T+A Amps and Preamps?

Thanks for the replies. I currently have the  BHK 300 amplifier and BHK Signature preamp. Would the T+A HV gear be a significant step-up from this?

Honestly, Jeffery I would say yes the T+A gear would be a major upgrade.

The PS stuff is very, very, good and Bascom King is a storried and talented designer. The difference in both technology and build qualty in the T+A is what seperates it from most everything else.

The PS audio products are a good value and do sound qute good, the difference is in the details.

T+A invents all their own technology and in the case of the HV products goes beyond tube gear by emulating the sound of tubes without having to use tubes.

T+A’s HV Technology runs solid state devices at high voltage rails.

This technique creates a more linear and lower disortion environment for solid state devices. A solid state device run this way produces a more classicaly tube like smoothness, without having to employ any tubes in the design. So you get the sound of tubes, with the low noise, and superior clarity, of a pure solid state signal path.

PS Audio employs vacumm tubes to create their warmth:

A tube is a wonderful device however, they are noisy and microphonic. Bascom King makes the PS audio sound so good by using the technique of a hybrid design which offers the warmth of tubes with the grunt of solid stage it is a way to offer far superior sound for less money however, the tube/hybrid concept still suffers from certain design flaws:

1: inherently noisy component
2: microphonics in the tube affect ultimate resolution
3: tubes offer great linearity but also produce more intrinsic distortion vs a top of the line solid state design, manifesting as coloration.

It is also ineresting to note that when Bascom King does design work for Constellation their designs are pure solid state with superior implimentation of the circuits, and product design and build quality such as what you see in the T+A HV products:

If you look at how the T+A gear is built, it is built like cost no object gear the PS audio gear is well made and especially so for the price but when you compare the two companies and products you can see what makes the T+A gear so special:

Each HV series product uses an aluminium space frame which is divided into two completely sealed, and distinct sections. The top part of the case is where the delicate circuitry is housed, and the bottom chamber houses the power supply. This design isolates sensitive circuitry by virtue of the space frame to provide both vibration damping and shielding from the noisy environment of the power supply part of the case.

http://www.i-fidelity.net/reportagen/themen/ces-2013/seite-7-ces-2013.html

look at the massive transfomer in the T+A amplifier which is both potted and fully shielded

vs

http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/ces-highlights-from-everywhere-else/?page=6

PS audio all one chasis, no shielding of the transformer and no damping.

Look at the design of the P 3000 HV preamp vs the PS audio:

Wizard High-End Audio Blog: T+A P 3000 HV
https://wizard-highend.blogspot.com/2014/01/ta-p-3000-hv.html

You will notice the power supply on the preamp is as large as some power amplifiers, the digital section of the preamp is seperate and requires its own power cord, again the use of shielding, and potting of the transformer.

Compare weight of the two preamps PS audio’s weigh 22 lbs the T+A preamp weighs 62lbs!

I am not saying the PS audio gear isn’t excellent it is, it is just that the T+A gear provides a more refinded strata of product which provides even more clarity and refinement then what the PS audio gear can provide.

We hope this helps and please understand we like PS audio gear and would consider it as a great affordable near reference line of components, as well as being a great value, howerver,

If you were to purchase a PS power amplifier at $7.5k and a PS preamp at $6k and add in a good set of cables $1,500.00 you would be at $15k vs $19K for the PA 3000 HV integrated. So the fact that the T+A gear is out of reach isn’t necessarily so.

For those on the East Coast our doors are always open.

Also you guys should note it took us a long time before we found a line of electronics that sounds this good, we loved the Chord reference electronics but lost the line and we demoed a number of lines before we read the Allan Taffel T+A HV series review. It was that review where Mr. Taffel compared the $19k T+A integrated to $120k worth of CH Precision gear and was having difficulty being able to tell which was which lead us to seek out the line.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

The other part of the equation is this the best path to upgrade and improve the system?

In order to see if this is the logical step we would need to know what the rest of your system is.

If your entire system is at a maxium level then the electronics upgrade might make sense. 

If you PM us then we can have a conversation if this is the right way to go or should you upgrade your source or cables or speakers etc. 

Thanks for starting the thread, it seems that slowly T+A is starting to get the due the deserve in the States, their equipment is really fantastic.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

Right now, I have an Yggdrasil dac feeding the BHK preamp, and my speakers are Tekton Design's Ulfberhts. They are reference-grade speakers and are very revealing of any changes in the system.

Jeffrey 

If you feel you want to take the system to the next level then I would look at the electronics switch.

I would still inquires as to the rest of the system is up to the task cables, vibration isolation, room tuning etc.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ