Mike Lindsey

Bill, My HK-730 bit the dust a while back so I'll take it for the garage unit. We can work out getting it next weekend. Mike

Thanks buddy!

Yeah, I'm working from home today so am getting a little extended listening time in. I just played my first CD, and gotta say it's very impressive! Patricia Barber's Companion on XRCD. Without question, the best a CD has ever sounded in my living room! Can't remember what yours looks like, but I'll bet mine cost more! [] Look forward to seeing you at the Chris Isaak concert! Mike

The phono section is what this preamp is all about! I have been spinning records for about 10 - 12 hours so far, and it just keeps getting better and better! [] I have actually started to experiment a little with my Khorns and I'm really liking the results. I have pulled them out of the corners about 8" or so into the room and the image has improved greatly, without any loss (to the ear) of bottom end extension. I only had one good corner anyway but have closed in backs, and there is plenty of bottom end in these khorns. I am really thrilled with this preamp! I'm hearing things in my record collection for the very first time! [] Thanks for all the kind words! Mike

One more

And a couple of the case being made by Tom!

And from the back!

The guts! []

Another shot from the front!

After a 6 month wait, I finally have the new NOSValves NBS preamp in the house! [] There were a few delays due to some unforeseen issues, but the wait was finally worth it. I'm still waiting on Tom Keady to finish the cherry wood case, but thats just the finishing touch! I should have that by next weekend. As for the sound I'm very satisfied with the preamp. I loved my JMA BlueBerry Xtreme, but this preamp is quieter, has a darker background and is much more detailed. There are no circuit boards in this preamp and its all point to point wiring by Craig. I will upload a few pictures that Craig sent me, and then will update with the finished product after receiving the wood case. I decided to go all out with this preamp and ordered some pretty pricey tubes from Brent Jessie. The 12AT7's are a matched set of NOS Telefunken ECC801S's, and the 12AX7 is a NOS Telefunken red tip. The 6DJ8 slot is a 1960's NOS Siemans CCA. With the BBX preamp it was very difficult finding a quiet 6DJ8, but this tube is dead quiet. You pay a little extra with Brent but you always get what you pay for. All in all I'm very happy with the sound, and after I get some tube break-in I know its going to sound even better. I want to thank Craig for giving me an opportunity to take my system to the next level, and to offering the Forum a world class preamp at a very affordable price point. We are very lucky to have someone on our Forum making affordable products, and providing fair priced repair services for a number of other vintage pieces. Thanks Craig, you have been a good friend over the last 12 years! I would also like to thank my good friend Gary Powers (Garymd) for alerting me to this preamp. Gary and I have similar setups, and I have heard his system on a number of occasions, and it never ceases to amaze me. When he told me this preamp was the real deal, I knew I had to have one! [] I also want to thank Marty (Thebes) and Larry Clare (LarryC) for their outstanding reviews of the preamp. Their positive feedback was another factor in pulling the trigger on it. I know Craig is in the middle of making 8 or 9 more, and I'll be very anxious to read other reviews in the next month or so. Mike

I don't know about the 811, but I had a 511 that I was using in place of the K-400 in my La Scala's, and it was night and day better than the K-400. And that was with the K-55 driver mated to it. Mike

Richard, Thats awfully nice of you. Unfortunately, I am out of town until Friday night and Rick has to leave on Saturday. We are planning a get together in October when he's back for Food and Wine Festival. You should come down as well. Mike

Thanks Carl! Let me know if you're ever in town again! Mike

Definitely! I have a HT rig that utilizes the Khorns, and it does sound good (Blu-Ray, DVD-A, DTS, etc), but not in the same league with my 2-ch system. You are more than welcome to come over and experience that. Let me know... Mike

Rick, I would have you over to my place, but I have no music (2-ch) at the moment due to my preamp not being quite ready. I'm supposed to get it in the next couple of weeks. Mike

I'm with Rigma on this one! If you buy the vinyl new, and are the only one that has played the lp's, there is a pretty good chance it will be 99% quiet. If buying used you get what you pay for. I also clean every LP on my Nitty Gritty Mini Pro ($1000) record cleaner prior to it's first use, and that certainly helps. Most of the new LP's being pressed today are a lot quieter than vinyl from yesteryear. They also cost a lot more though ($25 - $50). Mike

Thanks, I will do some research on these... http://nosvalves.com/vrd.htm Search this Forum on VRD and you will get a number of hits! Mike

If someone in your area has a pair of VRD monoblocks that you could audition I would go that route. They provide the bass grunt you are looking for, as well as a magical midrange. Mike

The ESS AMT-1B's was my first introduction to Hi-Fi back in '76. I had a friend who was 10 years older than me who had a pretty nice system with those speakers, and I was very impressed. Great highs, very good lows, and a below average mid-range if I recall. When he moved up to the 3-way KEF 105/3's they really blew me away! An outstanding 3-way which he was running with some Carver amps and preamp. I was only 18 at the time, but I knew I was hooked on hi-fidelity from that moment on. It's been a heck of a journey.... Mike

I'll try not to be quite as harsh as DrWho. [] I guess I meant vinyl doesn't have the potential that digital does in the way of DR, although I could be wrong there as well. But more importantly that has never been the end-all be-all for me. I can see where that would be important for a classical music lover however. For me, vinyl just makes me want to sit down and listen. It's hard to explain really, but when I have a record on I know it, and I have to sit in the sweet spot and listen to it. CD's and SACD's have never sucked me in like that. Again, this is just on my system and in my room. Mike

Here are the DR Database ratings for Wish You Were Here Blow by BlowThe Blow by Blow SACD is a mediocre SACD in terms of DR. The Wish You Were Here SACD isn't particularly good either, no better than the vinyl. Reissues of old recordings typically are no better than the original reel-to-reel tapes from which the vinyl records were made (in terms of DR). However, if you pick something recorded later...especially on DVD-A or even BD music...or even just different music such as anything by Chesky or Sheffield Lab or DMP or Naxos or Philips or DG... Chris Unfortunately, DR doesn't tell the whole story. Vinyl has less DR than just about all other formats, and it still sounds better than most imho. Having said that, I will certainly look into some of these other labels. Mike

Mike, if you are running SACD through the same amp that you're running your vinyl through, you're not experiencing its full performance potential. -QH The Oppo BDP-83SE has 2 sets of analog outputs. It has a L/R output that I run to my 2-ch preamp (BBX), and it has 5.1 analog outputs (L/R/C/SL/SR/SW) that I connect to the Anthem D2 5.1 inputs. When playing 5.1 material I use the Anthem with the Acurus amps, and when playing 2-ch material (CD's and Stereo SACD) I use the BBX with the VRD's. In either case, SACD does not suck me in the way the vinyl does. Mike

Now THAT one places you squarely into the minority party. In comparison to vinyl, and in my room on my system. I want to like SACD. I really do. I have bought 20 - 25 of them hoping the next one will do it for me. I bought the Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here SACD based on all the reviews. My original pressing LP sounds better. I bought the Jeff Beck Blow By Blow SACD. This one's not even close to the original Epic vinyl pressing. Now, DVD-Audio is a whole nother ballgame in my opinion. That's a format that really does suck me in, and gets as close to vinyl as anything I have. Steely Dan's Gaucho is a great recording! As is GordonGoodwins Big Phat Band - Swingin For The Fences. I have a number of others that sound really good as well. SACD, however, doesn't stack up as well. Mike

And it actually sounds more real. [] SACD sounds lifeless to me. Again, just my opinion... Mike

All of them, including outdoor concerts except then the acoustic reflections are usually much lower than in an enclosed auditorium. And have you never been to a concert where musicians enter from the sides or back of the auditorium (i.e., antiphonal). Cathedral pipe organ performances are also often antiphonal. I just bought a BD of Benjamin Britton's "War Requiem" that has antiphonal choirs, and another BD of Bach's St. Matthew's Passion with multiple choir locations. Many such examples exist in my music collection presently. Chris Chris, You and I seem to have a differing opinion on most things audio. [] I'll agree that I guess I can hear some sounds that are not coming directly in front of me, but for the most part the whole audio/visual thing is taking place directly in front of me. Having said that, I too enjoy 5.1 concerts on DVD/Blu-Ray, and am very impressed with the hi-res formats (especially DVD-Audio thru the 6 channel analog inputs/outputs), but I still prefer listing to vinyl in 2-channel over all of the other formats. Of course ymmv... Mike