Lightspeed Attenuator - Best Preamp Ever?

I've only listened for about 45mins,and just to my vinyl, but here are my intial impressions-

More slam,more dynamic, increased bass,increased treble(some sybilance on Graceland I never heard before),a no brainer for the money investment.Perhaps the sibilance has always been there on the Graceland LP,but I've just noticed now with the TerDak.

I think this unlocks the real potential of the LSA and anyone who is using a cheap wallwart isn't getting the full measure of their LSA investment.

Granted I use a Shunyata power cord and the unit is plugged into a Hydra 8 on dedicated 20 amp line.

Some may question the sanity of plugging an expensive power cord into the TeraDak,but until you do you'll never know for sure how much you maybe compromising its potential, just as you are compromising the LSA with a cheap wallwart.

I think sometimes the common sense of audiophiles can be a stumbling block.Accepted wisdom is that we should always spend the big bucks on the amps, pre amps etc, and shell out the small change on the stuff that shouldn't make a difference like power cords.

I think many a fine low cost upgrade is compromised by the use of even cheaper ancillaries.
I think the combination of the LSA powered by the TeraDak justifies something better than a generic cheap power cord.

I'll leave it to others to expereiment and post their findings, I'm over the hill with the sound of my set up as it is and have no desire to try somethingelse.
The pieces fit and please me more so than I had expected.

It's almost like I've added a solid state turbo charger to my tube Acoustat servo amps.

In fact I never heard them clip before on the Dafos lp, but clip they did on the big drum crash,eventhough I didn't have the volume any higher than normal, nor did it sound any louder.

I think more of the dynamic slam that is on this recording was unleashed for the first time ,so watch out if you have low powered SS amps that might not clip as harmlessly as my amps did.

If there is any downside so far it's back to that solid state attack that this power supply adds to my sound.
It's very clean,crisp, and fast ,perhaps I'll have less of this when I put the cd player into service and I've run a few days on the unit, so I'll report back then as I said I would.

But I would gladly trade this bit of edge if it doesn't go away for the increase in all the good things this unit has done for my sound.Easily worth the trade off, and perhaps just a sign that I need to fine tune my cartridge a bit more.
Did I mention the TeraDak is more revealing?
Well it is, so make sure your system is up to snuff, because you will not have those nasties buried in the muck a wallwart gives you.

That sounds harsh.
I really was quite pleased with the LSA and the wallwart.

Like most things in this hobby, it's only when you go outside the comfort zone of "good enough"that you find how good can go to great, and in this case, how such a small cash outlay($60.00 CDN)can make such a big improvement.

In my system the TeraDak ,cold out of the box,was better than I had anticipated, and I had anticipated an upgrade, but not to this extent.

Anyone with an LSA has not heard what their unit can really do if they are using a cheap wallwart.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention George,I would put this at the top of your list of power supply options for your volume control.

In fact, if I were you I would make it part of the package for North American consumers from you as a low cost option.

If you haven't tried it you should.

Lacee hi, are you in the US also, just wondering if your wall wart was smp or linear?

Cheers George

@ Wisnon: I had the LSA on my Job 225 for a little while. I thought the input Z of the Job might be borderline but it wasn't the case at all. The LSA sounded lovely with the Job. Complex orchestral passages played at high volumes didn't sound too congested. Moving up to the Bent TAP-X autoformer freed it up even more. If you want to eliminate input/output Z issues all together, consider an AVC or TVC. I will say this, at no time with the LSA did I feel the need to change to another preamp. I happened to come across a Bent TAP-X (again), and loved the first one so much I bought it. In the end, I preferred the TAP-X just on musical tastes alone. Throw in the remote volume/balance control and it was a no-brainer for me.

Lacee: also if in doubt if your wall wart was linear or smp.
Try to find a portable AM radio and with it tuned off station low down on the dial frequency with the volume up go near to your powered up wall wart with it.
You will hear very clearling if it's smp as you get closer to it with the radio.

Cheers George

Thanks for the tips George, but with the TeraDak my wallwart days are over.
I don't care if my wallwart was linear or smp,What this does is amazing.You need to try one.

It cost me $60.00 Canadian, so yes I am from the Northern half of North America.

I've done some more listening and any edge that I felt was there has not shown up,but I should revisit the Graceland lp just to check and see if the sibilance is still there.
But my enjoyment with the pairing of the TeraDak/LSA is making me reluctant to go back to what I've just played.All I want to do is move on to the rest of my library and discover the pleasures anew.

The TerDak makes the LSA spring to life,it's like steroids for the LSA.

It's too bad anyone who has used the LSA with a wallwart, linear or not,and moved on didn't know about the TerDak alternative.They missed out on how good the LSA can sound when given a decent source of power.

For those who are thinking about adding a TerDak,don't scrimp on a cheap power cord just because this thing costs 60 bucks.
Perhaps my power cord is making more of what the TeraDak is doing for the lSA than a stock power cord would do.
As I've said I'm perfectly happy with the pairing and not the least bit ashamed using a power cord that cost almost 4 times what the LSA/TeraDak combo costs.

It's all about what works that matters to me,so call me insane, I won't mind because I am insanely happy with the sound improvements I've made to my system.

My old walwart cost about 25 bucks, no shipping, I bought it at a computer store.
Saving a few dollars and foresaking what the Teradak does isn't sane in my book.

Those saved dollars only waste thousands of dollars invested in music and gear when the system is compromised,which I feel any wallwart will be guilty of.