This is my first foray into the wonderful flea-powered world of single-ended triodes. The change came about as a result of a major event the birth of my son requiring the need for softer listening sessions without the sacrifice of dynamics.
My previous two-channel system was based around a Conrad-Johnson Premier 11A/B&W Nautilus 805 combination. It was a very rewarding pairing, but needed some volume to really sing. Given my room size (16 x 13 x 8.5), I felt the less is more theory might be worth exploring.
After some hefty reading over on Audio Asylum and email exchanges with several inmates, I decided to take the plunge.
I contacted Jeff Korneff and had him build one of his 45-based single-ended amps. Its output is about 2 watts per channel of effortless sonic bliss. Its extremely transparent and can deliver impressive dynamics given its minimal output.
Terry Cain, from Cain & Cain, built a pair of his Abbys (a modified Voight pipe design) for my less is more system. The Abby houses a single 6.5 Fostex full-range driver, and uses two interchangeable drivers for different listening experiences. A Fostex FE 166e driver is the more aggressive of the two, delivering a very forward presentation. The second of the two, a Fostex FF165K is a more laid-back, softer presentation. To paraphrase Terry Cain; the difference between these drivers is the deep and clear sound of the FF165k, as opposed to the dynamic projection of the FE166e. I like to think its the difference between sitting in the 10th row and being on stage with the musicians.
The room is equipped with two dedicated 20amp circuits - one to drive the source equipment and one for the amplification. Speakers are placed about 2 ½ feet from the rear wall and about 3.5' from the sidewalls. The chair is 10' from speakers, which are slightly toed-in.
Ive found this system is capable of incredible detail retrieval and conveys the emotion of the music better than any other set-ups Ive had in the room.
Gain: 26 dB Maximum Output: 15 V rms Hum and Noise: 100 dB below 2.5 V output Distortion at 1.0V output: less than .1% THD or IMD Phase: inverts phase of all inputs at main output Output impedance: less than 850 ohms Zero Negative Feedback
The 17ls uses a 4ft BC-14G Cryo Power Cord
Jeff Korneff 45SE
Class A Single Ended Triode, using 45 output tubes, a pair of 6SN7 drivers and a 5Z3 rectifier. The amp delivers 2WPC @ 8ohm with zero feedback. Materials used include: - Electroprint output transformers - Hammond 300 series power transformer - Elna Cerifine caps - WBT binding posts - Kimber RCA jacks All wiring is point-to-point. The 45SE uses a 4ft BC-14G Cryo Power Cord.
Cain & Cain Abby
Modified Voight Pipe horn-loaded loudspeaker. Single Fostex FE166e driver with Fostex T90A super tweeter crossed over using Fostex CS 0.68 uF cap w/ 1ohm resistor in series and 30ohm resistor in parallel.
Sota Star Sapphire
Self-Sensing Vacuum Hold-Down System w/ Remote Double-Regulated AC/Vacuum Pump. Balanced Sub-Chassis Hung from Four Point Spring Suspension. Rosewood Plinth. Vacuum/Motor assembly has been modified to include internal dampening sheets and an upgraded power cord.
Graham Engineering 2.2 Deluxe
Unipivot Tonearm with micrometer adjustability for azimuth, VTA, and tracking force.
Lyra Helikon
Output voltage: 0.5 mV Frequency range: 10 Hz 50 kHz Stylus: 0.08 x 0.12 x 0.5 mm natural diamond shank, Ogura PA line-contact profile (3 x 30 um) Cantilever: 0.3mm diameter solid boron
Turntable Isolation Platform. Twelve layer laminate of high-density polymer, multi-density composite board, polymer adhesives and non-resonant primer with six large IsoNode footers.
Audio Points Isolation Cones
1" Brass isolation cones positioned under the CDP, DAT deck and phono stage
MonsterPower AVS-2000
Voltage Stablizer
JPS Labs Digital AC
Replaces stock power cord on the Meridian 588 CDP
Acme Audio Cryo Silver Plated Outlet (20A)
Two cryogenicly treated 20A outlet residing on each own's 20A dedicated circut. One outlet feeds the power amp and one feed the source components (through the AVS-2000)
Homebrew BC-14G Cryo Power Cord
Bob Crump designed power cord using Belden 19364 14-gauge wire, Wattgate 320i and 5266i connectors. All parts have been cryogenically treated.
Bybee Quantum Purifiers
Internally mounted in series to the positive terminals in the Abby speakers (one per speaker)
Hi there...I was wondering if you're happy with the sound of your Audience phono cable. What other tonearm cables have you tried? Great system by the way! calgarian
I have been reading your post and I noticed that you changed the abbies sometime ago for the oris 200 horn. How is the sound of the oris? Do you still keep them? I have been thinking of give them a try. Did you build a bass with the BD15 driver/BD30 amp or with another parts? Thanks for your time. Alan
Would that be Whitney when she's sober or high on crack? (sorry, couldn't resist).
Thanks for the complement. I do find that it has that "reach out and touch it" quality - but due to room restrictions, it's not a deep as I'd like.
Musically, it favors acoustic music. It does piano extremely well and strings (guitar, mandolin, double bass, etc.) with great realism. It also reflects, quite accurately, poorly recorded music (think the majority 80's rock).
I really don't listen at levels beyond 80-90dB peaks, so I haven't run into issues of conjestion or break-up in complex passages.
Beautiful system!! I love the SOTA,,but what I would like to know,is the system locked into one type of sound? Do all of the bands sound alike, or can you reach out and touch Whitney,s 3-d self? My room and equipment is not absolute, but I get this experiance. Best regards Scott O.
Sorry for the delay in responding to your post. My wife and I just had a baby boy, so things have been a little crazy.
Alex (thanks for answering the question) nailed it. I was adding dedicated circuits to my home and used 20amp just in case it was needed in the future. There was no increase in cost, so I figured, "why not."
My main focus was to add a dedicated circuit - making it 20 amp was secondary.
Joe: Since Mike hasn't responded yet, I'll take the liberty of answering your last question.
The current rating of the powerline indicates what amperage can be safely supplied to attached devices. It refers to the specification of the breaker box, wire guage, and outlets and associated hardware, and represents the level if exceeded at which the circuit breaker will open and interrupt the power flow to maintain safety. What current will actually be drawn is determined by the devices themselves and the conditions under which they're operated.
Providing a higher available powerline current capacity can't hurt you gear under normal circumstances, but won't help either if it isn't needed. Most stereo systems are made up of gear rated safe at 15 amps and operated under typical conditions draw on average comfortably less (leaving headroom for higher peak instantaneous draw). Some 'monster' power amplifiers that under certain conditions could draw more (such as when powering big, current-hungry speakers in large rooms at high volumes) are spec'ed as requiring 20-amp powerlines, which means they'll have differently-configured AC jacks and need powercords with corresponding plugs (the +/- blades are set at right angles to each other, rather than parallel as on 15-amp connectors).
The benefits of dedicated AC circuits in most cases where the attached gear is standard 15-amp rated probably have more to do with increased powerline isolation from other household devices, and maybe an improved quality of wire and jacks than what the builder originally used, than with a 20-amp capacity per se. But the theory is, if you're going to do the job anyway, you may as well go ahead and do it all the way, especially if you might ever want to use 20-amp gear in the future.
Just as a point of reference, my own system has 200-watt tube monoblocks powering mid-sized floorstanders of average sensitivity in a mid-sized room, and playing full-range music at the loudest volumes draws an average of no higher than 8 amps from the powerline as indicated by my power conditioner's digital meter. Since the system has never tripped the 15-amp circuit breaker while playing music, I have to assume I don't need 20 amps of capacity. (I can trip it if I switch my amps on simultaneously, due to power-on inrush demand of charging the large reservior capacitors, but of course there's a simpler solution for dealing with this occurence.) In a low-powered/high-efficiency system like you propose, the demand is probably even less.
BTW, if the reason you're asking this question here, rather than of your audiobuddies who're recommending the 20-amp lines, is by any chance because they can't answer it, then you may want to take that into consideration when they offer their advice. And though I could never contemplate doing what you've done -- spending a bundle sound-unheard and completely changing direction based only on stuff you've read -- I hope you dig your new system, keep us posted!
Congratulations on your very nice sound system. I am just buyng Rethm Second speakers and Audiopax 88 monos--haven't received them yet. From all I've read about the sound of horn loaded speakers and SET's, I decided I had to hear them in my home. Will talk to you later after I've got some listening time in.
Just one technical question about your electrical supply--why a 20 amp circuit? Couldn't this prove dangerous to your equipment if more than 15 amps gets to a component? Friends who have more expertise than I, have recommended 20 amp circuits which I could implement easily but haven't done so because of this fear in the back of my mind.
Robyatt... Congrats on the aqussition of your Abby's. As I'm sure you're finding out, the more you listen to them, to more you love them! IME, they keep getting better with time.
Leemark... I listened to a 95dB speaker (Abbys) with a 30-60 watt tube amp (a C-J Premier 11A) and found listening to be more enjoyable with a 45 or 2A3 SET amp. Agreed that it will run out of steam very quickly when pushed; but like Onemug, typical listening levels peak at 75dB. It may not have the dynamic swings and slam of live performance, but it certainly makes my toes tap and puts a smile on my face!
Skushino... I appreciate your kudos... but I should be saying the same thing about your system! Your Edgarhorn system paired w/ the DRD300B must be astonishing! FWIW, I've changed things ups a bit and have replaced the Abbys with an Oris Compact Reference system (AER MD-1). Details can be found here http://www.diy-systems.com/index.html?lang=en-uk&target=d7.html
Leemark, Just dealing with the math, you would need a tenth of a watt for 85db and a hundredth of a watt for 75db. I sometimes listen at 65-70 db, that's peak and at the listening position. Everybody has their definiton of what low level is to them, but I agree, going the other way volume wise you will run out of gas real soon.
Reagrdless of what people say, for low level listening sessions this kind of combo is OK but for realistic dynamics 1-3 watts are not enough to drive a 95db speaker. In my experience if you were to hear a 95db speaker with a 30 to 60 watt tube amp the difference is eye opening. 100db is entry level for 1-3 watts. If you were to hook up a scope to your amp you would find that you were listening to clipping 75% of the time with 1 watt and 95db speaker. I too am enamored by the directness of the 45 tube but unfortuneately nobody has reinvented the laws of physics yet. Please someone let me know if they do!
I just hooked up my new tobacco finish Abby's to my Fi "X" globe Cunningham 245's,(Anniversary Magnaquest trannies), Fi "Y" (Siemens Cca's), Garrard 401/ Custom designed Robyatt Audio plinth/Souther SLA 3/Empire 888 VE/ Hagerman "Trumpet" phono rig.WOW, really nice. comparing them right now to the Horn Shoppe "Horns". To early to call, but more bass from the.... and more even presentation from the..... less colored sound from the... Pic available, ask!!! The tobacco finish is EXTRAORDINARY!
In my experience, I did not have to add additional weight the arm. The two seemed to have a good synergy. I had my VTA set so that the cart was parallel to the platter and the tracking force was around 2.7g.
You probably could add additional mass to the arm, but I couldn't say how that would effect the performance.
If you happen to try, I would be very interested to hear your results.
Also, I've got the itch to try a 103R. The 103 is a great cart, but the more I read about the "R", the more I want to hear one in my system :^)
Your back up cartridge is DL 103. I also have Graham 2.2 used with Lydian on my LP12. I intend to get and use DL 103/103R. Please share your experience if low compliant 103 perfectly matched your Graham without having to add weights to increase mass.
Sounds like a good way to test the water!! Just for the record though, the Berman 76 circuit is VERY simple -- just a handful of parts per channel. With a couple of mods, I made it even simpler (I don't like the idea of having 2 separate volume controls, for example!) Whichever direction you go, I think you'll appreciate the sonic improvements!
Thanks for the kind words! I've been considering trying out a different pre to see the impact it would have on my system.
I like your Korneff 76 idea and the thought of taking the DIY approach. Since I'm somewhat apprehensive about building tube-based equipment from scratch, I decided I'd try my hand at a kit. The Bottlehead Foreplay has generated some very positive feedback, so I'm going to try out the Foreplay III in my system. Not exactly all triode, but the new Foreplay will accommodate a wide variety of tubes (including 76's) with a little modification. Im looking forward to how it's going to compare to the CJ.
Great system, although I think you might talk to Mr. Korneff about building a Berman 76 line-stage to replace the C-J. The Berman is a very simple, all-triode design with a super-spec'd power supply that, in the words of a Listener Magazine reviewer "adjusts the amount of realism in the room." A friend of mine had a very similar system to yours and we both felt ultimately that the C-J preamp was the weak link, adding some "hi-fi" artifacts that the single-ended triode/horn speaker combo was trying to get away from. I built a Berman 76 myself (with some over-the-phone advice from Jeff) about 5 years ago and still feel it's the most magical sounding preamp I've ever heard! I don't know what Jeff would charge to build one, but if you're handy with a soldering iron and basic power tools, you can do it yourself for about $1,200 in parts (less than you can sell your C-J for, I'm pretty sure!) You can find the preamp in Sound Practices magazine (I think it was in issue 12 or 13.)
I have a battery-powered phonostage myself, the Camelot Lancelot, but it uses two larger, sealed lead-acid batteries and recharges them continuously when not playing records (the battery/recharger and preamp are two separate units connected by umbilicals), which are supposed to be good for up to 10 hours playing time on a full charge. I believe the PhD uses a greater number of regular alkaline cells (C or D?) and lacks an integral recharger if I'm not mistaken, but is supposed to be good for a much longer playing time before requiring new batteries. I'm curious what Sutherland says about the possibility of using high-energy NiMH rechargeable cells with an outboard recharger for when the batteries wear down instead of disposables, given the slightly lower voltage of the rechargeables.
Let me put it in audiophile terms... it smokes the PH-1!
Seriously, it is dead quiet! Not to quote Fremer, but the music really does emerge from a ink-black background. Sense of depth is increased. Instrument timbres have improved. Music just seems to flow better.
I know not the most technically precise explanation, but this is why I don't write for the music press ;^)
