Winter coming...update

[2knowtalent]

Well I'm gearing up for winter and I think I've got enough goodies ordered to determine how many sound "flavors" I can coax out of the V3/HD600 combo!

the LPV3i and Rock Grotto Cap/Diode upgrade kit should be on my door step today...

I've got replacement cables for my HD600 rig...
both Stefan Audio Art Equinox & Revelation Audio Lab "Cryo".
Have already been listening to the SAA cables and am impressed.

(I'm also demo'ing a set of Revelation's IC's to see if I can tell a difference vs. my Straightwire Serenades)

I've got a variety of tubes...
Russian 6H23 Type 2 & Type 3's and both Telefunken and Pope PCC88/7DJ8's
www.upscaleaudio.com/product.asp?itemid=50&catid=42
www.upscaleaudio.com/product.asp?itemid=49&catid=42
www.upscaleaudio.com/product.asp?itemid=568&catid=42#
www.upscaleaudio.com/product.asp?itemid=571&catid=42

I've even got EAT "Cool" tube dampers... www.tweakshop.com/CoolDampers.html

most importantly, I've got music!!!

Boz Scaggs Greatest Hits Live
If you want Boz in your living room grab this and kick back!

Parallel Realities Live: Jack DeJohnette, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock & Dave Holland

Phenomenal playing and recording puts you there in the audience

Temporal Analogues of Paradise: Jonas Helborg, Shawn Lane & Jeff Sipe

UNBELIEVEABLE fusion playing!!! bunch of shows spliced together.
These guys smoke

Michael Landau Group Live

Fun and loose with Michael and his L.A. crew...not as aggressive as the earlier "Burning Water" days. Great club ambiance!!! HDCD

Big Head Todd & the Monsters: Live Monsters

These guys flat-out ROCK!!! without straying to far into the jamband "noodling"

BHT&tM:Live at the Filmore

More excellent rocking with good backup vocals and more keyboards than Live Monsters. HDCD

Elvis Costello & Bill Frisell

Elvis on throat and Bill picking in a German nightclub... short set but very intimate, close your eyes and you're there

Fleetwood Mac: Live at the Boston Tea Party

The ORIGINAL Fleetwood Mack with Peter Green... not that watered down chick rock Rumors crap. Another live recording that puts you in the house. HDCD.

and Patricia Barber's Live: A Fortnight in France

Patricia and her band are TIGHT!!! I've got Diana Krall Live in Paris as well which is also a VERY good recording but I like Patricia better as she's more the misanthrope

[2knowtalent]

Got a package via Royal Mail yesterday... didn't get home early enough to accept the package but my leasing manager signed for it.

The upgrade kit is being installed this weekend in return for a case of Moosehead! ...quite a bargin

[2knowtalent]

Test 1# 9' SAA Equinox w/ 1/4" jack vs. factory HD600 cable
Arcam FMJ CD23 powered by PS Audio mains cord, running 0.5m StraightWire "Serenade" IC's into X-Can V3 with factory wall wart.

The factory cables sound recessed in the mids, like you're standing in a hallway just off the main room....slightly veiled would probably be the best description. Bass is strong, if not some what bloomy...NOT bloated, but definately emphasized vs. the mid and upper ranges.
Separation between instruments is good and vocals are amazing. On "Lowdown" Boz has two backup singers and you can make out both individual voices while they're harmonizing! very cool and adds a touch of dimensionality to the listening experience. Subtle vocal shifts, breathing and such are all there to hear.

Switching over to the SAA cable, the first thing I noticed was how the bass tightened up and the mids came forward. At first I was kind of dissapointed as my main bass reference is Patricia Barber's rendition of Bill Wither's "Use Me" which has a kickass double bass intro. The factory cables are seriously "phat" and the decay is awesome as it trails into blackness. The SAA's definitely provide toe-tapping rythym, and are more accurate based upon my experiences listening to live double bass, but it's not as flamboyant as what the factory cables throw at you. Much the same for the bass drum hits on the opening to the Eagles "Hotel California" off of Hell Freezes Over. The SAA provides low register slam but cast just a ever-so-slight, but noticeable, smaller low freqency presence. It's like the soundstage is, not compressed, but somewhat smaller vs. the factory wire(?)

The mid frequency stuff is where the SAA really leave the factory cables in the dust. Again, the factory cables often make vocals sound like you're sitting in the balcony or sometimes in a hallway adjacent to the main room....magnitude dependent on recording per usual. The SAA Equinox bring the vocals and all other mid freq come FORWARD! Not so much that it outweighs the balance but it just seems so dramatic vs. the factory cables because now you've just moved to 7th row center (or closer). Patricia Barber's vocals on "Live: A Fortnight in France" sound like you're sitting right next to her on the piano bench... AWESOME!!!
The backup vocalists on Boz's Live Greatest Hits are now not just two distinct voices, but two voices that if you close you eyes you feel as if you could reach out and touch them. AMAZING.

I can't comment much on the highs as I feel my hearing is not good enough to evaluate such. All I will say is both the SAA and factory present clean highs without an edge.

IMO, the strong point to the SAA's is that, in bringing the mids forward, they bring a better balance to the frequency range. The bass, while not as "bloomy" as the factory cables, is tight and musical. I have read other reviews which state a slightly elevated upper midrange with the SAA's and I have not noticed this yet. My guess would be that this impression may be dependent (colored) on ears, choice of music and recording???

Looking forward to plugging the "Little Pinkie V3i" into the chain tonite!!!
(Maybe I'll get some of that bloomy "phat" bass back!!!)

[mrarroyo]

Have you tried the 7 volt versions yet? In what piece of equipment? What was the result?

[2knowtalent]

mrarroyo said:

Have you tried the 7 volt versions yet? In what piece of equipment? What was the result?

Nope, they're still in transit...
Upscale claims they work in all 6922 systems.
He's got one guy that raves over the Telefunken but I don't think he's using it in an X-can(?)

I'll be adding impressions to this thread as I evaluate and I'll try to remember to give you a heads-up when I start rolling tubes.
Mike's cap/diode kit is going in tommorrow!

[2knowtalent]

Test #2 Wall wart vs. Mikes "Little Pinkie" V3i power supply
Arcam FMJ CD23 powered by PS Audio mains cord, running 0.5m StraightWire "Serenade" IC's into X-Can V3 into HD600 w/ Equinox cable

First off all I'd like to say congrats to Mike for taking the time to bring us such a product! The Pinkie was packaged well for its trip across the pond.
Marked for 115V and tucked in a heavy plastic pouch. Very professional.

Now for the sound...

I ran thru my usual Patricia Barber and Boz Scaggs and there was a slight return of "weight" to the bass that I had lost when switching from the factory HD cable to the Equinox. Excellent! we're moving in the right direction. The biggest improvement I noticed was on Barber's instrumental "Like JT" off of COMPANION. Air around cymbal crashes and the way the shimmer just spreads, rises and momentarily floats in the air as is slowly fades to black!!! AWESOME!!!
Also on "Like JT"...she does this short run where she progresses from hammering to JACKHAMMERING the keys which results in overlaying textures. This particular part is always mindblowing to me and I feel the Pinkie helps bring out the subtle details and also allows it to "hang" longer.

Turning to Boz, again much the same...but not as noticeable as what I heard listening to Barber.

Next up was "Blue Nights" by David Torn, Tony Levin, Bill Bruford and Chris Botti. This recording is a compliation of live performances from USA and Japan back in 1998. It's difficult to classify but I'd say imagine a ESP, In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew Miles Davis sitting in with King Crimson to compose an improvised score for William Burroughs Naked Lunch... Welcome to the Interzone.

Put Levin and Bruford together and how can you not end up with something that doesn't evoke King Crimson! Brufords timing shifts are totally locked onto Levins INDUSTRIAL strength low frequency growling. This recording is at times sparse and the players enter the piece often one at a time and the piece builds as they lay riffs above, below and over each other like a bag of slithering snakes.
Botti does a good job throwing light jabs with akimbo timing and phrasing.
David Torn, who I am not familiar with(?), also lays down some highly textured "Space" riffs and adds electronic bits and pieces on top.

Listening to this got me in the mood for another Levin favorite, "From the Caves of the Iron Mountain"...

This is another wonderfully strange recording.
Done inside a cave system in upstate New York, Levin is playing his stand-up electric bowed bass and lays down some real cool sounds. VERY TEXTURED!!!
The echoes within the cave add ambiance to the recording.

To close the night I hopped a flight to Cuba with the Buena Vista Social Club

This is one AMAZING recording!!! The SQ is excellent and the music is beyond words! The interplay between the performers is UNBELIEVEABLE!
If you want something that is bursting with energy and passion look no further!

I guess I'm liking the Pinkie as all I want to do is talk about the music!!! ;D

Thanks Mike!!!
( ...and adding the power switch was a real nice touch as well)

The cap/diode kit goes in tommorrow...

[mrarroyo]

^ see if you can get a cd by Cachao. He is a cuban upright bass player, amazing music but I am biased.

[2knowtalent]

mrarroyo said:

^ see if you can get a cd by Cachao. He is a cuban upright bass player, amazing music but I am biased.

Will do! I'll add that to my Paquito D' Rivera and Pancho Sanchez & Rubén González

Any favorites Cachao I should start with?

Years ago my dad had a married couple from Cuba move in next door...
I finally went over to visit and decided to walk over and introduce myself.
Several glasses of rum later... WOW!!! those people could party! He was here on sabbatical and decided to get involved with the music department at Wayne State University in Detroit. His wife worked for EDS...(she was SMOKING HOT!!!
I don't know how many instruments this guy could play? He could sing pretty well too.
Always had a large glass filled with Rum that everyone passed around.
I remember him saying it was a social norm to "pass the glass"?
Met some real cool people hanging out in his backyard!!!
He was always trying to get me to go back to Cuba with him as he was trying to start a recording company so he could bring the great music to the world. I'm ashamed that I can't remember his name, but I remember the music, warm people...and the rum!

[mrarroyo]

I love drinking rum. I prefer the gold colored one but I get major hangovers. If I drink the clear rum no hangovers but it does not taste the same. I live many years in Puerto Rico, love the island and its people. The best if you ask me. Anyways they have what IMO is the best rum in the world w/ Ron Barrilito w/ three stars. It is so good I drink it on the rocks no mixers.

[2knowtalent]

mrarroyo said:

I love drinking rum. I prefer the gold colored one but I get major hangovers. If I drink the clear rum no hangovers but it does not taste the same. I live many years in Puerto Rico, love the island and its people. The best if you ask me. Anyways they have what IMO is the best rum in the world w/ Ron Barrilito w/ three stars. It is so good I drink it on the rocks no mixers.

I've been enjoying Pyrat lately


Though my favorite remains Milagro Select Barrel Reserve Reposado...neet

[2knowtalent]

Test #3 Replace caps and diodes with Rock Grotto upgrade kit.

Well I took the kit and amp over to a friends who has worked as an electrical repair service tech for over 20 years. He laughs at audiophiles and those who have the disease as he has it too. He is very blunt about snake oil cable upgrades and such as he has spent too many hours with bench test equipment and feels the majority of such is simply placebo.
Gave me a dissertation on tubes, which he calls "the stoneaxe & bearskin rug" of electonics, but admitted the way tubes make power is more analog (electrons "boiling" off the plate) vs. solid state designs with all the infinitely fast switching going on. With the layout of the V3, tube followed by MOSFET, I asked if all that analog character of the tubes does anything if you're pushing it thru a fast switching MOSFET in the final stage?, to which he replied with a smirk..."tubes can provide a sense of organic smoothing" ...and then said nothing else on the matter

After disassembling the amp and pulling the circuit board he immediately said the quality of the solder joints was the worst he's seen in some time.
He said either they were running the solder bath too cold or not enough rosin in the bath. (the joints were all dull grey)
He commented that it was a very nice kit for the money but said that cleaning up the solder joints on the board would most likely provide a greater sonic benefit. (bad connections are bad connections).
I cursed him for speaking such treachery!!! we laughed

Kit went in real nice... Great instructions Mike!!! and I left the input caps in just to be safe.

Took it home and started burning it while I went out riding the mighty SV.

Started listening Sunday afternoon and not much difference vs. gains heard with cable and LPV3i upgrade....put the parts are still burning in and undoing the cables creates charge that needs to dissapate...?!

The music sounds great and that's all that matters!!!

I now have the slightest "veil" left to remove so I'm going to demo the RAL "cryo" Paradise and Cardas Golden Presence IC's to see if the veil lifts??? ...I also ordered an Iron Lung "Jelly Fish" powercord for $30
www.2baudio.com/

To be honest with myself, I'm guessing the veil is either recording or source equipment dependent. Anybody have a ML 390S they can loan me? I'm looking at a demo Audio Research CD3 but not sure I want to lay down that much as I can buy a lot of new music and tickets to LIVE shows instead.

The synergy of this system is AMAZING!!!

[XTRProf]

What else when Christmas season is nearing but to ............

[2knowtalent]

Test #4: SAA Equinox vs. RAL Cryo cable for HD600's

Just received the RAL cable this past weekend and it sure is a great looking cable!

The Equinox strikes me as having a "slightly" better lock on low frequency pacing but perhaps at the cost of a "somewhat" smaller soundstage.
The RAL is very airy and while it doesn't deliver that last degree of low frequency punch... it "breathes" with the flow of the music!

The advantages and disadvantages each carry over each other are so subtle that I doubt I could pick either out in a double-blind test...

Both are solidly constructed, using OEM Sennheiser plugs.
The Equinox has a silver-plated jack, the RAL gold.
The RAL is about $40 more expensive but has more compliant cable running to each Can vs. the stiff braided wire of the Equinox, and uses a higher quality shrink tubing at the connection junctions.

...and it's purple!

[mrarroyo]

Interesting, I listened to both and preferred not only the soundstage but the level of higher detail and clarity that RAL provided. How many hours on the RAL? Brand recommends at least a 100, right?

[2knowtalent]

mrarroyo said:

Interesting, I listened to both and preferred not only the soundstage but the level of higher detail and clarity that RAL provided. How many hours on the RAL? Brand recommends at least a 100, right?

I've put 20 hours on them before listening. I think Brad puts them on a cable cooker prior to shipment...?
My placebo bubble was burst by my friend who is a long time audio repair techician... he says that cable burn-in is largely in your head

From a sonic standpoint they are virtuallly the same to my ears.
(both excellent!!!)

I like the purple motif!!!

[mrarroyo]

RAL rules!

[2knowtalent]

Well I've now got over 100 hours since replacing the caps/diodes and I definately "think" I'm getting a smidge more PRaT out of the system.
I continue to use the RAL cables on the HD's and some may argue they are "settling" in as well, thus contributing to the synergy.

The reason why I think I'm getting this illusive increased PRaT is I now find myself tapping the toes and chest conga'ing along with the music, whereas listening thru HD600's is/was usually a more sedate, though still sublime, experience.
It's as if the system synegy now has the ability to shift from aural heroin to aural speedball, all simply dependent on choice of listening material

For instance...
I usually start a listening session with volume at 34 and everytime I throw in "Havana Cafe" I end up going to 22!
This is not due to lack of drive at lower volumes, as the LPV3i definately provides increased lower-end "body" to the music, rather I chock it up to that little familiar that appears on my shoulder saying "Go ahead and do it!!...You know you want to!...besides, nobody can hear, so what are you worried about? JUST DO IT!!!!!!!!

...I can't stop myself!!! It makes you want to jump up and do some ass shake'n!!!

Though not full of the same joyous instrumental interplay...much the same with Tin Machine's "Under the God" or "The Heart's Filthy Lesson" from the Best of Bowie CD!!! ...un-facking-believeable swagger and drive....heavy, ominous... a pulsing & convulsing juggernaut of sonic sludge!!!
(Bowie did and absolutely brutal version of "Fashion" with members of NIN at a live Howard Stern event and I'd sure like to get my hands on a copy of that)

You all know what it's like when you just can't stop grabbing for disks and the next thing you know it's 3:00 AM on a worknight ;D

I'm sending the Arcam in next weekend for the UltraClock installation, power supply upgrades and LM4562 op amps... also installing coupling transformers in the analog stage "IF" space and layout permits (not much room inside the Arcam for extra naughty bits)

I've got a Pioneer DV-47A to listen to while the Arcam is off for surgery
so maybe I'll slip the Telefunken and/or Pope 7DJ8's in and find out if any sonic differences can be heard from such...