anthonyTD's system pics

[aquapiranha]

I am speechless, they look fantastic. If they sound half as good as they look then they must be fab!

[Spectral Morn]

Hi Guys and DSJR

Yes Zia did in deed loose his wife a few years ago ( a truly awful thing to have happened. She was lovely). I have known Zia for many years and a nicer, kinder and fun guy (are rare ). But he was hit very hard by his wifes death. We once spent an afternoon talking in the shop about it on the phone, and he was as you would imagine in a bit of a mess. After the death of my Mum three years ago, it took me about 2 years to bounce back( not that you ever fully get over the Grief, it just becomes a bit less sharp), and the help of many friends and a group based in my Church called Grief Share. I can assure you guys I was never the kind of guy who would ever have imagined himself in a group sharing type situation. However this helped a lot and I would recommend Grief Share( it is Christian. But non-denominational and also non pushy(No evangelism). Thanks to Sam and Maureen for their help.

I hope that Zia gets his interest back. He moved Tube Technology to Wales shortly before his Wife died and found this a bit hard.

Frankly I like the TT amps sound having owned the Unisis. But I would have to agree the output power levels are high and thus valve life was shorter than other similar designs. He used to distribute Gold Areo valves and then Groove Tubes (former good, later not so good if you got the wrong distortion rating).

Anyway I wish ZIA all the best and hope he comes back into the trade at some time. His CDP and DAC was/were very good and his amps if you didn't mind changing valves often. I should point out his amps were and are not the only designs that push the envelop a bit on rated valve power.

Regards D S D L--- Neil

PS sorry, Anthony TD very nice set up. Did your amps ever get a review in HI-Fi +? Just they look familiar (Good review if I remember correctly).

[anthonyTD]

Hi Guys and DSJR

Yes Zia did in deed loose his wife a few years ago ( a truly awful thing to have happened. She was lovely). I have known Zia for many years and a nicer, kinder and fun guy (are rare ). But he was hit very hard by his wifes death. We once spent an afternoon talking in the shop about it on the phone, and he was as you would imagine in a bit of a mess. After the death of my Mum three years ago, it took me about 2 years to bounce back( not that you ever fully get over the Grief, it just becomes a bit less sharp), and the help of many friends and a group based in my Church called Grief Share. I can assure you guys I was never the kind of guy who would ever have imagined himself in a group sharing type situation. However this helped a lot and I would recommend Grief Share( it is Christian. But non-denominational and also non pushy(No evangelism). Thanks to Sam and Maureen for their help.

I hope that Zia gets his interest back. He moved Tube Technology to Wales shortly before his Wife died and found this a bit hard.

Frankly I like the TT amps sound having owned the Unisis. But I would have to agree the output power levels are high and thus valve life was shorter than other similar designs. He used to distribute Gold Areo valves and then Groove Tubes (former good, later not so good if you got the wrong distortion rating).

Anyway I wish ZIA all the best and hope he comes back into the trade at some time. His CDP and DAC was/were very good and his amps if you didn't mind changing valves often. I should point out his amps were and are not the only designs that push the envelop a bit on rated valve power.

Regards D S D L--- Neil

PS sorry, Anthony TD very nice set up. Did your amps ever get a review in HI-Fi +? Just they look familiar (Good review if I remember correctly).

hi neil,
i was hoping someone would come along and give us a bit more insight on what happend to ZIA, i wasnt absolutely sure about why he gave up on audio, but i guessed it was pretty serious ,hence my comment, as stated i do get some of the tube technology amps in for repair from time to time, and therefore can only comment on those models... time is a great healer they say, so there is always hope...
and yes, the soul amplifiers were originaly reviewed in H FI plus in 2003 front cover review, production models were black, the three red ones were built specialy for the high end show in heathrow 2004, at the time, six moons gave the room they were in "best sound at the show"
seems like a life time ago now...
regards,anthony,TD...

[Marco]

Anthony, as an aside, have you heard that DPA (Deltec) are back in business?

http://www.deltecprecisionaudio.com/

The website isn't developed yet, but they're definitely back making equipment. Hurrah for Wales!

Marco.

[anthonyTD]

Anthony, as an aside, have you heard that DPA (Deltec) are back in business?

http://www.deltecprecisionaudio.com/

The website isn't developed yet, but they're definitely back making equipment. Hurrah for Wales!

Marco.

thats good news indeed!
very talented guy!!!
i used to own one of their two box DAC's...
anthony...

[Marco]

So did I. If I still used solid-state gear I'd be first in the queue to hear their new gear! It's liable to be affordable and seriously good - definitely potential 'giant-killing' stuff if their old designs are anything to go by...

Marco.

[Spectral Morn]

Hi guys

I like the cables but not so much the kit. The bitstream Dacs were a bit soft and lacking in dynamics say compared to a multi bit TDA 1541 which were extant at the time, though getting rare.

You can apparently buy the raw cable stock still so it would be possible to bring that back. Yes sorry but Deltec did not make their cables. The guy who told me that is a fan of the cable sound, but I could never persuade him to bring it back ( would have clashed with his cables TCI ). I still have and use some Black Slink cables rca and Xlr and white Slink cables.

I wish them all the best but is now a good time ? I suppose its been in the planning for a year or so. I feel sorry for those with well laid plans, that bad timing (credit crunch )will now hurt.

Pricing is about £2500 for pre and £2500 per each mono block amp.

Regards D S D L---- Neil

[Marco]

The bitstream Dacs were a bit soft and lacking in dynamics say compared to a multi bit TDA 1541 which were extant at the time...

Not the ones I heard, Neil - it must have been the system you were using them in!

I hope they can survive because I suspect that the amps will be special.

Marco.

[Spectral Morn]

Marantz CDP 94 mk2 (as a transport. Deltec were using a less up market Marantz as the basis of their player. I had done some structural mods to the player to remove what I saw as some cost related weaknesses in that area) on a Mana ref stand, with EC Audio mains filter. Deltec Black Slink rca to rca , Audio Innovations S 500 amp (el 34 valves), Pro-ac super tablet speakers on heavy 4 column stands, XLO type 6 speaker cable, Kimber mains cables and Xlo digital cable for hooking up the Deltec Dacs. They all (Big Bit, little Bit etc as well as Micromega duo, Meridian 203 all single bit) all fully run in and isolated + mains cables etc sounded as I described them. Soft, warm, slow, overly sweet, compared to the dynamics and reality of the TDA 1541 Dac in my Marantz CDP 94 mk 2 and similar. Yes the upper treble could be a bit grainy ( an issue with most multi bit players/less so with the good TDA 1541 Dacs, but I though that was a more acceptable compromise that single bit ( Ken Ishatwata of Marantz would, I think agree hence the Marantz CD 7 project ).

I gave single bit at the time every chance and it failed to deliever IMHO.

Sony R1 (multi bit brilliant, single bit version poor) ,Micromega Trio (multi bit brilliant, single Bit version poor ), Marantz cd 11 ( ooops what happened poor),Meridian 207 (brilliant multi bit ) Meridian 200 transport+203 (single bit ooops poor )I could go on but I think you get my point.

We shall have to agree to differ Marco.

I was constantly looking to improve on my Marantz and by 1995 when I last lost my job in audio, I had failed, though the Tricord Pulsar dac came close.

Regards D S D L ---- Neil

I still have all of the top system, I never get rid of stuff.

[Marco]

We shall have to agree to differ Marco.

Sure

None of that anyway has any bearing on their new range of gear.

Marco.