joemcten

Ken, you are right I can feel myself heading in the purest direction. I am just interested in getting less between me and the music> I am also interested in hearing the Cathode follower series. I am told they are extremely robust with very well defined bass. I am contemplating holding off until I can swing one,but on the other hand I just finished a lengthty listening session with the little ASL and damn if it just doesn't keep getting better and better. It makes me wonder how this little thing could swing with some real tubes. Going this route certainly saves me a lot of jack, and with spring coming the Triumph could use some goodies! I am currently enjoying the best sound I have had in my house. Mark, thanks for the heads up on where to get the parts. I am thinking I should go with the special Rhino model. Since it seems like you are quite the tinkerer, do you have any experience with the Leak amplifiers? I love how they look and sound. I also would like to get my hands on a reasonably priced pair of HeathKit Wm-5's in clean shape. Any nuggets of wisdom would be graciously accepted. Joe

Mark, I am still in the contemplation stage. I am also considering looking at some of there slightly more expensive models. Although at the price this piece should be an absolute no brainer. I have been a/b ing it an Audio Analouge Puccini, a 40 wpc Italian solid state gem. It is totally un solid state like in its presentation of the music. I think this piece is also a bargain for what you are getting music wise. This is part of the fun for me. P.S. do you know a good supply place to get those 50k volume pots from? Also what did you make the support panels from? Joe

JC, you gave us the physical and technical description, but you left out the most important part. How do they sound? What speakers are these replacing? What gear are you running with them? What kind of music do you prefer? Welcome to the fold. Joe

Just a final note for those of you that have taken the time to respond or view this topic. I would like to take a moment to praise the gentlemen who allowed me to demo this wonderful product. His name is Wen-Li and his business is Eaudionet.com. He is truly the type of business man that most of us like to do business with. He runs his business out of his home. He is a true hobbyist who decided to get into business because of his love for music. There is no pressure at all from him. He feels the equipment will sell itself. He is not your typical dealer with high pressure sales. I can wholeheartedly reccomend doing business with this gentleman. He truly seems to be committed to some real customer satisfaction, something that I find sorely lacking in many other comapanies. I guess I have always like to root for the underdog and I hope Wen-li's business continues to flourish. Joe

Ken, this amp sounds surprisingly full in the triode setting. You are correct that there is much more life in the pentode mode and most of my louder listening would be done in this mode. I have had a ton of gear over the last few years and I too think this amp is an outright steal if you are looking for low powered tubes. Thanks for the reccommendation on the tubes. I was definitley looking to replace the cheap stock tubes. In my eyes this is a music lovers amp. Joe

John, if you want to be completely accurate with your numbers, I sit 14' from the speakers,the correct efficiency rating is 104db/1w/1m and the amp is 5watts triode mode. I have done most of the higher spl listening in the 15wpc setting. I wonder what is at the root of your anti-tube sentiments? I do not begrudge you your opinions as I have enjoyed both tube and solid state. I think there are fine examples of both and truth be told I could be happy with either. I enjoy swapping out equipment, and the component end is just a hobby for me. Passion for music is what drives me to investigate new gear nothing else. Joe

Mark, I have a room that is 30' long and 15' wide, so far no problems with dynamics. I listen quite loud almost all the times and have been able to reach some uncomfortable levels with ease. I do not listen to large scale classical it is not nor has it ever been my thing. For my musical tastes it works great. The sound is warm and inviting. The list I gave you is the abridged version, very abridged. The wasy I see it, this amp is so cheap and it sounds so good to me that I can afford to have both. I can switch between amps in less than 2 minutes. As lon g as it sounds good to me that is all I care about. I do not care if anyone else likes my choice or even enjoys it. Mark, I am now married(6 months) and have a fair number of motorcycles in the last few years. I finally settled on a Triumph Speed Triple. Ny previous ride was a Ducati 750ss. The only way you can be sure is to try one for yourself. I enjoy this BB because it is a place to share ideas and learn new things. The Lascala's are 104db and this little integrated can really boogie. If you want 2 professional opinions see this months listener magazine where they review this product. When I first heard this amp thursday it was connected to Avant Garde Duo's,a 10k set of killer horns and it drove the snot out of them. This is but one mans opinion your mileage may vary. ps if you like west coast blues, check out Kid Ramos "West Coast House Party" It features a who's who of the blues. Joe

Colin,, in the last few years I have owned about 2 dozen amps. Here are but a few; Cary SLA80(Warm.smooth,very rich mid range but the bass was about a day behind the rest of the music with the Joseph Audio Speakers I owned at the time.)Conrad Johnson MV-55(an unbelievably good PP amp. The music just floated in front of you. The bass was far too lose with the Merlin VSM's I was running at the time.)Plinius SA-50mIII(A very warm ,robust sounding SS class A design. It was very 'HI FI". COmbined with the Very "HI FI" Merlins it was too much. HYPER detailed treble and mids took the music apart for me.)Aragon 8002(This amp was actually quite good for driving the Carver Amazing Silvers I used to own. They need a strong amp to get up and boogie,but alas listener fatigue would eventually set in caused by a much too agressive treble.)McIntosh MC162(I was origianlly using this amp with Platinum Audio Solo's. They sounded fantastic but were ungodly inefficient.They are a stand mount and only 84 db.They finally drove me to my Klipsch. I loved the Mac most of the time, but eventually found it to be a little to 2 dimensional.)VTL ST-85(Just sold this amp.It was a very good piece with a nofatiguing presentation,but it did not have enough bloom and the bass was too solid state like) I have another amp that I have owned for years, it a modded Dyna st-70 that runs a 6b4g for about 12wpc in class A. As good as the other amps sounded, This little bugger almost always sounded better. I usually listen mainly to blues(lp,cd),Jazz(lp,cd) and a smattering of the typical audiophile recordings like Patricia Barber, Jacintha, Sara K. etc. I am currently enjoying both the Antique Sound Lab and the Audio Analouge Puccini. They are both have unbelievably good presentations and both excell at putting the music back together. Neither create any listener fatigue. They both sound amazingly different but have some similarities(smooth grain free treble,natural mid range presentation) It is going to be a tough choice! Maybe I will keep both. Joe

Colin, I am currently demoing the above mentioned Antique Sound Labs integrated and so far the results are spectacular. The sound is not to be believed for the price. I have had many pricey tube and solid state amps that in the end left me cold and indifferent to them.I am now a firm believer that the simple circuit is better sonically, at least to my ears. The solid state amp that is also being demoed in my system this weekend is the delicious sounding Audio Analouge Puccini. It is the most "tube sounding" solid state that I have had in my rig. It has a very life-like flowing presentation that is quite addicting. Both of these pieces are the least expensive amps that I have looked at in years. With the sound I am getting from both units, I am definitely questioning the piles of money I have spent over the past few years. Joe

Yawn..... Well I must apologize for not realizing that you were the arbiter of all that sounds good. If you would like I could send you a list of equipment that I might possibly be interested in hearing so you could approve or disapprove it for me ahead of time. I would greatly appreciate the insight that your "Golden Ears" could provide to a neophyte such as I. I am sure your keen abilities and insights will certainly make my life a safer,happier place. I extend my most sincere thank you for setting me on the righteous path. Joe

The Antique Sound Labs amp is the DT version with the triode/pentode switch that was installed by Divergent Tech. of Ontario. It seems to be more than enough power in triode(5 wpc), It definitely has more ooomph in the pentode mode(15 wpc) Mr. Goka from Divertech. says it is actually operating in tetrode mode at 15 wpc. P.S. John Warren if you can not add anything remotely intelligent, just keep your trap shut. Please do us that favor. Joe

For those that don't know I have LaScala's. I have not experienced any compression. Remember it has a switch that triples the power if you want to head bang. Joe

I am demoing for the weekend the above mentioned integrated amp and the initial response is unbelievable. Right out of the box this little $600 SET integrated is involving and amazingly dynamic.It is 5wpc in triode and with the flick of a switch it becomes 15wpc in pentode. BUild quality is good, but is has no right to sound this good for so cheap. I am going to let it burn in a little more so I will be able to give a more detailed description later. Joe

Dave, did you purchase a tube amp yet? If so what did you buy? I am curious to see what you think about tubes on your Chorus. Joe

Your set up looks pretty cool. I like the Dynas on the K-horns. I used to use the same little Creek pre. I thought it was a great product. What brand of tubes are you running? If you are interested in N.O.S let me know. I know a guy who had probably the largest supply of nos tubes in my part of the US. Enjoy! Joe

I would focus more on how much better your Chorus will sound with the tubes. A conrad Johnson MV55 and PV10 combo would blow your mind on those speakers. I have Lascala's and have run both solid state and tubes. I am here to say that with the tubes the midrange has a prescence that is unbelievable. To me the solid state just seems a little flat in that key area. Power should not be a problem. Remember, tubes do not have the same clipping characteristics as solid state. They do not exhibit the hardness associated with solid state. I believe your chorus are about 100 db efficient. If that is the case, the 45 wpc on the CJ should drive your speakers to painful levels. I can achieve that level with about 12 wpc on my Lalcalas. The tubes on the CJ are common,and very reliable. Joe