Anybody own Audio Experience Symphonies?

Hi again,

Well I see this thread has gone by the wayside. So I would like some newer users who are now using or have used the Symphony plus chime in with there information.

I'm also looking at the Grounded Grid Preamplifier from Transcendent sound. So any comments would be most appreciated.

Pls give some suggestion, if anybody used subject pre.

I bought a Symphonies+R about 2 1/2 years ago & tried it very briefly. The try-out was brief because the unit seems to be extremely susceptible to RFI & my place in Seattle is RFI Hell. Also, I suspect a lack of synergy between my power amp at the time, an Odyssey Stratos. Even if it hadn't been picking up the local FM station, I just wasn't particularly impressed with the sound: it seemed too bright & just not musical, for lack of a better word. A couple of days ago I put it into another system here in Bangkok driving a pair Omega Super 3 v2s via ASL SET monoblocks & the sound is simply splendid.

I have been using the Symphonies (not the Plus) for about 3 years with a Canary CA-301 MkII. Wonderful bliss.

I replaced it (put in closet as backup) as I wanted a remote and phono section. I bought a Jolida Music Envoy. I rolled a LOT OF TUBES, got the Envoy to sound like I wanted. Then the Envoy broke and went to the shop. Out came the Symphonies, rolled tubes, got to the Mullard 10M's (lot of $$ for tubes for a Symphonies), but it beat the Envoy by a lot, and now the Symphonies is back as my main preamp.

The Mullard 10M's are wonderful in this preamp and beat everything else I tried. Here are the best combinations that I found:
1. 12AX7 10M Mullard (w/ 7025 GE in center)
(detailed, warm)
2. ECC83 Telefunken (w/ 7025 RCA in center)
(less detailed, more warm)
3. 7025A RCA (w/ EH-Gold in center)
4. EI-Gold (w/ EH-Gold in center)
EH-Gold (w/ EI-Gold in center)
EI-Silver (w/ EH)

Interesting note, the Mullard 10M's did not sound the best in the Jolida... I guess there is a synergy with other parts.

Update: I had Underwood mod the Envoy (spent $1600 on upgrade of preamp and phone sections), and it came back sounding much better than the Symphonies... so the Symphonies is going in the closet as backup.