Oh my Dodd, it arrived today!!! tubes anyone?

faster100

so is that alot of gain? normal... or what... I just know it seems higher then my previous pre but in a good way... definatly a better match

dragon1952

I wanted to give my new Dodd ELP a little time to break in before I made any judgement, but after 3 days of listening I can honestly say that I cannot believe how good my system is sounding right now. If anyone tried to tell me my system was anything other than hi-fi right now I'd laugh in their face. I was a little worried about some of the talk I'd heard about soft bass, etc. with tubes and yes the bass is softer but it's actually more proportionate now, more musical and tighter. My imaging and soundstage have improved and the clarity is outstanding. This new Regina Belle CD I just got plays with such realism that I feel I should stand up and applaud after every song. I've been halfway considering new speakers but with the right equipment, which I think I have now, I just can't see how anything could sound better than these Studio 40's. I was also considering a new source but the way I feel now why should I change anything. Hopefully I can resist the urges and just leave every component and every cable alone for a long time and just enjoy it for once.
The current system:

Conrad Johnson Sonographe SA-250 amp , 125wpc, MOSFET design
Dodd Audio ELP w/ stock Jolida 6JD8 tubes (both of these components thanks to Russ for his suggestions, and of course Gary Dodd for the ELP)
NAD C541i CD
Paradigm Studio 40 speakers bi-wired w/ Canare Star Quad
Kimber PBJ source to preamp
Belden L-5CFB coax w/ Canare connectors from Heartland Cable between amp and preamp, which I chose over my Audioquest Opal's because they sounded way better for this purpose, in this system anyway.

Now that I've said that, AV123 has the Onix XCD-88 for $320 shipped. Per Walter at Underwood Hi-Fi, this is the exact same machine as the highly upgradable Music Hall CD-25. Hmmmm! I wonder if I should grab one.

michael_w

glad you guys are having so much fun with your new pres. Dragon lemme know if you want to get rid of that nad cdp... you might just have a buyer

organ

Dragon,
Once you start tube rolling, you'll be hooked. Some tubes do produce the 'softer' bass. But you will find that some tubes will sound a lot more powerful and punchy than SS bass once you start tube rolling.

The 6922/6DJ8 tubes are wonderful sounding tubes. Very transparent with excellent imaging. I'm going to try out the JJ 6922 next on my pre. I've heard great things about this current production tube.

Maurice

reeltrouble1

Organ,

I have been using the J/J for a while with the Dodd, I am very happy with them. Nice high and mids with great bass extension. Kick drums have a good solid punch, great overall dynamics. **** I sound like effin stereophile.

Anyway a great tube for little dough. I also tried the Ei and found them a bit microphonic.

RT1

organ

RT1,
Whoa! Thanks for the input. That's EXACTLY the kind of sound that I'm looking for. Would you say the presentation is laid back or forward?

The description you gave me sounds very much like their 12AX7 I used on a previous pre.

Too bad about Ei. Is it still under warranty. Microphonics seems to be the main problem with the 6DJ8/6922 family. A lot of dealers test them before selling. Ask your dealer if you can excahange it.

Maurice

organ

I received my JJ today. I've been listening for the past few hours and so far I like it more than the JAN Philips. Main reason is the more laid back sound and less aggressive high end. But the JAN may sound better on a warmer, laid back pair of speakers. I'm listening to them through horns. So you Dodd owners can give the JJ a spin. Excellent tube and very cheap. I also got the EH 6922. Don't know when I'll try it out.

Maurice

faster100

Yes i have noticed the 6922/6dj8's are sensitive to microphonics... each pair i have has it to some degree... now i just had one of my jan sylvania's crap the bed and wont light up.. when i first got the pair one showed shorted and dead... weird.. i tested it again and all the sudden both triodes were 105% now it stopped working .. I like the bugle boy 6dj8's ive been rolling... But i wanna try an Rca or another set of jans...