Spatial Audio Raven Preamp

Hi jc4659,

Thank you. It is a very nice set up. Yes, I cannot comprehend those terms, like layered. What makes the music layered? Fast bass, what is fast? Anyway, I don't analyze but only listen and enjoy the music. 

The Yamaha AS2100 integrated is already very good - clarity, accuracy and detailed. But the addition of the Tyrs made the music sounded better and livelier. For example, Chopin's Nocturne in C Minor, one can hear the immediate impact of the hammer hitting on the piano cords and decay with the Tyrs. Now with the Raven paired with the Tyrs, it is even better sounding. According to Jason Stoddard of Schiit, the Tyrs has a huge choke (old school) not capacitors to store power for transient needs and reduce ripple (technically I don't understand this) but the sound coming from the Tyrs tells me it is very good - power and control. According to a contributor in the Tyr forum, the Tyr's performance is at the dartZeel NHB 108 level. I have never heard the sound of the dartZeel but the price tells you something. US$53,000 2022. The Tyr is good enough for me.

One caveat on the Tyrs - some experience a hum. Mine had a very low hum and hiss when I first got it (ears 1 inch away from the tweeter and woofer drivers). I checked with Schiit and was told it is normal for an amplifier with this power. Anyway, after a few months, the hum was gone, with only a very very low hiss (white noise?), audible when I place my ear an inch away from the tweeter. Silent when I moved away. I guess it got burned in. For details and reviews on Tyr, check their website. Read the FAQs. Brings a smile on a not so good day.

Cheers

@phono2024

Congratulations on your new equipment. Thank you for your report. It is great to hear when someone is very happy with their new equipment and the music it produces.

Thanks for the review, phono2024! Always good to hear compatibility reports as well, much appreciated.

Although Don and I optimized the Raven and Blackbird to deliver their best performance with each other, we went to considerable trouble to make sure they add sonic value to other systems, too. For the Raven, this means optimal performance when matched with classical push-pull pentode amps and modern transistor amps.

Both RCA and XLR outputs offer equal sonic quality, since the only difference are the ratio of the output taps on the output transformer. The circuitry is exactly the same for both outputs, using a direct straight-through path from input to output. There are no "add-ons" like phase inverters to create the minus phase of the XLR output, no cathode followers, no dynamic loads, no current mirrors, no op-amps, nor DC servo circuits. The custom-design transformers solve all these problems at a stroke.

What you hear are point-to-point wires, triode vacuum tubes in a balanced Class A circuit, and studio-quality transformers. Nothing else. There are no coupling caps, no feedback, and no secondary signal paths in the circuit, just straight through from input to output.

The Caladan a nice speaker and great value!  It is 93 dB and 4 ohm.  That means you can use most any amp you like of 10 watts or so.  I built a little pair of 45 monos and a pair of 6C4C (the Russian 6B4G) monos.  Both were push pull and clipped at about 6 W.  They easily drove my 95 dB 8 ohm open baffles to screaming levels.   So a properly designed low power tube amp would easily drive the Caladans for most folks.   The 300b monos are 24 watts and represent essentially unlimited power into that sort of speaker.  The 300b amps are spendy.  But there are plenty of good quality tube amps under $5000 that I think would be a sonic revelation compared to what you are listening to.  My 2 cents.   It might be a road worth exploring.  Especially if you have a friend with a decent tube amp who would bring it over...  XLR inputs would be best, but rca inputs are fine with the Raven.  Then you would know if a tube amp would sound more pleasing to you.