Since there has been some interest in the V cap, let me give you an update. Joseph and I listened to the V caps after 45 hours and again just the other day after 120 hours burn in time. The V cap is an extremely fast capacitor, which means it has excellent transients and micro-detail retrieval, a fine ability to reproduce harmonic texture, especially the higher overtones, and striking ability to reproduce dynamic contrasts. So far, while the caps have improved in reproducing the various registers, it still preserves its tendency to accentuate the higher frequencies at the expense of the lower ones, with the result that as always in such an instance, it disperses sound very well and seems subjectively to have a wider soundstage than the Hovlands. It is a very demanding capacitor since dynamic musical contrasts appear more extreme than usual, and because it is bright and does not lend itself to background musicat least not at this present stage of break in. At times the combination of brightness and strong dynamic response resulted in a harsh edge, especially, for example, when sopranos hit a high note crescendo. In sum it tended to give all music, whether digital or analog, a more pronounced digital feeling. If one has a speaker system that is on the mellow sidewhat people sometimes call a polite speaker--the V cap may add just enough sparkle and quickness of response to it to create a livelier and better balanced system.
We listened to the V caps with three different ICs to insure we did not have a cable mismatch. With a balanced Transparency, what I have described above was most pronounced. We tried to slow the capacitors down using a balanced copper IC, and indeed, this reduced the digitalizing effect we were hearing and because slower, created a better balance between low and high frequencies, but it thickened the bass and seemed to eliminate the superior micro-detail retrieval we valued before. We tried a new design developed by Joseph using Cardas wire to come somewhere in between, and we did approach the balance of the Hovlands with this IC, but now we were a little slower and thicker textured than the Hovlands.
In sum, the V cap, if it continues to deepen its registers and if with time the edginess diminishes, may be a very promising cap. We will give another careful listen at 300 hours. At the present time, we are unable to recommend it or to make it available to our customers.
On another front, Joseph has completed the development of a two tube phono stage, which is available in a number of configurationsMM or MC, integrated or separate, stock transformer or premium transformer. I brought over a Stereophile CD and LP of the Mozart Clarinet Concerto so we could compare the phono stage using the stock transformers and the premium transformers to Josephs AH DAC. In everything but S/N the phono stage was superior to the DAC, but not embarrassingly so. With the expensive Premium transformers, the disparity between the phono stage and the DAC grew more pronounced, again in all areas but S/N, where it is hard to beat a digital source.
This is a superb phono stage, as we had every hope it would be, given it is Josephs creation, but frankly the Premium version was even better than we had hoped.
Lastly, a word to those who were surprised that someone auditioned the TP 2.0nB and chose a different preamplifier. Dont be. When we designed the TP 2.0, we never strove to produce the best preamplifier out there, or even the best preamplifier we could. We deliberately designed to place our products at the bottom of the high end price point-that is, between $2000 and $3000, believing that a great many music lovers want to listen to music superbly reproduced without feeling they can not without mortgaging the house.
About 10% of the preamplifiers auditioned are returned, usually with comments like this: nothing under $8000 could touch it. We finally felt the $16,000 . . . delivered just a little . . . A recent post notes that the Lamm ref beat out the TP 2.0nB. And why shouldn't it? It sells for $13,680. We feel flattered that the TP 2.0nB can be mentioned respectfully in the same breath with a component costing 347% more. Thank you.
And thank you all for all your support. We appreciate it.
We listened to the V caps with three different ICs to insure we did not have a cable mismatch. With a balanced Transparency, what I have described above was most pronounced. We tried to slow the capacitors down using a balanced copper IC, and indeed, this reduced the digitalizing effect we were hearing and because slower, created a better balance between low and high frequencies, but it thickened the bass and seemed to eliminate the superior micro-detail retrieval we valued before. We tried a new design developed by Joseph using Cardas wire to come somewhere in between, and we did approach the balance of the Hovlands with this IC, but now we were a little slower and thicker textured than the Hovlands.
In sum, the V cap, if it continues to deepen its registers and if with time the edginess diminishes, may be a very promising cap. We will give another careful listen at 300 hours. At the present time, we are unable to recommend it or to make it available to our customers.
On another front, Joseph has completed the development of a two tube phono stage, which is available in a number of configurationsMM or MC, integrated or separate, stock transformer or premium transformer. I brought over a Stereophile CD and LP of the Mozart Clarinet Concerto so we could compare the phono stage using the stock transformers and the premium transformers to Josephs AH DAC. In everything but S/N the phono stage was superior to the DAC, but not embarrassingly so. With the expensive Premium transformers, the disparity between the phono stage and the DAC grew more pronounced, again in all areas but S/N, where it is hard to beat a digital source.
This is a superb phono stage, as we had every hope it would be, given it is Josephs creation, but frankly the Premium version was even better than we had hoped.
Lastly, a word to those who were surprised that someone auditioned the TP 2.0nB and chose a different preamplifier. Dont be. When we designed the TP 2.0, we never strove to produce the best preamplifier out there, or even the best preamplifier we could. We deliberately designed to place our products at the bottom of the high end price point-that is, between $2000 and $3000, believing that a great many music lovers want to listen to music superbly reproduced without feeling they can not without mortgaging the house.
About 10% of the preamplifiers auditioned are returned, usually with comments like this: nothing under $8000 could touch it. We finally felt the $16,000 . . . delivered just a little . . . A recent post notes that the Lamm ref beat out the TP 2.0nB. And why shouldn't it? It sells for $13,680. We feel flattered that the TP 2.0nB can be mentioned respectfully in the same breath with a component costing 347% more. Thank you.
And thank you all for all your support. We appreciate it.