@laynes - Have you talked to Kevin at Upscale about the Triode sound?
The veiling you describe should be a concern. Does increasing the playback volume make a difference?
Choosing between Cornwall IV, Trio15 or X4 Ultra
I'm currently listening to Schiit Frey+ - PrimaLuna Evo300 poweramp - Sonus Faber Sonetto III each with a REL T7i. Sources are Ultrarendu - Schiit Gungnir and SOTA Comet III - Pro-Ject Tube Box.
The room is 28'X33' with ceilings that start at one side wall 15' and slant up to 26'. The room is divided in half by a 4' wooden cabinet that splits the room in half like a mini wall. It's split level by 18". So my "actual" listening area is 16'X28' but open to the entire room. Speakers are on the 16' wall.
I'm looking for a sound with more body and visceral impact. My current setup has impressive soundstage, detail, and imaging, very holographic. With jazz/instrumental it really shines. If I had to keep it as is I would be happy. I listen primarily at night with low volumes. At low volumes, the soundstage of course collapses and does not bring me joy. Even during loud listening, it is lacking a je ne sais quoi.
So I am thinking of changing out the speakers with Klipsch Cornwall IV, Pure Audio Project Trio15, or Spatial Audio Lab X4 Ultra. I've heard the Cornwalls and was impressed. I don't think going to "demo" the other speakers would really give me a realistic idea of what they would sound like in my home so I think I'll just order and ship them back if hate them.
Thoughts? My budget is $5K - 10K.
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@dweller , I haven't. It did help when I turned the power up but thought to myself why do that when the power is cut in half for Triode and then I just turn it up? I'm sure I'm missing something. I'm only about 19 mos into this journey (recently anyway). That said, I like Ultralinear so much anyway I haven't really tried Triode that much. @brighamdoc , it sounds like you are going through something similar I had with the M3s and my search led me to Volti and I couldn't be happier. I had considered Cornwall IVs but never heard them or the other speakers you listed. The X4s may do the trick also but most, including me, find you need a well treated room with them - just fyi. Also the break-in isn't complete until around 400 hours - but sound better at 100 and again around 200-ish. I'm glad I went used w/ my Rivals as they are broken in already. I hope a used set comes up for sale for you. |
@dweller yes I did a fair amount of tube rolling. Mostly with the Freya+. I’ve tried a number of combinations and pretty much stuck with RCA NOS 5692s for the voltage gain tubes and GE NOS 6SN7s for the cathode followers. I did get some Gold Lion new KT88s for the PL that changed the sound - not impressed. I have some NOS Mullard 12AU7s on the way. All of my tube rolling experience has been a change in presentation of the sound but not "body" of the sound. |
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