Hi, I did find this posted...

http://www.avguide.com/industry-event/purist-audio-design-the-show

jfrech January 14, 2010 23:50

OK, thanks. I suppose I could just call them and ask! ;--)

nsgarch January 13, 2010 18:33

Hi, I think it's mostly a change in the fluid. Which also extends into the Contego filled cables also...I don't know if the Ferrox cables have any change...Purist had a ad in the absolute sound issue before last that discussed some of this. if I find the issue number, I'll send a note or post it.

jfrech January 13, 2010 16:02

John, did you inquire what additions/modification were made to the original Provectus to create the Praesto revision?

nsgarch January 12, 2010 19:17

Hi,

Praesto is a new revision on most of their cables. Purist just announced it at CES and started shipping this revision just recently.

In comparison, in my system, it's more quiet and quicker. The quietness really improves the transparency also. I kept one Proteus Provectus (non Praesto) for my digital. All my other cables have the Praesto revision.

Hope this helps...

jfrech January 12, 2010 14:16

Jfrech,
Just wondering about the Purist Proteus Provectus cables. Are the Praesto Revisions a newer model? Can't
seem to find info on them. If so are they an improvement?
Thanks.
Vito

vmk January 11, 2010 12:57

System edited: I completely rewired my system. Sold my Protues Provectus tonearm cable and interconnect. Also sold my Dominus Ferrox speaker. As well as my 20th Anniversary interconnect. I rewired the entire system with Purist Audio Designs Proteus Provectus Praesto Revision. Now this is "down in the line up" for Purist. So by selling my Dom Ferrox and 20th Anniversary it helped me fund the new lower priced cables. So essentially a trade for me. I've always wanted the same brand, make and model of cable from cartridge to speakers. I just have thought that the designers would match things a little better this way. Anyway, the Dominus Ferrox and 20th Anniversary are really among the absolute best cables in the world. My opinion, my system. The Proteus Provectus Praesto revision cables are a different sound. More linear top to bottom, more transparent, better clarity, stunning depth and image placement. The Dominus and 20th anniversary still have killer dynamics and mid bass power and a finese with power than maybe unbeatable. I am not saying the Proteus Provectus Praesto are better than Dominus or 20th Anniversary. They are "different." And for me and my system, I love the traits I mention above, transparency, clarity, depth, etc. I'll add here, just a beautiful resolution top to bottom but retaining warmth. It's seems a magical match with my Wilson's, Nagra and Ayre amps. I am thrilled with what I am hearing. Breakin takes a very long time, and for the tonearm cable, I made a adaptor and broke it in off the CD player using Purist's break in CD and music. I think this is a important step for a arm cable. Also, the interconnect is highly flexible and pretty lightwieght. Especially in comparison to 20th Anniversary which weighs more than my Nagra PLL. I think the Proteus helps with not overloading my Nagra VFS (vibration platform) which may be give me some sonic benefits here also for me. So, I am a very happy listener with these changes. Great and outstanding cable.

jfrech January 09, 2010 12:00

System edited: Hi, I swapped out my Dominus Ferrox speaker cable for Proteus Provectus with WBT spades. Even though this cable is down a step in the Purist line I think I like it better for me and my system. I have about 100 hrs on the cable via the break in cd from Purist, so only about 1/2 way through. Already it possesses a depth and transparency that is impressive in comparison, can really hear things at the frong, mid and back of the stage more. Clarity, resolution and deep bass extension improvments also. It's also a quieter cable. I'll post more as the cable fully breaks in.

jfrech November 14, 2009 13:47

Hi Rob, really love your set up, I know I've said that before. I've had Wilson's for awhile now, I miss the wood and the look it gives.

Honestly, I don't miss my BAT gear. This isn't saying anything bad about it. I always loved the sound, it always worked (for 10 yrs, cept the occassional output tube), it did do some things differently than my current set up.

The BAT's stregnths were in the mids and the imaging world class there. And maybe a please slight bloom in the botton end I kinda miss.

My Nagra/Ayre combo stregths are in transparency, detail, purity of tone and purity of tone color, image size and placement.

The real plus for me is the Nagra/Ayre has a low heat output and zero maintenance. You have to work a little with this gear to keep the midrange warmth...like careful cabling choices and exact speaker placement/room treatments.

So in the end, I am enjoying a tube front end/solid state amp. And yes, this did surprise me after over 10 years with BAT tube amps.

I am in the process of changing some of my Purist Ferrox based cabling with Fluid, I think this will slightly push the warmth that BAT gear had in spades.

jfrech November 02, 2009 13:03

Jfrech,

Now that you've gone from multiple iterations of BAT to the Ayre, what are your conclusions? What do you miss in the BAT, and what are you getting in the Ayre?

Rob

rtn1 November 01, 2009 16:24

Hi, 1 fuse (per amp) you can get to externally. It's on a pop out holder right next to the power cord. Then 4 more fuses per amp are internal and require the bottom cover to be popped off (flip the amp upside down - POWERED OFF - take off the hex screws and the bottom cover comes off - 5 minutes max). Then the fuses are easily installed. You won't regret this move...

My dealer in Austin stocks the fuses in the right values for the MXR's. Send me a private email and I can help you or check with your local dealer...

jfrech September 23, 2009 20:36

No, I haven't tried the Hi Fi tuning fuses. Are they easily user installed? Where do you find them?

sonofjim September 23, 2009 15:21

Hi, I alternate between fully on and standby. I listen mostly on weekends, so Thursday night I power em up and leave on. Sunday night back into standby. If I am doing some very critical listening, I'll leave them powered on for a few days in advance.

The MX R's do seem to ease out/more natural being on for a extended period (several days). It's subtle, but I can hear it. The heat output and energy consumption is very small, so this doesn't bother me.

Also, have you tried the Hi Fi tuning silver/gold fuses? I think it's 5 per MX R amp. Wow, nice improvement for me here.

Very nice system you have ! Congratulations, the room is also beautiful. Killer analog !

jfrech September 22, 2009 11:59

Jfrech,
Just wondered how you run the MX-Rs. I have a pair and have been putting them in standby when not in use. Mike, at Ayre recently recommended leaving them fully powered all the time. This makes me wonder what other MX-R users are doing.

sonofjim September 21, 2009 20:57

Hi, I seriously doubt the MXR's will have any trouble driving the Sasha's. They are killer good with my Maxx 3's, and never ever had a hint that they were even running close to a performance envelope. Even on the loudest and deepest movie soundtracks (like Master and Commander the heavy cannon shots). Sheer effortlessness all the time. I have a very large room to...

The sweet spot is hard to answer. You get different perspectives with these speakers. Just like if your siting to the right or left on stage. I prefer the middle, but when I am buying tickets, I strive to get the middle there too...

I can definately say all on the couch enjoy. My desk is 10 feet behind my couch and well to one side, I can listen there all day/night long to!

Hope this helps a little...just my 2 cents

jfrech September 12, 2009 11:48

On another thread someone stated that the mxrs had trouble in the higher decibels with the Sashas. How do you like the mxrs on your Maxxs? How wide is your sweetspot? The center of the couch or do all on the coach enjoy?

wadav September 11, 2009 22:39

Hi Jfech,
Apologies for taking so long to respond to your queries regd the Skala vs Transfiguration Orpheus L comparison.I heard the new model Orpheus L mounted on a Triplanar at a dealers showroom in Singapore. I used 3 lps, SRV - Texas Flood, the track "Tin Pan Alley, Patricia Barber - Live in Paris, the track Norwegian Wood and Ben Webster - Live at the Renaissance. I am familiar with these recordings and as you can probably guess, given my range of musical tastes, wanted a cart that can handle a variety of music etc, a quality the Lyras excel at. Good as the Skala is, I found the the new Orpheus brought more weight and body to the music. I have heard it described as polite but IMHO thats not a good description coz politeness spells restraint. SRV's guitar had a raw visceral quaity with the Orpheus likewise the bass was tight without any bloom. IME the Skala was'nt even close. The Orpheus was clearly superior in terms of parameters that are important to me. There was something eerily natural in the flow of music while the Skala was a wee bit on the analytical side.
I guess a more favorable comparison would be with the Titan i.
The VPS is a superb phono stage that just seems to get better.
Happy listening
Pradeep

sunnyboy1956 September 01, 2009 08:29

Thank you ! I'll contact you, yes, I'd love to stop by soon.

jfrech August 30, 2009 12:35

Hi John,

I am in Austin. Take a look at my systems page as I answered your questions there. Let me know if you want to stop by for a listen and we can discuss further room acoustics, power distribution, etc.

babybear August 29, 2009 13:42

Brian, one more thought. Do you treat your cd's with any gels, goo, treatments? This is another cheap/easy tweek that doesn't wonders for digital in my opinion...and hits in this warmth/naturalness area...

jfrech August 29, 2009 11:43

Babybear, that's quite a system. Congratulations. Are you in Austin by chance? If so I think I work with your better half :).

I to am curious on your power and who installed it. I'll post on your thread.

Question since we're discussing Purist cables above. I remember the jump in performance going from Dominus to 20th Anniversary power cables (i have 4 now). Have you compared the 20th Anniv. to the limited editition AC cords? I haven't had a chance to hear these yet...

Thanks

jfrech August 29, 2009 10:55

Brian a few comments from your above post:

On the fuses, I am not sure Boulder even uses them. They have a pretty esoteric power delivery system and maybe they use breakers etc. I bought my fuses from my dealer and he showed me how to install (I couldn't wait 15 hours for him to come by :). Possibly check with your Boulder dealer or Boulder themselves. You could also call my dealer in Austin, he stocks these fuses and has your amp/pre on eval right now. (send a separate note pls)

On the BAT REX. I had it in my system for a few days. It definitely is a top flight preamp. Seems like folks are cold or hot on this piece (like the reviews). I personally liked it. However, I prefered the Nagra PLL/Ayre MXR to the BAT REX/VK150SE combo. Part was 18 tubes in the preamp, 28 tubes in the 2 amps. And all the heat, plus my HVAC running into overload. I could be wrong here, but I seem to see more people using this preamp in mostly digital systems. Maybe the BAT strengths really synch up digital? It may be a system matching thing. All I can say for sure is I loved my BAT 51SE/150SE with vinyl.

I can compare the Purist to Transparent, but not really anything else. If Transparent is a reference point for you let me know and I'll post more.

As far as character, the Purist cables are very natural. Some decribe this as warmth. Highly transparent, extended, super quiet, rich. Some say it's dark, however, don't mistake the darkness for lack of info...it's all their. Their shielding is amazingly quiet stripping away noise giving a "dark" first thought. I'd recommend either the Proteus Provecus models or the 20th Anniversary. The 20th is copper/silver/gold in a fluid/ferrox mix. The Proteus is single crystal copper in a fluid. I still think this is worth a audition for you.

Here's a review of the purist and some comparison the a Kubala:
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue36/pad_proteus.htm

I don't know if you'll like em, the purist do sound awesome to me in my system. ymmv !

jfrech August 29, 2009 10:44

He uses the VTL Seigfrieds in triode if that helps.

bflowers August 29, 2009 02:09

Hi Bflowers,

I have auditioned the Boulder 2050 mono block amps - fabulous amps. I spent 2 days auditioning the Boulder amps but using the ARC Ref 3 preamp splitting my time between using the Rockport Altair speakers and the Magico M6 speakers. The ARC Ref 3/Boulder amp is a fabulous combination. Also during the same audition period, I listened with the Boulder 2010 preamp - I have to admit, I preferred the overall sound with the Ref 3 as the preamp. The Boulder pre was more transparent, open, and had better bass - but I just enjoyed listening more with the Ref 3. I also own the Ref 3 and have been auditioning the VTL Siegfried amps in my system with the Ref 3 - your friend is correct - this is also a great combination. I now have the VTL 7.5 series 2 preamp on audition with the Siegfrieds. The VTL is fresh from the factory so I am breaking it in now, but in a few weeks time I will be comparing the Ref 3 to the VTL preamp driving the Siegfrieds. Hope this helps a little.

babybear August 29, 2009 00:27

Thank you for the thoughtful responses. I will try to address the points you each raise.

Jfrech:

I have considered a tube pre. I have hesitated as I presume the Boulder pre is the best match for it's amp. My closest audophile friend (who is incredibly knowlegeable!) has ARC ref 3 and VTL Seigfried's. He has suggested this, or perhaps a tube based DAC as an option (very few of those around, plus technology changing rapidly).

I have done a lot of tweaking and have a fully treated room. I agree that the Wilson's had a long break in. I got mine in Dec 08. and I think it took at least 2 months before coherency was established.

I have spoke to Albert, but have not met him as yet. I have some Kubala Elations coming in for demo in the next week or so. I hear they are a good match with Boulder. Perhaps Purist could be a good fit as well. Do you have a description/comparison to offer?

I am Curious about the fuses. Are they easy to change, order the correct type, etc? I am not accustomed to opening up my equipment if that is even necessary.

Interestingly, I not only leave my equipment on, but leave it playing 24/7 as I find that yields the best results.

Rtn1

Some of the above addresses your post. I am curious that the BAT REX got a bit of a bland review in the audiophile press. Their other products are excellent and well priced. Did you consider/try any other tubed pre?

I love my power cords. I have the new Tara Cobalt XL's which are extremely textured yet detailed. I find that is the character of Tara's high end cables. However, I think the speaker cables, especially the new Omega Gold, to be leaning to the hyperdetailed side. I have demoed those extensively, and they were too much for my system.

I know nothing of the gold cables that you have. Any comparitive information would be helpful.

I also know nothing of the Tripoint Troy. I have a ground loop between my theater equipment and my 2 channel equipment. All are on dedicated lines, but they go to different subpanels. I have to keep the theater interconnects to the preamp disconnected if I want the best musical experience.

bflowers August 28, 2009 17:22