Main System
Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.
Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.
Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.
CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.
Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.
Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.
Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.
Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.
Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.
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Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!
Location: East Riding of Yorkshire these days
Posts: 4,779
I'm Shaun.
One of the best preamps I have ever owned was by World Audio Design and was their KLP1. I guess in reality it was a passive design that used its 6922 valves simply for driving the interconnects. Its sound was just so fluid and clear with that classic liquid purity. Bloody lovely gadget.
that grandinote proemio SS pre that is in BD audio closing sale is pretty good , shame no distributor for the brand now . heaven knows where it summons the bass from , had it in my system for a few weeks while my valve pre was off for repair
ou might slip, you might slide, you might
Stumble and fall by the road side
But don't you ever let nobody drag your spirit down
Remember you're walking up to heaven
Don't let nobody turn you around
… Walk with the rich, walk with the poor
Learn from everyone, that's what life is for
And don't you let nobody drag your spirit down
Eric Bibb
Quite a few valve preamps display fluidity only when they have been on for a good long time.
Some can get annoyingly overly fluid when they've been on for, say, 4 hours plus.
Their character most definitely changes as the hours go by...
Location: Deleted
Posts: 6,585
I'm Deleted.
When I changed all the internal cards in my pre-amp for those by Ryan Sound Labs (though the make isn’t relevant as such) the reduction in grain was the single biggest improvement - in fact it quite transformed the sound.
Account Deleted
I really liked the Concordant range of valve preamps, used an Excelsior for 15 years, marvellous pre.
Chris
We've gone on holiday by mistake !
Location: belgrade serbia
Posts: 840
I'm gordan.
a number of DIY efforts based of JFETs will bring you closer to natural, grainless sound. it doesn't have to cost a lot. even the original audio note had such designs (there is a version of M7).
Gordan.
Speakers: Oris Swing MkII
Amps: Thomas Mayer 300b/ Hiraga La Maison de L'Audiophile 20
Preamp: Silver AVC by eng. Ferenc Lazar
Phono Preamp: Shishido LCR by Solaja Audio
Decks: Garrard 301 Martin Bastin reworked/plinthed with Fidelity Research FR64fx
Garrard 401 in eng Ferenc Lazar solid wenge plinth with SME 3012/2
Cartridges: SPU Spirit/ Koetsu Black revisited by eng. Salai/ Miyajima Shilabe
Step Up Transformers: Tango MCT 999/ Ortofon T-5000/ Lumiere SUT
Digital: Shigaclone by eng. Ferenc Lazar with Lampizator Amber II
Wires: of sufficient length
Location: East Riding of Yorkshire these days
Posts: 4,779
I'm Shaun.
I agree, mine sounds better the longer it's left on and it is usually at its best just before I switch it off and go to bed. But I must factor in the noise floor which is also very apparent in my system especially late at night.
When the two meet, low noise floor and valve optimal operating temperature, I drift on the wavy acoustic dreamland of audio nirvana.
I really should stop drinking that stuff!
Main system : VPI Scout 1.1 / JMW 9T / 2M Black / Croft 25R+ / Croft 7 / Heco Celan GT 702
Second System : Goldring Lenco GL75 / AT95EX / Pioneer SX590 / Spendor SP2
for any newbies , a definition of what grain is would be good
ou might slip, you might slide, you might
Stumble and fall by the road side
But don't you ever let nobody drag your spirit down
Remember you're walking up to heaven
Don't let nobody turn you around
… Walk with the rich, walk with the poor
Learn from everyone, that's what life is for
And don't you let nobody drag your spirit down
Eric Bibb