$1800 for a flippin' vacuum cleaner?! Crazy, but it works.
Surgex SX-15NE
Series mode surge suppressor, panel mount, protects only the dedicated circuit for the system. Limits dynamics, so it's out of the circuit; seeking alternatives
Exact Power EP-15A
Voltage regulation, sine wave correction, EMI/RFI filter, large current reserve, digital/analog filters, some surge protection; improves clarity, dynamics and sound floor of the whole system
Teres 320 (modded)
Ref II motor w/ upgraded gold brushes, DIY acid-etched holographic drive belt substantially improves speed stability.
Tri-Planar VII
Gimbal arm, every adjustment I'd ever heard of, and a few I hadn't!
Shelter 901
Not used but often lent out to friends. If you're interested - and friendly! - let me know.
ZYX UNIverse II X-SB
More dynamic and impactful than original UNIverse, yet also with a lower sound floor, lower distortion and greater clarity
Bent Audio Mu MC stepup transformers
Not in use, the MC stage in the Alaap is much better.
Marantz UD-9004
Universal disc player, including blu-ray; massive upgrade in both PQ and SQ from our Denon DVD-3910
Nick Doshi Alaap
Full function preamp. Massive external power supplies. FET MC gain stage, all subsequent gain is from tubes. Each Alaap is built to order and Nick only makes a handful each year. Each one is made with as many or as few options as the owner prefers. This preamp holds its own (at least) against every commercial unit I've heard. It has replaced commercial phono + line stages costing up to $40K. With all due respect, this is the real, "preamp deal of the century"!
Lectron JH-50, heavily modded by Nick Doshi
57 incredibly hefty wpc Dual mono Custom power supplies Partridge output transformers (rare these days) Custom, discrete tube regulator circuits Black Gate power supply caps TFT Exotica coupling caps Cardas internal wire and connectors 4 - Electro Harmonix EL-34's (strong, fast, neutral) 2 - NOS 6SJ7's 2 - Tung Sol 6SN7's Like no amp I've heard anywhere; tube naturalness without warmth or bloat, enormous power reserves with no glare or grain.
B&W Nautilus 803D
Major upgrade from our N803's. Thank you Santa! :-)
Panasonic TC-P46ST30
46" plasma, 1080p, professionally calibrated; crap speakers like all new TVs but stunning PQ, near Kuro quality for 1/10 the price :)
Audio Points 1.5-AP-J
Threaded spikes for speakers
Nordost Valkyrja
1m RCA's between CDP/preamp and preamp/amp
Nordost Valkyrja
2.5m Biwire speaker cables with z-plugs Replaced SPM Reference, major improvement (more extension, less bloat).
Salamander Synergy Triple 20
This is serial #1 of this model, the first Triple 20 delivered to any consumer anywhere. Too resonant for a serious audiophile, but looks nice in the LR.
Nordost Shiva
Entry level Nordost PC. Runs from Exact Power to the TV and yes, the PQ did improve - a lot!
Nordost Vishnu
More bass weight and dynamic headroom than the entry level Shiva. It's actually a bigger upgrade than the marketing folks claim, a happy surprise! We're using three: - wall to Exact Power - Exact Power to preamp power supply - Exact Power to amp
W Enterprises Northwest Music Timbre
Exact Power to DVD player Improved low frequency strength and extension for both audio and video, reduced overhang on all audio frequencies
Symposium Rollerblocks, tungsten, cryoed
4 sets, one set each beneath: - Exact Power - preamp power supply - preamp audio chassis - power amp
Thanks for noticing. The sonic upgrade vs. the N803's is absurdly out of proportion to their looks, specs or model designation. The diamond seris is not an incremental improvement, it's a whole new ball game. We are having trouble going to sleep, every record is new and improved. :-)
Any sign of the Phantom yet? I'm guessing it will do a great deal to make you happy!
Sirspeedy, We haven't done anything new in that regard, except to leave the Surgex out of the circuit. The better our system gets the more noticeable its dynamic choking becomes. :-(
Our equipment designer suggested an isolation transformer. Another A'gon member (forget who) is using one from this company.
We haven't got one ourselves yet so we're living on the edge. We also turn off the Exact Power when the system's not in use.
Doug,could you please let me know when you find a suitable surge supressor for the circuit breaker box?This is something I have been interested in,since getting my Exact power combo.I don't want to put those units at risk,during lightning/thunder storms,even though they protect equipment.I am sure they would not hold up to a lightning strike.You have my E-mail address. Thanks.
"I demoed ML's before buying the B&W's, but couldn't avoid hearing the disconnect between a dynamic woofer and electrostic panels."
Doug this is an interesting topic which probably has nothing to do with this thread.
In making the panel of it's hybrids so small ML creates its own problem. Bass requires big panels a la Soundlab. The solution is to cross over at around 250hz. There is a significant amount of energy in that area. This makes speakers like the Summit(270hz) a true hybrid. It would then be extremely difficult to make a dynamic bass driver that could accomodate an electrostatic or ribbon for that matter. My CLS is truly operating over its full range. The janis is cutting in at 100hz. In this the Janis is not acting as a bass driver(woofer) but as a true sub. Thus I don't hear any disconnect. When properly adjusted it calls no attention to itself.
I for one would like to see Martin Logan build a two box system with the CLS and a line array of say 8" woofers crossing over at about 100hz. It would be a killer.
P.S. I whole heartedly share your opinion on power supply. I think it has changed my opinion about the tubes ability to handle the leading edge.
System edited: Just picked up some used but minty SPM speaker cables, replacing Blue Heaven II's. A nice improvement but nowhere near as big a jump as the retail price difference. Thank goodness for ebay and A'gon! We've gone way past the turnover point on the diminishing returns curve. The Blue Heavens remain the very best bang-for-buck cables and interconnects I've heard. They shamed more than a few much pricier models from competitors. Compared to the BH II's, the SPM's have more realistic weight in the bass and midrange and a less grainy top end. The top end does seem a bit recessed, but these are changing by the hour as we play them. I suspect the balance will be fine once they settle down, and they are certainly more refined and fuller bodied. My friend Cello would really like them.
Nick's amp is just what you'd expect. Sonically and musically incredible and a remarkable bargain too. Oodles of unlimited power, rise and decay times as good as I've heard from any amp, total control of the woofers. It produces musically realistic natural waveforms, a palpable physical presence in the bass and a harmonic envelope even Debussy would die for. All this without any "tubiness" whatsoever.
The better our system gets the better the B&W's get. They shamelessly reveal every shortcoming or flaw, but once everything's good - OMG! I demoed ML's before buying the B&W's, but couldn't avoid hearing the disconnect between a dynamic woofer and electrostic panels. Maybe the electronics in the shop weren't up to it. They certainly didn't have anything like Nick's stuff. But no shop does.
Uppermidfi, SUT = Step Up Transformer, like my BentAudio Mu's, used for gain- and impedance-matching when using a LOMC and a MM phono stage.
Raul overstates the case against them IMO. It is simplistic to say that "any" phono setup without SUT's will sound better than "any" phono setup with one. I have heard good, bad and indifferent results from both. It is only the very highest level that SUT's cannot reach. Below that they can provide excellent sound for the money. I'm just guessing, but I'd say you also believe that not everyone wants or can afford reference level equipment. ;-)
Raul, The problem with the LP2 is not simply that it uses SUT's. That is a minor quibble. The real problem is it provides inadequate gain and inappropriate impedance for LOMC's. I don't know which cartridge they had in mind, but it wasn't anything like the ones you or I normally discuss. It wouldn't work for a .6mv Shelter, never mind anything with really low output. It's just a poor design, SUT or no SUT.
Dear Doug: +++++ " I have also heard an LP2, in the Lamm owner's own system. It seems provocative to say so, but compared to an Alaap that unit was indeed "laughable". " +++++
+++++ " Nick's preamp bettered the Lamm phono/line pair, without difficulty, " +++++
I remember you that Lamm use step-up transformers in their design, step-up transformers from what you ( finally ) run-away.
If any one ( in a decent audio system ) have two any well phonopreamp designs: one with SUT and one with out SUT, it does not matters on price: always the one with out SUT will sound a lot better, no question about. This is why you make your new " choice ", btw: congratulations!!!!
Dear Doug: Nice changes you do. It is pleasant to know that you are growing-up.
+++++ " By comparison, the S&B's are bloated, rounded off and "tubey" sounding. " +++++
After several months finally you achieve to convincing that the step-up transformer is not the best way to go, better say: is not the way to go, for amplified the signal on a phono cartridge. Welcome aboard!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for noticing our new baby. I have also heard an LP2, in the Lamm owner's own system. It seems provocative to say so, but compared to an Alaap that unit was indeed "laughable".
Nick's power amp has also shocked some high end dealers and manufacturers. Assuming a good speaker match, it too is capable of outplaying more costly, big name competitors. If you haven't heard one, talk to him.
Dealing with Nick is indeed a pleasure. It's a remarkable experience to work directly with a designer who will deliver a unit, take the time to listen and then volunteer to make changes or adjustments that make an already good unit even better.
Thanks for the tip on the Tele 801s. We're fairly new at tube rolling and Nick provided two or three different tubes for each of the six positions in our two units. It's a lot of work, but someone has to do it! We've already discovered that the most neutral line stage tube with the stepped attenuators is not the most neutral tube with our volume pot, so what works best in one Alaap isn't necessarily best in another. Custom components are quite an adventure aren't they?
HALOS don't improve our Alaap at all. They were a big help on our c-j PV11 but now they just deaden the sound. I suppose this might change with different tubes.
Congrat's on Nicks preamp. I've had the phono stage here with a very high end TT setup and was never less than blown away by it. I had a friend bring his Lamm LP2 over and it was a laughable comparison, the Alaap taking about .3 seconds to demonstrate a much more organic, dimensional huge, dynamic stage in direct comparison. Wonderful preamp and dealing with Nick is a real pleasure. In fact, I know of a major manufacturer who in a very high end system literally fell out of his chair when he heard it in comparison with the "name brand" ultimate preamps that are considered to be the current state of the art. As an FYI, I too highly recommend the usage of the Halos for the unit as they audibly improve things quite a bit. I for one, however, do like the NOS tubes, with Telefunken 801's being the cats meow !
Doug, thanks for your thoughtful reply. Lot's of information to digest. Your experience is consistent with input from others who have first hand experience with Doshi's phono stage, as well as a broad range of commercial units at different price points, including the so-called "best". Too bad I am on the other coast, and it is difficult to audition this unit here. Glad to hear things are working well for you.
Nick, Thanks for diving in and rescuing me from a discussion of tube types, where my "expertise" is beneath description.
Scott, What we've been seeking since we dove into the higher end two or three years ago is simply the most accurate and natural reproduction of acoustic instruments and voices attainable within our budget. Our musical tastes are 90% classical, 5% jazz and 5% "where did we get THAT?".
Since our standard is live music, our goal for every component has always been neutrality. Neutrality means we don't want to hear it do ANYTHING. I don't want to listen to a component, any component. Whatever waveform goes in is what I want to hear coming out. A component that bloats or smooths (Koetsu, Grado) is as objectionable as one that sharpens or exaggerates (Shelter 901).
By mere good luck we have very neutral and revealing speakers which cover everything save the bottom octave. Choosing speakers that reveal everything forced us to make honest decisions elsewhere. People who give up on B&W's because they're "too bright" or "too brutal" are giving up on the wrong component. If the speakers tell you some other component is flawed don't blame the messenger, fix the problem.
What led us to Nick's design was a good friend of his, "M". We met M at a mutual audio buddy's gathering and he decided we might be worthy candidates for a Doshi amp and/or preamp. A few months later Nick and M drove 3 hours to let us hear his modded power amp and his preamp, then just a prototype, in our system.
We've since heard the power amp in several other systems, where it routinely outclassed the more conventional competition. I've personally heard it shame both a Berning ZH270 and Marc Levinson monoblocks, to pick two extremes. Nick and M can tell more such stories. We ordered the power amp first because, in our system at the time we heard it, it gave the bigger bang for the buck.
Rauliguegas and others have told us that even the best stepups are compromises. While the S&B's are surely among the best, we understood the theory and were eager to hear for ourselves. Added to that was the urging from Rushton and Zaikesman (above) to move up from our PV11, which they knew to be too warm and tubey for our tastes.
Nick's preamp includes an FET gain stage for the MC inputs. All gain thereafter is from tubes. The MC inputs have plenty of gain for our .24mv ZYX UNIverse. The MM inputs have 45 db of gain. The line stage has either 9 or 15db depending on the customer's requirements. We have the 9 db version and it's plenty. Tube rush is nearly inaudible from the listening position unless gain is set ridiculously high.
When we first got the preamp we still preferred our S&B's to the FET inputs. Nick is never one to be satisfied, and he took that as a challenge. He drove 3 hours (again) to hear for himself, took the preamp away and drove it back (again!) a week later. Since then our S&B's have been collecting dust. The FET inputs are clearly better and they're still improving with break-in. By comparison, the S&B's are bloated, rounded off and "tubey" sounding.
Nick's line stage is even more impressive. It has turned CD's into listenable music, yet it reveals the differences between CD, SACD and DVD-A more clearly than I've ever heard. DVD-A'a are so good that only the best LP's beat them, and that's comparing a stock Denon DVD-3910 to a $17K vinyl rig.
Nick's preamp bettered the Lamm phono/line pair, without difficulty, in a revealing system I'm familiar with that incluces big Sound Labs. It was literally no contest. The Lamm owner ordered a preamp from Nick that very day and put his Lamms up for sale. I heard the prototype destroy a Supratek Cortese, at least equal a Grange and outclass several Marc Levinson front ends - and our preamp is MUCH better than that prototype.
Did it accomplish what we were seeking? Oh yes. :-)
Doug, the Doshi phonostage is an interesting addition to your system. Some friends of mine really enjoy theirs. Can you share a little more about your journey? What were you seeking in your playback that led you to Nick's phono design? Does it accomplish what you were seeking? What is the gain, and are you still using the S&B step-ups with the Doshi? What other units (other than CJ) did you evaluate? Thanks much, and enjoy your holiday!
