Deja Vu all over again!

by jond on Ever EvolvingAudio NoteDeja Vu AudioAuralicAuditorium 23Jorma Design
Side view new rug.
View from listening seat
Audio Note Dac-3 Signature Front
AN DAC-3 Sig Rear View
AN DAC-3 Interior
AN DAC-3 Interior
Upgraded AN Copper Foil Caps
Mullard CV2492's in my AN-Dac3 Sig sound sublime.
Deja Vu Audio Custom Preamp
Preamp interior.
Preamp interior tubes.
Preamp interior power supply.
A Little Tube Glow
A peek under the hood at my recapped amp.
Power solutions.
Auralic Aries Mini and Sbooster Power Supply
Exact Power Interior shot
Kondo KSL-Vc
Tubes!
High Fidelity MC-0.5
The brandy shelf, Armagnac, Cognac and a few others.
A view in silvertone
My Deja Vu 2a3 amp on its now Butcher Block Audio stand
Loaner 2a3 amp
New power distributor
Peek under the hood of my 2a3 amp
Left side closeup
Right side closeup
Yamamoto Dac back home.
Synthesis Encore Tube Glow
Aries G1 stacked on my Yammie Dac for now at least
Wright Sound WPA 3.5 SET Mono amps
RCA tube caddy
Inside the already full tube caddy
AN Dac-3 Signature Back with new power transformer!

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!
Read more...

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

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Owner
@earlflynn That's what makes the Systems page so great so many wonderful diverse systems and different ways of getting to, roughly, the same place. Cheers!

jond

Wow my system is nothing like this.

earlflynn

Owner
Thank you @scar972! And good news my preamp is back in house and the c-j PV5 has been returned. It gave excellent service and it's funny I found it to be very smooth and musical, I didn't feel like I was missing detail. With my preamp back it's still smooth and musical but a lot more detailed. I really appreciated now the ear's ability to adjust because I enjoyed my system with the c-j in it.

jond

@jond Beautiful collection of equipment you have, each piece seems to be carefully thought out. I really appreciate the times I got to listen to Audio Note speakers, they sound big, organic, and memorable....their electronics are one of a kind! The Deja Vu Audio amp and preamp are a beauty! Congrats on a great system.

scar972

Owner
@arafiq Thank you very much! I take no credit for the decor that's all my beloved partners work she has a great eye for interior design. And thank you I feel very fortunate to have found some components on Audiogon and also to have a fantastic local dealer. The sum really does sing well together.

jond

@jond -- just now saw your system. First off, love how you have utilized the smaller space such efficiently. It looks cozy and inviting, yet trendy in a very 'scandinavian' way. One of my good friends is from Sweden, and your setup and decor reminds me so much of his.

Second, it's really inspiring when I see someone give such careful thought to component matching and piecing together a great system as yours. I've never heard any AN stuff but always heard great things about them. The speakers look gorgeous, again in a very 'nordic' way :)

arafiq

Owner
When it rains I guess it pours, my preamp started having issues the other night. It's in the shop, for the first time in the 14 years I've owned it so not bad. The good folks at Deja Vu were nice enough to give me another loaner! So I have a venerable conrad-johnson PV5 preamp and it's a nice sounding unit. A bit soft and warm but not overly so and very listenable. Fingers crossed on an easy fix on the preamp but at least I'm still listening to good gear thanks to Deja Vu!

jond

Owner
@cymbop It's definitely fun I've heard a pushpull 2a3 once before many years ago a one off Cary integrated. Having now had this amp for over a week I will say it sounds great in the detail department but can veer into brightness on some recordings. But the clarity and level of detail as well as the very deep extended bass are a bit addicting.

jond

Jon, that loaner sounds like a great opportunity to educate your ears about a different topology.  Hope you enjoy your time with it!

cymbop

Owner
I've been running, for about a week now a loaner Deja Vu pushpull 2a3 amp, my amp needs all power supply caps replaced. At 20 years of age that sounds about right and taking the opportunity to not just replace but upgrade all power supply caps to Black Gates which is exciting! In the meantime this loaner amp is also great with that incredibly clarity I always get from 2a3 tubes and with a very useful 15 watts. I'll upload a pic of it shortly.

jond

Owner
Hey @celtic66 thanks for the kind words and yes it doesn't look like much in terms of bling. But the tube glow does usually suck the uninitiated in :) And thanks for the rec I know well about dirty power being in a city apartment but my combo of the Exactpower conditioner and Variac for my amp seems to do the job nicely.

jond

I can only surmise this system shocks the uninitiated.  The prevalence of point-to-point wiring and chassis work; the lack of shiny objects attracting the pedestrian audiophile.  The AN under the radar pieces.

Unsolicited, but may I recommend Steve Deckart of Decware and his ZLC power conditioner.   Apartment living has its dirty power challenges.  Thanks for sharing.  Ciao

celtic66

Owner
Thanks @tvad and 22 is an amazingly long life Kima must have been quite a kitty. I do plan to get another cat sometime post-pandemic.

jond

Sorry to learn about Trixie. It’s tough. 

Our feline friend, Kima, passed six years ago at age 22. Yep. 22. 

One of the most personable kitties I’ve ever known. 

tvad

Owner
@tvad Thank you yes I do love my cognac. :) And that is indeed cat food though a sad story there my cat Trixie passed away this past October at age 14. A full long love filled life but she is missed.

jond

Got cognac?

Clearly a man who enjoys the finer things in life. 

Is that cat food next to the cookbooks?

tvad

Owner
@cymbop I've always found sketchy details to be indicative of a very good time. :-)

jond

btw @jond I pulled out all my surviving stubs and went to phish.net to try to piece together my concert history.  Only 36 shows that I can be certain I attended....  Some details are sketchy.  :-)

cymbop

Owner
@cymbop Thank you it's been some good fortune and many years but I ended up in a good place. My pandemic haven also!

jond

@jond I'll bet you are in nearfield heaven with this setup.  Your component matching has clearly been done with a great deal of care! Happy listening to you, sir!

cymbop

Owner
@jamiek Thank you very much! And I hope you nailed the positioning of your Kharma's!

jond

This is a great system! Congratulations!

jamiek

You have a fabulous system! You left a note for me (psf4972) a few days ago requesting a few more photos of my system, now added. All best wishes. P

psf4972

Owner
Dan I would say keep checking the listings AN stuff does pop up used from time to time. The Dac was a total fluke btw it popped up in an auction on here I bid the minimum $1500 on a flyer never thinking I would win and no one else even bid! So keep your eyes peeled you never know what deals may pop up.
Cheers,
Jon

jond

Jond, I just now noticed your response. I wish I had been able to try some AN gear, but it always seemed out of reach for me.  Maybe some time in the future? I've spent quite a bit of time drooling on their website, still do from time to time.

Enjoy, best regards,
Dan

islandmandan

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