Kinnie Bluetooth Player RCA PA-103 PB-23 JBL K2-9500

Letter from Hong Kong (24-14): Another Longest Day, Part II

JBL K2-9500 and RCA Summit

I forgot to mention in my report on the visit to Take One Audio that, finally, I met our author Shawn P for the first time. He's had a rough few months (including 2 false medical alarms for family members, imagine!) and I'm glad that things have sorted themselves out now. jules also joined us there.

JBL K2-9500 After Take One, we decamped to the den of Brother Shan 山哥, also in a nearby Industrial Building. What a luxuriously large space that, unusually, doesn't have any clutter at all. The host is apparently a neat man who doesn't like too many things lying about.

Apparently, this pristine pair of JBL is on loan (I'm envious that these fellows with large spaces often get donor items to play with) They were driven very nicely by a pair of DIY 211 SE amps (with KT66 drivers) that sport many transformers (including inter-stages), the most expensive of which being some Bartolucci (apparently the Italian is controversial and very tardy in delivering his stuff). Preamp is DIY VT-25 (10), very unusual. Source was mostly the excellent Kinnie Blue Tooth Player (previously reported here) via digital out to the DAC of the Esoteric CDP. Esoteric has never been a personal fav, and we briefly tried and preferred Kinney's own analogue out. Overall, a very decent performance! Most of us think the 9500 sounds better than the later 66/67000. I also have previously heard an excellent 9800, driven by my humble integrated tube amp Fisher X-101-C (it slaughtered FM Acoustics on that day)!

RCA Summit Shawn had to leave and the four of us went for a quick dinner. After dinner, we decamped to Taimonsing's place. You have met this RCA man before (here and here)! 

This is the pinnacle of RCA Tube amps, RCA's answer to Western Electric 41/42/43. In the above pic, the Preamps and Amps are housed in the tall Equipment Rack in the center, whereas the Booster Amps are slightly to the rear, on the right. The huge PG105 horns heard on the day.

PA-103 (Preamp): Tube complements are 57 driving 59.

PB-23 (Booster Amp): 45 PP Amps heard on their magnificent own before (here). UY224A and 56 driving 45 PP. Rectifier is 80.

PB-45 (Amp): 845 PP. 866 Rectifiers. This place otherwise has all old-stock tubes but here Chinese 845s are used. Understandably, as almost no sellers can test these high voltage tubes buying old-stock is like a gamble.

As to be expected at Taimonsing's place, the sound was excellent. With the huge amount of power on hand (845 PP) the soundstage was pushed backwards and images were rock steady. Observations: 1) compared to the PB-23 (45 PP) by itself in the last visit the sound was more expansive but necessarily lost some refinement and subtlety; 2) but it was not at all completely without, as the sound was still mellifluous, and definitely carrying some traits of the 45 Booster Amps; 3) the PB-45 (845 PP) to my ears are superior to the very similarly structured Ballantyne MX-24, also heard last time. IMHO, at least part of this has to do with the transmitting tube employed. The Ballantyne uses 805, which in my experience has never really roused me even with old-stock tubes, in SE (like Wavac or some modern Chinese proponents) or PP configurations. Whereas 845 is different. My Unison Research Smart 845, even SE, minimal and using Chinese tubes, sounded marvelous in its hey-days! Problem is, old-stock 805s are still affordable and plentiful whereas 845 are really risky!!

The system's perfectly healthy condition now can be certified by the performance of just one LP cut that I requested. It was the same Shostakovich Symphony No. 13 (RCO/Haitink, Decca) played before. Now, everything is well sorted!

MARVELOUS! I'm really lucky to have experienced this kind of thing! Thx to my hosts and icefox for the arrangements!

2 Stage Preamp, VT25 drives VT25. Kinney Bluetooth Player (black)

with integral Antenna (golden "X'mas Tree")

Note the Blue Glow of the Mercury Vapor tubes 866, similar to those

used in Ballantyne and WE