer to the vintage WE300B than the Royal Princess in the mids and soundstage and microdynamics. And better bass than the vintage WE300B. Have now added EML 300B and this is now my reference 300B for this amp. Sits between the Sophia Electric Royal Princess 300B and the Takatsuki 300B but having the best from both.
Made by Don Garber with upgraded components. 4w into 16ohm. Very musical. Quiet, smooth, transparent and great bass for a SET tube amp, with good pace and rhythm. Very easy to enjoy. Replaced my previous U4AB amp as it was better in many ways. Upgraded with Magnequest QS-025 OPTs with pure silver wiring on both primary and secondary coils. Very nice upgrade (and expensive). This now makes my Fi421a a long term keeper.
This replaced my First Watt F2J amp. Also a single ended FET amp with just 1 gain stage. I like it very much and its an improvement over the F2J. Its a single ended design with no feedback and class A of course. Very detailed but smooth and with good tones. Fast sounding with the best bass yet in my system. Sacrifies just a little lushness and trailing tones for better speed, resolution and bass. In heavy rotation with with Fi 421A SET and 300B amps.
- Feastrex D9e - Type 1 Field Coil Speaker
Fullrange 9 inch field coil driver. 16 ohm in a simple reflex box in DIY marine plywood. Natural, very transparent, fast and very dynamic. Great bass and great treble extension (for a single driver). My version has the Urushi lacquered over gold plated phase plug. Now using an updated Feastrex external DC power supply with constant current supply. The new power supply (dual mono in a single chassis) which is an option from Feastrex, makes the speaker more dynamic, faster and more detailed. This new power supply is much better than the standard original Feastrex DC power supply. I use a Taket BATPro Super Tweeter which is enhances the bass and makes it a little more airy. Update: Have since swapped the Taket BATPro super tweeter for a pair of Townshend Maximum Ribbon super tweeters. These are quite a bit better than the Takets. I get better soundstaging, treble seems more integrated with the rest and has a more organic sound. Further updates: The D9e have been reconed by Feastrex in 2012 and upgraded with CW treatment. The whizzer is now slightly smaller in size. The drivers are even more natural sounding and the treble integration is more smoother. Overall, a nice upgrade. Main weakness now is the cabinet. Currently working on upgrading the cabinets. Stay tuned. Aldo, recent conversation with Hal Teramoto (the maker & designer) revealed that my driver has a 1 piece pole-piece construction (only 2 pairs were made like this). The tolerances are tighter with the single unit machined construction. So, maybe my unit is more like a D9e Type 1.1~1.2. LOL
- REL R218 subwoofer 2pcs, stereo pair.
Have replaced my previous pair of REL Strata MkIII subs with a pair of REL R218. The R218 seems faster and more dynamic. Set between 36-40hz crossover for my Feastrex D9e speakers. Blends in very well with the main speakers. A stereo pair gives me better soundstage and depth compared to single subwoofer. I use Oyaide Tunami powercords for these subs.
DeJitter Device. With 12 volt SLA battery power supply whihc sounds better than the standard wallwart. Works great. Better bass definition and smoother highs. However, now not in use as my modded Flatfish with upgraded clock sounds better without the DeJitter.
- Hashimoto Live MC-10 Step-up Transformer
Great moving coil step-up transformer. Better than the Cinemags which was my ex-reference. More detailed, better treble extension, faster and more open soundstage.
- Choir Audio Hashimoto HM-7 Step-Up Transformer
The HM-7 is the flagship Hashimoto step up and is quite a bit better than the HM-3. It's the best step-up I have heard.
- DIY HiFi Supply Cole LCR phono amp
Cole uses LCR RIAA and tube output. Uses a Telefunken EZ80 rectifier and a pair of Amperex Holland E88CC D getter tubes. Transparent, detailed and musical.
- Custom Mod Nagashima U4AB SET amp
A custom built amp of a design that was featured in a Japanese DIY magazine by Nagashima (the editor of that magazine). It uses a U4AB pentode power tube by Pedersen (Danish 1942 built) but wired in triode mode. Its driven by a pentode tube ECL86 which has both half section of a 12AX7 triode and a EL84 pentode built into the tube. 3 watts output and 20 ohm tap. Very natural with good soundstage and depth. More detailed than my previous 300B monoblocks but loses none of the richness, tone, timbre and harmonics of the 300B (DIYHiFiSupply's LD91+ amp).
- Tony Wong Custom 6SN7 CCS line preamp
A custom built preamp with a single 6SN7 tube with CCS loading. I prefer this to the TVC passive preamp (silk TVC) in my system as the U4AB power amp needs extra gain to sound at its best. This preamp is fast, transparent, very quiet, smooth, dynamic and musical. I am using Tungsol 6SN7 round black plates tube.
- Neumann W444STA line preamp
Vintage Microphone active Fader as used in German Broadcasting industry. It has both input and output transformers and a discrete op-amp giving 15dB of gain. Very smooth fader with a smooth, musical sound. Has a custome made 24Vdc power supply built into the cabinet.
My first Feastrex. Fullrange alnico driver - 5 inch. Incredible xmax excursion and treble extension with >95db efficiency, 16 ohm. In a hybrid bass reflex/TL box in marine plywood. Natural, transparent, fast and musical. Now used as speakers for my second system and partnered with DIYHiFiSupply Fusion integrated USB DAC amp. I also use a Taket BATPro supertweeter with the speakers to aid in bass and imaging.
- Audioquest Leopard tonearm cable
I have several DIN-RCA and DIN-XLR cables. 72V DBS bias. These are now my preferred tonearm cables
- Analysis Plus Silver Oval Tonearm Cable
Tonearm cable from Tonearm to phono preamp. DIN-XLR. Neutral and transparent
- Silver Breeze Tonearm Cable
All silver DIN-XLR tonearm cable. Fast, neutral and musical.
- STEREOLAB Master Reference 818 Digital IC
Great sounding and great value digital cable. Better than my previous Stereovox XV Ultra Reference cable. The XV Ultra was itself better than the previous Stereovox XV2 version which had replaced a Kondo Ks-Lpd digital cable that costs much, much more. Tried also many other digital cables like Harmonic Technology Cyberlink Platinum, Nordost Silver Shadow but the Stereovox was better. Had the earlier HDXV but the newer XV2 is slightly better and the XV Ultra better yet. But the new Stereolab Master Reference 818 was noticeably even better. More details, higher transparency yet remaining smooth and musical.
- Antipodes Komako IC MK 2 version
The Antipodes Komako are silver I/C with a little gold and palladium. It sounds musical yet detailed and fast. They have replaced my Kondo Ks-Lp I/C, so highly recommended.
The ClearDay Double shotgun is all silver. Smooth, musical, good bass extension, wide soundstage. Very happy with it compared to more expensive cables.
- ElectraGlide SOTU Power Cord
This replaced my Acrolink P4030 and Oyiade Tunami PCs. It is more detailed, smoother, richer and more dynamic compared to the previous powercords. Really good and good value too but no longer in production. If you find it on the market, highly recommended.
- Harmonix X-DC2 Power Cord
Nice power cable. It's very musical, smooth, with good details. It has a slightly golden sound which makes it forgiving but yet detail and fast. I used it for my DAC. The synergy of this cables helps with the digital front end.
- Shunyata Python Vx Power Cord
Used for CD transport and field coil power supply. Has noise reducing Fe-Si pellets in the cable. Very musically and quiet cable. Can sound a little compressed on other equipment but ok for my field coil power supply
- BPT BP-10.5 Ultra Power Isolation Trans
Upgraded with Oyaide R1 outlets. This really help reduce the power supply noise in my system and was better than my previous custom Isolation Transformer. Apparent immediately was a better defined and weightier bass, larger soundstage and the music also flowed much better. Highly recommended. This BPT replace my previous custom build isolation transformer - 2.5KvA which I found to be better than my previous Shunyata Hydra 8 power conditioner. The custom isolation transformer was more dynamic, faster and a little more transparent than the Hydra 8. The Hydra 8 was more quiet but I found the music flowed better with the custom Isolation Transformer.
- PS Audio P500 and P300 Power Regenerators
Finally, I tried a power regenerator. Both units actually converts 230V to 115V which was what I was looking for and I bought it used. It definitely helps reduce noise and the MultiWave is useful and can help improve sound. It's a keeper but wish the fan noise was a little lower.
