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TRL Dude Dilemna

Based on all the high praise for the TRL Dude preamp here and other sites, I took a chance and bought one from a local A-goner to see if it could displace an Air Tight ATC-2 preamp currently in my system. The two amps I currently use are a McIntosh MC-402 and Viva 845 SET Monos. It turns out that the Dude is not compatible with either amps due to an impedance mismatch. So I only got to hear the Dude in a compromised performance mode.
I was not quite wanting to give up on the Dude yet given everyone else's enthusiasm about its performance. I am considering the Samson monos as a natural match. I can convince myself that the Samson's could be better than the MC402..My real issue is that I would have to give up the Vivas. Not sure I can make the leap that a solid state amp will satisfy me as much as those SET Vivas. Then there is the leap of faith that I cannot hear the Samsons with purchasing them....
Has anyone replaced their SET amp with Samsons and remained satisfied with the decision? My speakers are the Green Mountain Audio Continuum 3 which are about 90db efficient with an impedance 6.5 Ohms, +/- 0.75 Ohms 150Hz to 20kHz. Thanks for your input..
tellefsen
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Grannyring,
Good points, impedance matching matters.The Dude with my 300b SET was exceptional(once we replaced the 6sn7 tube in the power supply) very dynamic,lively and large scale with good tone. I feel the Viva with the proper speaker pairing would have excellent scale,impact and ease. It did with my 300b Frankenstein(right speaker match), I know it could with the 845 tybe based Viva.

I heard the Viva Verona paired with the Trenner-Friedl(97db efficient)speaker at CES 2010, it was outstanding in all sonic parameters, yes huge life like scale and utter ease and flow.

My point, proper amp-speaker match is crucial, not just how many watts an amplifier may have.
Best Regards,
Charles
tellefsen OP
73 posts
 
Grannyring,
I have also been thinking about the Atlas. I bought the MC-402 for when I use the system for home theater. It would be awesome if one amp could serve both home theater and two-channel...The Atlas also has the 12V trigger making it
home theater friendly.
grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,468 posts
 
I am totally smitten by this Atlas amp. It is very refined sounding and reveals the inner detail of music wonderfully. It has the best tone of any high power amp I have heard. It is not at all forward sounding, but rather more nuanced and in control.

You can buy one used for the same price you sell your 402. The 402 is an awesome amp, but the Atlas may very well be the better choice for your speakers and Dude.

Which Dude do you have? The older style or newer style? One or two 6sn7's per side? Thanks
bugredmachine's avatar
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bugredmachine
431 posts
 
"12-18-11: Charles1dad

Good points, impedance matching matters.The Dude with my 300b SET was exceptional(once we replaced the 6sn7 tube in the power supply) very dynamic,lively and large scale with good tone."

Did you give me back my original tube Charles? I see a Gold Aero 6SN7 tube in the power supply.
grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,468 posts
 
Bug, that was very nice of you to lend out the Dude. Great to see fellow Aphiles being generous with each other and learning.

Charles1dad, just read your comments on the Dude. Glad you liked it and had a chance to compare the two. I think you would agree that the Dude coming in cold after a long car trip and needing to settle into a new system would need more than one day? I have found that any gear I have purchased always has a settling in time into a new system. Usually at least a weekend.

For example, I just purchased a used Aesthetix Atlas amp and thought it sounded very good after coming in out of the cold and warming up for 6 hours of play. The amp however sounds better and different after settling into my system for the past 3 days. To really hear a component you must live with it over several days. This is a good start and fun for sure!

Also, I read above that you changed a tube (6sn7) in the tube regulated power supply. When this is done the power supply regulator voltage changes. That is why Paul has an adjustment pot in the Dude. You would need to once again dial it in for proper voltage operation and sound. I have personally found NOS tubes can differ from new production in the Dude in terms of potentially throwing off the voltage.

Just a couple of thoughts on this quick comparison.
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