Firebottle
18-04-2015, 16:21
Another visit to Jimbo's, much anticipated, with some different kit.
Now James has made some significant improvements to his Croft 25R preamp since my last visit so we had some very interesting comparisons during the evening.
All listening was from vinyl (:yay:) and James had some new artists to play. The front end was as before, a well sorted VPI Scout with 2M Black:
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt97/Paramotorpilot/Visit%20to%20Jimbo/P1040800.jpg
Listening started using James's Croft 7 power amp and 25R+ pre-amp, with some tunes that were very well known to James, but new to me.
Well....stunning focus and dynamics, the aural memory isn't so good but I have no problem believing when James said the performance was a few steps up from my previous visit, it really came across.
Performance gain has in the main been achieved through using quality NOS valves, as James has posted previously on here.
After a few tracks we swapped to the Firebottle 2 phono stage, connected into one of the line inputs of the Croft 25R.
Here is where it got interesting, well actually a little surprising to both of us. Here is the kit in situ:
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt97/Paramotorpilot/Visit%20to%20Jimbo/P1040798.jpg
The telling comment from James was 'you've made a Croft', as it was impossible to tell the two apart. (Honest guv I haven't copied any of it ..............:rolleyes:) The sound was identical :mental:
Quite a few tunes were played and very much enjoyed using this set-up, then the Croft line stage was taken out of circuit by using the Tocos pot in the EL84 SE amp as a passive, directly into the Croft 7, as shown:
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt97/Paramotorpilot/Visit%20to%20Jimbo/P1040799.jpg
Performance was very very similar, though both of us agreed that the dynamics had reduced but only by a few percent, still a very open and direct sound stage.
One of the outstanding artists for me was Ry Cooder/ Paris, Texas - absolutely stunning. One of the discs I took around was Bill Haley & the Comets/ Rock around the clock, stormingly good, a very well recorded album.
Time came to try the 'ugly duckling' EL84 SE amp in place of the Croft 7:
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt97/Paramotorpilot/Visit%20to%20Jimbo/P1040801.jpg
I think James wasn't expecting a great deal, with only 3W on tap, but the Spendor speakers are an easy load.
As Gordon found earlier in the year, there is something just 'right' about an EL84 SE class A sound. We both enjoyed a lot of tunes, using both the Firebottle 2 then later on the Croft 25R into the SE amp.
A damned enjoyable evening was had, interspersed with chat about valves, NOS availability, valve circuit design and general system synergy.
Many thanks James for your hospitality :)
Now James has made some significant improvements to his Croft 25R preamp since my last visit so we had some very interesting comparisons during the evening.
All listening was from vinyl (:yay:) and James had some new artists to play. The front end was as before, a well sorted VPI Scout with 2M Black:
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt97/Paramotorpilot/Visit%20to%20Jimbo/P1040800.jpg
Listening started using James's Croft 7 power amp and 25R+ pre-amp, with some tunes that were very well known to James, but new to me.
Well....stunning focus and dynamics, the aural memory isn't so good but I have no problem believing when James said the performance was a few steps up from my previous visit, it really came across.
Performance gain has in the main been achieved through using quality NOS valves, as James has posted previously on here.
After a few tracks we swapped to the Firebottle 2 phono stage, connected into one of the line inputs of the Croft 25R.
Here is where it got interesting, well actually a little surprising to both of us. Here is the kit in situ:
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt97/Paramotorpilot/Visit%20to%20Jimbo/P1040798.jpg
The telling comment from James was 'you've made a Croft', as it was impossible to tell the two apart. (Honest guv I haven't copied any of it ..............:rolleyes:) The sound was identical :mental:
Quite a few tunes were played and very much enjoyed using this set-up, then the Croft line stage was taken out of circuit by using the Tocos pot in the EL84 SE amp as a passive, directly into the Croft 7, as shown:
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt97/Paramotorpilot/Visit%20to%20Jimbo/P1040799.jpg
Performance was very very similar, though both of us agreed that the dynamics had reduced but only by a few percent, still a very open and direct sound stage.
One of the outstanding artists for me was Ry Cooder/ Paris, Texas - absolutely stunning. One of the discs I took around was Bill Haley & the Comets/ Rock around the clock, stormingly good, a very well recorded album.
Time came to try the 'ugly duckling' EL84 SE amp in place of the Croft 7:
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt97/Paramotorpilot/Visit%20to%20Jimbo/P1040801.jpg
I think James wasn't expecting a great deal, with only 3W on tap, but the Spendor speakers are an easy load.
As Gordon found earlier in the year, there is something just 'right' about an EL84 SE class A sound. We both enjoyed a lot of tunes, using both the Firebottle 2 then later on the Croft 25R into the SE amp.
A damned enjoyable evening was had, interspersed with chat about valves, NOS availability, valve circuit design and general system synergy.
Many thanks James for your hospitality :)