CTC Blowtorch


I have recently made a deal to acquire a CTC Blowtorch, which has been sort of a long term dream of mine ever since I heard Bob Crump's unit some years back. The Blowtorch has separate main stage and power supply boxes. I will, at least temporarily, be somewhat short on rack space. Does anyone have experience to share regarding stacking the two boxes? Can I expect any sonic degradation from doing so? My suspicion is probably not, given the sheer amount of aluminum separating the two, but would be most interested in hearing others' observations.
curriemt11
I received the Blowtorch three days ago, and as I stated, must initially stack them. Even so, this is without question the most silent piece of gear that I have owned or heard. The blackness is simply remarkable. I intend to get in touch with Mapleshade to provide me with two more shelves, but in the interim there seems to be little if any problem at all.

Brian - thanks again for all of the advice, and most particularly your information regarding the seller. The transaction was flawless.

Rcprince - point taken. I presently have an ASR Basis Exclusive phono stage in house for evaluation. This is another unit with a control box and separate power supply (very heavy and battery powered). I may try vertically stacking the power supplies of the Blowtorch and the ASR, and also the respective control units. Umbilicals of both are long enough to allow this. Also, there is the possibility that I may acquire a Vendetta if the owner decides to sell. We shall see.

Fred - we may have to get you up here for a visit after a while. A drive out into the country would do you good!

I have one comment about the preamp itself. It is simply awesome. C, T, and C created a masterpiece here.
Curriemt11--If you get the Vendetta, you'll definitely need to keep it away from power supplies. That's the unit I was thinking of when I made my post above, as I had one and found it very susceptible to hum if placed near a torroidal transformer.
Rcprince - OK, thanks very much for the information. Thus far, I have not noticed noise of any type with the ASR. Sonic quality evaluation is still in the works, but so far so good.
Mike

Maybe you should consider a second Samson rack instead of just more shelves...

Bob
Hi Bob,

I have thought about it. I end up with a bit of a space problem though. The photos don't show it, but I now have the JC1 monos on large amp stands on either side of the existing Samson rack. Unless there is a good sonic reason for not doing so, the additional shelves seem like the better answer. I'm going to ask Mapleshade for an opinion on this.