My objective is to duplicate the sound of a good jazz venue as best I can. I'll never match it but getting close is fine. I've had various audio components through the years and tubes particularly DHT tubes/ASSET have gotten me the closest. So this is where I will settle down and appreciate.
Balanced AC power is fantastic !! 1800va balanced isolation transformer/conditioner. All aspects of music reproduction are improved for every single component.
Tripoint Tripoint Troy.
A wonderful grounding box component. When added to my system it increased the sense of natural sound quality and emotional engagement. The Troy has a humanistic and “soulful “ quality to it.
Coincident Speaker Tech Total eclipse 2
This wonderful speaker is transparent,open and involving. It`s large yet completely disappears as the source of sound within the room. Very easy to drive,94db and 14 0hm impedance (Minimum 10 ohm). I replaced the stock Solens capacitor with the Duelund CAST in the crossover.
Coincident Statement linestage
Superb performance. In my opinion , a masterpiece by Israel Blume. As would be expected, a wonderful match with its sibling the Frankenstein MK II.
Coincident Speaker Tech Frankenstein mark 2
A terrific 300b SET amplifier that is the foundation of my system. The EML XLS 300b tubes are a superb match with this amplifier.
Acquiring these 300b SET mono blocks changed the course of my music listening experience. They elevated the emotional engagement, tactility and “breath of life “ realism.
Yamamoto YDA-01
Wonderful music lover's DAC that has a very natural/organic sound quality. Duelund CAST addition(output coupling capacitors) makes it sound even better. It has a very minimalist circuit/design that was implemented well.
Ocellia Silver Reference IC
Very natural and pure sounding with excellent tone and timbre preservation.
Ocellia Silver Reference Speaker Cable
Same qualities/ comments as the IC.
Star Sound Technologies Sistrum Apprentice component platforms..
These Star Sound platforms are mandatory in my system. Effectively managing resonance and vibration leads to a very noticeable sound improvement with every component and especially the speakers. Excellent product.
High Fidelity CT1 Ultimate Digital cable
A highly impressive digital cable that mates beautifully into my system. Contributes to the natural sound presentation.
Pro-Ject Audio Systems CD Box RS2T
This is a superb Redbook CD playback transport. It’s both high resolution and impressively natural.
. I’m using the excellent Fidelizer Nikola II LPS. Splendid pairing.
Lavricables Grand and Master series Power Cables.
Pure silver wire and unshielded power cables. These are used with all of my audio components. They are very open, transparent, high resolution with beautiful natural tone and timbre presentation.
Abbas Esoteric Audio 3.2SE
Built by renown Ukrainian Abbas Zulfugarov. NOS DAC utilizing the classic Phillips TDA 1541 multi bit chip. Two 6080 tubes in the analog stage. 5 various rectifier tubes in the power supplies.
3 separate toroidal transformers (And 2 chokes ) for the power supplies.A very serious and successful upper tier DAC implementation. Using with the Abbas SPDIF and power cable.
If you ever get the chance, definitely check out the Joules. You would highly appreciate the way the OTL digs deep into the music and just puts you under its spell.
Maybe when my kids are all in college, I can get reacquainted with the Joule magic...
I totally understand why you still have the Joule. Which model do you have? When I heard the Joule VZN-100 for the first time, it was one of those moments that tattooed me for life. It has the most presence, effortlessness, and weight of any amplifier I have ever heard, SS or tube. That system was absolutely amazing and had crazy synergy. We tried many different highly regarded tube amps and SS amps in that system, but they all left badly bruised. It's only shortcoming is the sheer amount of heat that they generate which makes them very dangerous, especially for small children. However, if I were single, I would own a pair for sure.
The Atmasphere OTL's are pretty darn transparent and open sounding, but they are not in the same class as the Joules. The Graaf gets closer, but is a bit too warm and has less realism compared to the Joule.
The Franks are terrific and I respect them a lot, but if you can mate the Joule with the right speakers I'm not too sure there's an amp out there that's better, at least to my ears. To me, the Joules are "horn-like", there's just an ease to the music that is undeniable and nothing feels forced. You are a lucky man!
Thanks Charles, I'll definitely have to check out your other jazz recommendations.
In my preamp, the Mullard GZ34 sounded thinner, had a narrower stage and imparted a more solid state character than the Mullard GZ37. And I agree with Jet, the GZ34 sounds faster and more dynamic with great punch, but the sound could get a bit strident. The Mullard GZ34 metal base version improved upon the shortcomings of the black base. It still retained the cool minty sound, but did it with a tube flavor that was very involving and never harsh. In the right equipment I put the metal base version right up there with the the best rectifiers I have tried. I'm not sure how the Franks would respond though. We shall see...
I got a hold of Bluesy Burrell and I must say that it's truly top shelf material. The ebb and flow of the music is uncanny. It's definitely not an album that has one or two great songs, but rather one you put on until the album completes....
That's awesome news Charles, I had a strong feeling you would like the shift in sound. I'm just glad we can use the CV378/GZ37 in the Franks. I've had them on standby mode for so long.
I will try out the fatter CV378 cousins this weekend and report back in this thread.
As always Charles, thanks for the tip. I actually have a few Jupiter caps I bought a while back with the intention of using them in my preamp and Big 7. The consensus has been very positive, so I'll have to get around to it in the near future.
I'm sure the skinny CV378 will add to your current enjoyment, but once you have a grasp for its contribution, if you have an itch to try out its fatter cousin shoot me a PM:)
I asked Israel which tubes could be safely rolled into the Franks. I have always assumed that one could use the 5u4, 5u4g, and 5u4gb, but in the past Israel told me only to use the 5u4gb. I had no idea he was selling the CV378 as upgrades to the Franks. I wish I did, because I used to use the skinny version in my preamp and still have them to try. So I asked him if I could also roll in the GEC U52 or WE 422a or 5ar4. He just responded that only the CV378 or 5ar4 could be used and nothing else.
I am not sure if he has tried the fat version of the CV378. But if the results of my trials of both versions in my preamp then the fat bottle will sound killer with the Franks. It cost a lot more (~3x) but IMO, well worth the marked improvement. I'll report back soon...
