EAR834p Clone FIREBOTTLE modded - THE REVIEW!
The EAR 834p Clone (Firebottle modded) Review
INTRO
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I started this project myself and decided that just after Xmas18 I simply didn't have enough time or the expertise needed
to finish this project. The project was sent to Alan (Firebottle) to finish. I gave Alan cart Blanche with respects to
part selection and modification. What came back was a very interesting box of tricks! I have always loved the design of the 834p
and it certainly has it's critics. Thanks to our friends tireless work over on Lenco Heaven and the Chinese business community we
we now have access to high quality PCB's, modifications and specifically designed hardware to elevate TdP's original design to something
loftier but at a fraction of the price. The 834 offers high levels of gain and valve rolling potential, it works great with a number
of classic SUT's / MC combo's and has been revered for years in the Audiophile community. So I wanted to jump on the Bandwagon.
LISTENING NOTES
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My new Clone came fitted with an Earth lifting mod which allows you to play around with your Earthing arrangement. I decided that I'd
not engage earthing in my unit as I detected a slight hum with it's usage. Dis-engage and the unit was earthly silent. No transformer
hum, no valve rush, nothing! So, the background noise on the soundstage with deathly quite. A good start! My notes and comparison are
made against other MM phonostages which I have owned, currently own, or have auditioned in the past. Where possible I have made comparisons against solid state MC phonostages.
This phonostage compares extremely well to some of it's solid state brothers and has been somewhat of a revelation to what can be done
with a valve MM phonostage. The soundstage is very wide and deep and has the ability to push backwards or forwards depending upon the
recording. This was demonstrated very well on the Pearl album by Janis Joplin, two tracks stand out. Mercedes Benz sounded like Janis
was sitting in front of me whilst Bobby McGee sounded like she'd buggered off to the back of the room, scared to show her talents.
The main strength of the 834p clone is it's detail retrival, it's fantastic. I've heard solid state phonostages worth £2-3K+
which would struggle to portray as much information. Iron Maiden's Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner has a section where a rainy thunder storm
rolls a powerful bass/guitar solo, most phonostages make a real hash of this and the rain sounds very wishy washy and in some instances
just gets lost in the mix, no so with the Clone, it was brought out of the mix and transcribed with great detail.Bass is solid, rich,
full of harmonic and timbral detail. I listened to Julian Lloyd Webber playing on his Variations LP, Steve Harris on Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner,
and a number of others, everything sounded so muscular, in your face,no 'messin! Julian Lloyd Webber's Cello just seemed to ooze so much emotion whilst Steve Harris's Bass just thundered along striking like Odin's hammer. Am I being over dramatic, probably, but I don't care, your not here listening in my room!!! Classic music sounded just as good. I listened to two usual suspects Gustav Holst (The Planet Suite) and Richard Wagner (Ride of the Valkyrie). These were picked out to see just how big a soundstage this thing can throw out. It didn't disappoint, it was easily went wider than the speakers. I also wanted to assess the units ability to portray brass sections and these two pieces of music certainly do that. Things just sounded so bombastic, powerful, and the brass really did sound, well like brass! Now getting very excited I decided to change genre again and checked out some Jazz. Miles Davis was next up with his Kind of Blue album. This was a little disappointing as John Coltrane and Miles Davis didn't quite portray as much emotion as I used to over on the Tannoy's and the midband wasn't quite as well defined but it was still an oustanding performance from the clone. Next on the list of tests, harmonic detail and decay. I have an album by Michael Newman which is a direct to disc recording of accoustic guitar music on the Sheffield Labs label. Today, I can report back that this recording just
dripped rich harmonic detail and decay which just seemed to hang and flutter in the ether, centrally in my soundstage.
You'll find it very difficult to wrong foot the Clone. It will unravel extremely complex pieces of music with aplomb or just as easily sit you
down in front of a solo artist singing an intimate number for you. Dream Theater have released an intro for a piece of music called "Lost not
Forgotton" which is so complex that none of my equipment can really produce an adequate interpretation. Well, the Clone also failed, but only
just! You have to consider the clone cost a few hundred quid whilst the reference system is in the 5 figure territory. Conversely when you listen
to the very intimate performance by Chris Connor on Cal Tjaders Sessions LP you'll appreciate what I mean when I say the Clone can portray a very intimate performance very well. Every floorboard squeak, chair shuffle, door closing and audience member conversation can be heard with ease.
IT'S NOT PERFECT!
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Some recordings sounded slightly anaemic with guitar. Cymbal detail was slightly "washy". This is probably a little harsh considering I'm
comparing the EAR 834p clone/Shure M55e combo against a SME V/Ortofon Cadenza Black cartridge. Hundreds of pounds against many thousands. Sometimes vocals can sound a little strident this was especially evident with Janis Joplin whilst singing Bobby McGee from the Pearl album.
ARTISTS
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Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Iron Maiden - Powerslave
Julian LLoyd Weber - Variations
Gustav Holst - The Planet Suite
Richard Wagner - Ride of the Valkyrie
Marillion - Script for a Jester Tear
Dream Theater - A Dramatic turn of Events
Janis Joplin - Pearl
Cal Tjader - Sessions
Michael Newman - Michael Newman - Classical Guitarist
FOR
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Extremely detailed. This is a phonostage which will deliver new detail to your vinyl (it did for me many times).
Well defined, solid, tuneful and at times very emotive bass.
Plenty of space between the instruments.
Wide soundstage. This phonostage has the ability to either push the soundstage backwards or forwards dependent upon the recording.oes
It does ALL genre's of music, very well.
Does dynamic, bombastic, intimate, muscular and pretty much anything else!
Does harmonic detail and decay like nothing I've heard.
Price.
AGAINST
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Doesn't quite produce enough "size" to some instruments and some recordings can sound very very slightly anaemic in comparison.
Can sound strident with female vocals
Looses some emotion and midband detail when partnered with active speakers.
CONCLUSION
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If you can find a clone already made and up for sale send it to Alan for some tweaking and then be surprised what a MM cartridge can sound like.
SS
CD Teac VRDS25X(Audiotuned) DECK 1210 Mat Crystal Audio Mods MN Base/Bearing/Platter+Ebony armboard Feet Isonoe PSU Paul Hynes SR7EHD-27XL/DCSXL Ag DC lead/3 Stage Regs/Recap PCB+No Pitch/Strobe/Light ARM SME V(Kondo Ag Rewire&Tags) MC Cadenza Black FGS CABLES Arm Yannis SPD-4 IC Yannis 222 Litz+Ag bullets Power WAR PRE ATC SCA2 SPEAKERS ATC 50ASL STANDS Atacama PHONO Sugden Masterclass PA4 SUT Ortofon ST80SE POWER PSAudio P10
VALVE
PRE Croft Epoch(Modded) AMP Sondex S100 (Modded) SPEAKERS Tannoy 15"MG+RFC Warwick cabs+ Ref XO + Batpure supertweeters DECK Garrard 301 Mat Teunto Bearings 401(Bastin) Plinth Bamboo Arms 3009/3012 PSU Eagle+Tachometer MC Ag Meister II/FGS + Ortofon SPU MONO CABLES Arm Yannis 420.5 Litz+ SpeakerPC Tripple C+WBT-0681 Ag IC Oyaide FTVS-510 AgWBT 0110Ag Phonostages Paradise(4 Box Mega-Modded) / Croft Musicmaker
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Originally Posted by REXTON
