The secret "brown box" finally arrived

Here are some pics:

hoosier21 wrote: »

I understood the Promitheus TVC and what it did, but this thing???? I will have to read up on it and what it is suppose to do.

Well, since it's probably the only one in existence, you won't find anything to read until I post my initial impressions.;)

It's a buffer. Think about what a tube buffer does -- it imparts a tube sound onto your system. This is similar, except instead of tubes they're transformers. It's a TVC with out the "VC." Simple and plain. Got it?

If you wanna learn more, google "transformer volume control" and read about the value of introducing transformers into your system, primarily to take advantage of impedance matching.

SolidSqual wrote: »

Hehe . . . yup I figured. But, since you're older than me I have to respect the experience.

Post #14 didn't explain it well enough?

That''s OK. In my mini-review, I'll go into a little more detail about how it works, although I don't completely understand all of it myself. But that ain't important. I don't know exactly how my CDP, amp, pre/pro, and other gear actually works, nor do I need to know.

I’ll provide my initial impressions of the Promitheus Transformer Buffer (TB), but first I’ll quote from a review I did last year on the Promitheus TVC because all of it is applicable to the TB:

The TVC brings out all of the subtle nuances of the music. I like how it presents the music at very low volumes. Even at whisper quiet levels, the TVC has the bass and transient attack of a good active preamp.

The TVC has great tonality. Instruments sound natural and balanced. Equally impressive is the decay of instruments. In many solid state systems, decay is usually truncated, but the TVC creates a very natural decay that would make many tube amps envious.

The best aspect of the Promitheus is a lush midrange with no harshness whatsoever.

The Promitheus TVC is the best audio purchase I’ve ever made.

OK, so what was the before & after effect? Well, the sonic improvement was substantial, especially the decay of instruments as noted earlier. That’s not surprising due to how the transformers impact the sound. Here’s why – for maximum power transfer, ideally you want identical source/load impedances. Your amp wants to “see” a low output impedance to complement its own high input impedance. Since transformers lower the effective output impedance of the CDP, there's a more optimal impedance transfer to the amp, which translates into improved sound quality. That's because the CDP is supplying less current to drive the amplifier's input impedance to the same voltage level.

As a result, I can now decrease the volume on many of my CDs and still hear the dynamics and clarity. Most impressive is the accuracy of cymbals and bells. Also, live music is tremendously life-like. When the audience claps, it sounds like you’re right there clapping along with them.

I should add that the emotional impact of the music is absolutely breathtaking. Gentlemen – listening to female vocals will make your wee wee dance in your pants. The TB literally allows you to experience more music, not just hear it. Also, the sound is thicker and richer than before; despite being more mellow, it has a lot more body and weight to it.

The Promitheus TB is precisely the sound I wanted. I heard it before when I owned the Promitheus TVC, now it’s back and even better due to changes I made in my system. I also like the fact that the TB was very cost effective, especially for a custom made component. I like the plain brown box, although it needs a small logo or something on it.

Here’s the bottom line – this buffer creates an awesome, emotionally-involving sound quality. Keep in mind that I’m using an HT pre/pro and multichannel amp! A muscular two-channel amp is coming in the next month or two, and my system will likely sound even better. I’ll probably keep the pre/pro in the loop for convenience and cost, at least for a while. I’m very satisfied with the buffer’s performance and look forward to listening to all of my favorite CDs again and again.