Bill,
I can verify Jeff's comments as I've heard the above mentioned combinations in his system. Conventional wisdom would suggest that the internal disc player would be preferable (eliminating separate transport, cable aand a power cord). Listening confrimed what Jeff wrote. Similar to the passive/ direct compared to an active preamp.I should like the simplicity of the former (I prefer simply usually) but my ears choose an active instead.

Bill(Brownsfan),
Right now I'm listening to Sarah Vaughn and it's insanely beautiful with the Franks/Elrog doing its thing, what a joy this match is.
Charles,

charles1dad May 02, 2015 21:05

Good moves! I will look into your transport. I like the CEC, but I know your transport is very well regarded.

grannyring May 02, 2015 21:02

Bill, yes that is what I thought too, but the difference was huge. I also have a CEC model 1 transport, but like the PS Audio better. I later sold the Romulus to my friend and bought their Pandora DAC. I had them put the Stealth Caps in the Dac and they also made a huge difference over their signature model which used different caps.

jwm May 02, 2015 20:07

Very interesting comments. One would think a built in transport has a few advantages. No, never tried that. I suppose a very high quality transport and digital cable would help! Problem is cost!

grannyring May 02, 2015 20:01

Bill if you used the Romulus as just a cd player, you never heard it at its best. I owned it and then later bought the PS Audio transport. As soon as I hooked the transport to the Romulus there was no contest. The sound was much more open, organic and life like. The CD player part of the Romulus is not very good. The best Jeff

jwm May 02, 2015 19:42

Rrsclyd, probably 100 hrs on my elrogs, no problems. They are wonderful.

brownsfan May 02, 2015 18:19

Rrsclyde,
I haven't had my Elrogs very long and have roughly 120
hours of playing time. So far no problems but time will tell. I hope that they prove to be reliable, they are superior sounding tubes.
Charles,

charles1dad May 02, 2015 15:18

Charles (or any other Elrog 300B users): any problems with the tubes, and how many hours do you think you have on them? I'm extremely interested in trying a pair, but some posters over on HeadFi, and some on the Asylum (don't know if maybe some or all are the same posters on the two forums) are having failures....

Thanks,

Randy

rrsclyde May 02, 2015 13:04

Bill,
I was curious if it appealed to you in the same manner as it does with me. I see that it does. The realism and natural character it has just connects emotionally and draws you in.
Charles,

charles1dad May 01, 2015 04:10

Ok the answer to that question is interesting. The Romulus player is just wonderful. It has a bigger, bolder sound compared to the Yamamoto.

The Yammy & CEC combo, in the end, bring me closer to the performance. Performers and instruments carry more emotion and personality if you will. Less impressive and more real is the Yammy. Less impressive in sonic feats of strength, but less electronic sounding and more real sounding is the Yammy. Not that the Romulus is electronic sounding, but the Yammy just has this special realness in the way it conveys music. If one did not listen over a long enough period they would pick the Romulus every time.

However, with the Yammy, time spent with it draws you closer to it until you are hooked. The capacitor, RCA jacks and wire upgrades just put it over the top for me.

grannyring May 01, 2015 03:03

Bill (Grannyring),
What do you hear that's different with your CEC and Yamamoto DAC compared to the excellent Aesthetix Romulus you had? Seems you can't go wrong with either choice.
Charles,

charles1dad April 30, 2015 23:04

John,
I completely understand your perspective.
Charles,

charles1dad April 30, 2015 04:38

Hi Charles,
The way I see SET amplification now isn't that (at least in my simple system) it is the best at every audiophile attribute, although it is very good to excellent at most. It's more of a discovery for me in the sense of understanding the flow and swell of music, and being able to aurally individuate its parts easily so that I can understand intent of the writer and performer better.
I fully understand that it is not going to be the answer for every music lover, but it has turned out to be the right thing for me, and I thank you and others on this forum for encouraging me to explore it.

roxy54 April 30, 2015 03:22

Hi John,
I'm glad you stuck with those tubes and gave them adequate break in time. As I said before they had served me quite well. I've used Andy in the past and was satisfied with his service and product. You certainly seem to be getting great pleasure with your custom(transformers and capacitors) AN kit 300b SET. You took that chance and are well rewarded for doing so.
Charles,

charles1dad April 30, 2015 02:53

Charles,
I wanted to update you on the break in of the black treasure 300b tubes as well as today's upgrade.
The 300b's have broken in beautifully as you and others said they would. I don't know if they are all the way there yet but I am certainly satisfied
The bigger news is that I called Andy Bowman at vintage tube services for advice on the best 6sn7 and also rectifier tube upgrade that I xuold get, and they arrives today. They are both RCA. The 6sn7 from the 1940s and the rectifier RCA from the 1960s.
I am shocked by the improvement as Andy said I would be, and honestly did not know the amp was capable of this level of performance. I am a happy guy, and once again, I want to give Andy credit, and recommend him to anyone needing vintage tubes for his good advice and honesty.

roxy54 April 30, 2015 01:10

Joe,
Since my daughter has graduated from NYU(moved to LA) I don't visit NYC much anymore. Next time I do I'll look you up.
Charles,

charles1dad April 24, 2015 12:58

Thanks Charles, sounds like I'm really going to like them.
To bad we don't live close and can here each others fine systems.

I'm a big jazz fan myself, if you are ever in NY you are more than welcome to come over.

Thanks for your time and insight!

Joe

snopro April 24, 2015 12:10

Hi Joe,
I've compared those two tubes on another thread. In a nutshell the Takatsuki is an excellent 300b. The Elrog takes its attributes a bit further. More dynamics and bass impact(and texture) harmonically a bit richer and nuanced. There isn't a wide gap between them(due to the Takatsuki high standard).Vocals via the Elrogs are a bit more realistic/human/tactile. The brilliant qualities of Takatsuki advances a 1/2 step more. This is noteworthy given the high bar set by the Takatsuki. Elrog has the finesse with additional weight and scale. We'll see what you think in due time.
Charles,

charles1dad April 24, 2015 02:57

Charles, can you tell me the differences between the Elrog and Takatsuki.
Does the Elrog have more weight and impact in the upper bass and midrange? How do they compare with female vocals, etc?

If you like those CD's I can suggest many more, let me know.

Thanks,
Joe

snopro April 23, 2015 23:59

Dan and Joe,
I've ordered your CD recommendations via Amazon and look forward to listening to them soon.
Charles,

charles1dad April 23, 2015 23:26

Hello Joe,
Thanks very much for the CD suggestions, I'll follow up on them. I can never have too much good music to listen to. and enjoy Joe let me know your impression of the Elrogs. I find them simply superb but that doesn't mean everyone else will necessarily have the same opinion.
Charles,

charles1dad April 23, 2015 22:44

Hi Charles, if I may here is another ECM artist Tord Gustavsen Trio (The Ground)which is very good. I have four of his CD's.
If you like Stefano Bollani's CD's that Dan suggested, try Enrico Rava (Easy Living) he has Stefano playing piano and Rava's trumpet.
Late night soothing music and all ECM recordings are excellent!

I ordered the Elrogs looking forward to getting them.

Best,
Joe

snopro April 23, 2015 20:29

Thanks, Charles, I too will check out Tardo Hammer.

Dan

islandmandan April 20, 2015 22:19

Dan,
Thanks for the recommendation. I am unfamiliar with this particular artist but I will certainly check him out. Are you familiar with pianist Tardo Hammer? This guy can play! "Look Stop And Listen" is one of his best recordings. He plays the music of Tadd Dameron and it is beautiful music.
Charles,

charles1dad April 20, 2015 21:28

Charles, last night I was listening to one of my favorite piano trios, the Stefano Battaglia Trio CD, "Songways", on ECM.

I think you may enjoy it as well, I recommend it highly.

Regards,
Dan

islandmandan April 20, 2015 19:45