tube upgrade for first sound

I purchased a used First Sound Presence Deluxe Mk II 4.0 about 2 years ago. I had it upgraded in December 2004. In the 2 years that I have had it, I didn't do much fooling around with NOS tubes. I listened to the stock tubes and after a short time, I replaced them with Telefunken 7308's. In retrospect, I can say this is NOT a good tube to use with this linestage. As much as you could tell prior to the upgrade and prior to trying other tubes that the First Sound was a very good unit, I couldn't duplicate the sound which others seemed to be raving about. Dynamics were only average and although female vocals were extremely well presented, midrange transparence and clarity was exceptional, there was a stark, unemotional quality to the midrange which was not as musically beguiling as other preamps which I have heard or owned. Some of these problems, such as dynamics and also a lack of very deep bass extension, I had attributed to preamp/amplifier impedance mismatch between the high impedance First Sound and the low impedance Pass Aleph 4. One feature of the First Sound with the Telefunken 7308 was its just about pin-point imaging. One could easily differentiate the various instruments within the soundstage and their boundaries were extremely well-defined. The soundstage was very wide.
After upgrading the unit, bass and dynamics were definitely improved significantly, but not to such a huge degree that the unit now merited the raves it received in the audio press. Having both posted to and followed threads on Audiogon about the First Sound, I decided to try a pair of Siemens NOS 6922's which I had lying around. Having no 7308's which is what are often recommended, I decided to try these 6922's. The difference was huge. Suddenly, the First Sound became the most dynamic preamp which I had ever heard. The soundstage which already had been wide became wider and taller. Midrange, which had been stark and unemotional, while not overly sweet and lush was full and musical. Vocals retained their immediacy and "in-the room" quality. Details, whether in audiophile recordings, well-recorded, current, commercial recordings or even in recordings which are 40 years old were revealed. In the right recordings these details are painted across such a wide and high soundstage stage, the dynamics are so startling in their effortlessness and explosiveness that old recordings, one's with which you are very familiar, can be like experiencing them for the first time.

I could say more about the First Sound, but since my tube rolling experience with it is limited, I'll just say that if it is not sounding right to you, keep trying and don't give up. Above all, look to the tubes as I have found that the tubes seem more capable of making a huge difference in sonic signature here than in most other preamps.

I would also have to thank Emmanuel Go. I cannot tell you the number of emails which we have exchanged in the time that I have owned the First Sound. When I would either become discouraged or otherwise occupied, he would inquire occasionally to see if anything that he had suggested or which I had tried on my own had yielded an improvement. He contacted me originally when I had bought it and had described the sound of the unit as I had heard it at that time. This is a man who is completely committed to your satisfaction as a customer, not in the sense of a slogan or corporate mantra, but really. He is truly interested to see that you get the most out of his product.

As the capabilities of his linestage continue to reveal themselves to me through tube-rolling, I can say that even though he is humble and committed to the customer's satisfaction, his design is on the cutting edge of what
is out there and I finally understand what others have been raving about.

Great insightful post. I spent $$$$ getting the famed Siemens 7308's, but was ultimately was very unimpressed. well, it turned out they were late 1970's vintage, which makes a big difference. I think that a subpoint within your thoughts are that a name brand (Amperex, Siemens, Mullard) and design label (6922, 7308 6DJ8) arent enough to predict performance - the VINTAGE of the tube is KEY! As other know, the older the better....I currently have those pinched waist 1959 US-made 69ss's, and FINALLY have found audio heaven.....

Rayhall, what upgrades did you apply to your First Sound pre?

Guidocorona,

Emmanuel offered an upgrade in '03 for owners of record at that time. He was a little vague on what he did, but I think there were some grounding changes, some internal wire changes and, in my case at least, some replacement of capacitors. There is a professional review which reviews the unit after this upgrade. Here is a link to that review here:
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue11/firstsound.htm Emmanuel said what the upgrade would do was further lower the noise floor, thus improving dynamics. I would say this upgrade was an improvement in just about every way that I could perceive except one: The unit doesn't have that pin-point imaging anymore. Instruments and voices are painted as much larger within the stage and their boundaries are more diffuse and indistinct. Otherwise, dynamics, bass extension and upper midrange smoothness were all improved and the noise floor was lowered. This was all determined before the tube change. Of course, after the tube change the F.S. made music for me like it had not done before.

Thanks, Artg, for your kind words. Now that I am sure that the F.S. is a keeper at my house even though it and the Pass amp may not be the best match, I am contemplating my options in developing a second system. As I almost certainly will keep the Pass amp, one option is to look for a second amp for such a bedroom system. One thought was to try to bring in a Berning ZH-270 for the bedroom. Any thoughts you wish to share about the sonic qualities of the Berning or its match with the First Sound beyond your other posts? Understanding that the Berning is very transparent, how does it stack up on top of the F.S.'s transparence? Down the road, I'll be looking at that option as well as bringing in another smooth solid state amp for the main system, like perhaps a Claytom M-100 or maybe trying a French amp named Lavardin. I will be listening to as much as I can and soliciting info from people who have experience with all the above and other equipment as well.

Rayhall- they do mate very very well together. In fact, I received an email from Emmanuel last week letting me know he had heard his preamp with a Berning amp, and to his ears, it was "fabulous." To be more specific, they're both very accurate, very neutral, soundstage and image well - yet perhaps most important to me is that they are pure of timbre and really allow an emotional conection to the music. I can't say enough about the Berning. I found about about it when I discivered that Sonus Faber use it in their factory test room, where they developed their $40K Stratavari. If you read my (longwinded) virtual system info intro, you'll see the rather extensive road i travelled before falling hard for OTL's, and the Berning in particular.

I am sure that the Berning mates well with many good preamps, and have heard great things from people using it with Supratek, Joule Electra and CAT preamps. I wouldnt be able to comment on comparisons amongst them, but it's a very versatile amp. Similarly, I am positive people have mated the FS with many amps, and have corresponded with people who love theirs with Jeff Rowland, MLevinson and Clayton M100's.

Bottom line - as biased as I obviously am, i cant recommend either component more highly, and together (esp w/ NOS tubes) they are magical!