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Thread: Rega Isis CD Player

  1. #21
    Join Date: Apr 2011

    Location: Surrey

    Posts: 4,162
    I'm Mike.

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    Quote Originally Posted by JohnJo View Post
    Hi Mike, I take it the TAD unit is an all in one pre-Cd-DAC?

    How does it compare to the Rega amp and CD you had?
    Hi John
    Twas Rega Isis CD, Belles Pre and Power Monos.
    I'd heard the TAD kit before but couldn't justify the price for the uplift in sound quality
    All change when a Coherent Grounding Box came along and everything sounded better.
    The difference to TAD was now significant. Enough for me to splurge. Glad to say 2nd hand and not list !
    Sound was good before. Sublime now
    TAD CD / DAC / Pre, Technics 1210, MCRU PSU, Mike New Bearing & Platter, Stillpoints LP1 weight, Speedy Steve Ebony armboard, Fidelity Research FR64FX arm, Ortofon SPU. Aurorasound VIDA Phono Pre Amp, TAD Power Amp, TAD E1 speakers. Coherent RTZ 3 Grounding box, Coherent grounding cables, Creaktiv racks. Coherent Mains Cables. SR Blue Fuse. Interconnects : Coherent and Yannis 223.5 Connect Litz. Coherent speaker cable. Audio Magic Transcendence Conditioner. Coherent mains socket. Mains Filters : , PS Audio Harvesters, Russ Andrews Purifiers, Tacima, Vertex. Black Ravioli and RDC supports. Electric Beach S1NX platforms for TAD CD and Technics. Ferrite chokes everywhere except the above. Ears, brain

    Mike

  2. #22
    Join Date: Sep 2014

    Location: Northern Ireland

    Posts: 1,403
    I'm John.

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    Quote Originally Posted by petrat View Post
    Thanks for the tip, John. Will Moores set up the STA-100 for minimum distortion with the JJ valves fitted, so I'm a bit reluctant to mess with it atm, but I'll certainly try a few altrnatives in the future.
    Come to think of it, I've yet to do any valve-rolling with my pre-amp either, even though I've got some nice Mullards to try. Maybe that just shows how satisfied I am with the way things are
    I tried the JJ KT88s in my Primaluna and they were very “CD” if you know what I mean. By far the cleanest, driest sounding, almost “unmusical” if you will of the many power valves I tried. I could believe they have the lowest distortion.

  3. #23
    Join Date: Jan 2013

    Location: Bristol

    Posts: 6,843
    I'm Justin.

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    Quote Originally Posted by JohnJo View Post
    I tried the JJ KT88s in my Primaluna and they were very “CD” if you know what I mean. By far the cleanest, driest sounding, almost “unmusical” if you will of the many power valves I tried. I could believe they have the lowest distortion.
    About the only redeeming feature of a JJ KT88 was good bass, I reckon, but that was some years ago now.

    There's plenty worse, though. Sovtek, for instance.

    Beyond EAT, which you'll never be able to better IMHO for sonics (but not reliability) then 1960s Tung Sol 6550.

  4. #24
    Join Date: Sep 2014

    Location: Northern Ireland

    Posts: 1,403
    I'm John.

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    Quote Originally Posted by MikeMusic View Post
    Hi John
    Twas Rega Isis CD, Belles Pre and Power Monos.
    I'd heard the TAD kit before but couldn't justify the price for the uplift in sound quality
    All change when a Coherent Grounding Box came along and everything sounded better.
    The difference to TAD was now significant. Enough for me to splurge. Glad to say 2nd hand and not list !
    Sound was good before. Sublime now
    That looks like a very well sorted system you have there Mike!

  5. #25
    Join Date: Apr 2011

    Location: Surrey

    Posts: 4,162
    I'm Mike.

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    Quote Originally Posted by JohnJo View Post
    That looks like a very well sorted system you have there Mike!
    It is wonderful. Better than I ever thought a system I own could be.
    Bit far for a demo, but the offer's there
    TAD CD / DAC / Pre, Technics 1210, MCRU PSU, Mike New Bearing & Platter, Stillpoints LP1 weight, Speedy Steve Ebony armboard, Fidelity Research FR64FX arm, Ortofon SPU. Aurorasound VIDA Phono Pre Amp, TAD Power Amp, TAD E1 speakers. Coherent RTZ 3 Grounding box, Coherent grounding cables, Creaktiv racks. Coherent Mains Cables. SR Blue Fuse. Interconnects : Coherent and Yannis 223.5 Connect Litz. Coherent speaker cable. Audio Magic Transcendence Conditioner. Coherent mains socket. Mains Filters : , PS Audio Harvesters, Russ Andrews Purifiers, Tacima, Vertex. Black Ravioli and RDC supports. Electric Beach S1NX platforms for TAD CD and Technics. Ferrite chokes everywhere except the above. Ears, brain

    Mike

  6. #26
    Join Date: Sep 2014

    Location: Northern Ireland

    Posts: 1,403
    I'm John.

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    Quote Originally Posted by MikeMusic View Post
    It is wonderful. Better than I ever thought a system I own could be.
    Bit far for a demo, but the offer's there
    Thanks Mike

  7. #27
    Join Date: Aug 2012

    Location: Sunny Portsmouth

    Posts: 9,165
    I'm TheMostHonestPersonYouWillMeet.

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    John from your original post "it's not immediately impressive but it is hard to turn off" I know exactly what you mean

    I've had the same experience with the 390... does it sound impressive? well actually no it doesn't really... does it sound very good? yes it does

    The 390 is, like your Rega, hard to turn off... so I haven't
    Bev


    Mark Levinson N°390s CD Through:Atlas Elektra XLR's To: Mark Levinson N°383 To: Magneplanar .7's

  8. #28
    Join Date: Sep 2014

    Location: Northern Ireland

    Posts: 1,403
    I'm John.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ninanina View Post
    John from your original post "it's not immediately impressive but it is hard to turn off" I know exactly what you mean

    I've had the same experience with the 390... does it sound impressive? well actually no it doesn't really... does it sound very good? yes it does

    The 390 is, like your Rega, hard to turn off... so I haven't
    Glad you’re enjoying the Mark Levinson gear Bev, looks great too!

  9. #29
    Join Date: Aug 2012

    Location: Sunny Portsmouth

    Posts: 9,165
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    Quote Originally Posted by JohnJo View Post
    Glad you’re enjoying the Mark Levinson gear Bev, looks great too!
    Thanks John... I think it looks ok but, more importantly, it sounds lovely...

    So do you think you are going to invest in an Isis ?

    I owned a Rega Saturn for a while and that sounded good and also had an Apollo in the system for a short while and that was also nice..
    Bev


    Mark Levinson N°390s CD Through:Atlas Elektra XLR's To: Mark Levinson N°383 To: Magneplanar .7's

  10. #30
    Join Date: Sep 2014

    Location: Northern Ireland

    Posts: 1,403
    I'm John.

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    No. The Isis just didn’t *get me*. It was very well judged, very even handed but ultimately I wanted something a bit more emotionally engaging. Another issue was it sounded too big, image wise in my room. It’s only 13 x 11 ft with great big speakers which throw out a wall of sound. With the Isis it was just too much of a good thing, everything was jumbo sized. With a pair of mini-monitors in here it would be superb.
    I’m enjoying the Saturn-R (not the original Saturn) more. It’s a bit of a Goldilocks scenario. You can have more porridge and hotter too but in my system this sounds “just right”. Not too big, not too small, not too thick not too thin.
    Bass is more agile too and it has just the right timing, nicely poised.

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