Arthur Salvatore did an extensive comparison of the Frankenstein and Dragon amplifiers a few months ago on his web site. You have a different room, system and of course ears. I'm curious to read how your outcome compares to his, fun stuff.
Charles,

charles1dad July 20, 2015 11:52

I have the Coincident Line stage and Frankenstein amplifiers driving the Total Eclipse II speakers. Dynamics,liveliness and palpable energy are no problems for my listening needs. But that's me, Abill may have different needs and priorities thus the 75 watt push pull Dragon amplifier may be more suitable in his situation. I listen at moderate levels on average 75-85 db. If Abill's
listening levels are much higher and his type of music is of high energy and bass content then perhaps the push pull amplifier would be more in his direction of desire. What works for one individual may not satisfy another. In my case the Frankenstein and Total Eclipse are a beautiful match in my home.
Charles,

charles1dad June 17, 2015 02:10

400 hours is quite an extended burn in period for certain. A cheap pair of Chinese 300bs might be a good idea to get those 400 hours(or most of them). At least this would preserve your better quality 300bs during this period.

The Jupiter copper foils sound very good brand new and seemed fully burned in with roughly 50-60 hours on them. Their lack of teflon is likely why they require far less break in time.
Charles,

charles1dad June 07, 2015 12:26

Those are highly regarded capacitors so I'll assume it's a matter of burn in requirements. The stock Solens cap is very good sounding in this location. The Jupiter copper foil I used is better but there's certainly no night and day improvement.
Charles,

charles1dad June 06, 2015 20:00

Hi Tmmvinyl,
They were recorded in 1958 so there must be original and very likely 2nd pressings available out there. The CD versions I have are very natural sounding. By the way I'm listening to kenny Burrell and kenny Drew recordings tonight.
Charles,

charles1dad May 20, 2015 02:19

I'm referring to "Dance Party California" there are a total of 7 volumes, all are live and done in 1958(while touring California Air Force bases).Well recorded excellent music.
Charles,

charles1dad May 19, 2015 22:31

Tmmvinyl,
I use the High Fidelity CT1-Ultimate digital cable, pricey but superb sounding. A full loom of their cables can get very expensive, no doubt. I'm very happy using the Ocellia Silver Reference analog ICs and speaker cable. Regarding Duke Ellington, his Dance Party series of recordings are very good. Live recordings done touring Air Force bases during 1958.
Charles,

charles1dad May 19, 2015 14:52

I don't believe that you can go wrong with any of those 3 capacitors as upgrades.I love the results of using the Duelund CAST in my speakers and DAC.
"Out To Lunch" is a good one. I really like "Eric Dolphy At The Five Spot". He and Booker Little were a very good pairing. Right now I'm listening to John Hicks, "Music In The Key Of Clark" a tribute to Sonny Clark's compositions. Hicks is one fine pianist.
Charles,

charles1dad May 19, 2015 02:17

My taste in jazz extends from the Bebop era and moves onward from there.
I have a lot of Miles, Coltrane, Monk etc. I'm not a fan of the "free jazz"
idiom. The Takatsuki is a superb 3000b tube and I understand that some
will prefer it to the Elrog. For my listening preferences the Elrog is the best
I've heard.
The Solen capacitor is actually very good in the Frankenstein but the
Jupiter copper foil is a modest but noticeable improvement. I know Arthur
Salvatore has used the Vcap copper foil in place of the Solens.
Charles,

charles1dad May 18, 2015 20:54

Hi Tmmvinyl,
You have assembled a very nice system based around the relatively rare Coincident Total Reference speaker. What's your take on the Elrog and Takatsuki comparison in your system? I imagine your system fleshes out/reveals the fine subtleties and nuances of musical information.
Charles,

charles1dad May 18, 2015 15:21