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.
Oh I see. I forgot about that. Yes, the 7 went on a brief tour including the Fritz room. The 5 is what you heard in the Mosaic reference room. The 7 did not make it over to the reference room until after the show. Based on that brief experience, both Rob and Fred decided to buy Mosaic speakers. Dale hates digital and was deeply impressed by the 7. C'est la vie.
09-01-14: Charles1dad Andrew, I heard the L7 DAC at THE S.H.O.W.(Las Vegas) earlier this year. Although under less than ideal conditions in an unfamiliar system I still got the sense it was special. You have confirmed this and I'm glad it's all you expected and maybe more.
The show was a little rough according to those involved. The primary culprit was most likely the speakers (and room). Due to power limitations, the setup occurred on the long wall. Furthermore, the speakers, which I now own, sound like rat piss for 3+ weeks. Literally.
The 7 is better than I expected. It is an analog machine in a sea of digital glare...
Andrew, I heard the L7 DAC at THE S.H.O.W.(Las Vegas) earlier this year. Although under less than ideal conditions in an unfamiliar system I still got the sense it was special. You have confirmed this and I'm glad it's all you expected and maybe more. Charles,
Hi Bill, My listening volume on average C weighted is 75-83 db. Some times lower(65-70 db) with certain recordings. Once in a while I'll listen at 90-100 db and it really sounds good at these levels(no sense of strain, stays relaxed and fluid) but I want to keep my hearing intact.
08-29-14: Charles1dad Agear, Good idea about an accompanying photograph, I'll have to remember to bring home my ER Polaroid camera. Thanks for the suggestion.
Charles, a polaroid or quick phone shot from the wife capturing your facial expression while fully entranced would also be helpful.
You asked about my L7 on another thread and I was deliberately cryptic. It is a superb dac that you would approve of. I sit. I listen. I am now officially a bore.
08-28-14: Charles1dad For my fellow jazz lovers, Oliver Nelson, "Nocturne". Charlie Rouse, "Unsung Hero". John Coltrane, "Plays for Lovers". These three tenor saxophonists have their own distinctive voice and style. Each one is able to play that instrument heavenly and deeply express music's beautiful emotion. It's an absolute joy listening to them communicate tonight in my room.
A good photograph would help us share this moment with you vicariously Charles....
On a jazz note, Celine Bonacina is a baritone saxophonist who is worth hearing: http://www.celine-bonacina.com
For my fellow jazz lovers, Oliver Nelson, "Nocturne". Charlie Rouse, "Unsung Hero". John Coltrane, "Plays for Lovers". These three tenor saxophonists have their own distinctive voice and style. Each one is able to play that instrument heavenly and deeply express music's beautiful emotion. It's an absolute joy listening to them communicate tonight in my room. Charles,
Thaluza, I had to laugh. I started down the road with a CSL 16 months ago, picked up triumph extreme 2s 6 months ago, and just bought a pair of Frank's. I'm seeing a pattern here.
Hi Thaluza, I enjoyed reading your detailed reply and learning about your exceptional system, you have "very good" taste. I can imagine that both theJoule OTL and Canary 300b sound beautiful driving the efficient Victory II speakers. If I were to ever venture back into turntables, something like the Lenco/idler type would be my direction (although I really enjoyed my former Well Tempered table).
In your short 3 days of use you have essentially identified the strength of the CLS, nautral and "real sounding", that's it! You're coming from a very highly regarded Joule LA-150 and are obviously accustomed to good sound. I've haven't heard the Coincident Victory II but wonder how it sounds utilizing a ribbon tweeter. Given your expressed taste and experience I'd think that there's a good chance you'd like the music presentation of the Frankenstein. You have two fine power amplifiers but I believe the Frankenstein would mate with your current components seamlessly as well. Is your Canary 300b amplifier push pull or parallel SET? Keep us posted on your progress and evolving impressions. No doubt that your system sounds wonderful. Thanks, Charles,
I have only had my CLS for 3 days and I'm still trying to get a handle on it. I bought it used to demo for a few months, and if I like it I will go ahead and order a new one. After a little hiccup trying to insert the tubes correctly (I originally did not push one of them in hard enough), I am impressed. I put on some familiar records, and am noticing that some things are being pushed forward with more detail, but in a very natural and coherent way. I am not certain yet, but I think dynamics are improved over my Joule LA-150. The bass of the Joule is more prominent and is a main reason why I like it, but the CLS seems more clear, coherent and natural between the bass, mids, and highs. The CLS is more like I am getting a performance in front of me. I thought my Joule was excellent in that regard, but the CLS is even more natural and real sounding. The Joule has given me many hours of toe tapping delight, without being overly analytical. I was curious whether the CLS would be analytical or whether the toe tapping would continue. So far, victory is on the side of the toe tappers. Take this for what it's worth, as I have only had the CLS for 3 days.
The rest of my system:
Coincident Statement Line Stage Coincident Victory II Canary CA-306 stereo push pull 300b Joule VZN-80 MKV stereo OTL Lectron Doshi JH 50 EL34 amp Allnic H-30000 phono stage Lenco L-75 rebuilt by Jean Nantais Sony ES-5400 cd/sacd player, stock
The saga of my system overhaul started when I bought the Victory II's last spring. The cabinets were a little beat up, but I fixed most flaws with a little bit of elbow grease. I bought them locally for a great price, with the intention of being able to audition amplifiers in my music room to replace my Joule OTL's. I absolutely love the Joules, but they put out a tremendous amount of heat. I was able to work around that by putting them in a room behind my music room, but we are doing a remodel soon and I will be losing that room. The Victory II's were supposed to be a temporary visitor to my music room, but as soon as I set them up, I noticed that a hum that I had been hearing through my Merlin/Joule combination had disappeared when I went with the Victory/Joule combo. I have no idea why just a speaker change would do that, but I ended up moving the Merlins to my living room and now the Victory II's are the reigning champs in my music room.
The same dealer that sold me the Victory II's is a Canary dealer and he sold the CA-306 to me for a good price. It has a modified power supply which makes it whisper quiet at idle and it has a very big, bold, and propulsive sound with music playing through it. It is also very clear sounding, with the edges more clearly defined than my Joules, which surprised me as it does not fit the stereotype of 300b amps that I had formed in my mind. Although it is only 22 watts a side, it holds up well to my Joule amp which is 80 watts a side. The Joule has a loveliness to it, though, which is hard for me to capture in words.
This is probably more than you wanted to hear! I am on the lookout for a used pair of Frankensteins now. I am curious how they would compare to the Canary's.
Hi Thaluza, Congratulations and welcome to the Coincident family. How long have you had them and what's your impression thus far? I hope they'll meet or possibly exceed your expectations. As you've probably gathered, CLS owners who've tried the W.E.Replica101D wholeheartedly recommend them. After running mine continuously for 2 days they really begin to come into their own(although they are recognizably good in the first few hours) . They progressively improve up to about 100 hours or so. What's the rest of your system if you don't mind sharing with the rest of us? Charles,
Charles, I could be wrong, but it is my understanding that the 101D tube never really took off in terms of use, so I'm guessing there may not be a wealth of classic designs using 101D tubes as a starting point for understanding what this tube can do when properly implemented. One of these days, after I get moved and find myself snowed in with nothing to do but stare out the window at snow capped mountains, I will see what kind of information is out there on the history of this tube.
We owe Israel and others who are using this tube in current designs a debt of gratitude for resurrecting what appears to me to be a forgotten relic of the 1930s. We also owe a debt of gratitude to Shuguang for doing the work to make the tube available, and to Psvane for their work in providing substantially improved tubes.
Bill, Thw limitations of availability and potential microphony are valid. The only time I experienced microphony was when I tried the mesh version of the 101D. The presentation turned a corner while listening last night.You're right, delicacy,decay and nuance retrival are really special.Wow! it's the "little" things that make such a difference.It seems as if the this W.E.Replica has a lower noise floor or increased S/N ratio. The subtlties and contrast gradients are impressively revealed. Charles,
