OTOH, those Seimens 7308's continue to improve with more hours on them - probably the best "bang for the buck" I've ever done to my system, by FAR... :-)

fplanner2010 March 05, 2012 23:14

Oh well - another bright idea bites the dust. What looked promising on paper didn't pan out as well as expected - at least now I know....

fplanner2010 February 20, 2012 18:33

McCormack not hooked up yet (tomorrow?). I have the signal from each 300.1 amp going through a Galileo Speaker Cell and into the upper module only of each speaker. Mids and highs are as effortless and three-dimensional as I hoped they would be by this experiment. There is an obviously something missing that will hopefully be addressed tomorrow. Stay tuned... :-)

BTW, as the new preamp 7308s are breaking in nicely, the system sounds better than it ever has. Part of me says to leave things alone, but the adventurous part is glad I am experimenting with this passive bi-amping, as someone labeled it in an earlier thread.

Still haven't been able to edit my system - functionality just isn't there yet with this new web-site.

fplanner2010 February 18, 2012 23:42

Correction - McCormack is AB, not A.

Additional cables are on their way - hope to get the re-arrangement of my system done Sunday.. :-) BTW, the 7308s continue to improve in the Ren SIg IIa, now with about 15 hours on them - can't believe I didn't do this sooner, but who knew?

fplanner2010 February 14, 2012 00:19

Hi Fplanner,

very interesting.

I just placed an order for a nice matched pair to try.

dev February 12, 2012 20:07

Correction - my friend's name is Duayne.

fplanner2010 February 12, 2012 04:07

Lots of changes, for the much better, about to happen. First, replaced failing Golden Dragon 6Dj8's in preamp with Siemens 7308's NOS from the mid-1970's. Much better, with more air, better imaging, deeper bass, etc., etc.

Secondly, upon the urging of my local friend Duawye, I've decided to introduce my old MCCormack DNA-500 into my system, to drive the bass units of the VR-7se's. It will pump 750+ watts of A power into each bass cabinet(4-6 ohms). Each of my current VAC 300.1s will drive the top module of each speaker. In other words, going from 300 tube wpc to in excess of 1000 wpc, properly allocated, per speaker. Should be quite a difference... I cant wait!! :-)

fplanner2010 February 12, 2012 01:12

If your linestage is a MKIIa, there's a MP of 12au7 and MP 6922. From my experience, the 12au7 position is as sensitive to tube rolling as 6922.

One has to realize in order for a company to support a product line, they need a large inventory of tubes so are not going to use rare NOS as stock ... with the exception to Shindo. Also from what I've read and heard, most companies expect customers to roll tubes so why bother using rare NOS as stock.

Currently I'm using Pass XA160.5 but looking to purchase a tube amp soon. Considering Music Reference RM300 monos and waiting for Roger's test results on KT120s before making a final decision.

knghifi February 05, 2012 15:26

Wow - that's the first I've heard about the 12au7. I specifically asked Brent at VAC about those - he said it didn't matter since they weren't in the line stage(As I recall). From a "keeping myself sane" standpoint, I'll probably put the 7308s in first and see what I think of them. I don't want to be messing around with too many variables or I won't be able to accurately figure out what I like. I'm guessing the 7308s are a much more dramatic improvement over stock than ANY replacement tubes for the 12au7.

What amp(s) is/are you using with your VAC pre? I love my 300.1's :-) I put Black Treasures 181's in the front 4 spots of each amp - made a nice, positive difference.

fplanner2010 February 04, 2012 19:29

Seimens 7308 is a very nice tube. I'm rolling 60's Seimens Cca in our/same preamp.

While you in there, you should also replace the 12au7. I found the stock Philips 6189w too warm and congested for my taste. I finally settled with Telefunken ribbed plate 12au7. It improved transparency, resolution, detail, speed and especially dynamics. I found replacing the 12au7s are as important as replacing the e88cc/6922/7308.

knghifi February 03, 2012 05:04

Kevin- Thank you for the compliments. Your system, especially the room treatments, is amazing. I wish I could do more with my room like you have, or even a fraction of wht you've done. However this is my living room, complete with with big dogs, sloped ceiling, sliding glass door, lots of openings, etc. In a nutshell, the room shouldn't sound any good at all, but amazingly its "not bad" as they say.

I know I am losing some depth of the center image due to the TV - (AVS suggested throwing a blanket over it last time he was in the room), but the layout of the room, complete with all the furniture you can't see in the pics, pretty much precludes me from doing very much experimenting with placements. So I haven't really been able to try moving the "boxes" due to spatial constraints.

I've toyed with the idea of putting the TV on the wall, but as my eyes get older I'm not so sure.. :-)

In an attempt to quiet some tube noise out of the speakers, I tried the balanced version of my SR Precision Ref cable between my preamp and amps, but it didn't work. Instead, my music got BETTER - lower noise floor, better resolution of quiet passages, etc. I accidentally fixed a problem I didn't even know I had!! Lots of cables running behind my gear, so balanced would have been a no-brainer, had I given it any real thought. Additional benefit is that the VAC gear is truly "balanced" and was voiced that way, so I am now maxing out the performance. Who Knew?

Brent at VAC then told me it was the tubes in the preamp that were making the noise I was hearing. So. I am trying to upgrade to a pair of 7308 Seimens NOS tubes to replace the stock VAC tubes in the preamp. They are supposed to be several steps up from what I've been using and will hopefully take the system up a notch or two. That would be terrific, once again "fixing a problem I didn't even know I had"!!

I've been very fortunate to be able to put together my system such as it is, and one of my greatest pleasures is sharing the music with friends, both old and new. If you come through Denver, shoot me an e-mail and we'll see if we can arrange for a listening session. Thanks again for your kind words.

fplanner2010 February 01, 2012 05:20

Great gear Fplanner! (I assume Fplanner means financial planner and your gear quality reflects your book of business - kudos.) I've heard that tall equipment and TVs between your speakers can reduce the centre image - have you experimented with say side wall placement of your numerous boxes? Any acoustical treatments to further reveal the quality of your gear? Do you have multi-channel music sources (other than 5.1 movie sound tracks) you enjoy? Love the speakers and the looks of the VAC goodies. Congrats on the great system.

kevinzoe January 29, 2012 20:16

Installed the Integra DHC-80.2 to replace my DTC-9.8. Money well spent. The sound is noticeably better (actually pretty amazing) as well as the room calibration/steering by the Audyssey 32 and other advanced DACs, etc.. Its close to a night and day difference - even greater than I had expected.

I'm still using the video out of the Oppo, which is quite nice, although I'll probably experiment as time goes on with the 80.2 video. For now, couldn't ask for a better solution - had no idea this was such a no-brainer until doing the upgrade... :-)

fplanner2010 January 23, 2012 04:47

Oppo in - wow. Discs load in 30 seconds, as opposed to the 5 minutes with the Sony (a/k/a the new "boat anchor"). Oppo's video is considerably better than what I was getting from my Integra 9.8 as well. 2nd HDMI out into the Integra for audio works flawlessly as well. For now, this is meeting my HT needs quite well, actually exceeding what I thought I'd have to settle for due to system conflicts.

fplanner2010 January 01, 2012 04:49

Spent past week integrating front end with HT. Thanks to Brent and Kevin at VAC, was able to eliminate a very problematic ground loop issue so now everything plays well together. Oppo BDP-95 arrived yesterday and will replace my Sony "antiquated" (and slow) Blue-ray player. I'll be running 1 HDMI out to my TV and the other HDMI out to my Integra processor. I may still upgrade the Integra at a future point, but really should not have to anytime soon if the Oppo performs as advertised.

So far, I am very happy with the results and the Oppo isn't even in the system yet. All the tube power now being used, as well as the sub, both warms my living room (its cold outside) and very well complements the already movie-like experience presented by the new TV. The dogs aren't sure what to make of all this, as they track sounds and voices moving all around the living room, but I'm sure they'll get used to it.... :-)

fplanner2010 December 31, 2011 11:39

The Pro-Elite 70" TV arrived yesterday. WOW!! Lots of adjustments possible to really tweak whatever kind of picture you want. Very bright, but that is easily adjusted, and nice to have it there when/if I need it. Out of the box, has a similar picture to my 46" Sony XBR-4, only bigger and more detailed. So far the TV is exactly what I'd hoped it would be. I'll probably try 3-d over the weekend. Sound much better than I thought it would be from a TV.

fplanner2010 December 07, 2011 15:28

Making a large upgrade to the Video portion of my system. VAC 450 monos may just have to wait.... PRO ELITE (Pioneer/Sharp 2.5 yr SOTA joint venture) 70" LCD/LED on its way......

fplanner2010 December 01, 2011 04:43

GGGRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...... ;-) How about finding someone whose life would be dramatically changed for the better by owning a pair of 300.1's? Much better use of your time....... :-)

fplanner2010 November 02, 2011 01:09

Hi Fplanner2010,

you know this hobby is addictive and I had to chuckle reading your last three posts in reference to the 450's.

It's okay I know you want the 450's soooooooooo badly, I bet you dream about it at night. :)

I'm just sitting relaxing and listening and while writing I have found myself just getting loss within the music, loosing track of time so it has taken a long time to write this little blurb.

dev November 02, 2011 01:01

I would prefer to sell my great-sounding VAC 300.1s(with the cool dials) domestically within the next 4-6 weeks. My appetite has definitely been whetted by Kevin for the 450 Statement monos, HOWEVER I won't upgrade without having the 300.1's sold first. If that doesn't happen, my sound with the existing amps is wonderful already, so not much downside here. I also got a bit more of an analog sound out of Alex's tweaks to the NWO-M - its all good!!

fplanner2010 November 02, 2011 00:04

Leaning closer to moving up to the VAC Statement 450 monos. In order for that to happen, I'll probably be selling my 300.1s sometime in November/December. (INDICATIONS OF INTEREST CURRENTLY BEING ACCEPTED - all VAC QC KT-88s are new, quiet and dependable with under 400 hours on them). Good home needed! :-)

Also getting a few more tweaks done to my NWO-M by Alex who is in Cali for a few weeks. Promises to be a significant improvement - will report back once I hear it.

fplanner2010 October 21, 2011 23:56

Leaning closer to getting the Statement 450 monos. In order for that to happen, I'll probably be selling my 300.1s sometime in November/December. (INDICATIONS OF INTEREST CURRENTLY BEING ACCEPTED - all VAC QC KT-88s are new, quiet and dependable with under 400 hours on them). Good home needed! :-)

Also getting a few more tweaks done to my NWO-M by Alex who is in Cali for a few weeks. Promises to be a significant improvement - will report back once I hear it.

fplanner2010 October 21, 2011 23:54

Dev-

That is EXACTLY why I am staying off this particular merry-go-round at this point. Its a VERY fluid landscape. I can only vouch for Alex's player and Esoteric's Transport/DACs. I do know there seems to be a synergism, totally unintended I'm sure, between VAC and Esoteric gear. Those are usually my starting places when I look to add a piece to my system - its also how I ended up with my VR-7s - Kevin and Albert have won a number Best of Shows together - it seemed like a logical place to start(and I am reaping the sonic benefits!).

If there's one thing I know for sure, its that everything will continue to change. For that reason, I would probably wait on a high-dollar player/DAC and just get something you like for now that meets your current and immediately foreseeable needs. Its pretty hard to go wrong if you stick to major brands that have a good following. Unfortunately, that means you will probably also be demoing a bunch of players in your system. Sorry I couldn't be of greater assistance...

fplanner2010 October 17, 2011 14:30

I haven't really been following the digital arena very closely at all.

You said "Digital is developing more bells and whistles very quickly now"

One of the main reason's why I don't want to invest crazy money, one would think prices will come down along with some pces becoming extinct.

With Albert picking up this line I would have thought you would have gotten one of these players in your system for evalution and provided such info. to him be it good or bad.

Have you checked out "The Memory Player", I did a few years ago and at that time was not all that enthused for a few reasons but now their current units have from what I read come along including cost drops.

1. Build quality
2. Glishes
3. Not user freindly
4. Over all sound quality greatly differed from Clement's praise.
5. Rediculous price
6. Always changing constantly but reading their info. now the ysay can be upgraded over the internet, very interesting indeed.

I like the concept

Every server set-up I have heard to date, no matter what was involved or cost I find the individuals seem to be very enthusiastic and talk a good game. To the point of having me excited but once a song is played all that fads away very quickly unfortuantly leaving me just wondering.

dev October 17, 2011 13:14

Dev-
Yes, but NOT in my system. I've heard both and they were very good, but again in other systems. Digital is developing more bells and whistles very quickly now - my current NWO-M is the right "flavor" for me currently(and it has a USB input). As I later get into mac-servers and the like, I will re-evaluate at that time to see which has the feature set I need along with the sonics I enjoy most. While there are a growing number of players coming to market that sound quite nice, my focus is not there right now. 2nd choice would still be the K-01 at this point.

fplanner2010 October 17, 2011 12:23