Red Wine Audio Isabella

i also placed my order for the Isabella w/ dac and can't wait too! nice to see others in this camp.

while the Dodd also uses 6922 and battery, i'm not sure how much the preamp circuitry is alike. i have been trying to get more info from dodd and vinnie because i am curious. I know vinnie is using both sections of each dual-triode tube while the dodd only uses one. vinnie won't tell me the exact topology of the preamp but he says it is much different than the dodd and is one of a kind and it took a long time to perfect but he says it is well worth the effort. i only know basic electronics so i cannot say waht it means even if i saw a diagram, haha. Someone mentioned somewhere that the dodd uses dc-dc converters for the tubes B+ and this is not as clean. dodd did not let me know if this is true or not, but I suppose one can measure the voltage at the tube sockets and see if it is higher than the battery? I asked vinnie and he says his circuit is totally unique and uses no dc-dc convertes so there is no noise and loss of current. From the site the Isabella board looks much cleaner and with shorter signal paths and such, but all that matters in the end is the sound. look, we know dodd is very good from all the happy cusotmers such as Mariusz and i'm sure it is. There are things about the Isabella that make me believe it is going to be better for me, and i waited a long time for it to be ready and am excited.

the Isabella also allows for a hi and low gain setting and has the SMART module which i like the idea of, and a mode to run on the charger's power so play time can continue and the unit can be let on at all times if desired. I really like this idea! vinnie promises that even when running from the charger the sound is very good because of all the conditioning he performs inside, but the pure SLA battery power is the best. the other reason I went for the Isabella is the built in dac with USB. That is one less box and set of interconnects, and the design sounds like it will meet my tastes as i love analog tone but i am getting into the msuic server approach..

i agree with kclone. if it represents the great value and amazing sound of his amps, it is going to be a classic waiting to happen. If not i'll simply return within 30 day. vinnie must be very confident about his baby to offer this and i respect that. I'll be sure to post when I get mine in about 3 weeks and get time to listen. i am also looking forward to the reviews from 6moons and i think i read that Tone Audio will also be reviewing one in the next issiue. vinnie mentons this on his forum here - http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/index.php?topic=57174.0

ok enough talk. i want to listen and am excited!

-Nate

Nate, I am curious just like you and would like to get more information in regards to both designs. As little as it is known about Isabella , even less we know about Dodd. If you compare the websites, Vinnie did better job getting as many details as he could at the time of Isabella release day (I think t was Friday). Vinnie is also very active on Audio Circle, where he tries to answer any questions regarding his products. I admire his support and time he dedicates to be as helpful as possible. However, I can not help but noticed the similarities between these two. Yes, there are some differences.......but.
So please keep us posted and hope to hear first impressions from one of you - first Isabella owners.

P.S
Love the DAC idea......NOS DAC and it runs on batteries too.
Very cool. If I was going to get one.....definitly the one with build in DAC. Also Six moons might try to compare Dodd to Isabella pre.......that is going to be very interesting review that I will be waiting for ........so long and congrats on the Isabella purchase. I am sure that non of you will regrat it.

Mariusz

hi Mariusz,

I'd say there is a sufficient amount know about the Isabella from the website. I think the 'unknown' is the user feedback and reviews but these will be coming soon and then im sure Vinnie is going to be bombarded and backloged with order. This seems to happen every time and I remember waiting patiently on the list for my 30.2. Ive come to trust his ear and now i decided to buy now so I don't have to wait nearly as long - Vinnie mentions the dac board will be ready in just a couple of weeks and will be shipping. I bet he is selling many more with the dac than without, so i think we'll see some feedback in a few weeks, including mine :)

I agree - it is a very good idea to include the dac into the preamp to keep the signal paths short and reduce the number of components on the rack.

I'll keep you guys posted

Jeff

Hi Jeff, I thought that DAC boards arrived already.....at least that is what I am hearing. I am very interested in the first users report (honest report) and look forward to find someone in NY area to compare the two battery wonders and help me decide if Isabella is worthy of the closer look in the future or Dodd is the one to beat .....still.
When you report back your first impresssions, please try to compare RWA DAC to another DAC with reputation and preferably in the same price range.

Thanks

Mariusz

I've been playing my RWA Isabella, with built-in Isabellina dac option, for a few weeks now. I wanted to write sooner but I have been having a very difficult time pulling myself away from listening. I'm no reviewer by any means, but I will say this - Isabella already has FAR exceeded my expectations and I have never heard *any* preamp or dac that like more than this!

So everyone knows I am also using a RWA Signature 30.2 and Gallo Ref 3.1s.

What the Isabella is providing is more dimension and space, more foundation to the sound, a totally effortless presentation, more life and realism to my music than I thought was possible in my system. All this with just adding in the Isabella/Isabellina combo. Granted it is not a cheap upgrade but to me well worth every penny! :)

The Isabellina dac option gives me what vinnie/RWA promised - a natural and emotionally involving musical presentation that does not sound digital AT ALL. I am using a Macbook computer like the one vinnie uses and USB. Such a simple way to connect to all your music and sounds so good. I'm off the grid completely now and loving every minute of listening! the only other dacs that I have used in the past that are close (in my opinion) are the Altmann attraction dac and a modified ack dack. No coincedece that these are also battery powered and non-oversampling. but the Isabellina seems to has deeper soundstaging, more dynamics and pacing, and some more extension on the top end. I no longer own these dacs so I cannot do a direct comparison, so please take this with with a grain of salt since I am just going by my memory but I owned each of them long enough to remember quite a bit. also I am not sure how much the Isabella tube stage has to do with this vs. the Isabellina stand alone product that RWA now offers. Would be interested to see.

What I also like is how the Isabellina dac is built into the Isabella tubed preamp. Everything is in one enclosure so no interconnects needed between a dac and preamp and this makes for shorter signal paths and simplicy on my audio rack. I need to try the RWA interconnects and speaker cables next. When I do I'll report back.

I just read the post from Mariusz:
http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/index.php?topic=57513.msg516421#msg516421

Now that was a very good post and I wish I can explain things that clearly. What I can say is that I am very satisfied with my Isabella/Isabellina, Signature 30.2 and Gallo 3.1s. I never heard it sound this good and I can say that I will no longer be hunting for a preamp, dac, or amp that is so satisfying to my ears. maybe I'll looking into trying new speakers later on, but right now I can't even think of changing a thing because I am pulled in the music and just want to buy more music.

Jeff