My Candela is back! :)

VR3
VR3 Posts: 28,647
edited May 2009 in 2 Channel Audio
Man... I missed how this thing sounds...

Smokes the Shanling by itself anyday. That is for sure!

Anyways... there ya go!
- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
Post edited by VR3 on
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  • engtaz
    engtaz Posts: 7,663
    edited May 2009
    Congrats. Your babies back in town.
    engtaz

    I love how music can brighten up a bad day.
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  • danz1906
    danz1906 Posts: 5,144
    edited May 2009
    Congrats-you can't go wrong with Odyssey:D
    Linn AV5140 fronts
    Linn AV5120 Center
    Linn AV5140 Rears
    M&K MX-70 Sub for Music
    Odyssey Mono-Blocs
    SVS Ultra-13 Gloss Black:D
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,647
    edited May 2009
    lol, thanks guys...

    Yeah - just to give you an idea ---

    I pulled it out of the box... wired it up real fast and just pushed play -- sat down and immediately could hear a difference. The Shanling will definitely have to go after listening to it directly for a week and a half... lol

    The Candela sounds alot better than it did - the mods Klaus did to bring it to spec worked great!
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • pearsall001
    pearsall001 Posts: 5,068
    edited May 2009
    It sounds like you're in for a real treat. Congrats & enjoy!!!
    "2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
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  • george daniel
    george daniel Posts: 12,096
    edited May 2009
    what did Klaus do to it?
    JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,647
    edited May 2009
    Honestly - I do not know...

    The things that were wrong with my unit --

    1) Outputs were swapped Left/Right
    2) High noise floor
    3) HT bypass only worked with certain preamps

    These upgrades fixed 1 and 3 and reduced 2 -- tube preamps have a "tube rush" to them, and a light static is normal (about 1 ft away) - but I was hearing this about 6 feet away. But I have great ears either way...

    But he said since the release, the Candela has had several updates that improved staging and clarity...

    So I went ahead and had that done too... very impressions would say whatever he did definitely worked.
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • george daniel
    george daniel Posts: 12,096
    edited May 2009
    Happiness is a quiet tube pre,, have fun Trey.:cool:
    JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,647
    edited May 2009
    yeah, before today - my Candela had some rediculous noise in the mix (for whatever reason) and it really got in the way of the music..

    Glad to finally sit back and here silence! :)

    Thanks!
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • engtaz
    engtaz Posts: 7,663
    edited May 2009
    Pics of the guts would be nice.
    engtaz

    I love how music can brighten up a bad day.
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,647
    edited May 2009
    I guess that would answer some questions. I have pics of the old guts and I guess new guts would help
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • danz1906
    danz1906 Posts: 5,144
    edited May 2009
    Vr3MxStyler2k3 wrote: »
    lol, thanks guys...

    Yeah - just to give you an idea ---

    I pulled it out of the box... wired it up real fast and just pushed play -- sat down and immediately could hear a difference. The Shanling will definitely have to go after listening to it directly for a week and a half... lol

    The Candela sounds alot better than it did - the mods Klaus did to bring it to spec worked great!

    Klaus is the Best:D
    Linn AV5140 fronts
    Linn AV5120 Center
    Linn AV5140 Rears
    M&K MX-70 Sub for Music
    Odyssey Mono-Blocs
    SVS Ultra-13 Gloss Black:D
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  • engtaz
    engtaz Posts: 7,663
    edited May 2009
    Cool, post both for comparison.
    engtaz

    I love how music can brighten up a bad day.
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  • Serendipity
    Serendipity Posts: 6,975
    edited May 2009
    Congrats! Can't wait to see the pics.
    polkaudio RT35 Bookshelves
    polkaudio 255c-RT Inwalls
    polkaudio DSWPro550WI
    polkaudio XRT12 XM Tuner
    polkaudio RM6750 5.1

    Front projection, 2 channel, car audio... life is good!
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  • danz1906
    danz1906 Posts: 5,144
    edited May 2009
    Awesome system-I would like to hear you system sometime:D
    Linn AV5140 fronts
    Linn AV5120 Center
    Linn AV5140 Rears
    M&K MX-70 Sub for Music
    Odyssey Mono-Blocs
    SVS Ultra-13 Gloss Black:D
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,647
    edited May 2009
    I ordered some paired RCA Clear tops for the candela --

    Time to start tube rolling...

    Probally will pick up the JJ Teslas Longplates

    and RCA blackplates if I dont dig the clear tops...

    hmmm
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • george daniel
    george daniel Posts: 12,096
    edited May 2009
    You just might like the blackplates.;)
    JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
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  • Serendipity
    Serendipity Posts: 6,975
    edited May 2009
    Trey -

    When you ran your amps without the Candela, how exactly did it sound? I'm considering running a Stratos Extreme with the Onkyo in "Direct" mode, but I'm not sure if this would be desirable.
    polkaudio RT35 Bookshelves
    polkaudio 255c-RT Inwalls
    polkaudio DSWPro550WI
    polkaudio XRT12 XM Tuner
    polkaudio RM6750 5.1

    Front projection, 2 channel, car audio... life is good!
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,647
    edited May 2009
    This question does not make sense...

    The Onkyo I am assuming is a receiver. In which case it would be a preamp - and you would have to run it with your amps regardless....

    Direct function is a term in which the receiver shuts off extra features for the best sound quality. So yes - I would recommend that. Now if you are talking about running a CDP direct to amps - I only recommend this if your CDP has its own volume control...

    But the Stratos did ok, the Shanling - not so much.
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • Serendipity
    Serendipity Posts: 6,975
    edited May 2009
    Let me rephrase it... the Onkyo is a receiver. I am happy with the amp section's performance, but the preamp section is too bright. If I were to use a Stratos Extreme with the Onkyo as the preamp, in direct mode, would this be good or not?
    polkaudio RT35 Bookshelves
    polkaudio 255c-RT Inwalls
    polkaudio DSWPro550WI
    polkaudio XRT12 XM Tuner
    polkaudio RM6750 5.1

    Front projection, 2 channel, car audio... life is good!
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,647
    edited May 2009
    Itd be better but your weak link is still definitely the Onkyo.
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • Serendipity
    Serendipity Posts: 6,975
    edited May 2009
    Thanks. A while back I tried an Adcom with the Onkyo as a preamp and it sounded worse than just the Onkyo by itself. Which led me to believe that the amps in the Onkyo were solid, but the pre section is just too bright.

    Thanks for confirming.
    polkaudio RT35 Bookshelves
    polkaudio 255c-RT Inwalls
    polkaudio DSWPro550WI
    polkaudio XRT12 XM Tuner
    polkaudio RM6750 5.1

    Front projection, 2 channel, car audio... life is good!
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,647
    edited May 2009
    You are probally more so finding the Adcom accented the Onkyos negative aspects more than anything...

    Like the Stratos, the Adcom is designed to amplify a signal, not alter it...
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited May 2009
    appadv wrote: »
    Thanks. A while back I tried an Adcom with the Onkyo as a preamp and it sounded worse than just the Onkyo by itself. Which led me to believe that the amps in the Onkyo were solid, but the pre section is just too bright.

    Nah. The Adcom sucked, and that's no surprise. The Onkyo as a pre sucks, too, so one suck plus one suck equals...[add your own here].

    Trey -- we're still waiting for the before/after gut pics.
    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."
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,647
    edited May 2009
    Ill take pics when I swap out the tubes --

    That cover is a **** to get off... You had a khartago you know what I am talking about.
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • Serendipity
    Serendipity Posts: 6,975
    edited May 2009
    Early B. wrote: »
    Nah. The Adcom sucked, and that's no surprise. The Onkyo as a pre sucks, too, so one suck plus one suck equals...[add your own here].

    Trey -- we're still waiting for the before/after gut pics.

    Actually, in "Direct" mode the Onkyo sounds quite good on CD and great for DVD-A playback. It's when coupled with an external amp that it sounded very harsh.

    Trey - The Candela is an AWESOME preamp and must sound unbelievable.

    You've got an awesome system... rock on!!

    Still waiting for the pics though:)
    polkaudio RT35 Bookshelves
    polkaudio 255c-RT Inwalls
    polkaudio DSWPro550WI
    polkaudio XRT12 XM Tuner
    polkaudio RM6750 5.1

    Front projection, 2 channel, car audio... life is good!
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,647
    edited May 2009
    I just swapped out the tubes -- I looked at the insides with a fine tooth comb and I cannot find any differences that stick out.

    Everything looks about the same. I do not know what he did differently... lol

    So -- I didnt take any new pics, but I will post old pics..
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • hoosier21
    hoosier21 Posts: 4,411
    edited May 2009
    did you ever try different tubes before? kind of sounds like you had a bad tube before, who knows
    Dodd - Battery Preamp
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    Beringher BFD - sub eq

    Where is the remote? Where is the $%#$% remote!

    "I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the most of us have...very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad..."
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  • SolidSqual
    SolidSqual Posts: 5,218
    edited May 2009
    Vr3MxStyler2k3 wrote: »
    I just swapped out the tubes -- I looked at the insides with a fine tooth comb and I cannot find any differences that stick out.

    Everything looks about the same. I do not know what he did differently... lol

    So -- I didnt take any new pics, but I will post old pics..

    Yeah, and get in writing what Klaus actually upgraded. Seems he just restored it to working condition.
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,647
    edited May 2009
    Just a small factoid for everyone.

    By contract, Klaus is not allowed to touch, modify, anything to the Candela preamp. Infact, I would go as far to say that the Candela is not really an Odyssey product. It is really not based on a Symphonic Line preamp, maybe just a little bit. But it is voiced/designed/built/worked on by Alex G.

    And while I am still an Odyssey customer, I am, like a lot of people, kind of leary of Klaus after my Mono Extreme situation I had a while back. So I understand the concern.

    I have swapped out 3 pairs of tubes in my Candela, all featuring the same problem. A very audible static - I would guess being 50db or more at all times. Incredibly loud and annoying. It was almost like an interference. It is literally dead quiet now, I can get right up to the tweeter and only hear a faint static.

    But most of the "upgrades" were issues with the initial design. HT bypass, the noise, the RCA outputs being swapped - stuff like that. Now as far as the upgrades? I honestly do not know - I just know it works and I am willing to pay anything right now to get this thing nipped in the bud.

    I trust Alex, his communication is flawless, he is honest and up front and its not a big sales game. So I do not feel he has ripped me off.

    But then again, like I said, I understand the questioning. :)
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited May 2009
    appadv wrote: »
    Let me rephrase it... the Onkyo is a receiver. I am happy with the amp section's performance, but the preamp section is too bright. If I were to use a Stratos Extreme with the Onkyo as the preamp, in direct mode, would this be good or not?

    Well, you;d be using only the pre-amp section of the Onkyo so however you determined the pre-amp section was bright.............that isn't going to fix that by using different amps.

    Just curious, how do you know it's the pre-amp section that is bright?
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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