paul79

Yes. My father has a pair, as well as a pair of K-Horns. Klipsch are the most dynamic speakers I have ever heard, but I could never get used to them. Best Klipsch IMO are the Cornwall, early versions. Late 70's to early 80's. If I had to live with Klipsch, these would be the ones... I will also say that the K-Horn's properly set up are pretty dang good, and the bass is absolutely special, but overall, neither are my cup of tea.

No. The early Jupiter HT's had issues with heat, but the new versions, flat and the standard HT no longer have those issues.

Hmm... Any way to test the 6H30 with a TV-7?

I was under the impression that the 6DJ8 would not work well without a couple part changes...????

Thought I'd share an update: I tried using the 6H30DR from 1980 in the NBS, and I just don't much care for this tube in this preamp. The one I have is NOS and from a reliable source. It just saps the life out of the music. Like it is rolled off on the upper and even lower range. Even the midrange sucks!! I let it cook for several days, and every time I played it, no change. Lost all the wonderful air and transparency with the DR... Put the Sovtek back in and all is right with the world again. Bass slam, dynamics, air, midrange transparency, all perfect! I am curious to others results, but it is cheap ol Sovteks for me from now on. I could see where the DR may be good in a bright system however... My advice? save your money and stick with what Craig sends with the preamp. It is stupid good, and with the stock tubes, it is the best preamp I have ever heard.

Any update on the rectifiers Craig?

I've been testing out GZ-32, GZ-33 and GZ-37's lately. They work great. I have not wrote down all my results yet. So this is from memory. The GZ-37 drops the B+ about 40 volts and will result in a more relaxed presentation. The GZ-32 actually raises the B+ about 15 volts so the presentation is tighter and punchier... Next up will be the GZ-33........Visually the GZ-32 is a better match to KT-88's. The GZ-37 and GZ-33 look great with the Tung-sol KT-120 or KT-150's ! Let us know how the GZ33's do mang!

LOL! Seen that one a few years ago. Good stuff, for sure.

I like the 1950's RCA 12BH7A's. They are not as transparent as some, but I like them allot. The Tung Sol 12BH7A is darn good too. The 7316's are a little soft in the bass in the VRD's for my tastes, but are good in all other areas. My favorite signal tube flavor in the VRD's are the CBS 7318 paired with the Mullard 10M 12AX7. This combo just sounds live to me. My default, if you will. I also like the CV4003/4004's. Huge soundstage with these. Takes awhile before they come to full bloom though. They just get better and better as time goes on. I also like 5751's from the 50's, any brand.

Yep. The 7318's no longer exist! If you find some, it will be by chance.

I hear ya... They are by far, the best phase splitter I have tried in the VRD's. Glad they worked for you as well.

I've had mine for over 2 years now. Maybe even 3 years... The only amps I have ever heard that do all things right. Love the corner in-lays on your amps Cameron. Nice touch. Do I spy some 7318's and perhaps some Brimar's in the front end?

Play with him often. They are very trainable dogs also. Teach him Frisbee, to go get the paper, catch a ball, dance for treats... They are very quick/swift little dogs that can jump! Don't be surprised if he latches on to the wife. They can be very protective of their choice master, and being he is a boy.... They are also good hunters and like to kill. My mother has a Jack Russell that was so fast (he's allot older now), you'd look at him, look away for a second, look back for the dog, and he'd be gone. Almost like magic the way he could disappear so quickly, without a sound.

I just opened up a cruelty to animals case...[]

Looks good! I'm liking those Mullard Box Plate tubes myself [] Jack russels are cool dogs for sure. Almost too smart, as you know. Good lookin dog. I think your dealer needs another opinion of these tubes.... Two people trying them out in the same amps would be the best way to review them, no?

It's a NBS Dac Stand! What else?

I am amazed with the Perspective's. They left me wanting nothing from my highly modified JBL 220's, and better them in every single way. I tried the Perspectives with big solid state power, and I liked that also, but it didn't compare to the sound I got from the VRD's.

No, he LOVES Joseph Audio []

There are no specs that say they are 85db.. They are only a touch less sensitive than my JBL's at 90db. Even so, they are easy loads. They sound amazing with the VRD's. They do not need high current amps to sing.

Sounds like a plan... I'll bring ear plugs. []

No offence, but I've tried a few.... I know this is the Klipsch Forum, but they are not for me. I am wearing my flak jacket....

Yessir... Carl?

The only capacitor upgrade in my pre are the Jupiter HT Flat Stacked coupling caps. They are $85 a piece and maybe a little more for shipping. The regular round HT are likely the same cap, just made a different way. You can save some money using them instead. Just ask Craig. The Copper Flat caps I have in my VRD amps are prototypes that have not been released yet, and may never be. You can't get those. If I could have gotten the Copper Flats in the value that the preamp needs, I would have, but the regular HT Flat caps I have in there now sound great.

Pretty new to posting here, but am a long time lurker Name is Paul and I do vintage restoration work on solid state gear, but I listen to tubes.... Don't tell anyone I'm sure some of you know me, but for those that don't, I'm awesome. My system consists of: Bel Canto DAC3.5VB MKII, VBS1 supply, REFLINK, 2009 Mac Mini with SSD and outboard Hynes supply, Snow Leopard, and Amarra Symphony version 4319. Ya, it takes all that for digital to sound good... And it does! Amps are the VRD Monos of course, with resistor/cap upgrade and Jupiter Copper Flat Stacked coupling caps. Speakers are not Klipsch Joseph Audio Perspective's (very recent purchase). Tasteful, minimal room treatments. Last but not least, the NBS. I chose the standard version without the MC phono amp. I went with Jupiter Flat Stacked coupling caps in the pre as well. I have tried several preamps and none of them matched the direct output of the DAC. Not even close. Each time I put a pre in the mix, I lost allot of transparency, or gained here, lost there. No free lunch so to speak..... Then Craig came out with his NBS. After absolutely falling in love with the VRD's, and the price being right, I figured I'd get in on the first batch. Now that it is here, it is here to stay. After inserting the pre, I lost not one little bit of transparency. I actually gained from inserting the NBS, with all the same goodness I got from the DAC direct, with tighter more focused bass. How did he do that? Well, it is a preamp based on the K.I.S.S. principal. Therein lies its beauty my friends. From what I can tell, it does not get much simpler than this preamp. Add to that high quality parts throughout, extreme overkill in all the right places, single ended pure class A operation, no feedback, no phase inverting, and well.... You get the idea. It works, and works extremely well. I also have to mention just how quiet this preamp is. It is a virtual black hole for noise being dead quiet. At idle, there is no noise from the speakers at all! That part Craig will have to tell you about as I am quite sure it took some doing to get this part down... The sound: Here is the easy part of the review. This pre introduces no tonal character, or "color" at all. No extra sibilance for all you worry warts, nothing taken away from transparency, no noise. The only difference I noted from my comparison to the DAC's direct output was tighter more focused bass that comes at you, like live music, and not non-directional so to speak. That and the functionality of a full featured preamp. Win Win... This review is for the line-stage as I do not have my TT hooked up yet. I have all the stuff, just nowhere to put it yet. Sorry about that. You'll have to wait for someone else's review of the phono stage, or check back here from time to time for my update on that. I'll also be taking more pictures for you guys and try to capture what this thing looks like. It is absolutely tough looking and so well turned out. I have not seen a pic yet that does it justice vs. pulling it out of the box and being awestruck at the fit and finish! If you are looking for a preamp that adds more flesh to the music, more color, and all those other things a preamp should not do IMO, pass this one by. If you want what the artists intended for you to hear, and to hear your source for all that it is worth, this is the one to get. I have not heard better at any price. Ya, I've heard a few... To be honest, I didn't expect this thing to match the DAC's direct output in transparency. The Bel Canto is implemented well in that regard, and has been un-beaten by everything else I have tried. The NBS actually bettered it in one single way sonically, and took nothing from the rest. Nothing! This is the best praise I can possibly convey for my tastes in equipment and music, with one reference in mind.... Live music. All this with a cheap ol Sovtek 6H30. For all you guys thinking of buying a super high dollar vintage 6H30 tube for your NBS, I say don't bother. It might be different, but can't be better IMO. The only thing I will recommend is the Jupiter Flat Stacked Coupling caps. They made a profound improvement to the VRD's, so I would expect they perform great in the NBS also. No comparisons for you there. My pre came loaded with the Jupiters. This thing rocks. I don't like it. I love it. Get one before Craig raises the price closer to what this thing is worth. I really enjoy Craig and his sarcasm. We have become great buddy's with a many prods and pokes at each other. However, Craig knows that I tell it like it is, and this review is..... No . He is very in tune to what a modern tube system should sound like. This pre with the VRD's equals completely transparent links. When I bought the amps I felt good about not having to buy any more. The preamp is the same story. It does nothing but justice to the amps and operates at the same very high level. I'm sure I repeated myself here and there. Get past it. I am not a reviewer, just a very enthusiastic music listener, lover of the arts that get us there, and I'm trying to get the word out.