Start of my audiophile journey

Letter from Hungary (20-02) Dexler Poppe on his audiophile Journey

Editor: As readers in the comments noticed, it was a Pro-ject 1.2 turntable.

In bigger cities of Hungary, there's a system in place which can be described as municipal bulky waste collection. In even more descriptive terms: the purgatory for stuff that you relegated to the attic, basement or the darkest, most unreachable corners of whatever storage facility you have 2-10 years ago, because you successfully convinced yourself that it _will_ be good for _something_. This rationalization then neatly masks the fact that you can't get to terms with loss of value and/or emotional departure. But feelings eventually fade out, and the day comes when you finally say goodbye to that possibly ok-ish faucet which you rescued the last time you renovated the bathroom along with the broken chair that, sadly, could not rise to the occasion and be good for _something_.

I loved these events, as I could discover time and again that someone else's trash could be my treasure and be endlessly fascinated by my findings. Apparently I wasn't alone with this as roaming the city at night to browse through heaps of stuff before it was collected in the morning became an event onto itself. And on one spring afternoon in the city of Pécs, an old Tesla turntable appeared in the purgatory.

Let's diverge: a little Tesla history. For those of you who are not yet familiar with communist-era Czechoslovakian turntable industry, Tesla was the state-owned, consumer electronics manufacturer in the country operating until 1989. This means two things: First, due to the peculiarities of the era's economic system, you've already learnt about every player of the Czechoslovakian turntable industry. Second, Tesla turntables were designed and built for the masses, definitely not for the "discerning audiophile", therefore they were not particularly renowned for their sound quality. They played the approved records and the cool stuff form Yugoslavia and mostly that was it. However, two models were supposed to be good enough to be sellable in the West, but these were marketed under different brand names: both the NAD 5120 and Lenco L-802 was basically a Tesla NC 470 while the Lenco L-500 was in fact a Tesla NC 500. Try to spot the differences in the photos below!

Tesla NC 500 (Source: phono.cz)

Lenco L500 (Source: lencoheaven.net)

The idea was to market the Lenco version in the West and the Tesla in the countries of the Eastern block but typical of the era, not much went according to plan. So much so, that in Hungary both versions were available simultaneously. To add a little bit more confusion to the story, the L-500 was also available in an upgraded version (white plinth, different platter, cabling, modified tonearm and better cartridge were included), which was in fact only available in the Western countries and was also simply called L-500. According to reports of the Hungarian hifimagazine, only this latter, upgraded version was up to audiophile standards.

So how many incarnations a turntable can have? - I hear you asking. This is a valid question, but I'm not sure if there's a universally fixed number for this. What I do know is that the NC 500 had one more, which turned out to be the most successful. Have a look at the Pro-Ject P1 below.

Pro-Ject P1

It looks familiar, doesn't it? Yes, you've guessed right, this is also the NC 500 in yet another disguise. In fact, one could argue that the NC 500 was the ancestor of the current Debut line in Pro-Ject's portfolio. This could happen because after the fall of the Iron Courtain, Tesla ceased operation as a sate owned electronics manufacturer and the turntable division - including remaining stock and tooling - was acquired by an Austrian businessman, Hans Lichtenegger, who then started his own company, the now well-known Pro-Ject.

My Tesla wasn't an NC 500, it was one of their lesser models, but unfortunately I can't remember the exact model number. I can't even say anything about its sound, as I've practically never listened to it. Right after I found it, I checked if the motor and the mechanics work. They did. Unexpectedly, I also found out that on ordinary line input is not suitable for turntables. I had a lot to learn! I badly wanted a suitable amp for my turntable so I went online to figure out what I need exactly and what are my options. I soon realised that I'm probably better off with visiting hifi shops. This turned out partially true as my limited budget and lack of experience triggered some sort of weird arrogance in some dealers, which I found very off-putting. It must be said that to this day, my relationship with dealers remains a bit of hit-and-miss. That said, I did met very helpful dealers and I actually managed to buy a decent, second-hand integrated with phono input from a shop. This was from a fairly unknown Italian company called Aeron. The amp was their A4 model.

Aeron A4 integrated amplifier (Source: audio4.it)

Since at the time I was busy surviving without having a boring 9-to-5 job and making sure that I'm regular to minimal techno parties on Wednesdays besides the weekends, I had very little left for speakers. Of course I wanted floorstanders, because my techno records needed bass and because they looked more serious. This is where I made my first mistake, because I ended up with a pair of floorstanders from a home theater series from Swedish brand, Eltax, simply because they were affordable. They were not terrible at all, but in hindsight I could have done better at that point. And I also believe that I could never actually hear what the Aeron was capable of. To be completely honest, I don't even consider my first setup being a system per se, rather than a bunch of components connected to each other and to electricity. However, the setup proved to be a quite effective gateway drug.

By the time I got home with my phono-capable integrated, the belt on my Tesla became so loose that it could hardly spin the platter. Most likely the turntable hasn't been on room temperature for years before and the new thermal conditions were just too much for poor 20+-year old rubber belt. I've tried my best to find a replacement, but I ultimately failed. I gave the Tesla to a friend who likely used it for some of art project.

The next logical step? To buy a more advanced Tesla, the NAD 5120, of course! Since this was the go-to turntable pre-'89 for Hungarian audiophiles, it is very easy to find on the second-hand market for very low prices. The 5120 was routinely modified by Hungarian audiophiles, but mine was in its original condition with the flat tonearm and intact plinth. I liked it's quirkiness quite a bit, less so its sound. It was unable to deliver the drive, weight and bass that I heard in the clubs and at friends' places from Technics 1210s. Eventually, I sold the NAD and bought a Pro-Ject RPM1 instead. It was much better than the NAD, as it played a significant portion of my collection quite enjoyably. Yet it still sounded bland, gray, boring playing the rest of my collection. Truth to be told, I enjoyed listening to my iPod through headphones a lot more than the turntable and when it came to my portable Sony minidisc palyer, there was absolutely no contest.

NAD 5120 (Source: zstereo.co.uk)

Soon after I acquired the Pro-Ject, a pretty hectic period started in my life with lots of moving involved. Hifi was not a priority. In fact there were several periods when my equipment and records were all boxed up and tucked away in a corner for months. When this ended, I found myself alone in a lovely, rented flat in downtown Budapest that was all mine. I concluded this was the end of a period in my life, and it's time for a fresh start. In cases like this, I have a tendency for big, symbolic gestures to mark the moment or something along these lines. Some have a radical haircut. I sold every piece of hifi I had. I only kept my iPod, a pair of earphones and my turntable.

My first system Once I had a clean slate prepared, I started again from scratch with one clear goal in mind: to build a system this time. I knew I still had some homework to do, so I started reading online magazines, blogs, frequent to forums, visit shops and homes to have a listen to systems which were set up by experienced listeners. Admittedly the latter was a rare occassion, because honestly, I couldn't really relate to most of the people in the local hifi community. Way too many dogmas, arrogance, frustration for my liking. I prefer a more easy-going, relaxed and open minded attitude. I'm in it for joy. So I was pretty much left with reading. This of course led to information overload. It was time to act. The problem was, I still had no idea what to do exactly. So I figured, I'm going to do this in my own way, I'll take my time, because there's no rush to make the ultimate decision right now. What I need now - I reasoned - was a solid baseline, a good reference point against which everything else can be evaluated.

So I set out to build such a system. I wanted a fairly neutral and transparent sound to facilitate future evaluations. I also wanted components from well-known manufacturers, so that they could be easily resold if need be. I decided to keep spending as low as possible and only buy stuff that was easily affordable to me. I wanted to avoid a situation in which I might start convincing myself that "this stuff must be great, because you spent a lot on it!". Finally, I liberated myself from all opinions and "common wisdoms" and bought stuff that truly "talked to me" in one way or another. Eventually I bought a Yamaha A-S500 integrated and the matching S300 CD player. These were demo units from a shop, so I could buy them for half the retail price. I loved and still love the looks of Yamaha integrateds, so I could tick the "talk to me" box as well.

After congratulating myself for being compliant with my own purchase specification in case of the amp and the CD player, the tight process control immediately slacked a little bit and I bought speakers from a relatively unknown German manufacturer. This was the Nubert nuBox 483. I say relatively unknown manufacturer, because they are apparently quite popular in their home country, but not so much beyond borders of Germany. This is due to the fact the Nubert does not seem to be interested growing further: while they mostly rely on direct online sales, their website is only available in German. They don't advertise in US/UK magazines, English reviews of their products are scarce. However, I really liked what little I read about them as well as the engineering-based approach to product design and the obvious restrain from growing the company larger than it's comfortable to its founder. Finally, I loved the short, stocky cabinet and especially the big, 8" mid-bass drivers.

One iteration of a system: Yamaha, Pro-Ject, Nubert

Later on, I added the Pioneer PLX-1000 turntable together with a Schiit Mani phono and - as streaming became increasingly prominent in my life - Schiit Modi 2 Über DAC. All cabling was from Van Damme.

In hindsight, this system provided exactly, what I expected and needed at the time. Most importantly, for the very first time, I indeed felt that I have a hifi system and I acted accordingly. I cared about placement, cabling, support, etc. I started paying attention to finer details of the performance. I tested various components in that system, and I could observe differences. I knew that this is now a level, where the basics are covered.

Would I do something differently, if I were back in time and I had to start over again? No, I still believe that I chose a sensible approach. But I would worry far less. I reckon that choosing components for a first system is among the toughest decision one faces on the audiophile journey. That is, when you are actually there with your limited experience and - likely - budget and have to make up your mind whether to go with component A or B. And you probably heard them in two completely different systems 3 weeks apart. If at all. Today, I would recommend my younger self to have fun and consider the first system as such: a first, that will be followed by others. From that first system, I've already sold the amp - and to be frank, I missed the looks more than the sound. I passed on the DAC to a collague, as I often found myself preferring the built-in Burr-Brown DAC of my humble Yamaha CD player. And the speakers also had to go, even though that was a difficult decision to make since I have a tendency to antrophomorphize objects which are close to my heart. And you just don't toss away a friend, just because you don't go out together so often any more, right? But on the very same token, eventually it just saddened me to see those lovely speakers tucked away in corner collecting dust, instead of bringing pleasure and joy to someone day by day. Luckily, they were bought by someone, who really appreciates them and that ultimately makes me much more happier than me owning them for the sake of owning.

Grundig Mystery Amp, abbasaudio Hybrid Pre-amplifier, Gotham DGS-1

By mrgoodsound 

Earlier this year I had quite the eBay addiction, a terrible thing. It has subsided a bit, but I acquired quite a few pieces of equipment on a whim that I had no preset plan for. 

One of these pieces I am calling the 'Grundig Mystery Amp', a mystery because I do not have much information behind its creation or creator, and Grundig because it proudly displays a matched set of vintage Grundig transformers.

Grundig Mystery Amp

This amplifier came from a kind German seller, who claims his retired engineer friend built it and sold it to him. It is a single ended amplifier using the German EL12 pentode as an output tube and EF12 pentode as a driver tube. The chokes, output and mains transformers are all vintage Grundig units, presumably pulled from a high-end console or radio of the early 60s or late 50s. If you know anything more about these transformers, please leave a comment! Other high quality parts include Siemens capacitors and bridge rectifier. 

The greatest attraction of this unit for me was the fact that the single-chassis construction was entirely dual mono, down to separate power switches for the left and right channels. As a budding monophile, it was nice to know I could use this amplifier in a stereo or mono system without hassle. Finally, the mains transformers had secondaries for the 120 volt AC network we use in North America. Multiple secondaries on power transformers seems to be a common theme for vintage German units, and thanks to the foresight of those engineers we can continue to enjoy German tube audio around the world! I simply had to remove the Euro power plugs and replace them with US ones. 

My initial evaluation of the Grundig amp was driving my Klipsch La Scala's, using the Truth line stage and a Philips CD650 CD player. Unfortunately the EF12>EL12 combo was of moderate to low gain, and the Truth could not provide a satisfactory volume level with the output of my CD player. Though what I heard was extremely promising, I had to put the Grundig amp aside for a few months until I got another pre-amplifier. 

abbasaudio Hybrid Transistor pre-amp/head-amp

A few months ago I placed another order with Abbas from abbasaudio, this time for a hybrid headphone amplifier using germanium transistors, a 7119/ECC182 input stage, and an EZ35 rectifier. The primary motivation was to have a secondary headamp to evaluate low-impedance headphones that my OTL amplifier could not cope with. Thankfully, I had the foresight to ask Abbas to install a pre-out on this unit as well, which proved fortuitous when I realized the Grundig would not play with the Truth. 

Firstly, a brief evaluation of the Hybrid as a headphone amplifier. It is simply excellent. There is nothing for me to say that was not already said in my review of the OTL amplifier (linked above), the two are extremely similar in character, and the Hybrid gives up very little, despite residing in a chassis less than half the size. The Siemens germanium transistors used must be competitive with real triodes in their naturalness and ability to convey emotion! For tubes, I am using Amperex 7119 (made in the USA, I hope to try the Dutch-made variant soon), and a US-made 6ZY5G (an inexpensive, uncommon full-wave rectifier that Abbas suggested as a substitute). 

Next, it was time to try the combination of the Hybrid pre-amp and Grundig amp, a most unique and unlikely pairing if there ever was one. Did I mention I am unsatisfied with mainstream audio? But first I needed a rather long set of interconnects to reach from my headphone station to where the Grundig amp lay. 

Gotham DGS-1 coaxial cable

Doctorjohn was very kind to send me a care package of several wires and tubes (including the aforementioned Amperex 7119, thank you very much!), including a long spool of Gotham DGS-1 coaxial cable. My previous encounter with Gotham was only with their headphone wire, which I used to make a cable for my Sennheiser HD600s. Unfortunately I was not too happy with the result, the wire was immediately impressive with a bright, zippy character and loads of macro-detail; but the overall balance was upset to the detriment of music. The LF and lower middle lacked the proper body and weight, leading to a lean and frantic sound. 

Thankfully the DGS-1 is not like this, though it has some character of its own. I made up some long and short pairs using my favourite Switchcraft RCA connectors and evaluated them first using my headphone system to pick apart the sound character. Again, there is not much I can say that doctorjohn has not already said here, he describes the character of this wire very well. The hue is a bit dark, one might go so far as to think certain HF overtones which would ordinarily cause goosebumps are being lost, but the tone in the MF is simply enchanting. Subtle timing stuff is done well, though the wire is still a little lighter on the LF than I would like. Low piano notes did not have the full resonant weight I would expect.

I recommend this inexpensive cable in a slightly brighter or unruly system, it provides something I would describe as a 'natural dampening' or taming of high frequencies, while preserving or perhaps even enhancing emotion in the middle frequencies. It works rather well for me with the La Scala's. 

All Together

With the pre-amplifier and interconnects ready, I was able to evaluate the Grundig amp proper in the chain below.

DAC: 2008 Mac Pro + abbasaudio DAC2.2SE
Preamp: abbasaudio Hybrid Transistor
Amps: Grundig Mystery Amp
Loudspeakers: Klipsch La Scala

The Grundig mystery amp sounds fantastic! It is thus far the best single-ended amplifier I have heard or owned. I must attribute this in large to the use of vintage transformers, which have a special sound character. I do believe the Germans had already figured out the secrets of making the best sounding transformers long ago, and these arts have been mostly lost to modern manufacturers, at least in the West. 

I have come to realize the best sounding amplifiers seem to be remarkably unremarkable, in that they transmit and convey music and the emotion within intact, without adding too much flair. It seems the high end today, even within the ultra-fi circles concerned with triodes and single-ended amplifiers, are too focused on the delivery of sonic special effects, and the use of increasingly exotic and pricey passive components to achieve this. 

With the Grundig mystery amplifier, I am addicted to listening to historical recordings of famous 20th century performers, as music flows from the speakers in a way that shuts down the brain, with subtle intonations and tone all the listener can really stand to focus on. If I am in a mood to play only monophonic recordings, I simply shut off one channel of the amp and let one speaker sing. The single EL12 per channel is capable of somewhere between 4~5 watts, and has no problem with the La Scala's. These results are being obtained with more common late production 'short bottle' EL12s which I assume are manufactured by RFT, I hope to obtain some early 'tall' EL12 from the firm Telefunken soon. 

I leave some examples of delightful recordings and performances enjoyed from this setup below:

Wood Marble Slate Plinths for Thorens TD-124

Click pics to enlarge.  L: Slate Plinth (green tape for protection); bottom, Marble Plinth.

Plinths for Thorens TD-124: Wood vs Marble vs Slate

Our friend Mark has a friend who is a wholesaler in home flooring and stones. One of the employees is also an audiophile. Recently, they decided to make some stone plinths for Thorens TD-124. Andy first tested them. Now, it's my turn; then Kevin will be next.

First I took out my Thorens from my wood plinth. The first one I tried was the Marble (bottom pic), which was heavy.As my lower body could not get close to the rack, with an extended arm, in putting it into place, I sprained my back again (an old affliction). For more than a week I could not stand up or sit down quickly, and coughing was hell. Fortunately, it passed.

The sound was a shock. I used my usual test LPs. Persuasive Percussion was lively, dynamic and exciting as hell. Image was deep and wide. Super-fast transients. But then the classical playbacks were highly problematic. Massed strings were just too lean and the waltzes should not feel hurried! This is a take-no-prisoner plinth.

That did not last long. Despite the sprain, I soldiered on. Next I slotted in the Slate plinth (top pic). Well, better, much better. The leanness was mostly gone and there was a more focused, even crystalline sound. Sometimes the sheen was attractive, but I felt it to be a coloration. Also, the decay was foreshortened. This is not the first time I encountered a slate plinth. My good friend Robin the Scot (you can google for pics) has one for his Garrard, not one-piece, but sort of constrained layers, with multiple thin slabs separated by damping material (I think it was sorbothane) and I was never sure it contributed that much (as I had too a Garrard with a generic wood plinth). I could perhaps work with this plinth.

Next I returned to my wood plinth. Compared to the above, outlines were less precisely etched, but the massed strings were sweeter and the flow simply better and more coherent. I have to confess I miss a little the added details of the stone plinths, but I shall stay with wood.

I then compared notes with Andy. He found the marble fatiguing but took to the slate. It'd be interesting to see his reaction in the long run. We discussed the use of rubber grommets between the turntable and the plinth. It is known some people prefer to do without them. I did not have time to try. Then it was Kevin's turn. He took to the marble more than we did but also preferred the slate.

One note on aesthetics. The Slate was cut like the European plinths, just a little larger than the turntable. I love the looks. My armboard (made by Kevin) is utilitarian but certainly not a visual match. The original 12" armboard is much more elegant but more troublesome to shape. The marble plinth is cut like US plinths, unnecessarily big and clumsy.

Genesis Digital Lens Theta Data Basic II Meridian 200 Gotham 10601

Brief Review: Genesis Digital Lens
Two DAC's: Ensemble Dichrono Hi-Dac vs Sparkler S-306
Two Swing Arm Transports: Theta Data Basic II vs Meridian 200

Calling this a "review" is an overstatement. Rather, just brief notes. I am trying to finish off my stash of articles. Today is the last day of quarantine. Tomorrow I shall return to my old house, which is in the "countryside", where the signal is poor. Wifi is likely poor. So my communications will be fewer and farther in between.

Genesis Digital Lens In HK, I have long used de-jitter devices. Early on, I briefly used the Sonic Frontier Ultra Jitterbug, but I preferred the Monarchy Audio DIP. But when I got my hands on the Genesis, all others fell by the wayside and it became central to my digital setups. With 5 inputs and 3 outputs it acts as a great switchboard that allows one to run multiple combinations. For detailed description of what was then quite revolutionary, see Stereophile. The Genesis was probably the first device to use 500Kb of RAM as buffer. Is it obsolete 20+ years later? I think not, and this 2018 article agreed with me.

Two months ago I chanced upon one at US Audiomart, at a very good price, and the seller delivered it to me! I first tried it in the LR streaming system. It did its usual good job with my Micromega Stage 2 and MyDac. However, it would not work well with bluetooth. There was no jitter figure, music got through, but there were not infrequent stutters, sign of the poor quality of the digital signal. I then took it to the audio room, where I connected it in System II with 2 transports and 2 DAC's.

Theta Data Basic II This is a hell of a transport. Stereophile has a detailed review on the I, but the II is even better, with addition of balanced output, addition of one more transformer and an updated anti-jitter circuit (info from an excellent Taiwanese page). Basically a modified PS Audio Lambda, it nonetheless is better sounding, and it has that trademark killer bass that its forerunner Data had. I still have the legendary original Data (Stereophile; the one converted from a Pioneer LD player), which I have always regarded as the best transport. However, previously I did compare the 2 and the sound was shockingly similar. My Data Basic II reads discs very fast and I think there is a lot of life left in the Philips CD9 Pro; unfortunately the same cannot be said about the Data. I used the balanced output.

Gotham10601 This is the Gotham AES cable, very slim and flexible. I regard it as the best digital cable. In HK I still have the old Kimber (Illuminati) DX-50, and the Gotham has a lot more detail and is also more pacey.

Meridian 200 This is a classic Meridian transport employing the CDM-4. Stereophile reviewed it together with the 263 DAC, whereas Gramophone had the earlier bitstream 200/203 combo (the DACs can be ignored). I used the coaxial output with the Belden 1694A.

Sparkler S306 needs no introduction in this blog. NOS TDA-1543 conversion. This was after I reversed the input wires. Hooked up with the Belden 1694A.

Ensemble Dichrono HiDac This is a very expensive DAC, but I got it with the Dirondo transport for a very good price. Critical reception was mixed (see 6moons and positive feedback). Hooked up with either Ensemble Gigaflux BNC or coaxial Belden 1694A.

Brief Comparisons 

• Theta vs Meridian There is little question that the Theta excels in more areas: resolution, drive, dynamics and bass. This could also partly be due to the AES connection. Error displayed is very low on the Genesis. But the Meridian is no slouch. It is a little more diffuse and less resolved but it is still eminently musical. Error displayed is just slightly higher than the Theta. Both are highly recommendable if one can find an honest seller or test thoroughly. The CDM4 though shall likely last longer.
  

• Ensemble vs Sparkler Similarly, there is little question the Ensemble excelled in all the things the Theta did. However, in my highly resolved system (using Yamamoto CA-04 preamp) the Ensemble proved to be on the yang side. The Sparkler had less resolution but was subtly articulate and more listenable over time. I still have work to do on the Ensemble in the future.

Iranian Cinema

Letter from Hong Kong (20-15): Iranian Cinema

How I became a Film Buff For as long as I can remember, films played an important part in my life. Growing up in HK in the 60's, father took us to watch many films from mainland China (nostalgia), including many opera films (father was a seasoned veteran). This was when communist rule was in its early days, when they were still maintaining traditional culture. Then came the cultural revolution, when the regime tore down all facets of tradition, not to mention the film industry. So we went to see western films. Father was not picky, westerns, vampires, everything; in fact I think he just liked to take a nap in darkness. Then he left us for the US for four years during which mother would take us to watch the cheap morning reruns of old movies. By then in my early teens I was able to remember more. The movie theater was right in the middle of the wet market. Uncomfortable wooden seats, and we sat always in the first 3 rows (cheapest). Thus I watched a considerable number of old movies, from early HK kung fu films to classic western films. A few that particularly captured me: Two for the Road for the stunning cars and scenery, and of course the great Audrey Hepburn; Hamlet (Laurence Olivier) for its brooding atmosphere and headache I incurred from seating so close; and since it was early puberty, Solomon, for the voluptuous Gina Lollobrigida (you know what I was focusing on). When I got to NYC, I had terrible jet lag and ended up watching all the Late Shows and Late late Shows. That was how I got to know many of the old films (I had a particular preference for B movies, especially those starring Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake). In college I was working at one of the first Szechuan (Sichuan) restaurants in NYC (Szechuan Omei on 72nd St) and there was a revival house nearby (close to the Ansonia on Broadway). It was dirt cheap: 10 tickets for $12.50. Imagine the bafflement of someone in his late teens watching for the first time films of Luis Brunel and Ingmar Bergman! But that triggered my life-long penchant for art films, which continued at Carnegie Hall and Bleecker Street Cinemas. In many ways, I was like the protagonist of the novel The Moviegoer, by Walker Percy (unjustly forgotten but available in the library), a lonely young man seeking refuge in the cinema.

NYC is one of the greatest place for a film buff. Beside the cinemas, which show a lot of the foreign films that I like, there is the Museum of Modern Art, which curates great retrospectives. That was how I got to watch the early films of Andrei Tarkovsky and many more. Hong Kong was not that great but I managed to catch a few.

My enthusiasm for Iranian films started in the 90's with Abbas Kiarostami, having watched at least Life, and Nothing More, Through the Olive Trees, Taste of Cherry and The Wind will Carry Us. Then followed his protege Jafar Panahi, who people most associate with the movie The White Balloon. There were others but this is not meant to be exhaustive.

Why am I suddenly writing about this? Because yesterday the movie channel showed Panahi's film Taxi (Tehran), which I had seen before. I enjoyed it so very much the second time and of course it is the best movie I had watched during my quarantine (so many junk films; I don't think I can watch another gangster or kung fu film for a while). In this film, I particularly enjoy the sequence with the Taxi driver's niece, actually the niece of Panahi, Hana Saeidi. Panahi had been banned from filming yet he continues to do it, and he breaks his confinement too. Saeidi actually represented him to receive the Golden Bear (here is an interview). What a radiantly beautiful young lady! And the lawyer is a real human rights lawyer!

Iranian films are striking for what they achieve at next-to-zero budgets. A film probably costs less than a minute of a Hollywood sequence. But the real achievement lies in their laser-sharp probe into the human condition. A humanistic concern that has little parallel in the world of cinema. And the realism and sincerity are striking. The films are not sentimental at all, never manipulated, but frequently I find myself breaking into tears. Yes, beauty of the soul and genuineness moves me, especially since our world in the US (and elsewhere) now is so full of hypocrisy, ugliness and empty slogans. More people should be watching these films.

I actually haven't gone to the cinema for at least 10 years. I caught some of these films on Chinese streaming services. That's how I got to watch Taxi the first time. Two other excellent films are A Separation and The Salesman

Ground Mysteries Sparkler DAC Connection Issue

Letter from Hong Kong (20-14): Ground Mysteries

Although for the longest time I have always had multiple systems and all sorts of things running at the same time (higher chance of ground loop), it is not often that I have hum problems. Occasionally turntables would put me to work but it could always be worked out. But two recent incidences are highly puzzling.

1. It is well known that power connections can be a problem. Although 3-pronged IEC sockets and plugs are the standard, many equipment actually don't connect the ground or join the ground with neutral. All vintage equipment and most Japanese equipment are two pronged. You can imagine someone like me, who mixes all kinds of gear, to be vulnerable to ground issues. Also, the usual advice is to have everything coming off one outlet, but that's not possible for me, who runs multiple stations all over the room. It is a miracle that I don't usually have problems.

Except for my Wavac MD-811's selector, which has a contact problem. One channel would sometimes cut out or hum, and it would take some wiggling to redress the issue. I tightened the nuts of the selector and volume pots but that did not help. One day, while it started to hum again. I was at Station II, where I was installing something. For lack of a power cable I pulled the one on a piece of idle equipment (no standby circuit and not drawing current). Immediately the hum stopped. Weird? Well, I kept that power cord out of the system. I didn't have enough time to test more since I was about to leave NYC.

I chatted about this with Andy. He said he frequently had issues with the 3-pronged power cords and had to use cheater plugs to float the ground (reason why some equipment has a ground switch to allow one to do that). He also maintains that if every thing is 2-pronged there is a lot less chance of hum.

2. This one is positively bizarre. Long time readers know that I love my Sparkler S-306 DAC. But my unit has a quirk - it'd not accept many digital cables (as reported here). I took this cable to NYC and recently tried to use it with intermittent success. More often than not, it would not work, issuing crackling sound. Now, I didn't report this before, in HK once when I pulled out a digital cable from this unit, the hot pin accidentally touched the collar of the female connector, and to my surprise I heard music for that instance (I had the volume knob down, but not off).

When I returned to the audio room, I tried to install the S306 again. No success with all my cables. I then tested it by pressing the hot pin against the female collar - perfect transmission. So I took out my solder and reversed the two tiny wires to the circuit board, and it worked with all my digital cables.

Is that not weird? If the wires had been reversed, how come it would (often or sometimes) work before the surgery? Is there a grounding issue here? I don't have the answer.

Size Matters? AQVOX CI Mk II

Letter from Hong Kong (20-13): Large vs Small

AQVOX 2CI Mk II revisited, vs Parasound JC3

In NYC, after months of streaming in the LR on small loudspeakers, I finally returned to the dedicated audio room. This is a brief article to record my impressions. First, I hooked up a simple system:

Digital: Micromega Stage 2
Analog: Thorens TD-124/Thomas Schick/Goldbug Clement
Phonoamps: AQVOX 2CI Mk II or Parasound JC3
Preamp: Linear Tube Audio MZ2
Amp: Wavac MD-811
Loudseakers: YL Audio 4-way horns

 

Size Matters? Of course, the large horn loudspeakers presented a completely different vista from the small LS3/5A and P3-ESR. Mind you previously I also had the LS3/5A as a second system in the audio room. Of course, the large horns are better in almost everything, but one aspect of big vs small particularly stood out this time:

Regular readers will know my repeatedly using Nick Cave's Boatman's Call and Marvin Gaye's What's Going On. These two are similar in that both have tracks with speaking voice dubbed over the singing. With the smaller loudspeakers, with certain equipment the separation between the two is better than others, but never complete. But with the YL horns, the separation is complete. It is like the 2 voices have their own pockets of ambience, which should be the case, as they were recorded separately. I am extremely happy that the system can resolve it to this degree. I assure you, many speakers, even those that are even larger and cost astronomical sums, can fail at this. So it's not all a matter of size.

The LTA worked very well as a preamp. I then installed it in System III, in lieu of the Schiit Saga.

Two Phonoamps With the ultra-high gain Parasound, everything was thrown into high relief, precisely etched, with a wide and deep soundstage and great bass. It was however a little too hifi. Switching to the AQVOX CI Mk II (current mode) smoothed things out. Although the Parasound is very quiet, the AQVOX has an even darker background, especially on the sensitive horns. It was also perceived as an unruffled calmness. The sound is slightly warm, and less precisely focused than the Parasound, but it was eminently musical.

A few days before I left NYC. I took the AQVOX to our analog guru Andy. He had heard it before and liked the sound. This time, he said it is very fine sounding. Coming from a seasoned vinyl veteran (moreover with a tube bias) that is high accolade.

Almarro 318B Overview 6C33C Audio Professor

Brief Review: Almarro 318B, vs A205A Mk II and AES SE-1

After I rehabilitated the Almarro A205A and AES SE-1, it was the turn for almarro A318B, but not before overcoming a hiccup. Let's start with:

Overview: 6C33C

In the last two decades, this tube, used on MIG fighter jets, became (in)famous. For an Introduction, read this article in tubetvr. If you look at the spec's, unlike most tubes, this beast is low plate voltage, high current and dissipation. As mentioned, the big variations in tubes favor individual fixed bias. It requires an ultra-stiff power supply, which is why, for such an interesting tube, there are fewer than usual DIY efforts. Otherwise, its ability to deliver 20 watts in SE configuration and hence to drive real world loudspeakers would render it even more popular. But there are people who advises against using this tube for audio, particularly with fixed bias, as opined in jacmusic, which is an even better introduction. Suffice to say, frequent checking of bias is a must.

OTL In a way, the 6C33C is most famous for its use in OTL amps. I have never heard the Atmasphere Novacron, one of the earliest OTL amps. And no, I have never heard the ridiculously expensive Lamm. In HK, I heard many times, always to good effect, the Italian Graaf GM20 and Modena (see my OTL Overview and also here). Another friend also uses the original Tenor OTL Monoblocks (this one) to drive his Watt/Puppy and it was OK (still a mismatch imho, but then I don't take to Wilson, particularly the incoherent Watt/Puppy).

SE The Almarro A318B is actually not the first SE 6C33C amp that I owned. In HK, I still have an old 100V Japanese Audio Professor amp, which has Tango transformers and uses 4 x 6J5 (= 2 x 6SN7) to drive the 6C33C (see right pic, borrowed from the net; click to enlarge). Its sound is excellent and warmer than the Almarro. I once took it to my friend Paul's place, where I matched it with the Graaf GM20, driving the B&W 802N. The two sounded similar in tonality and detail retrieval, but I preferred the SE for its better bass.

Push Pull This is the least often seen. From the start, BAT has always had a PP model in the lineup (see Herb Reichert's recent review of one). I have heard it at shows, pretty good (usually shows don't yield good sound).

Almarro A318B
This amp is quite famous and needs no introduction. For details, read the 6moons review. The A318B uses a little NFB. I have owned this amp for a long time, but have never formally written it up. Recently, my unit developed a problem. As I have recounted in a previous article:

"...Almost a year ago, I took out my Almarro A318B for a run. The machine heats up the filaments for almost 2 minutes before unmuting itself. Soon I heard popping sound in the left channel and shut it down. The same the second time. It also would not bias (recommended is 0.18V; no more than 0.21V). I got frustrated and put it back into the box. Recently I decided to get a new matched pair of 6C33C, and they are not cheap (over $100). I installed the stock Russian 6SN7 and 6SL7 and ran the new tubes. Great music, no bias problem. The next day, I installed the same 2 old-stock N7/L7 which I have kept in the box, expecting a better sound. Guess what, a pop in the left channel! I went to test the N7/L7. The L7 tested great. The N7 passed but for one triode I saw the meter drift erratically in both directions. There! That 6SN7 is faulty! Yes, tubes can measure well and still be faulty, particularly when warming up. I exchanged it with a RCA 5692 and the sound was perfect. Humbled, I reflected on why I had assumed it was the 6C33C that was at fault. Why had I not considered the possibility of either of the small tubes being the culprit? Perhaps the biasing problem compounded my confusion. Yesterday, I swapped in the original pair of of 6C33C and, guess what, they worked perfectly. And this time, there is no bias problem; in fact, they bias just like the new pair. Well, what happened back then? Unlikely as it is, I could only surmise that the faulty tube somehow messed up the bias. Well well, this is as it should be. I never used this amp that much and the stock tubes still should have plenty of life left (especially since I now run them at only 0.13-0.15V bias; mind you in NYC my area voltage can be 126V, dangerously near the tolerance limit of gears designed for 117V +/- 10%). I could have saved $100 if I had been more thorough before..."

In the forums, some complain of popping noises. Some of these cases could be due to the 6SN7/L7! In my experience, the stock Russian 6H8 and 6H9 are not reliable at all, and early failures are not uncommon. In HK, I had another friend who had one and used it with the stock tubes for a long time with no problem. Even though my listening sessions are long, there is no bias drift. So, provided you check the bias frequently (easy in this amp), imho it is a reliable amp.

What about the sound? Well, of all the amps I have used with the Harbeth P3ESR SE, the A318B was the best. It surpassed the Akitika GT-102 in texture and color. Everything is just bolder and fleshier. Plenty of power. In comparison, the lower powered Almarro A205A Mk II and AES SE-1 seemed relatively subdued flatter. Not very tubey in sound, it is nonetheless highly listenable - a great amp and a classic by now, especially for those who need a little more power. Too bad Almarro is no more.