I popped over to Oliver’s (Bigman80) and caught a bug!

[Blackmass]

I popped over to Oliver’s (Bigman80) and ended up catching a bug!

I’ve been exchanging emails on and off with Oliver (Bigman80) for over a year now. As you can see from my signature I’ve bought a number of his Spotfire cables and safe to say I’m a big fan of his work.
He invited me over to listen to his set-up and borrow his Bigbottle Jfet MC Valve Phonostage. We arranged to meet on Monday morning…

I went over armed with a few records, as requested. I was met at the door by Oliver who I must confess was much younger than I imagined, no offence Oliver. I’m usually one who likes to greet someone with a firm handshake but knowing of Oliver’s accident and injuries the handshake was more tentative than usual. A small thing but worth noting. There’s nothing worse than a lip handshake.

We went straight to where the magic happens…his front room where his system resides. Laffin!
I saw with my own eyes the beast known as ‘The Krell’ and his speakers which he really loves and doesn’t care if no one else does. A hot and cold beverage was offered and I went with the Blackcurrant cordial option.

So onto the listening part. We started off with Jeff Buckley’s ‘Grace’. The album is one of the best recorded albums I own and one I use when demoing any new gear. We listened to 'Hallelujah' and 'Lover, You should’ve Come Over' and I was suitable impressed and surprised.

This is the first time I’ve listened to any system with valves so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Over the years I’d read the clichés of valves lacking (Bass) weight and being warm and fussy.
There was nothing warm and fussy about this system. In fact it lacked nothing in all areas. I was surprised how solid the presentation was.

The next album was Talk Talk’s ‘The Colour of Spring’. Another album which is brilliantly recorded and another one I use to test gear with.
The opening track ‘Happiness Is Easy’ starts with just drums for around a minute with percussion and plucked strings to follow. Again I was impressed at the Bass weight and the space between the instruments, a trait I’ve become a custom to with his Spotfire leads.

We played a couple of other albums then we moved on to Low’s ‘Double Negative’. I did warn Oliver it was ‘a bit out there’ and the record wasn’t damaged. All would be revealed once the needle hot the record.
As expected Oliver was a little taken aback at first but left the record playing. We both sat there mesmerised and let the whole side play out. Although I doubt it might not be Oliver’s cup of tea he was impressed with the recording and especially at one point where the Bass fell through the floor. If you weren’t aware, Oliver loves his Bass.

Chat moved onto his Phono Stage and what went into the development of it. BTW he name checked a number of people who’d helped him and joked he’d drove Alan @Firebottle mad asking questions on a daily basis.
He opened it up for me to show what was going on inside and talked through various elements. I did joke when I first arrived I’d added a Soldering Iron to my Amazon Wish List before coming over (I actually had BTW).
After hearing and seeing his Phono Stage (plus Oliver’s enthusiasm) I was on the edge of falling down another rabbit hole.*

After three hours I left with his Phono Stage in hand and left Oliver to what was left of his Bank Holiday.
I got home and swapped my Trilogy 906 for the Bigbottle. I let it warm up for half an hour then set about more listening and the surprises kept coming.

The first thing I noticed was how loud it was. When I use my Trilogy I have to turn it up to between 10/11 o’clock. With the Bigbottle I needed to turn it down to just below 9 o’clock.

I listened to Jeff Buckley’s Grace and Talk Talk’s The Colour of Spring again. My head was spinning as I struggled to take it all in. It remined me of when I first hear the Spotfire interconnects. It took me weeks to get used to them.

For starters the amount of Bass weight/bottom end was unbelievable. The two albums previously mentioned are probably my most played albums and I know them inside out or so I thought. I was hearing more detail within the tracks but what was even more impressive was instruments had texture and tone I’d never heard before.

So all positives? Well it’s early days but I was mightily impressed. The thing was I felt it was just too much for me to handle and after a few albums my head was spinning. I needed to take a break and take some pills. I had been listening to music most of the day so it was understandable.
I know from experience with the Spotfire’s it takes time to adjust to the presentation. I also need to go back to my Trilogy before any statements of which is 'better' are made.

*So did I fall down the rabbit hole and catch the bug? Well I was on eBay last looking at valves...Oh and I joined the diyAudio forum last night. So I reckon I’m about to fall down the rabbit hole any day now.

Thanks to Oliver for his time and hospitality much appreciated mate.

Cheers
Rob

[smangus]

Hahaha! He did that to me remotely via AOS with the DCB1, now I'm thinking about the Bigbotte build Have fun!



Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

[STD305M]

Hahaha! He did that to me remotely via AOS with the DCB1, now I'm thinking about the Bigbotte build Have fun!



Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

Hi Andy

I did several versions of the DCB1 invluding a 2 board dual mono before i settled on what i have now.

You really need to get and build the Bigbottle

Steve...

[Bigman80]

I popped over to Oliver’s (Bigman80) and ended up catching a bug!

I’ve been exchanging emails on and off with Oliver (Bigman80) for over a year now. As you can see from my signature I’ve bought a number of his Spotfire cables and safe to say I’m a big fan of his work.

He invited me over to listen to his set-up and borrow his Bigbottle Jfet MC Valve Phonostage. We arranged to meet on Monday morning…

I went over armed with a few records, as requested. I was met at the door by Oliver who I must confess was much younger than I imagined, no offence Oliver. HA! None taken lol!!

I’m usually one who likes to greet someone with a firm handshake but knowing of Oliver’s accident and injuries the handshake was more tentative than usual. A small thing but worth noting. There’s nothing worse than a lip handshake. I totally agree

We went straight to where the magic happens… his front room where his system resides. Laffin!
I saw with my own eyes the beast known as ‘The Krell’ and his speakers which he really loves and doesn’t care if no one else does. A hot and cold beverage was offered and I went with the Blackcurrant cordial option.

So onto the listening part. We started off with Jeff Buckley’s ‘Grace’. The album is one of the best recorded albums I own and one I use when demoing any new gear. We listened to 'Hallelujah' and 'Lover, You should’ve Come Over' and I was suitable impressed and surprised.

This is the first time i have heard this album, although i am familiar with the Hallelujah track. I must admit, I was surprised by the overall quality of the recording and on that second track, the drums sounded really alive. I enjoyed these tracks.

This is the first time I’ve listened to any system with valves so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Over the years I’d read the clichés of valves lacking (Bass) weight and being warm and fuzzy.

There was nothing warm and fuzzy about this system. In fact it lacked nothing in all areas. I was surprised how solid the presentation was.

Thanks Rob. This was an area i was determined to get right. Solidity and especially weight, which gives the sound a realism, Impact and dynamics.

The next album was Talk Talk’s ‘The Colour of Spring’. Another album which is brilliantly recorded and another one I use to test gear with.
The opening track ‘Happiness Is Easy’ starts with just drums for around a minute with percussion and plucked strings to follow. Again I was impressed at the Bass weight and the space between the instruments, a trait I’ve become a custom to with his Spotfire leads.

Not heard this one either and strangely, the album i would've left at home from the few we tried lol. Not my thing but it did give a great insight into what was happening, as you said it would.

We played a couple of other albums then we moved on to Low’s ‘Double Negative’. I did warn Oliver it was ‘a bit out there’ and the record wasn’t damaged. All would be revealed once the needle hot the record.

As expected Oliver was a little taken aback at first but left the record playing. We both sat there mesmerised and let the whole side play out. Although I doubt it might not be Oliver’s cup of tea he was impressed with the recording and especially at one point where the Bass fell through the floor. If you weren’t aware, Oliver loves his Bass.

I do LOVE bass, but it has to be in the context of the track and not over blown or becoming a distraction. Yes, this album weirded me out a little. It was a bit like watching a broken TV until i managed to make sense of it. What it did was break the normal convention of music and took me on a little journey. I have downloaded this album s i felt it was worth further listening time. The Low Frequency bass notes demonstrated how low these speakers can go and it was deep. Very deep.

Chat moved onto his Phono Stage and what went into the development of it. BTW he name checked a number of people who’d helped him and joked he’d drove Alan @Firebottle mad asking questions on a daily basis.
He opened it up for me to show what was going on inside and talked through various elements. I did joke when I first arrived I’d added a Soldering Iron to my Amazon Wish List before coming over (I actually had BTW).
After hearing and seeing his Phono Stage (plus Oliver’s enthusiasm) I was on the edge of falling down another rabbit hole.*

The first step to achieving Independence from over priced brand names has been taken!!!

After three hours I left with his Phono Stage in hand and left Oliver to what was left of his Bank Holiday.
I got home and swapped my Trilogy 906 for the Bigbottle. I let it warm up for half an hour then set about more listening and the surprises kept coming.

The first thing I noticed was how loud it was. When I use my Trilogy I have to turn it up to between 10/11 o’clock. With the Bigbottle I needed to turn it down to just below 9 o’clock.

There is a good level of gain (about 60db IIRC) without a rise in audible background noise. A huge factor in this was the DC blocker. I don't know why but it really helped reduce the noise floor.

I listened to Jeff Buckley’s Grace and Talk Talk’s The Colour of Spring again. My head was spinning as I struggled to take it all in. It remined me of when I first hear the Spotfire interconnects. It took me weeks to get used to them.

Not the best advert lol I know what you mean though. When first installed, you are greeted with a myriad of new sounds and details that you never knew were there. The soundstage also alters for the better (more 3D) and you have properly delineated bass. Its a lot to take in, possibly puzzling at first but when you take them out, as i do regularly to try new cable, i always miss them.

For starters the amount of Bass weight/bottom end was unbelievable. The two albums previously mentioned are probably my most played albums and I know them inside out or so I thought. I was hearing more detail within the tracks but what was even more impressive was instruments had texture and tone I’d never heard before.

This is where my love of music lives, in those tiny details and in the tone, timbre and weight. A valve phonostage, especially the good ones, can reveal everything in the right place but put the meat on the bone that is necessary to recreate a believable sound. That's certainly been my experience with High quality Valve phonostages and as of yet, i am yet to hear a SS phonostage that does the same.

So all positives? Well it’s early days but I was mightily impressed. The thing was I felt it was just too much for me to handle and after a few albums my head was spinning. I needed to take a break and take some pills. I had been listening to music most of the day so it was understandable.
I know from experience with the Spotfire’s it takes time to adjust to the presentation. I also need to go back to my Trilogy before any statements of which is 'better' are made.

Ha! i know that feeling. Definitely the right thing to do. Have a break and switch off for a while. The true result will only be apparent when you take the Bigbottle out and go back to the Trilogy. As i said, whatever your opinion on the phonostages may be, its cool with me. It's all about finding the gear that does whatever makes you connect to the track.

*So did I fall down the rabbit hole and catch the bug? Well I was on eBay last looking at valves...Oh and I joined the diyAudio forum last night. So I reckon I’m about to fall down the rabbit hole any day now.

Thanks to Oliver for his time and hospitality much appreciated mate.

You're more than welcome to visit anytime. I love a little bake off and a listen to new music. Thank you for going to the effort to get over here and have a listen to the system. Now, if i can just find someone who'll lend/bring a Paradise Phonostage...............

[smangus]

Hi Andy

I did several versions of the DCB1 invluding a 2 board dual mono before i settled on what i have now.

You really need to get and build the Bigbottle

Steve...

Hi Steve yes I know , but as it's summer it's time to carry on with my long suffering summer speaker project only 3 years and counting now lol

Might save the Bigbottle for a winter indoor thingy, also working out a way to expose the valves so i can see them when it's on.

In the meantime I am gradually getting the parts for it together and also mucking about with the DCB1 lol

[Blackmass]

It’s funny how the Low album made the biggest impression. I wasn’t sure about bring it along as it’s very ‘different’ to anything I normally listen to. It’s not would you think would make a good test disc but it was the one album we let play all the way through. At first it seems like a load of noises but by the end it had you intrigued. Listen to it four or five times and it will get under your skin.

Glad you didn’t take offence to ‘’my head was spinning’’ comment. It was hard to explain without sounding negative. Laffin!

I’m definitely up for building one of my own…but probably not the first thing I’ll build.

BTW Good luck getting to listen to a Paradise too.

[Edward]

It’s funny how the Low album made the biggest impression. I wasn’t sure about bring it along as it’s very ‘different’ to anything I normally listen to. It’s not would you think would make a good test disc but it was the one album we let play all the way through. At first it seems like a load of noises but by the end it had you intrigued. Listen to it four or five times and it will get under your skin.

Glad you didn’t take offence to ‘’my head was spinning’’ comment. It was hard to explain without sounding negative. Laffin!

I’m definitely up for building one of my own…but probably not the first thing I’ll build.

BTW Good luck getting to listen to a Paradise too.

Often when reading a review or a summary of a bake off I put on an album mentioned so as to get a feel of what was happening at the bake off. So I put on Double Negative by Low and was struck initially by the discordant 'noise'. But soon grew into the album and realise that something special was happening with the painting of another world through a minimalist aural soundscape. But as you say probably needs a few plays. Enjoyed 'Fly'.

Good write up of your bake off.

[Blackmass]

Often when reading a review or a summary of a bake off I put on an album mentioned so as to get a feel of what was happening at the bake off. So I put on Double Negative by Low and was struck initially by the discordant 'noise'. But soon grew into the album and realise that something special was happening with the painting of another world through a minimalist aural soundscape. But as you say probably needs a few plays. Enjoyed 'Fly'.

Good write up of your bake off.

Hi Edward,
Thanks for the kind words. Glad you took a chance on the LOW album. It’s definitely a grower.

Cheers
Rob

[Bigman80]

It’s funny how the Low album made the biggest impression. I wasn’t sure about bring it along as it’s very ‘different’ to anything I normally listen to. It’s not would you think would make a good test disc but it was the one album we let play all the way through. At first it seems like a load of noises but by the end it had you intrigued. Listen to it four or five times and it will get under your skin.

Glad you didn’t take offence to ‘’my head was spinning’’ comment. It was hard to explain without sounding negative. Laffin!

I’m definitely up for building one of my own…but probably not the first thing I’ll build.

BTW Good luck getting to listen to a Paradise too.

It's made a definite impression. The bass on the album is superb.

I'm currently trying some new cable with the album and feeling like I've been on the same journey again but know the road a little better.

"Fly" is a superb track. I think its going be playing for a while.

No offence taken mate, I know exactly where you're coming from.

Oh, just for reference, the Vinyl pisses on this Digital version.

[scotty38]

Just put it on here and my wife said "Is that one of those test record things?"