New amp arrives today!!!

2

Comments

  • nspindel wrote: »
    She's a beauty!


    n1og5hay2wqw.jpeg

    Indeed!
  • gce
    gce Posts: 2,158
    Very cool...lets us know what you think when you get a few hours on her.
    Anaheim Hills CA,
    HT 5.1: Anthem MRX 720 / BDP-Denon DBT1713UD / Polkaudio LSiM703 / W4S mAmp's / Polkaudio LSiM706c / Polkaudio LSiM702F/X's / SVS PC12-NSD / Panasonic TC P55VT30

    2 Channel: Rogue RP-5 / WireWorld Electra power cord / Marantz TT-15S1/ Ortofon - Quintet Black MC / Marantz NA8005 DAC / W4S mAmp's / Synology DS 216+ll-4TB / Polkaudio LSiM703
  • vcwatkins
    vcwatkins Posts: 1,993
    Wow, beautiful. Congrats!
    b]Beach Audio[/b]: Rega RP6 (mods) - AT33PTG/II - Parks Budgie SUT - PSAudio NPC * Eversolo DMP-A6 * Topping D90iii * Joule-Electra LA-100 mkIII * Pass Aleph 30 * MIT S3 * Polk SRS 2.3tl (mods) * PSAudio PPP3
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    Town Porch: WiiM Pro Plus * Sunfire Sig II * Canare 4S11 * Magnepan 1.6 * Dectet
  • gfong
    gfong Posts: 1,079
    Looks awesome, congrats.
  • Upstatemax
    Upstatemax Posts: 2,670
    Looks AWESOME Neil!

    When I visit my sister in-law in Miami, I'm going to have to come up and listen for myself!!

    The road trip will be worth it. 4 little girls under the age of 6 and two testy sisters under one roof, no thanks!

  • nspindel
    nspindel Posts: 5,343
    Come on by! We love visitors!
    Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
  • Joey_V
    Joey_V Posts: 8,553
    Is that a book case underneath the left window? Does that impede the left channel?
    Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R
  • nspindel
    nspindel Posts: 5,343
    It's a small bench. The stands the speakers are on have the speakers high enough that the bench isn't in the way.
    Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
  • Nightfall
    Nightfall Posts: 10,086
    It's hard to tell on a tablet screen but that looks massive - and impressive.
    afterburnt wrote: »
    They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.

    Village Idiot of Club Polk
  • She's big and beautiful. Well done sir.
  • nspindel
    nspindel Posts: 5,343
    boml6m21o27x.jpeg
    Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
  • nspindel
    nspindel Posts: 5,343
    Uncaged

    p93vvdsqybwx.jpeg
    Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
  • Upstatemax
    Upstatemax Posts: 2,670
    You should NEVER cage that bad boy!
  • motorhead43026
    motorhead43026 Posts: 3,897
    edited December 2015
    Post a better un-caged picture. Very fine piece btw.
    The best way to predict the future is to invent it.

    It is imperative that we recognize that an opinion is not a fact.
  • How much horsepower from the EL34's?
  • nspindel
    nspindel Posts: 5,343
    EL34 running in Triode mode is 20W per side. Mooooore than plenty, which has always blown my mind about tube gear. Anyone who doesn't believe that all watts are not created equal (sorry about the double negative...) just needs to put a 20W per channel solid state receiver side by side with this bad boy. If I run in Ultralinear, it almost doubles to 38W per side. But from what I've read, if you don't need the power then Triode is a sweeter sound.

    If I run KT88s instead of EL34s, then it's 22W/channel in Triode and 40W/channel in Ultralinear.

    So far I'm damn impressed with the stock tubes. They ran the stock tubes in the factory demo, so I'm not that surprised. I'll probably grab some NOS 5AR4/GZ34, since there's only one of them. As for the EL34/KT88 and the 12AU7 tubes, I'm going to sit tight and do some research before jumping. There are four each, we know how expensive that can get.
    Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
  • nspindel
    nspindel Posts: 5,343
    Unfortunately for me, the amp arrived the day before I headed out of town for a spell, I got back last night and of course was up until I was bleary-eyed listening to this thing. This amp obviously has the capability to make my 5B's sound as good as they're capable of sounding. That almost goes without saying. But here is one other thing I can say about this amp. I have owned Grado headphones for 10 years. I have NEVER heard an amp make them sound so good. I have $2000 LCD-3's and I have $300 Grado 325's, and right now I'm loving the Grado's so much more than the LCD-3's. Amp and headphone combinations are even more finicky than loudspeakers IMO, and while the new VPI does a decent job with the LCD-3's, I've certainly heard them sound better. The Grados, on the other hand, are sounding other worldly with this amp. Looks like I'm going to have a pair of LCD-3's hitting the market pretty soon!!!
    Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
  • Awesome! What's next? :*
  • nspindel
    nspindel Posts: 5,343
    Heh. With all the selling I'm doing I'm having serious thoughts of throwing my Traveler on the market and jumping up to the Prime. A Prime and their amp would just be the sweetest damn system I'd ever have any right to want to own.
    Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
  • Upstatemax
    Upstatemax Posts: 2,670
    Do it!!!!

    Taking the time to second guess is only wasting time you could of had with your new Prime...
  • There is a logic to that.
    :)
    Upstatemax wrote: »
    Do it!!!!

    Taking the time to second guess is only wasting time you could of had with your new Prime...

  • nspindel
    nspindel Posts: 5,343
    Not doing anything until the Krell sells!
    Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    cfrizz wrote: »
    Very nice, congrats and enjoy.

    Its tube power and not 200wpc, who kidnapped the real cfrizz? :D
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,967
    madmax wrote: »
    cfrizz wrote: »
    Very nice, congrats and enjoy.

    Its tube power and not 200wpc, who kidnapped the real cfrizz? :D


    I know...right ?

    There has been an imposter acting all sweet and innocent taking over her name the last few weeks. Has to be....or the boyfriend has here on constant supply of Valium.


    Congrats on the amp man, she sure looks sweet and obviously sounds the same. Amazing what 20 watts of clean power can do eh ? Rock on...

    HT SYSTEM-
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  • nspindel
    nspindel Posts: 5,343
    Just firing up this thread a bit to confirm what I had been pondering earlier. Equipment sales went well enough that I've gone and ordered myself the VPI Prime turntable, which will sit right next to the 299D. Having it set up at the dealer right now with a Soundsmith Zephyr MKII cart, and also a Soundsmith Counter Intuitive.

    I was also so impressed by how good my Grados sounded on this amp that I stepped up the Grado chain as well. I was born in Brooklyn and couldn't resist grabbing a pair of the GH-1's, which is a limited edition model made from a maple tree harvested in Brooklyn.

    I've given my wife permission to shoot me if I ever even think about switching turntables or amps again. There's just no reason why this won't be gear for life.
    Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
  • polk500
    polk500 Posts: 1,171
    nspindel wrote: »
    She's a beauty!


    n1og5hay2wqw.jpeg

    Indeed!

    Beautiful looking amp,love the colour enjoy the tunes.

    Cheers
  • westmassguy
    westmassguy Posts: 6,850
    nspindel wrote: »
    Just firing up this thread a bit to confirm what I had been pondering earlier. Equipment sales went well enough that I've gone and ordered myself the VPI Prime turntable, which will sit right next to the 299D. Having it set up at the dealer right now with a Soundsmith Zephyr MKII cart, and also a Soundsmith Counter Intuitive.

    I was also so impressed by how good my Grados sounded on this amp that I stepped up the Grado chain as well. I was born in Brooklyn and couldn't resist grabbing a pair of the GH-1's, which is a limited edition model made from a maple tree harvested in Brooklyn.

    I've given my wife permission to shoot me if I ever even think about switching turntables or amps again. There's just no reason why this won't be gear for life.

    They still have trees in Brooklyn?
    All kidding aside, sounds like a great setup Neil.
    Enjoy!
    Home Theater/2 Channel:
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    Surrounds & Rears: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/151647/my-surround-project/p1
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  • nspindel
    nspindel Posts: 5,343
    Actually I just called an audible, I'm going with Ortofon 2M Black, not the Zephyr.
    Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
  • nspindel
    nspindel Posts: 5,343
    They still have trees in Brooklyn?

    Only in parks.
    Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
  • nspindel
    nspindel Posts: 5,343
    Time to start playing around with some tubes. Pegged a 1958 Blackburn Mullard GZ34 rectifier on eBay today. Spoke to Steve Leung from VAS/VPI, he told me order of importance for replacing the stock tubes is rectified, then driver 12AU7s, then line stage 12AU7s, then the power tubes. Helloooooooo rabbit hole!
    Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.