Schubert,
I'm generally a tube lover, too. I recall my dad and I pulling tubes from our tv and bringing a bagful to the local Walgreen's for testing back in the 1960s when I was a kid(I'm 55 now).
That's a lot of tubes in your EE Avant pre. My VTL only uses 4 (2 12au7 and 2 12at7) and a complete set of nos Mullards is a fairly reasonable $200 from Upscale Audio. My initial set was $160 in 2006 and lasted over 6 years running 24/7. This confirmed to me that not switching them on/off daily really does reduce wear and extend tube life. I thought this concept was crazy when I first heard it on A'gon in 2005 but it's true. I replaced my tubes for the 1st time in Jan of this year.
I do not want to get into owning a tube tester and agree that Russian tubes are nothing special except for the low prices.
Dbphd,
I need to apologize to you and everyone reading this thread:
I incorrectly attributed my system's dramatic performance gains to the direct connection of the 105 to my amp via xlr cables. I am sorry if anyone was misled by my prior posts,
I believe the true contributors to my gains were the following:
1. The increased performance of the Oppo 105's audio capabilities compared to my previous Sony cd/dvd player's capabilities.
2. The increased performance of a computer audio system(laptop running JRiver media center software, NAS with 'ripped' cd collection) streaming digital files to the Oppo 105 for digital to analog conversion and playback.
3. The incorporation of hi-res 24 bit/96khz downloaded music files.
Interesting that you found no sound quality advantage with xlr over se connections. After comparing my newly configured system connected via se vs xlr cables, I would agree that, if there is an improvement using the xlrs, it is very slight and nothing I could detect with certainty.
I now believe the 3 most important factors influencing my impressions are my use of a computer system as a music source, the resulting increased playback of hi-res 24/96 FLAC and WAV files and the addition of the Oppo. Duh, right? I didn't treat my new setup scientifically, where only 1 variable is changed at a time to determine effects. I made multiple changes at once; the Oppo, computer as source, hi-res music files and direct to amp xlr connection. These were most likely the cause of my perception of a lowered noise floor and resultant increase in system performance.
Since I couldn't detect any differences, I think I'll go back to the xlr hookup(and sell the VTL) due to simplicity and reduced long term tube expense.
Anyway, happy early Birthday wishes to you, Dbphd. I can say with confidence that you will not regret buying an Oppo 105. I cannot overstate how pleased I am with mine. If you have any interest getting into hi-res computer audio, send me a pm and I'll walk you through the configuration. My cds even sound better 'ripped' to, and played back through, the hard drive. 24 bit/96khz music files are stunning and the best source for music listening I've heard thus far. Convenience and sound quality are the major advantages from my perspective.
FYI: Amazon and Oppo Direct have the lowest prices at $1,199 on the 105 I've seen. However, they don't have free shipping so I bought mine at Crutchfield for $1,219 and free shipping which resulted in an awesome $7 savings over both of them.
Now, please stop telling everbody that I never give you anything for your b-day, ok?
Thanks and hope you enjoy your b-day, Oppo and $7,
Tim
I'm generally a tube lover, too. I recall my dad and I pulling tubes from our tv and bringing a bagful to the local Walgreen's for testing back in the 1960s when I was a kid(I'm 55 now).
That's a lot of tubes in your EE Avant pre. My VTL only uses 4 (2 12au7 and 2 12at7) and a complete set of nos Mullards is a fairly reasonable $200 from Upscale Audio. My initial set was $160 in 2006 and lasted over 6 years running 24/7. This confirmed to me that not switching them on/off daily really does reduce wear and extend tube life. I thought this concept was crazy when I first heard it on A'gon in 2005 but it's true. I replaced my tubes for the 1st time in Jan of this year.
I do not want to get into owning a tube tester and agree that Russian tubes are nothing special except for the low prices.
Dbphd,
I need to apologize to you and everyone reading this thread:
I incorrectly attributed my system's dramatic performance gains to the direct connection of the 105 to my amp via xlr cables. I am sorry if anyone was misled by my prior posts,
I believe the true contributors to my gains were the following:
1. The increased performance of the Oppo 105's audio capabilities compared to my previous Sony cd/dvd player's capabilities.
2. The increased performance of a computer audio system(laptop running JRiver media center software, NAS with 'ripped' cd collection) streaming digital files to the Oppo 105 for digital to analog conversion and playback.
3. The incorporation of hi-res 24 bit/96khz downloaded music files.
Interesting that you found no sound quality advantage with xlr over se connections. After comparing my newly configured system connected via se vs xlr cables, I would agree that, if there is an improvement using the xlrs, it is very slight and nothing I could detect with certainty.
I now believe the 3 most important factors influencing my impressions are my use of a computer system as a music source, the resulting increased playback of hi-res 24/96 FLAC and WAV files and the addition of the Oppo. Duh, right? I didn't treat my new setup scientifically, where only 1 variable is changed at a time to determine effects. I made multiple changes at once; the Oppo, computer as source, hi-res music files and direct to amp xlr connection. These were most likely the cause of my perception of a lowered noise floor and resultant increase in system performance.
Since I couldn't detect any differences, I think I'll go back to the xlr hookup(and sell the VTL) due to simplicity and reduced long term tube expense.
Anyway, happy early Birthday wishes to you, Dbphd. I can say with confidence that you will not regret buying an Oppo 105. I cannot overstate how pleased I am with mine. If you have any interest getting into hi-res computer audio, send me a pm and I'll walk you through the configuration. My cds even sound better 'ripped' to, and played back through, the hard drive. 24 bit/96khz music files are stunning and the best source for music listening I've heard thus far. Convenience and sound quality are the major advantages from my perspective.
FYI: Amazon and Oppo Direct have the lowest prices at $1,199 on the 105 I've seen. However, they don't have free shipping so I bought mine at Crutchfield for $1,219 and free shipping which resulted in an awesome $7 savings over both of them.
Now, please stop telling everbody that I never give you anything for your b-day, ok?
Thanks and hope you enjoy your b-day, Oppo and $7,
Tim