Once you go black, you can't go back
Refefer
Posts: 1,280
Black background that is.
I received my Promitheus TVC in today (amazingly fast, total time from order to arrival was less than 3 days!) and all I can say is "WOW." Absolutely NO background noise what so ever when everything is on and a cd is not playing. Honestly, I wasn't expecting my amp, with it being very mid-fi, being capable so little noise.
And it shows; it's a huge step up over my Parasound P/HP 850 in pretty much every area: much better stereo separation and deeper soundstage, much more capable at dealing with complex passages, and far better dynamics than I was expecting. It's also far more revealing than the Parasound.
Not only that, but this thing rocks it very well at lower volumes. I'm actually listening to it at the lowest notch available, and it does exceptionally well. It might even become my preferred level of listening as I think it sounds the best at the lowest level, strangely enough. Or maybe it's just because it sounds so much better, than my Parasound did at lower volumes, I don't know.
On another note, one strange happening with the TVC is that if you switch to another input on the TVC, say from the DAC to the the rca ouputs on the Oppo, the input will pick up sound from every other inputs attached to the box, which would be slightly annoying to anyone who had need for multiple inputs. For me, however, it isn't a problem since for SACD listening I can easily turn off my dac.
I think I'm figuring out what Early and Gaara are talking about, this thing is incredible... and it only has about 10 hours of burn in on it!
Speaking of which, I didn't like it all that much immediately after installing, but it really opens up after a couple of hours.
Strongly recommend everyone try one in your system, it is wonderful!
I received my Promitheus TVC in today (amazingly fast, total time from order to arrival was less than 3 days!) and all I can say is "WOW." Absolutely NO background noise what so ever when everything is on and a cd is not playing. Honestly, I wasn't expecting my amp, with it being very mid-fi, being capable so little noise.
And it shows; it's a huge step up over my Parasound P/HP 850 in pretty much every area: much better stereo separation and deeper soundstage, much more capable at dealing with complex passages, and far better dynamics than I was expecting. It's also far more revealing than the Parasound.
Not only that, but this thing rocks it very well at lower volumes. I'm actually listening to it at the lowest notch available, and it does exceptionally well. It might even become my preferred level of listening as I think it sounds the best at the lowest level, strangely enough. Or maybe it's just because it sounds so much better, than my Parasound did at lower volumes, I don't know.
On another note, one strange happening with the TVC is that if you switch to another input on the TVC, say from the DAC to the the rca ouputs on the Oppo, the input will pick up sound from every other inputs attached to the box, which would be slightly annoying to anyone who had need for multiple inputs. For me, however, it isn't a problem since for SACD listening I can easily turn off my dac.
I think I'm figuring out what Early and Gaara are talking about, this thing is incredible... and it only has about 10 hours of burn in on it!
Speaking of which, I didn't like it all that much immediately after installing, but it really opens up after a couple of hours.
Strongly recommend everyone try one in your system, it is wonderful!
Lovin that music year after year.
Main 2 Channel System
Polk SDA-1B,
Promitheus Audio TVC SE,
Rotel RB-980BX,
OPPO DV-970HD,
Lite Audio DAC AH,
IXOS XHA305 Interconnects
Computer Rig
Polk SDA CRS+,
Creek Audio 5350 SE,
Morrow Audio MA1 Interconnect,
HRT Music Streamer II
Main 2 Channel System
Polk SDA-1B,
Promitheus Audio TVC SE,
Rotel RB-980BX,
OPPO DV-970HD,
Lite Audio DAC AH,
IXOS XHA305 Interconnects
Computer Rig
Polk SDA CRS+,
Creek Audio 5350 SE,
Morrow Audio MA1 Interconnect,
HRT Music Streamer II
Post edited by Refefer on
Comments
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Fantastic!!!
I'm very happy that you're enjoying the TVC. It's the best audio puchase I ever made.
By the way, your TVC will fully break in after about 300 hours. I didn't believe in lengthy break-ins until the TVC.HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50 LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub
"God grooves with tubes." -
Wasn't this recently reviewed in Stereophile or am I thinking something else?
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I want to say it's in the most recent issue. I'm just happy to see a transformer based passive preamp that the common man can actually afford.
Cheers,
RussCheck your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service. -
Cool. Glad to hear you're enjoying it. Sounds really nice. Any pics?
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The background is the main thing I liked about going passive from my parasound 850. The parasound is great but sounds very very noisy in comparison to a passive. Passives bring out a clarity and darkness I haven't seen with any active pre so far (but it's a very different sound).
Congrats! and yes, bring out the pics! -
Congrats.
Couple comments, first it wasn't reviewed per say it was in Sam's Space in the July edition.
TVCs sound there best at their lowest volume settings, the opposite of most pres. At the lowest volume setting the output impedance is lowest and you have the most current.
Jared -
TVCs sound there best at their lowest volume settings, the opposite of most pres. At the lowest volume setting the output impedance is lowest and you have the most current.
Interesting.
I prefer turning my Promi up one click higher than my normal listening level because the sound is so clean. It gives the impression of sitting on the first row at a concert and your ears don't bleed from being too close to the speakers.HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50 LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub
"God grooves with tubes." -
Interesting.
I prefer turning my Promi up one click higher than my normal listening level because the sound is so clean. It gives the impression of sitting on the first row at a concert and your ears don't bleed from being too close to the speakers.
I like how it sounds at higher levels, but I get such great dynamics at the lowest that it's not often that I up it.
That said, the 3 o'clock on the Promitheus is equivalent in volume to the 9 o'clock volume on my old Parasound.Lovin that music year after year.
Main 2 Channel System
Polk SDA-1B,
Promitheus Audio TVC SE,
Rotel RB-980BX,
OPPO DV-970HD,
Lite Audio DAC AH,
IXOS XHA305 Interconnects
Computer Rig
Polk SDA CRS+,
Creek Audio 5350 SE,
Morrow Audio MA1 Interconnect,
HRT Music Streamer II -
By popular demand...
Pictures!Lovin that music year after year.
Main 2 Channel System
Polk SDA-1B,
Promitheus Audio TVC SE,
Rotel RB-980BX,
OPPO DV-970HD,
Lite Audio DAC AH,
IXOS XHA305 Interconnects
Computer Rig
Polk SDA CRS+,
Creek Audio 5350 SE,
Morrow Audio MA1 Interconnect,
HRT Music Streamer II -
Well, she certainly isn't the prettiest soprano in the choir, but she's the best soloist.HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50 LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub
"God grooves with tubes." -
How long have you been waiting to use that one Early?Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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How long have you been waiting to use that one Early?
I just made it up. I didn't wanna come out and say the TVC is **** ugly 'cause that would be cruel. :eek:
I painted mine black, and I can't go back...:pHT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50 LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub
"God grooves with tubes." -
At least the red goes well with the AQ's
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At least the red goes well with the AQ's
They sure look better than the Ratshack ones Lovin that music year after year.
Main 2 Channel System
Polk SDA-1B,
Promitheus Audio TVC SE,
Rotel RB-980BX,
OPPO DV-970HD,
Lite Audio DAC AH,
IXOS XHA305 Interconnects
Computer Rig
Polk SDA CRS+,
Creek Audio 5350 SE,
Morrow Audio MA1 Interconnect,
HRT Music Streamer II -
On another note, one strange happening with the TVC is that if you switch to another input on the TVC, say from the DAC to the the rca ouputs on the Oppo, the input will pick up sound from every other inputs attached to the box, which would be slightly annoying to anyone who had need for multiple inputs.
That's a black background? -
That is pretty nifty... been wondering what one looks like too, appreciate the pics.
This is all the rage on AudioCircle.
Is this a NON-OS DAC? -
That's a black background?
The residual sound from the other inputs is almost nothing now that it has some more burn in. I have a good feeling it will be completely gone with about 100 hours on it.Lovin that music year after year.
Main 2 Channel System
Polk SDA-1B,
Promitheus Audio TVC SE,
Rotel RB-980BX,
OPPO DV-970HD,
Lite Audio DAC AH,
IXOS XHA305 Interconnects
Computer Rig
Polk SDA CRS+,
Creek Audio 5350 SE,
Morrow Audio MA1 Interconnect,
HRT Music Streamer II -
That is pretty nifty... been wondering what one looks like too, appreciate the pics.
This is all the rage on AudioCircle.
Is this a NON-OS DAC?
This is the Promethius TVC, or as they call it, their Passive Preamp. I would love to get my hands on their non oversampling dac, but "all" I have is their preamp.Lovin that music year after year.
Main 2 Channel System
Polk SDA-1B,
Promitheus Audio TVC SE,
Rotel RB-980BX,
OPPO DV-970HD,
Lite Audio DAC AH,
IXOS XHA305 Interconnects
Computer Rig
Polk SDA CRS+,
Creek Audio 5350 SE,
Morrow Audio MA1 Interconnect,
HRT Music Streamer II -
I would love to hear the theory about how "burn in" reduces signal leakage between inputs.
Of course, a properly designed component would not have it in the first place. -
I feel like an idiot.
Their DAC is all the rage on audiocircle, and I guess I just made an assumption. Thought something was weird.
Anyway, here is something you can try as far as the input crosstalk. Short out the ones that are not being used, unused inputs that is. You just short the negative and positive for each channel... I bought some cheap radioshack RCA plugs to use for this, and it fixed all the crosstalk problems I had on my line stage. -
I wouldn't say its all the rage, 7 page thread while something like the Paradisea is already 53 pages long...all this in perspective of the 198 page TVC thread. I will try it eventually...will be the 7th NOS DAC for me.
Easy to make the mistake as I believe they use the exact same case for both, minus the knobs and some of the rcas for the DAC.
As for any noise issues between inputs I have heard of shorting the inputs as Yashu described, doing the same but with a resistor wired inbetween the - and +, as well as purchasing items such as these.
The Calrads are cheap and have a 75ohm resistor inside...as I broke one open to see what was going on internally.
