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.
Charles, good question about the 101D not being used much. My guess is that it goes back to the history of the tube, which apparently lead to poor market uptake. That also lead to the current state, where NOS tubes are completely unavailable. Israel took a bit of risk in using the tube. At the time of design, there was only one source of tubes. Even now, there are just two sources.
Also, implementation of the tube is tricky, if for no other reason than that it is highly microphonic. As you know, Israel put a lot of effort into mitigating this problem in the CSL design.
I bought my CSL about 18 months ago, convinced it was one of the best preamps money could buy. That was with the Shuguang tubes. Clearly, the CSL is taken to a much higher level with the WEs. At 6K including the WEs, the CSL is a pretty sweet deal.
The delicate decays are really special in these WE tubes. The tubes reveal nuances that just aren't there even with the HiFis. Of course, I got a double helping of nuance when I brought the Franks home. In fact, I strongly suspect some of the stunning attributes of the 101D WEs weren't making it through the Carys.
I've spent many months enjoying the Psvane Hifi series 101D in my preamplifier, it's a"very good" tube. The Psvane W.E. takes the sound further into the glorious realm of realism. The substain and decay of the musical notes is exceptionally good. The increased harmonic richness and weight just convincingly fleshes out instruments, there's more life and authority. This quality is becoming more apparent as playing time accumulates. The sound is noticeably better than it was just a couple of days ago. Venue ambiance/presence and air is superior to the Hifi series (which was already quite impressive but is drier in comparison). The better the particular recording the more obvious is the influence of the higher quality tube. The W.E.Replica 101D improves music reproduction just enough to immerse you deeper emotionally and the result is "everything is more real" I'm listening to Junior Mance and Richard Davis "Blue Monk" and it's wonderful. It makes me wonder why the terrific 101D is so rarely used in preamplifiers. Charles,
Hi David, Nice to hear from you. These W.E.Replica tubes are intriguing to me. They are simultaneously highly resolved, very dynamic and yet utterly organic. That's hard to do, usually you'll lose one aspect to gain another one. Your enthusiasm for these tubes are definitely understood. An excellent tube for a wonderful line stage. Charles,
Hi Charles and all, I must say that I am happy those with the new 101d tubes are enjoying what they "bring to table". I an not surprised by your comments but must say I am relieved; as I was nervously awaiting your response , which is greatly respected by many including myself, having been one of the first posters for comments on the W.E. 101d Enjoy Regards, David
Hi Bill, Considering the significant role the preamp has in a system, upgrading its active component(tubes) is unquestionably worthwhile. The impact of this change is equal to that of upgrading output tubes in the power amplifier. With this perspective the W.E.Replica 101D is less costly than buying a premium level 300b.This is money wisely spent. Charles,
Charles, if you recall, I gave the 3 tubes the following ratings. Shuguang 80, Hifi 94, WE 100. All of my tubes are well burned in. When I first played the WE tubes the gap between them and my Hifis was discernible but slim. The gap between the Hifi and Shuguang tubes was enormous immediately.
Maybe Pap got a set of duds. I seem to recall another fellow preferring the Shuguangs over the Hifis, which I can't see at all.
Be that as it may, we all seem to be in agreement on the WEs. They are pricey, but when you have a suburb piece like the CSL, it is not really hard to justify spending the money.
Hi Bill, Yes and that's what I hoped to describe, the gap between these two 101D tubes isn't vast (so far, but admittedly it's early).I think you and I probably think more highly of the Hifi version than Pap( he felt gap was huge). Yet those subtleties I hear have an impact on the overall presentation and increases the realism effect and this increases the involvement aspect (more emotion). According to Pap this tube really comes into its own with about 100 hours of burn in. Well that's very encouraging given the fact I like it already. I'm glad the CSL was designed to utilize this beautiful sounding DHT tube. Charles,
Charles, I thought of you a couple times earlier today and almost posted to see if you had the tubes yet. I think you summarized well what I have been thinking. The hi fi series tubes are really very good at the asking price, and represent a great value. The WE tubes however, certainly bring a bit more of everything to the party. Good as the hifis are, once you get a taste of the WEs there is no going back.
Isn't it amazing how such subtle changes can make such a large impact on our emotional responses to music? That this principle applies to performance is well established, but really, just a little more bite in the brass, just a little longer decay or a sharper attack, a bit of sweetening in the strings--makes all the difference sometimes.
My Psvane W.E. Replica 101Ds arrived earlier today and have been in use the past 4 hours. In this very short period they're steadily improving and becoming smoother and more fluid. So far it isn't night and day better than the Hifi series 101D, but yes it is a better sounding tube. It has more dynamic authority, weight and presence. It reveals more tonal color and harmonic richness or density. It isn't over done technicolor but sounds natural/organic and very believable. There's a bit more of that density of sound I always notice when hearing a live instrument, fuller color saturation. This makes recorded music retain more emotion, soul and breath and life that comes intrinsically in live music. Listening earlier to a recording with multiple instruments playing in unison is gorgeous, the various tones blending and yet easy to identify separately.
There's also increased nuance and subtle cues exposure. It's uncovering the small stuff that mimics live musicians and as a result is moved further from a hifi character.I'm listening to baritone saxophone and trumpet currently and they are very tactile and 3 dimensional This is a very good tube even at this initial stage.
Duelund or the Vcap would be worthy upgrade capacitors as far as I'm concerned. I believe that you'll be very impressed and happy with the Duelund CAST in your Yamamoto YDA DAC. Charles,
Hi Ladanree, Honestly the choice of what capacitor is "best" is individually and preference based. People debate constantly about is A better than B, or what about C? The caps you mentioned have their fans and avocates. I had the Vcaps in my prior amplifier and preamp, they are very fine. Given what I've experienced and knowing my objectives, I prefer the Duelund CAST. Your desires and objectives could be different and thus a different direction. Charles,
Bill, I've never heard the Triumphs but word of mouth and reviews say that they're very special speakers, you've certainly confirmed that reputation. Your description sounds like the presentation of my Total Eclipse speaker (same bloodlines). I've had them well over 5 years and can't envision replacing them, they just get things right for me. Well you've certainly hit upon an ideal system for your needs. It comes across how happy and content you are with music reproduction in your home.
I can tell you this with a fair amount of confidence, as time passes your admiration/appreciation of your Coincident system will grow deeper. They'll let you truly enjoy "all genres" of music you want to hear. By the way those Psvane black glass tubes are "good" 300b tubes. Yes you can go higher yet in quality, but they are not slouches by any means. You have many years of excellent sound to embrace and enjoy. Charles,
Charles, I have owned 3 hondas in a row, but I suspect I could adjust to a Porsche without much trouble. The Triumphs and the Franks are just better in almost every respect. That is an easy adjustment.
One of the big challenges with large panels is "right sizing" of solo voices and closely miked individual instruments. Maggies and other large panels have a tendency to present anything closely miked as much larger than life. The triumphs get this right, even with closely miked subjects. As for large scale orchestral works, I find that the Triumphs present the work from a mid hall perspective and present a very convincing sound stage. Localization of brass, woodwinds, and percussion from behind the strings is also very well done. Center fill and depth are great. I also think (my opinion only) that dipoles are at an inherent disadvantage with respect to confusion of image and instrument localization because of the front wave/back wave delivery, not to mention this really throws time alignment out the window. So why, one might ask, was I ever attracted to Maggies? The answer is that until the Triumphs came along, I could never tolerate the lack of timbral accuracy in box speakers under 17K. As you know, timbral accuracy is mandatory with acoustical instruments. Add to this the uncanny coherence of the triumphs and the tight, fast bass, and you have a speaker that is just plain better than the Maggies and delivers everything that is really important to me.
I've heard it said that 300b SETs are not the thing for classical and especially orchestral music. I think Israel's use of the 6EM7 makes the Frankensteins atypical 300Bs. As long as they are paired with 92-94 db efficient speakers, I think those amps will handle any kind of music you throw at them.
I spend a large proportion of my listening time listening to chamber works , lieder (art songs) and solo piano, all of which are a close analogy to jazz in terms of ensemble size. You won't be surprised to know I feel just as strongly about how well the Frank/Triumph pair handle smaller scale works.
As I said before, this amp speaker combo delivers exactly what I have been looking for. With my new ModWright HAPZ1 source, this is just a happy, happy time. I am so drawn to listen I'm having a hard time staying focused on my work here. I nominate the Triumph Extreme IIs as the best kept secret in all of audio. No 3K speaker should be anywhere near this good.
Bill, I'm deep into jazz and you're a lover of classical music. The common thread, wonderful musicians and acoustic instruments predominantly used. Knowing that you really enjoyed your music via Magnaplanar speakers and big SS amps, your rapid adjustment to low power SET/efficient speaker is fascinating to me. How do your larger scale orchestral recordings sound with this new system? I'm gradually listening to more classical music, it's really good sounding and involving in my system. Pianos and Cellos are just gorgeous ! Charles,
Charles, I agree, there is no predicting how a given individual will respond to any given component. I have read with amazement of people dismissing various Coincident products as nothing special. I've been just as amazed to find numerous people (and reviewers) impressed by components I find, in my own house, with careful audition and comparison in my main rig, to be quite unremarkable.
I've identified a number of AG members who clearly hear as I hear, and I take their comments, experience and advice very seriously.
I took a chance on the csl based on your comments, reviews, and Israel's description of his design philosophy. To put it mildly, that was an experiment with a most agreeable outcome. When I began to think about building a bedroom system, I was determined to snatched up the first pair of Triumph Extreme IIs that came up. I was immediately stunned by the virtues of those little monitors and how they outperformed the Maggie's in so many respects.
It was hardly a huge leap of faith to go with the frankinsteins at this point. The Carys were mighty good amps and paired well with the Maggies, but they won't be confused with a good 300b SET. As good as the Franks are now, I can't wait for the burn in period to complete.
Friend installed his v-cap teflon and I have it playing in my system at the moment. This is a MAJOR upgrade in details, soundstage expansion and transparency. The sound is more liquid/fluid and it's darn nice good!
The good question: - I order v-cap teflon while I exactly know how it's sound. - I order duelung cast pio cu (same price) and hope I will prefer that sound. - I order duelund cast pio ag !! (very pricey)
Ladanree, I don't have the PS Audio DAC, I use their PWT(transport). The PWT-Yamamoto DAC is an exceptionally nice combination.Your Yamamoto modifications are interesting.I've heard some really fine DACs and CD players.However none of them make me want to rush out I replace the Yamamoto.This DAC responded beautifully to the Duelund CAST output coupling capacitor upgrade. Charles,
Bill, In an endeavor as individualistic as audio/music you never know how things will turn out. I thought you'd recognize the inherent excellence of the Frankenstein and I'm very pleased that you did. It and the CLS are just sublime conveyors of music, the Triumphs keep the music's message intact. 1. The Frankenstein improves noticeably with continued burn in. 2.Better fuses, 300b tubes, amp stands/platforms are easily distinguished from others. I'm sure this is true for power cords as well but I've just have used the Coincident cords (briefly a Siltech cord). 3. You're very impressed in this early stage but it gets quite a bit better. Charles,
Charles, one last comment on the WES, which I mentioned previously. They need 10 minutes or so with the mute engaged. There is a lot of popping going on, and they pick up any mechanical vibration at all. After a few minutes they are not unusually microphonic.
The Frankenstein/Triumph pairing is superb. It is awfully close to the PRE/Frankenstein pairing I heard at Midwest. I can't put into words how completely blown away I am by the Franks.
I am experimenting a bit with using my rel subs to get a little more response below 40 Hz. I found the Triumphs don't fall off below 40 as rapidly as the Maggie's did, so I was actually getting more at 31 Hz from the little monitors!
I plan to give every thing a good 6 months of burn in, then I will be thinking about some new 300b tubes. I am very pleased with what I hear from these black bottles, but I know there are better tubes out there.
Hello Bill, Thanks for your comparison comments, I always appreciate and respect your opinions. That's a very positive report and in line with both Pap and Drdavid's enthusiastic experiences. I'm really enjoying the Hifi series (oh yeah) So naturally I'm eager to get the W.E. Replica into the CLS. How are things coming along with the new Frankenstein mono blocks? Curious as to how you find the CLS-Frankenstein-Triumph Extreme sibling pairings. Charles,
Charles, I finally got the long anticipated a/b/c in on the 101Ds. Bottom line is that I do not think you will regret the purchase. I selected two pieces for the evaluation. The WE replicas are quite clearly the best of the 3.
The Shuguangs were relatively lifeless A/b'ed against the WEs and also against the Psvane hifis. I couldn't wait to get them out. If I gave the 3 tubes a numerical rating, I'd put the Shuguangs at about 80, the hifis at 94, and the WEs at 100.
The WEs are slightly more resolving, have more air, richer harmonics, and better dynamics on attacks with substantially more nuanced decays compared to the hifis.
In my estimation, well worth the substantial markup in price. I eagerly await your take on the tubes.
Hi Rok, "Other Places" Kenny Barron(leader) and features Bobby Hutcherson(quite prominently).
"Skyline" Hutcherson(leader) featuring Geri Allen. Rok, "Other Places" really comes across as a co-leader arrangement between Barron and Hutcherson. Both are given plenty of space to play(wise decision). I found both CDs on amazon several years ago. Charles,
