Firebottle PS1 (MM/MC) P.S name subject to change !

[Bigman80]

Imagine my surprise when Alan tells me hes found a unit in asia that he believed could be the entry level Phono Stage to his range.

I thought he'd lost his mind. So after almost four hours of testing and more testing I can confirm he actually has NOT lost his mind.

So the unit, now named the FB-OTP, starts out as a cheap and cheerful unit and Alan promptly rips out about 50% of the gubbins and replaces it with pure magic.

Here are a couple of pictures

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170320/b89acf8ad22b82ab2df029edf0b0f971.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170320/90fcc23d0b434ffd91c7227a6ccbb258.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170320/41868df471fb5423f7437f601512b9cb.jpg

CD for scale.

Heres the review.

We tried it with 4 amplifiers today. All of them apart from one was from Alans own collection of Firebottle amps

First up we tried it with the FB27

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170320/e8d6562292bc44305cc2bdb37840660e.jpg

Straight away the vocals light up the room. The parting of Sarah Jarosz's lips as she start to draw breath for the first words is audible. Im shocked. As the bass kicks in it is nice and deep with excellent extension. The midrange is sweet with such clarity. I am surprised. The highs are very fluid and transparent.

I stop the LP and ask Alan what hes done. He laughs. We try a few more songs and its all the same. Excellent.

So we try it with the Firebottle dM1 (Dual Mono)

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170320/7310cadc5d4c365f67285ee3bd9ab4a6.jpg

We start with the same songs and guess what. It better than it was just. Everything is crisper, deeper. There is fluidity and the delivery is smoother. Vocals​ are airy and light but there's a punch to it. Very impressive. It's transparent with amazing clarity. Its pure.

Now the bass. Wow, its extension is longer and smoother and the decay seems to take an age. Its so good. Plenty of attack too.

Next

The Monoblocks.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170320/1b06fc2e7ab8903703dd47f223c1a44f.jpg

Again the improvements keep coming. I dont need to spell it out. So I wont. All I'll say is ��

Now I know what youre thinking, "it should get better as the amplification gets better" and yes it should but thats the best bit,

The phono stage NEVER became the weak link in the chain, in fact, it was right at home in the TOTL Monos as it was with the FB27. It just never sounded anything less than wonderful.

Im serious, ive heard a few Phono stages and I can say this is by far the best ive heard in the sub £250 category.

Now the price should surprise you as much as the sound will.

£200. MM/MC switchable. Which is stonkingly good value for money. This FB-OTP is a major piece of kit. The value for money on offer here is rare to find. The FB-OTP is 15% of the price you'd pay for the Vivant but it's performance is very close. Only lacking the ultimate space, and dynamics of the Vivant. Tonally, they are nearly identical.

So the usual test of "would I buy one" applies and the answer ????

Yes. Yes I would and I have. Lol. I have bought the very first unit and as always with Alan, any future upgrades are available for a low cost or sometimes no cost !

Would i recommend it, for sure and without hesitation.

I am happy to try this against any phono stage in this bracket and post my findings. If you're interested, PM me.

Alan tells me there are plans to offer a phono stage with built in passive Preamp with multiple RCA inputs.

Price TBC.

I have opted for a second box to put the passive preamp in. Unfortunately, the box cannot be bought separately to match the size of the FB-OTP. BUMMER ! anyway a slightly smaller unit will shortly be made using a Black aluminium chassis, High quality copper wire, RCAs, Alps Blue potentiometer and aluminium control knobs. Pics and a review will be added at a later date.

The price of this is TBC

If youre thinking of a new phono stage, give this a go. Oh, have a tissue ready to wipe the dribble off your chin from having your jaw on the floor. ��

AVAILABLE NOW !

*****UPDATE**** 23/03/17

Alan has decided to add Loading capability in the form of loading plugs. Alan can supply any loading plugs necessary (nominal amount of £££'s) or you can of course make your own.

This low cost/high performer has just got better!!!



Oliver



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[walpurgis]

All sounds very interesting.



This is a good idea:


Alan tells me there are plans to offer a phono stage with built in passive Preamp with multiple RCA inputs.

[Ali Tait]

Like the No/Off switch! :-)

[Bigman80]

Like the No/Off switch! :-)
Lol I know. Still, its a part of the fun isnt it.

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[Bigman80]

All sounds very interesting.



This is a good idea:
Yes, I like the idea too. Alans going to build me a passive preamp to match the box (my request)

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[Bigbird]

Hi bigman , how does this compare to the firebottle plus?? Alan was in the process of building me one but is having trouble with delays to parts so has offered me the solid state stage instead. Obviously it's cheaper which is a bonus but I'm wondering how it would compare to my GS Gram Amp 2 se and power supply iv just offloaded and wether this would benefit from a seperate power supply?? What was the original donor unit
Cheers

[Shadow Moses]

Heard this the other day, very very good

[brian2957]

I was at Alans place a few weeks ago and heard all his gear and it all sounds excellent . I'll have to get myself down there again soon to hear this now :)

[Floyddroid]

I was at Alans place a few weeks ago and heard all his gear and it all sounds excellent . I'll have to get myself down there again soon to hear this now :)

Love my Firebottle.

[walpurgis]

I was at Alans place a few weeks ago and heard all his gear and it all sounds excellent . I'll have to get myself down there again soon to hear this now :)

Wish I was a lot nearer! :D

[Bigman80]

Hi bigman , how does this compare to the firebottle plus?? Alan was in the process of building me one but is having trouble with delays to parts so has offered me the solid state stage instead. Obviously it's cheaper which is a bonus but I'm wondering how it would compare to my GS Gram Amp 2 se and power supply iv just offloaded and wether this would benefit from a seperate power supply?? What was the original donor unit
Cheers
Hi Karl,

Well, In all honesty, I would say this phono stage isnt far off being as good as the stage in alans KIN. now what I mean by that is, although the KIN has valves in it, so has the monoblocks so there isnt a massive difference in sound. Alan tells me the stage in the KIN is £1000. So this is 20% of the price but it doesn't sound it. The KIN obviously has the final say in all areas BUT the sonic signature is exactly the same. That Firebottle sound is so evident and by sound I mean transparency, clarity and detail with no colouration. Its fantastic value for money.

I can't tell you which one to go with but I'd honestly say that the PS1 is going to be hard to beat.

I dont have any experience of the unit you previously had so I couldn't compare them. Also I cant say what the donor unit is because I dont know !

Alan did say today that he thought the FB-PS1 was possibly better than the FB-plus but we didnt do a side by side comparison. If alan is offering you a cheaper unit, remember, hes making less money so id suggest he thinks highly of It too.

I did wonder myself if a separate power supply would benefit the FB-PS1 but its extremely quiet anyway and im not sure for what other reason to have a separate suppy ? I should mention too that surface noise was greatly reduced. Not "black hole" quiet but a very dark shade of black.


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[Bigman80]

Wish I was a lot nearer! :D
Have a go of the loaner alan is building. Your input would be very welcome. After all, there isnt much you haven't owned or heard. 👍

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[walpurgis]

Have a go of the loaner alan is building. Your input would be very welcome. After all, there isnt much you haven't owned or heard.

I would, but I'd be taking the piss borrowing stuff I don't need to buy (I have everything I require). If it was on a review basis that might be different. I'd give an honest opinion of how I find a particular item, within the context of my (varied) system.

[Bigman80]

I would, but I'd be taking the piss borrowing stuff I don't need to buy (I have everything I require). If it was on a review basis that might be different. I'd give an honest opinion of how I find a particular item, within the context of my (varied) system.
I think you would be very impressed Geoff, a review based comment would do no harm either. Guys like you (and other mods) should be sampling the stuff people make. You're all very qualified !!

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[walpurgis]

I think you would be very impressed Geoff, a review based comment would do no harm either. Guys like you (and other mods) should be sampling the stuff people make. You're all very qualified !!

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Mods (and others) need to be careful. It's very easy to be accused of 'shilling'. Not that I would! An honest view is all you'd get from me.

[Bigman80]

Mods (and others) need to be careful. It's very easy to be accused of 'shilling'. Not that I would! An honest view is all you'd get from me.
Ah, I hadn't thought of that.

My opinions are always honest and my own.

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[Jimbo]

I might be interested in the phono stage as a back up Alan.:)

[Bigbird]

wow
It really sounds like he's knocked it out the park again with this one?
My only concern is that I'm now in australia so can't trial the unit and i want a decent upgrade on my slee. If i buy something thats like for like then it was pointless selling it in the first place if u know what i mean.
Id be interested to hear what Alan thinks about a separate psu, as it made a big difference all round with my slee.
Did u try the unit with a moving coil as thats my next step as I'm not mad on the rega exact mm? was there any loading switches for mc?
cheers

[Bigman80]

wow
It really sounds like he's knocked it out the park again with this one?
My only concern is that I'm now in australia so can't trial the unit and i want a decent upgrade on my slee. If i buy something thats like for like then it was pointless selling it in the first place if u know what i mean.
Id be interested to hear what Alan thinks about a separate psu, as it made a big difference all round with my slee.
Did u try the unit with a moving coil as thats my next step as I'm not mad on the rega exact mm? was there any loading switches for mc?
cheers
I tried it with a ZYX R50 Bloom. It sound fantastic. Im listening to it now.

I know you live on the other side of the earth BUT maybe Alan will send you the loan unit and you can send it on if you dont like it ? If you were first in line, and you decided to keep it it would still be brand new too. Postage wouldn't be bad either as its quite light.

It doesn't have variable loading which is a shame but at £200 you cant have everything. Alan did say he could add whatever loading was requested so maybe that's an option.

Its very very good.



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[Bigbird]

Yeah i didn't expect it to have if I'm honest but if it sounds great as is then it doesn't matter.
Maybe il put your proposal to the magician himself as i would be very happy to do that.
Cheers for all the info matey
enjoy

[Bigman80]

Yeah i didn't expect it to have if I'm honest but if it sounds great as is then it doesn't matter.
Maybe il put your proposal to the magician himself as i would be very happy to do that.
Cheers for all the info matey
enjoy
No worries. Anytime. The Firebottle gear is fantastic.

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[Jimbo]

Imagine my surprise when Alan tells me hes found a unit in asia that he believed could be the entry level Phono Stage to his range.

I thought he'd lost his mind. So after almost four hours of testing and more testing I can confirm he actually has NOT lost his mind.

So the unit starts out as a cheap and cheerful unit and Alan promptly rips out about 50% of the gubbins and replaces it with pure magic.

Here are a couple of pictures

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170320/b89acf8ad22b82ab2df029edf0b0f971.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170320/90fcc23d0b434ffd91c7227a6ccbb258.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170320/41868df471fb5423f7437f601512b9cb.jpg

CD for scale.

Heres the review.

We tried it with 4 amplifiers today. All of them apart from one was from Alans own collection of Firebottle amps

First up we tried it with the FB27

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170320/e8d6562292bc44305cc2bdb37840660e.jpg

Straight away the vocals light up the room. The parting of Sarah Jarosz's lips as she start to draw breath for the first words is audible. Im shocked. As the bass kicks in it is nice and deep with excellent extension. The midrange is sweet with such clarity. I am surprised. The highs are very fluid and transparent.

I stop the LP and ask Alan what hes done. He laughs. We try a few more songs and its all the same. Excellent.

So we try it with the Firebottle dM1 (Dual Mono)

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170320/7310cadc5d4c365f67285ee3bd9ab4a6.jpg

We start with the same songs and guess what. It better than it was just. Everything is crisper, deeper, fluidity is smoother, and the vocals are airy and light but there's a punch to it. Very impressive. So transparent with amazing clarity. Its pure.

Now the bass. Wow, its extension is longer and smoother and the decay seems to take an age. Its so good.

Next

The Monoblocks.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170320/1b06fc2e7ab8903703dd47f223c1a44f.jpg

Again the improvements keep coming. I dont need to spell it out. So I wont. All I say is 😱

Now I know what youre thinking, "it should get better as the amplification gets better" and yes it should but thats the best bit,

The phono stage NEVER became the weak link in the chain.

Im serious, ive heard a few Phono stages and I can say this is by far the best ive heard in the sub £250 category.

Now the price should surprise you as much as the sound will.

£200. MM/MC switchable. Which is stonkingly good value for money. This PS1 is a major piece of kit.

So the usual test of "would I buy one" applies and the answer ????

Yes. I would and did. Lol. I have bought the very first unit and as always with alan, any future upgrades are available for a low cost or sometimes

I am happy to try this against any phono stage in this bracket and post my findings. If you're interested, PM me.

Alan tells me there are plans to offer a phono stage with built in passive Preamp with multiple RCA inputs.

I cant remember the price so you'll have to enquire with him.

If youre thinking of a new phono stage, give this a go. Oh, have a tissue ready to wipe the dribble off your chin from having your jaw on the floor.

Oliver



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Which power amp are you using the phono stage with Oliver?

[Firebottle]

I know Oliver has christened this phono stage as PS1, but that's too boring (sorry Oliver).

So now it is to be called the Firebottle OTP

OTP? Out The Park.

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?50304-SS-Firebottle

[Bigman80]

I know Oliver has christened this phono stage as PS1, but that's too boring (sorry Oliver).

So now it is to be called the Firebottle OTP

OTP? Out The Park.

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?50304-SS-Firebottle
Haha, yes. Thats much better

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[struth]

Ah, park ;)

[Bigman80]

Hi Jimbo,

Sorry, i completely missed your post !!!!

Ive added the Firebottle Monoblocks to my setup. Outstanding combo too !!

Oliver

[Jimbo]

Nice one Oliver, I expect with your vinyl set up this really is a superb system now.

Can't beat valves and vinyl.:)

[Bigman80]

Nice one Oliver, I expect with your vinyl set up this really is a superb system now.

Can't beat valves and vinyl.:)

Its outrageously good Jimbo. I cant believe how good actually. I love watching the valve warm up lol

[Jimbo]

You should see these when they warm up! Got to choose one of these for my voltage regulation position.:)
http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k424/Spendorsp2/image_zpseshufuh9.jpeg (http://s326.photobucket.com/user/Spendorsp2/media/image_zpseshufuh9.jpeg.html)

[Bigman80]

Are they all yours ? I'm jealous.

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk

[Bigman80]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170326/00d50d511ae3ad2256cc492e0aad3f42.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170326/136d7ccc42a3342c7ab3ce87835d2498.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170326/1b935add122cadd87f2e34ea2d01c455.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170326/aea00bb1f42a9d5ed403c56d7060cdab.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170326/d87c0d00966e69ade4c1e8d5c9f1f409.jpg

A mate of mine came round for an unexpected cup of tea today. He's a former radio DJ, active musician (he's guested on a few Ocean Colour Scene shows)

He made the mistake of asking what rig im using. Well!! I said seeing as you asked lol

Gave him a demo and his words - "F#cking hell Ol, how much has this lot cost ?"

"Haha"

i laughed and asked him what he thought.

We'd played a few CDs (Pioneer CDP) first, played a few tracks off the laptop after and then we went to Vinyl.

We played both sides of "Fleetwood Mac - Rumours"

He was jaw to the floor for every song.

He said "what brand makes Firebottle" when i explained it was a one man show making them by hand, he was even more shocked.

I said, what do u think of it. He said, he hadn't heard anything that good that he could recall. Ever.

He also said "when the TT was used, it was like someone had turned the performance up to 11". He also said "it was so revealing, so open and clean. like a window had opened and the air could move around"

Another ringing endorsement for the FB-OTP





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[Bigbird]

awesome can't wait for mine now

[Bigman80]

awesome can't wait for mine now
Every one who has heard it has been really impressed with it mate. I'm confident you'll love it. It'll play nice with a good MC too. Made a decision on your next cart yet ?

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[brian2957]

Yup , I was over at Alans place in January and I was very impressed with what I heard . The Firebottle gear is a bit special :)

[Bigbird]

iv whittled it down....possibly a dl 103r mate as i can get one new for 204 quid ,a dynavector 10x5 unless a s/h 20x2 comes up at a decent price ,or an at33ptg II. my pal says the at33 is a bit too revealing on the lo fi/older records but he had excellent results with the other two on the rega arms. he's had a p3-24 ,p6 and now he has an audio note and p8 and used all 3 of the mentioned carts . his preference was the 103r and dynavector which he says is a great all rounder.

[Bigman80]

iv whittled it down....possibly a dl 103r mate as i can get one new for 204 quid ,a dynavector 10x5 unless a s/h 20x2 comes up at a decent price ,or an at33ptg II. my pal says the at33 is a bit too revealing on the lo fi/older records but he had excellent results with the other two on the rega arms. he's had a p3-24 ,p6 and now he has an audio note and p8 and used all 3 of the mentioned carts . his preference was the 103r and dynavector which he says is a great all rounder.
Fair enough. I can't imagine you won't be thrilled with any of them to be honest.

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[Bigbird]

apparently i might need a heavier counterweight for the 103r. around 150 grams? not sure if my underslung weight will be heavy enough.
changing it isn't a possibility so may have to go for one of the others mentioned

[Bigman80]

apparently i might need a heavier counterweight for the 103r. around 150 grams? not sure if my underslung weight will be heavy enough.
changing it isn't a possibility so may have to go for one of the others mentioned
Hmmm, they do love a heavy headshell. Which cartridge was your first choice before ?

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[Bigbird]

the dv 10x5 was first choice before i started the thread so might just go with my gut on it

[Bigman80]

the dv 10x5 was first choice before i started the thread so might just go with my gut on it
Do it mate. If that was first choice, nothing else will be as good and you'll always wonder what it was like. You'll only end up getting one later anyway. Trust me, I've been there lol

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[Bigbird]

haha thats the issue with this game is your always wondering and looking for something better. an at-oc10 has just come up on the bay for 290 which is very tempting indeed

[Bigman80]

haha thats the issue with this game is your always wondering and looking for something better. an at-oc10 has just come up on the bay for 290 which is very tempting indeed
Lol, yep. Go with your heart mate and get what feels right. The Dynavector has been round for a long time. Don't manufacturer things that don't sell well do they.

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[Bigbird]

cheers mate

[Floyddroid]

Very interesting views and comments here. I would love to hear how the newbie unit stacks up against mine. This will certainly put the cat amongst the pigeons here won't it? Both present FB users and Jez Arkwright's modified units.

[Bigman80]

Very interesting views and comments here. I would love to hear how the newbie unit stacks up against mine. This will certainly put the cat amongst the pigeons here won't it? Both present FB users and Jez Arkwright's modified units.
It would be great to get a comparison done by someone with an impartial view. The FB-OTP is a very impressive unit. I've had mine for a couple of weeks now and it's still amazes me.

It's like it doesn't exist in the signal path. It leaves no mark on the sound and i have to say, I'm totally in love with it. Alan has offered to add the loading plug option to it but i am so reluctant to let it go back i still haven't had it done lol.

[Jimbo]

Up your way tonight Oliver at the Mallaba Indian restaurant. I have heard it is excellent.

[Bigman80]

Up your way tonight Oliver at the Mallaba Indian restaurant. I have heard it is excellent.
I've never been mate but heard very good things about it.

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[Arkless Electronics]

Very interesting views and comments here. I would love to hear how the newbie unit stacks up against mine. This will certainly put the cat amongst the pigeons here won't it? Both present FB users and Jez Arkwright's modified units.

That's Arkless to you:ner:

[Bigman80]

That's Arkless to you:ner:
😂

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[Stryder5]

You can hear the till snapping shut.....lol

[Bigman80]

lol GGGG....Granville! Classic.

[Bigman80]

https://youtu.be/QnbJM-bZnKw

A little insight into the FB-OTP capability

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[Floyddroid]

https://youtu.be/QnbJM-bZnKw

A little insight into the FB-OTP capability

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I have no doubt whatsoever that this unit sounds great. However, i have to scratch my head at listening to it blaymire via YouTube through my laptop, tablet or phone. The only real way to appreciate it is via real ancillary equipment in a real environment?

[Bigman80]

I have no doubt whatsoever that this unit sounds great. However, i have to scratch my head at listening to it blaymire via YouTube through my laptop, tablet or phone. The only real way to appreciate it is via real ancillary equipment in a real environment?
You're right Steve but I've been messaged by a few people who are interested in this unit from as far a field as Australia! No realistic way of them hearing it in an ideal environment when the only build unit is mine and 5 others in construction. Seemed like a decent idea to just give them an insight into it. I think it sounds pretty good through my phone + earphones but nothing compared to live.

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[Bigbird]

Received mine today. Will give it a blast tomorrow as its late now.

[Bigman80]

Received mine today. Will give it a blast tomorrow as its late now.
Outstanding. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. 😀

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[Bigbird]

Right ,now iv had a little bit more time to have a listen I can let you know my initial thoughts
Apologies to Alan for taking so long but I've been in the middle of a house move so my times been taken up packing ,unpacking and building bloody flatpack furniture ...
Ive actually seen these little units on amazon going dirt cheap so when i saw it i thought shit, what have i done, but on pulling it from the box it felt sturdy and much heavier than expected (much heavier than the graham slee id just sold on) so i knew al must have worked some magic on the doner unit wth better quality parts .
First spin was Pink floyds 'division bell'.. i always go to floyd or dire straits to test equipment as the sound quality is spot on so i get a good gauge.
Right away it sounds open and airy and my worries about trading in my slee for a box half the price drift away.
i moved onto massive attacks mezzanine... theres a percussion instrument on the beginning of the first track that me and my missus always noticed on the slee as it sounds like someone is tapping a piece of wood next to our ears when we listened, this was slightly more in the background to what i remembered with the slee as it wasn't so prominent ....still there but not quite as snappy.
When the track kicked in it was clear that the OTP had bags of bass, something i always thought the slee was slightly lacking. it was deep and crisp and very exiting... iv had to put the bungs back in the speakers incase the neighbour gives me a bollocking in my first week haha.
Next up was Little milton ,grits aint groceries lp! the soundstage really came through on this. we both agreed that it sounded like he was sat playing at the end of the room or in a smoky bar somewhere .it sounded really live. the guitar was sleazy and snarling and the vocals had a touch of echo like it was recorded in a large room.
In comparison to the rega brio stage i was back to using whilst i waited for this to arrive,well,it blows it out of the water...or 'out the park' i should say!
much better in every single way and the brio stage is highly regarded for an integrated.
As for the graham slee i sold to make way for this purchase..it was a much closer call! very similar in many ways..good soundstage ,great detail and clarity.... the OTP has it on the bass front for sure and is slightly more open, the slee just nicked it for separation but its very close?? but without them side by side its hard to say as i was only going from memory.
Overall this is a fantastic piece of kit... at 200 quid(half the price of the slee) its an absolute bargain...it offers everything it had and a little bit more.
I listened to a few phonos in the sub 300 bracket(rega,project,cambridge) before i went for the slee and this beats all 3 for my tastes.
i rekon you'd be hard pushed to find a better phono anywhere at that price point...its that good!!
How it compares to the mid range and higher end phonos i don't know as my system is in the 'budget' bracket so its all iv known...hopefuly somebody else can shed some light on that??
With the extra money i had left over from the sale of the slee iv bought a sound smith cart of another forum member,so when its strapped on i shall let you know of any further improvements ... for the meantime Well done Alan and thanks for an absolute bargain buy!

[Bigman80]

Right ,now iv had a little bit more time to have a listen I can let you know my initial thoughts
Apologies to Alan for taking so long but I've been in the middle of a house move so my times been taken up packing ,unpacking and building bloody flatpack furniture ...
Ive actually seen these little units on amazon going dirt cheap so when i saw it i thought shit, what have i done, but on pulling it from the box it felt sturdy and much heavier than expected (much heavier than the graham slee id just sold on) so i knew al must have worked some magic on the doner unit wth better quality parts .
First spin was Pink floyds 'division bell'.. i always go to floyd or dire straits to test equipment as the sound quality is spot on so i get a good gauge.
Right away it sounds open and airy and my worries about trading in my slee for a box half the price drift away.
i moved onto massive attacks mezzanine... theres a percussion instrument on the beginning of the first track that me and my missus always noticed on the slee as it sounds like someone is tapping a piece of wood next to our ears when we listened, this was slightly more in the background to what i remembered with the slee as it wasn't so prominent ....still there but not quite as snappy.
When the track kicked in it was clear that the OTP had bags of bass, something i always thought the slee was slightly lacking. it was deep and crisp and very exiting... iv had to put the bungs back in the speakers incase the neighbour gives me a bollocking in my first week haha.
Next up was Little milton ,grits aint groceries lp! the soundstage really came through on this. we both agreed that it sounded like he was sat playing at the end of the room or in a smoky bar somewhere .it sounded really live. the guitar was sleazy and snarling and the vocals had a touch of echo like it was recorded in a large room.
In comparison to the rega brio stage i was back to using whilst i waited for this to arrive,well,it blows it out of the water...or 'out the park' i should say!
much better in every single way and the brio stage is highly regarded for an integrated.
As for the graham slee i sold to make way for this purchase..it was a much closer call! very similar in many ways..good soundstage ,great detail and clarity.... the OTP has it on the bass front for sure and is slightly more open, the slee just nicked it for separation but its very close?? but without them side by side its hard to say as i was only going from memory.
Overall this is a fantastic piece of kit... at 200 quid(half the price of the slee) its an absolute bargain...it offers everything it had and a little bit more.
I listened to a few phonos in the sub 300 bracket(rega,project,cambridge) before i went for the slee and this beats all 3 for my tastes.
i rekon you'd be hard pushed to find a better phono anywhere at that price point...its that good!!
How it compares to the mid range and higher end phonos i don't know as my system is in the 'budget' bracket so its all iv known...hopefuly somebody else can shed some light on that??
With the extra money i had left over from the sale of the slee iv bought a sound smith cart of another forum member,so when its strapped on i shall let you know of any further improvements ... for the meantime Well done Alan and thanks for an absolute bargain buy!
Great write-up. I will be interested to see how you feel when you've got the soundsmith hooked up. I think it'll blow your mind.

It really is a great piece of kit and yes, I was worried that even though I was selling my Sony gear (700ES amp &555ES cdp) to buy a better amp, I was worried I wasn't going to be improving on the phono stage of the Sony. I shouldn't have worried because the FB-OTP blew it to smithereens. The FB- OTP is a quality item and build quality is excellent too, so good ive ordered the same metal chassis to make a pre amp out of.

The FB-OTP is going up against a Tron Convergence (£1000) and a Firebottle Vivant (£1200) in a couple of weeks time. Now THATS a test lol


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[Bigbird]

Thats gonna be an interesting little shootout mate,the tron is highly regarded as is the vivant. cant wait to read the results. i recon it will hold its own up to a point.
love to hear it up against the arkless aswell. they are supposed to be very good for the price aswell(the best apparently)???

it pains me not to be able to get this cart mounted. I've had it sitting in the box for weeks but I'm waiting on a VTA spacer for under my tonearm as the soundsmith is 3.5 taller than the rega exact. a bit to high to get away with if you ask me ...the cart would be to 'arse down' at that height so I'm waiting patiently for it to arrive so i can get the best out of it from the off. my bloody brother was supposed to send it a couple of weeks back but went on a stag do and forgot so its held things up a bit.

[Bigman80]

Thats a pisser about the shim. It'll be worth it though.

I asked Jez Arkless if I could have the Arkless loaner unit for that exact reason. A shootout that would encompass a lot of the options readily available on AOS.

Unfortunately, he refused to let me have it. His feeling were that I would deliberately "down play" his units performance to boost the sales of Alans FB products (an opinion. Unfounded) . I was very disappointed because I knew the value of having his unit involved. It would have been beneficial to anyone who may have been considering buying a phono stage. Whether its the best, I dont know because i haven't heard it or been able to compare it and I wont be hearing it anytime soon.

Im excited about hearing the Tron. I know they have a great rep and they look great too. Ive already asked alan if he plans to keep it long term as id be interested in it based on the looks alone haha


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[Bigbird]

Thats a shame he felt that way mate,it could have made them both a few quid. You may even have preferred his???
Yeah the Tron looks beautiful,like something way above its price point. I'm sure it sounds it too. Alans had a steal there. Il be waiting for the results

[Bigman80]

Thats a shame he felt that way mate,it could have made them both a few quid. You may even have preferred his???
Yeah the Tron looks beautiful,like something way above its price point. I'm sure it sounds it too. Alans had a steal there. Il be waiting for the results
Yes absolutely, I would have been honest as I always have with alan. Still, it wasn't an option to include it so onwards with what's available to me.

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[smangus]

Mines ready for delivery so looking forwards to receiving it! :)

[Bigman80]

Mines ready for delivery so looking forwards to receiving it! :)
Youre gonna love it. It is a fantastic unit. Dont forget to share your thoughts about it (good or bad) when you've had a good listen. First impressions are good to know too.

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[Floyddroid]

If you really want to hear one of the new Firebottle phono stages then NEBO 8 is the place to be. As it ill be put through it's paces throughout the day.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r209/progmeister1/Nebo8_zpsyvxrfyoq.jpg (http://s145.photobucket.com/user/progmeister1/media/Nebo8_zpsyvxrfyoq.jpg.html)

[Barry]

Will Kim Il Sung be attending?