Inmate Systems - Audio Asylum

thetubeguy1954's Thetubeguy's Audio System System
IP Address: 50.89.229.15	Last Update: January 08, 2013 at 11:26:44
Amplifier:	I use an Italian Mastersound Reference 845 SET amp. This amp produces the sweetest, most natural sounding music I've ever heard from an amp. It's a parallel, single-ended Class A design, with four 845B output tubes, two Bendix 6900 driver tubes & two Mazda 'silver-plate' 6189 preamp tubes. When I first purchased the Mastersound I decided to replace the stock 12AU7A tubes and after much trial & error I replaced the stock 12AU7A with NOS Mazda 6189 aka 12AU7WA "silver-plate" tubes. The Mazda "silver-plates" embarrassed the highly regarded Siemens "silver-plate" ECC82 tubes and made a very considerable sonic improvement in the Mastersound's sonic performance, especially in terms of transparency. However that sonic improvement was dwarfed by the level of improvement that occured when I replaced the stock Tung-Sol 5687 tubes with Bendix 6900 tubes, for now the dynamics, transient response & retrieval of inner-details were greatly enhanced as well. For as good as those improvements were, they weren't the greatest sonic improvements by a longshot! No siree, what was absolutely amazing was the escalation and the magnitude of naturalness the harmonic content of the singers, musicians & their instruments now had imparted on their tone by the 6900 tube! For they were now "graced" for lack of a better word, with a level of sonic improvement I had never, ever heard a tube make anywhere else before. Timbre was so vastly improved, it was easy for all, but the person most unconcerned with musical integrity to differentiate easily between a clarinet and a soprano saxophone. I can honestly state you had to hear this level of improvement made by a tube to believe it. There's just something spectacularly & exceptionally phenomenal, almost magical, that transpires sonically when a 6900 tube is used to drive an 845 tube. There's a gestalt affect as the two tubes work together seemingly to became one greater entity who's capabilities far exceed what one would expect either tube to be capable of when working together! I believe this 6900/845 "gestalt-effect" is due to the fact that they both tubes use tungsten internally. I have no proof to back my belief, but it seems as good a theory as any other I've heard to explain what occurs. I can only say this combo has transformed what was already the best 845 amp I had ever heard, into what I believe is now a world-class amplifier. Once you hear this amp make music it will ensnare you with its musical "naturalness" and correctness of sound... Negative Feedback is 0dB, with a frequency bandwidth of 15 Hz – 40 kHz. It's dimensions are 15.7”W x 25.2”D x 10.2”H Weight: 135 lbs (mainly from 4 trannies the size of coffee cans)
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	I have no preamp at this time, but the Mastersound is switchable from being used as an integrated to a power amp at the front of the amp.
Speakers:	My speakers are Sachiko double-back-loaded horns finished in Rosewood veneer and internally wired with special copper wire attained from NASA. The Sachikos have a pair 8", 99dB, Fostex FE208ES-R "wide-range" whizzerless drivers that are run full-range sans crossover and is allowed to roll off naturally. These cover from 80Hz to 8KHz. The range of 8Khz to 20KHz is covered by Fostex 106dB, T900a horn tweeters.
Sources:
CD Player/DAC:	Audio-gd CD-7SE "Final-Version" transport and Audio-gd Reference 7.1 DAC from Hong Kong! I and everyone else who's heard these two components playing in my system have been literally stunned by the sound of these Audio-gd pieces working together.
Turntable/Phono Stage:	None
Other Source(s):	None, but would like a Marantz 2130 tuner.
Other Accessories/Room/Misc.:
Speaker Cables/Interconnects:	IC: Atelier Rullit "Late Gothic" Digital: Homemade Speakerwire: DIY Power Cords: Stealth Audio's M-21 Super (2)
Other (Power Conditioner, Racks etc.):	None
Tweaks:	My tweaks have been in the way of using much better tubes & wires than my equipment originally came with. The Mastersound's stock 12AU7's were replaced with vintage NOS Mazda 'chrome-plate' 6189's or 12AU7WA's as they are also called. Next I replaced the Tung-Sol 5687's with Bendix 6900's. These tubes literally transformed my amplifiers sound. I have done a lot tube rolling and usually tubes sound subtly better or GOD-forbid worse. However replacing the 5687 with the 6900 was more like upgrading an audio component. Perhaps the best thing I can say to try and reveal the level of improvement is this. My roommate at that time thought anyone who spent more than $1000 on an entire audio system was nuts! Well after I changed from the 5687 to the 6900 tubes there was a knock on my bedroom door. When I opened the door my roomate came in, looked around and asked me "What did you just do?" When I told him I replaced a pair of $20 tubes with a pair of $300 tubes, he said you're crazy to pay $300 for tubes but I have to admit they sound a lot better, even through the door! Finally I replaced the Mastersound's cheap 845 tubes with the much better 845B tube.
Room Size (LxWxH):	15' 8' x 12' 8' x 8' to 10' sloped ceiling.
Room Comments/Treatments:	None.
Music Preferences and Comments:
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	My taste in music leans towards mellow, soft, relaxing music. My preferences in order are: 1)Smooth Jazz (Dan Siegal, Fourplay, Pat Coil, Pam Williams, Solar Wind, etc) 2)New Age (Third Force, Max Lasser, William Belote, Acoustic Alchemy etc) 3)Prog-Rock (Genesis, Starcastle, Marillion, Supertramp, Yes, Trillion etc)
System Goals/Comments:	My goal is what I believe everyone who owns an audio system's goal should be. To have my system be able to reproduce the actual event that was recorded, in the space it was recorded in. I want to be 'transported' to the event, NOT have the event transported to me.
System Strengths:	Dynamics, transient response, clarity & transparency, retrieval of inner detail, purity of harmonics, tones & timbres, along with a wide, deep, soundstage that doesn't blow-up the size of the singers, musicians or their instruments. People often say one of two things: either they'll say "I can hear things on recording I've owned for 10 - 30 years I never heard before" or "I can now clearly understand words I could never understand before."
System Weaknesses:	The one main fault is definitely one of omission, not commission. There's just not enough bass below 80Hz and just while I believe this is something I can live without 90% of the time due to the type of music I listen to mainly, every now and then I discover I miss not having that extra impact, weight & slam that's provided when you can reproduce lower bass accurately & cleanly!
Video/HT System: Separate
TV/Projector:	I use a 73" Mitsubishi WD-73833, 3-D ready, rear projection, TV.
Processor/Receiver/Amplifiers:	Audio Research SP-9 preamp with two NOS Voskhod "rocket-logo" 6N23P tubes inside and a Harman Kardon Citation 16a power amp.
Speakers (Center, Surrounds, Sub):	Two Monsoon FPF-1000 front speaker (TV used as a "center channel") and two Monsoon rear speaker that came from their MH-505 system for computers. It uses the same ribbon tweeter used in the FPF-1000 with a 3" "mid/woofer that blends perfectly with the front mains.
Sources (DVD/VCR):	It's an inexpensive Sanyo DVD player. Sorry but this is just to enjoy movies better, not to listen to music critically on.
Comments on HT System:	I probably won't add a subwoofer as the front Monsoon FPF-1000 with their two 8" drivers get quite low. Often when there's a low frequency effect people usually ask where the subwoofer is located and are quite surprised to discover there is no subwoofer!
URL Link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/singleendedtriodes/
Other Interests/Hobbies/Occupation:	Computers, Plants & Dogs