@audihifi I'm really interested to hear more about your experience using the Declare SE84UFO2.1 with the Schist Freya+ ... I have a Freya+ now and am on the long waitlist for a SE84UFO2.1 -- fully modded but for the XLR option. Do you recommend adding that hefty option, or staying single-ended? Any experience you can offer would be most appreciated. Thank you ~
What’s your latest high-end audio purchase?
What’s your latest high-end audio purchase? It can be cables, tweaks, components etc. Also, please share why you purchased, what it replaced, and any additional tips and insights regarding your purchase.
I hoping for this to be enjoyable and educational, so please be civil of other’s opinions and choices.
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A power cable upgrade - helped fill in sound stage / added sense of power, and a shiny new Xeon processor for my now dedicated streaming PC. A real - whoa ... whoa ... whoa - moment. Going from a powerful Laptop with good sound - tone / detail to more defined soundstage / bass / detail - hi thru lo - but the sense of power is remarkable. Between the power cable and chip it seems like I also gained ~ 15 db in headroom ... the brute force of the added 12 cores is unmistakable. I for one would be interested in how the dedicated streaming box @sns develops ... |
Elekit TU8600S with upgrades, WE 300Bs. Paired with McIntosh preamp and Altec Valencias. Bedroom system. We used it for background music in the past with a Powernode 2i in the past. Now it’s an order of magnitude better sounding, fine enough for critical listening. I absolutely love it, especially with the Altecs. |
Bought a Schitt Freya+. I liked it, but thought it sounded kinda thin when compared to a modified Aragon 24K SP I have (even with NOS tubes). So I picked up a Sonic Frontiers SFL-2 modified with V-Caps and had it further upgraded by Parts Connexion. |
@cakyol sounds like a nice build, share some pictures when you are done. |
Recently purchased a Cary Audio SLI-100 that replaced a Cary Audio SLI-80 signature model that served me very well for the last 8 years and I may sell. Both great sounding amps, but the SLI-100 definitely adds some special sauce. Clean, powerful and warm. Cary Audio made their name in tubes and it shows. |
Just disconnected my Pass Labs Xono, and X1 line stage. Will put them up for sale. They served me well for several years. Purchased an SST Ambrosia 2000 2nd Edition full preamp. Took about 20 days to settle in, and now sounds better than any preamp, I have ever heard. Very warm, rich, quiet, and extremely detailed sonics. All I could ask for, and more! I have a new, very realistic sounding, collection of CD/SACDs, and LPs! My "end of life" preamp, that I will take to my grave.
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So don't really consider myself a tube roller. Never fuss with my tube amp - new stock Genelex GLs in the KT88 and EL84 slots. They are tried and true. I have a tube DAC as well and want to play around with that at some point. See where the 12au7/ecc82 magic lives. The preamp/lineatage tubes make the most impact sonically. Not sure anyone would debate that but its what I find anyway. So for now, I'm my instance, I've reached the top of the 12ax7 summit. Going to enjoy these for a while and get off the wheel. |
@bgross it is interesting how big of differedifferences that can be had with tube rolling. I have been surprised at the difference s that can be had. I am relatively new with tubes |
Received and have been listening to my new amp, a Parasound JC5, which is my first 'proper amp'. It really has opened my eyes to how much improvement a well engineered amplifier can bring across the board and I'm loving it.
Eventually once I get the electrical side of the house squared away by updating the electrical panel and adding dedicated lines, I'll be able to pick up some Pass x260.8s. But for now, the JC5 is making me very happy. |
@jjss49 so I purchased them locally from the audio estate of one of the most knowledgeable and respected tube-gear lovers I'd ever met. I've had them in a box with other tubes from his estate for over a year and never had the time to dig in and see what was there. When I finally did I was pleasantly surprised to find these wrapped in layers of foam and in their own smaller box labeld "top of the world mom" - couldn't imagine what would be inside but it was the Tungsrams. Immediately tested two (A) right off the bat and stuffed them in the Calypso. Let the system warm up for an hour before sitting down for 1st impressions. They were/are amazing. The clairity & openness far outperformed the Fisher branded Telefunkens I was using prior and they are fabulous too. These however added color and vibrancy where the others seem to play in marvelous black and white. Anyway all the cheesy superlatives aside. Im super impressed with the Tungsram 12ax7 and clearly understand why the previous owner valued them above all his other tubes. |
tungsrams are absolutely top tier old stock tubes, made in hungary on old telefunken/siemens tooling, closest thing one will find for those desiring the crystal clear, airy sound of real deal old stock telefunkens always distinguish the modern day russian tubes being sold under the old brand names vs real deal ones from the ’60-80’s - as you have experienced in your case |
I brought a pair of western electric 124 clones home yesterday and played with them half the night. Anyhow line magnetic built these with new old stock western electric transformers in them. I am running them directly from the krell kps20i and using the volume control on the monoblocks. Like them better in the tetrode setting over the triod setting the speakers likely need the extra power. Very classic tube sound really enjoyable to me. This has caused some extra work changing speakers around the power piggies are going to go on the high powered tub system and they way I have it setup is going into my bedroom. Really happy. |
Ok so just came across some incredible Tungsram, NOS 12ax7/ecc83 that might not be high-end, but that make my high-end lineatage play like I've never experienced before. Have run through, Sovtek, Mullard, Telefunken, Genalex and now these Tungsrams and they are breathtakingly good. Still amazed by how incredibly a 60yo tube can play. I liked all of the ones mentioned (maybe not the Sovteks) but the others are/were each VG. Just not otherworldly like these absolute gems! |
My system for the last few months consisted of the following. FLAC files on SSD -->> Bryston BDP-1 streamer -->> Bryston BDA-1 DAC -->> Schiit Freya+ Preamp ->> Pass XA60.5 monoblocks -->> Wilson WP 6 I decided to remove the Bryston BDA-1 and Schiit Freya+ and replace them with a Wadia 15 DAC. I am only a few days since the change, but it is very clear that the bass is tighter with the Wadia and everything just seems more relaxed. Time will tell though. I was a little leery about using a DAC/Preamp combo (Wadia 15) since I have tried this before with a much newer Wadia 321. The experiment with the 321 did not end well., but things seem to be working out fine with the 15. Marvin Gaye has never sounded better in my house. |
Upgradimg the power supply to the Aurlic Aries for a big improvement sound right on the mark! I owned a Aurlic Aries G2 for about a year… while it was clearly better than computers and MACs… it did not have a dead quiet background. I traded it in for a Aurender, the background quieted significantly… I now own a Aurender N100 and W20SE. One of the things that really differentiate them from their competition is their relentless work on power supplies. My W20SE performs at the level of my really great analog end but with a lower noise floor. |
System synergy is a variable and bespoke thing. I so far have recently migrated my entire system interconnect cables array to new CARDAS CLEAR interconnects, and upgraded to new mix of CARDAS CLEAR / CARDAS GOLDEN REFERENCE power cables. The last missing piece (and currently a WIP) in my Yellow Brick Road to Audio Oz, is an upgrade to one of its stablemate CARDAS CLEAR or CARDAS CLEAR REFERENCE speaker cable models. |
