David.
I come to this a bit late, but found it very interesting. I wonder if the diminished enjoyment in listening could be linked to the whole Covid thing. I have certainly found it more difficult to get into the right mindset that encouraged be to go for album after album. Normally a two album session is enough before I start to fidget.
Anyway, to the Hi Fi bit.
The overall consensus seems to be that valves excel at voices and transistors at the lower frequencies required to drive along rock and electronic music. Looking at the chart I have attached is this predominantly a frequency thing with a tipping point about 100Hz. All seems a bit too simplistic.
audio frequencies.jpg
Source
SW1X Universal Music Server UMS I Signature with Power Supply Unit PSU I Signature
SW1X USB II
SW1X DAC III Special
Audiolab 6000 CDT transport
Amps
Pre amps -- Hi fi Collective twin mono ladder stepped attenuator, with Charcroft Z-foil and silver wired. And First Watt B1 active no gain buffer.
Power amps -- Welborne 45 SET monoblocks 1.8W / Decware Taboo 6W / Elekit 300B TU-8600SVK plus further improved components 9W / ICE Power 1000W
Speakers
Highly modified Endorphin P17 open baffle speakers containing both vintage and modern alnico drivers and paper cones. All silver wired - 8" Cube Audio FC8 full range drivers and vintage 15" Altec VOTT 416 bass drivers. All sat on Townsend Audio Podium seismic isolation platforms.
BK Electronics XLS400FF Sub.
Cabling
Silver mains cables, interconnects and speaker cables by SW1X
Headphones
HRT HeadStreamer and SennHeiser HD650 headphones
Bakoon 13r Denon DP80 Stax UA-70 Shure Ultra 500 in a Martin Bastin body with jico stylus, project ds2 digital Rullit aero 8 field coils in tqwt speakers
Office system, DIY CSS fullrange speakers with aurum cantus G2 ribbons yulong dac Sony STR6055 receiver Jvc QL-A51 direct drive turntable, Leema sub. JVC Z4S cart is in the house
Garage system another Sony receiver, cassette deck
System components are subject to change without warning and at the discretion of the owner.
Location: Seaford UK
Posts: 1,861
I'm Dennis.
I think that very competent SS amps are available at reasonable prices, and would look at second hand, all of mine have been and have been problem free.
Source
SW1X Universal Music Server UMS I Signature with Power Supply Unit PSU I Signature
SW1X USB II
SW1X DAC III Special
Audiolab 6000 CDT transport
Amps
Pre amps -- Hi fi Collective twin mono ladder stepped attenuator, with Charcroft Z-foil and silver wired. And First Watt B1 active no gain buffer.
Power amps -- Welborne 45 SET monoblocks 1.8W / Decware Taboo 6W / Elekit 300B TU-8600SVK plus further improved components 9W / ICE Power 1000W
Speakers
Highly modified Endorphin P17 open baffle speakers containing both vintage and modern alnico drivers and paper cones. All silver wired - 8" Cube Audio FC8 full range drivers and vintage 15" Altec VOTT 416 bass drivers. All sat on Townsend Audio Podium seismic isolation platforms.
BK Electronics XLS400FF Sub.
Cabling
Silver mains cables, interconnects and speaker cables by SW1X
Headphones
HRT HeadStreamer and SennHeiser HD650 headphones
Krell KSA50S and Longdog LDAP6100M - there's two for you. I'll guess there's more but I've not heard everything. A QUAD 303 with a passive pre isn't far off either, as is the Philips 380 'Black Tulip.'
Current Lash Up:
TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.
Last edited by bumpy; 27-10-2020 at 08:51.
Source
SW1X Universal Music Server UMS I Signature with Power Supply Unit PSU I Signature
SW1X USB II
SW1X DAC III Special
Audiolab 6000 CDT transport
Amps
Pre amps -- Hi fi Collective twin mono ladder stepped attenuator, with Charcroft Z-foil and silver wired. And First Watt B1 active no gain buffer.
Power amps -- Welborne 45 SET monoblocks 1.8W / Decware Taboo 6W / Elekit 300B TU-8600SVK plus further improved components 9W / ICE Power 1000W
Speakers
Highly modified Endorphin P17 open baffle speakers containing both vintage and modern alnico drivers and paper cones. All silver wired - 8" Cube Audio FC8 full range drivers and vintage 15" Altec VOTT 416 bass drivers. All sat on Townsend Audio Podium seismic isolation platforms.
BK Electronics XLS400FF Sub.
Cabling
Silver mains cables, interconnects and speaker cables by SW1X
Headphones
HRT HeadStreamer and SennHeiser HD650 headphones
Bakoon 13r Denon DP80 Stax UA-70 Shure Ultra 500 in a Martin Bastin body with jico stylus, project ds2 digital Rullit aero 8 field coils in tqwt speakers
Office system, DIY CSS fullrange speakers with aurum cantus G2 ribbons yulong dac Sony STR6055 receiver Jvc QL-A51 direct drive turntable, Leema sub. JVC Z4S cart is in the house
Garage system another Sony receiver, cassette deck
System components are subject to change without warning and at the discretion of the owner.
Location: East Riding of Yorkshire these days
Posts: 4,779
I'm Shaun.
Well it's been a while. The Usher is still in use with the same ancilliaries; Denon and Kef's and still sounds bloody amazing. It takes at least an hour to warm up even from standby but sounds at it's best when thoroughly warmed. The treble is definitely restrained with the midband also being quite flat. The bass definition is incredible. The opening track on the Eleanor McEvoy SACD 'Yola' has the most staggering double bass that the Usher/KEF combination produces with amazing power and grip. Brilliant stuff but I have heard a better treble/midband. In fact back around 1997 I had a World Audio Design 300B PP amplifier that has so far never been beaten in the mid/treble by any amp I have listened to including this one but the 300B had the usual bass issues.
Will the Usher stay ? Yes until it pisses me off enough to get rid.
doesn't sound like it's pissing you off
Current Lash Up:
TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.