Teajay,
Thanks for the B-day wishes. I will report back on the new TAP in the next few days, once I get a better understanding of what I'm hearing (and let it break in slightly longer). My reference tube pre, the Modwright SWL 9.0SE is going to be an interesting comparison because it is an enigma amongst tube pres. Most would say it sounds more like ss than tubes, or at least would say it is a very "neutral-sounding" tube preamp (which may be a minor reason Dan is offering a tube rectified power supply upgrade...to appease the tube fans).
Out of the box the TAP clearly (pun intended) sounds like a more pure signal path, like a process has been removed, and I'm allowed to hear the source more directly. I am quite surprised by this, and need to get acclimated to that effect before I render any long-term opinions. It's not as if the music got leaner, less body, anything like that. It's just as if the eyeglasses got a lot cleaner, and I'm not used to the new view...even though colors are likely more vibrant, and lights are likely brighter (but with less ringing). For the short-term, it's quite a change, and I'm trying to understand whether I like it because it's new, or I like it because it's better.
Any background hiss or slight tube noise is, of course, gone. Gone! Even a slight electrical noise (my room is not the best electrically...I stupidly installed remote dimmers a few years ago...this is a home theater environment too)) has been wiped away by the TAP's ability to float ground at the inputs (a simple switch on the back panel). This blackness adds to the new sonic experience, and although theoretically this lack of noise could never be called a liability, it is nonetheless a new experience. I mean, I liked salty foods, and when that salt is gone, the flavors of the true food spices can shine through...but it takes a little time to get used to it.
I will say that the TAP has already changed my idea of what a preamp needs to accomplish. The remote input switching, the remote phase inversion, the tremendous grounding and output flexibility...hell, even the remote balance controls, they all define for me what a preamp really needs to do to add value to my signal path. In some ways, this passive device plays a more active role than ever before.
Thanks for the B-day wishes. I will report back on the new TAP in the next few days, once I get a better understanding of what I'm hearing (and let it break in slightly longer). My reference tube pre, the Modwright SWL 9.0SE is going to be an interesting comparison because it is an enigma amongst tube pres. Most would say it sounds more like ss than tubes, or at least would say it is a very "neutral-sounding" tube preamp (which may be a minor reason Dan is offering a tube rectified power supply upgrade...to appease the tube fans).
Out of the box the TAP clearly (pun intended) sounds like a more pure signal path, like a process has been removed, and I'm allowed to hear the source more directly. I am quite surprised by this, and need to get acclimated to that effect before I render any long-term opinions. It's not as if the music got leaner, less body, anything like that. It's just as if the eyeglasses got a lot cleaner, and I'm not used to the new view...even though colors are likely more vibrant, and lights are likely brighter (but with less ringing). For the short-term, it's quite a change, and I'm trying to understand whether I like it because it's new, or I like it because it's better.
Any background hiss or slight tube noise is, of course, gone. Gone! Even a slight electrical noise (my room is not the best electrically...I stupidly installed remote dimmers a few years ago...this is a home theater environment too)) has been wiped away by the TAP's ability to float ground at the inputs (a simple switch on the back panel). This blackness adds to the new sonic experience, and although theoretically this lack of noise could never be called a liability, it is nonetheless a new experience. I mean, I liked salty foods, and when that salt is gone, the flavors of the true food spices can shine through...but it takes a little time to get used to it.
I will say that the TAP has already changed my idea of what a preamp needs to accomplish. The remote input switching, the remote phase inversion, the tremendous grounding and output flexibility...hell, even the remote balance controls, they all define for me what a preamp really needs to do to add value to my signal path. In some ways, this passive device plays a more active role than ever before.