Description

This system is great for my 800 sq foot apartment, If you've never heard Deja Vu equipment and you're ever in the DC area their store in Vienna VA is amazing, a haven for tubes and analog. I ended up with my amp after years of taking broken gear to Vu's to be fixed and having him loan me gear that sounded so much better. Finally I made a trade and ended up with my current amp and the best and probably last amp I will ever own. Especially since the NOS Aerovox cap upgrade Vu recommended a huge upgrade in every way.. My preamp I picked up on Agon, a cool early Deja Vu prototype full function with an active tubed crossover. Both amp and preamp were built by Pavel their former designer and the synergy makes both greater than the sum of their parts.

Later additions are my Audionote  Dac-3 Signature and Auralic Aries Mini and I'm now addicted to streaming. Audio Note Lexus speaker cables, Furutech power cables, a Jorma Design digital cable,  and my analog interconnects are Kondo and Auditorium 23.

Got  some new footers Gregitek Aries Graf, Combak Ebony Pucks, plus added a Synergistic Black Quantum fuse to my preamp.  Improvements all around the system keeps sounding better and better!

Just got my new Audio Note AN/Jlx's and the system is truly singing!
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Components Toggle details

    • Auralic Aries Mini with Sbooster Power Supply
    A great sounding little streamer and love the Lightning DS app!
    • Audio Note UK DAC-3 Signature
    Audio Note Dac-3 Signature built in1995! I recently had the coupling caps upgraded to AN copper caps. Output tubes are a pair of Mullard CV2492 and the Dac sounds really sweet, transparent, natural, with great tone.
    • Deja Vu Audio Full-Function Tubed Stereo Preamp
    Tubed preamp from Deja Vu Audio in Vienna VA. This is an older prototype with a built-in tubed crossover and phonostage, but I run it just as a linestage. A mix of vintage and current parts, including XLO internal wire and an ALPs volume pot from 1977 that was chosen for it's superior sound quality. Amazing warm, organic, lifelike sound, very synergistic with my amp both designed and built by Deja Vu's former designer whiz Pavel.
    • Deja Vu Audio Custom EL-34 Stereo Amplifier
    A stereo pushpull amp with a pair of EL34's per channel, three 6SN7's up front and a 5U4G rectifier. Triode wired running in Class A putting out 17 warm sweet powerful watts per channel. Vintage Acrosound transformer from the 60's. With Gold Lion KT-77's and a recapping last year with NOS Aerovox Caps from the 1960s. A 60's era  RCA rectifier and Sylvania 6SN7's complete the package.
    • Audio Note AN/Jlx in Olive Wood Finish on Sound Anchors
    I finally pulled the trigger on new speakers after 10 years with my previous JMlabs Micros. Vu at Deja Vu Audio really pointed me in the right direction with the AN/J's they arrived yesterday and look and already sound great. They are the Lexus copper wired version which Vu recommended for it's warmth compared to the silver wired versions.  He also recommended the original paper woofer over the newer blue hemp cones, finding the hemp drivers to be a bit dry sounding. These sound great already and should really start to sing around the 100 hour mark!
    • Cerious Technologies Nano Signature Power Cable
    I have this powering my power conditioner, great budget PC!
    • Furutech FP-S032N With F1-11 Gold Connectors
    I have two of these excellent  12awg  power cords feeding my DAC and preamp, custom made for me by Chris Venhaus at VH Audio.
    • ExactPower 2000 AC Power Conditoner
    Balanced voltage device and line conditioner.
    • Variac 2000VA
    For my power amp, ramps up voltage gradually to a steady 120V.
    • Jorma Design Digital Cable
    The best digital cable I've heard in my system bar none.  Beautiful organic vivid sound with real musical flow. Connecting the Aries Mini to my AN Dac.
    • Kondo AudioNote Japan KSL-Vc
    Kondo's copper interconnect running from my DAC to preamp. I thought it would be perfect to add AN Japan to AN UK and I was right. This cable sounds fantastic an improvement in tonality, timbre, tonal color, and detail. Music flows better and sounds more real.
    • Auditorium 23 Interconnect
    This gave me that final ahhh moment when i connected it between my amp and preamp. Just a gorgeous sounding cable that makes music sound more real and natural.
    • Audio Note Lexus Copper Speaker Cables
    Hooked up my new AN/Jlx's with the same copper wire they are internally wired with, nice to get away from garden hose sized cables to something more human sized.
    • Gregitek Aries Graf Footers
    Carbon fiber and aluminum under my Aries Mini and my amp.
    • Combak Corp Brass and Ebony Footers
    Under my preamp.
    • Synergistic Research Black Quantom Fuse
    Installed in my preamp.
    • Synology DC 214 Play
    NAS server feeding my Aries Mini two 4 TB hard drives in a hybrid RAID configuration.
    • High Fidelity Cables MC-0.5
    I was loaned one of these from my friend Jim @lowrider57, and liked the more relaxed feeling it gave to the music. When High Fidelity was closing them out half price recently I picked one up, it's been in the system for a month now. Nice tweak and I am not much of a tweaker!
    • Blue Jeans Cable Bonded Pair Cat-6a ethernet cable
    From modem/router to my Aries and from my NAS to my router.
    • Deja Vu Audio Custom Pushpull 2a3 amp
    I was loaned this amp by Deja Vu when my own amp went in the shop, it's still there, and instantly fell in love with it. It's pushpull as the title says with dual power trasformers and vintage Eico output transformers. I am officially adding it to my system as I made the decision to keep it, as I suspected would happen all along. It sounds fantastic I love the sound of the 2a3 tube and pushing 15wpc it's a perfect match to my AN-J's.
    • Arcam FMJ-P35 Stereo Amp
    I acquired this little 100 watt Brit amp locally to use as an emergency backup locally for a very good price. I ran it in the system for a day to test it out and it sounds surprisingly good for a modest priced SS amp.
    • Wisdom Cable Technology Power Stage ES-10
    I've been looking for a new power distributor and this unit fit the bill nicely well constructed and sounds good too.
    • Yamamoto Soundcraft YDA-1 Dac
    My old friend is back bought back from the person I sold it too and happy to have my beloved Yamamoto returned to me.
    • Auralic ARIES G1
    I've finally upgraded my streamer my beloved Aries Mini served me faithfully for 6 years but I couldn't pass up the demo deal i got on this G1. Same great Auralic sound just a bit more of it. ;)
    • Wright Sound WPA-3.5 2a3 SET Monoblocks
    Found a great deal on these George Wright 2a3 monoblocks and they sound fantastic. Outfitted with NOS GE/Raytheon 2a3s, and some 60s RCA 6SN7's and RCA 5Y3 rectifiers. Sweet and transparent and dead quiet!
    • RCA Tube caddy
    Picked up this 60s era tube caddy and finally have my tubes sort of organized at least not all over the place!

Comments 207

Just saw your system.  Very nice.  And lots of choices, particularly amps.  Do you switch them up much? What do you think of the Synthesis vs. the Deja Vu stuff?

mdalton

Yep Jond, I see toes and tubes!
Thanks!

Dan

islandmandan

Owner
Hey @islandmandan there are, the last two pics are of it if you don't see them just refresh.

jond

Jond, I was hoping there would be a picture of your tube caddy, I'm really cuious to get a look at it!

Regards,
Dan

islandmandan

Owner
And I almost forgot to mention i finally found an antique tube caddy in good shape from the 60s RCA branded and holds all my tubes!

jond

Owner
Finally got around to updating my system and pics just added the Wright Sound Co WPA-3.5 2a3 SET monoblocks and loving them fantastically warm and transparent sound. And the very latest addition an Auralic Aries G1 streamer a solid upgrade to the Mini.

jond

Good to know about the AN speaker placement, thanks. I've always liked their sound but never seriously considered them as furniture placement prohibits corner placement in my living room where my system resides.

weebeesdad

Owner
@weebeesdad Thank you so much for the compliments. And I honestly think my speakers perform fantastically well in their configuration. Obviously I have no corners but to me it hasn't negatively impacted their performance at all. I could probably have better soundstaging but my small room limits that anyway.

jond

Jon -
Congratulations on curating such an aesthetically beautiful and I'm sure elegant sounding system, very well integrated into a small living space. It is obvious that this was and continues to be a true labor of love. 
One question regarding the AN speakers. AN recommends that their speakers ideally be corner loaded. Do you feel you give up any performance by having them away from the corners and a few feet out from the wall?
- Brad 

weebeesdad

Owner
Thanks @maxdukecapone  and yes over 20 years at this not as long as many here though. And definitely try tubes a headphone amp seems a nice place to dip ones toes in the water.

jond

Since you were the first to comment after I uploaded a few of my components I thought I’d take a look at your system. Wow you’ve been at it for awhile and quite the equipment list. I’ve thought about dipping my toes in the tube amp listening. Might try a headphone amp to start. I’m using a class a amp for my headphones now.

maxdukecapone

Owner
Thank you @thinkinginventor123 I dropped some NOS JAN Phliips 6922s in the preamp last week the system is singing!

jond

I love all the tube gear! Really cozy looking, I'm sure everything sounds fabulous!

thinkinginventor123

Good to know,thank you

gregoriomtb16

Owner
Thanks @gregoriomtb16  and I would say they're more similar than different in that they both have a very direct sound nothing between you and the music. Also both excel at tonal color and musicality. The AN Dac I think was a bit better at longer decay of notes and maybe a bit of air between instruments but it's pretty close otherwise. Two outstanding Dacs for sure.

jond

Nice looking system.
What are the sonic differences between Audio Note dac and Yamamoto?

gregoriomtb16

Owner
@doyle3433 Thank you very much! Those are some impressive horns you're running!

jond

jond, I can't believe it's taken me this long to check out your set up! Well done brother! You clearly have an eye (and ear) for the detail. I'll bet it sounds sublime.

doyle3433

Owner
LMAO I sure did the redundant post thing alright!

jond

Owner
@lalitk Thank you it fills the space nicely and luckily I just share a single common wall and no one below. And I hope you get back to tubes hard for me to imagine not having them. And @ghosthouse thanks man you are welcome any time you're in DC. And that redundant post thing is happening a lot lately.

jond

Owner
@lalitk Thank you it fills the space nicely and luckily I just share a single common wall and no one below. And I hope you get back to tubes hard for me to imagine not having them. And @ghosthouse thanks man you are welcome any time you're in DC. And that redundant post thing is happening a lot lately.

jond

Owner
@lalitk Thank you it fills the space nicely and luckily I just share a single common wall and no one below. And I hope you get back to tubes hard for me to imagine not having them. And @ghosthouse thanks man you are welcome any time you're in DC. And that redundant post thing is happening a lot lately.

jond

Owner
@lalitk Thank you it fills the space nicely and luckily I just share a single common wall and no one below. And I hope you get back to tubes hard for me to imagine not having them. And @ghosthouse thanks man you are welcome any time you're in DC. And that redundant post thing is happening a lot lately.

jond

@jond, This is one hell of a system for 800sq ft apartment. I bet it’s not only sounds magical but keeps you warm during wintry nights. I do miss the sexy glow of tubes, maybe someday I can get back to an all tube system. Cheers!

lalitk

Error - redundant post

ghosthouse

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