paul79 Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 (edited) 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. Edited March 28, 2014 by paul79 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cut-Throat Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 What Capacitor Upgrades did you get and what was the upcharge? I've got one on order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul79 Posted July 24, 2013 Author Share Posted July 24, 2013 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Is this mooney???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul79 Posted July 24, 2013 Author Share Posted July 24, 2013 Yessir... Carl? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Yessir... Carl? Correct Mr. H, glad to see you posting here! For those that don't know Paul, he does repairs on SS gear (except Sunfire[:'(]). We "met" when I purchased a "perfectly working" pre-amp from a forum member that malfunctioned the first time I used it. Paul did his thing, sent it back and it's been flawless ever since. He was easy to get ahold of and great to talk to. I'd highly recomend him for repair and use him again if the situation arose[Y] Again, great to see you posting here, hope you stick around. Carl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Now if we can just get you into some Klipsch you will really have something! [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 I've got some of those high dollar 6h30 tubes so I'll be sure to let you know when I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul79 Posted July 24, 2013 Author Share Posted July 24, 2013 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.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 When I finally get things settled down and fix my room problems I'll have you up for a listen! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul79 Posted July 24, 2013 Author Share Posted July 24, 2013 Sounds like a plan... I'll bring ear plugs. [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 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.... It's OK not to have Klispch speakers in yoru main system, you may need to pick up a pair for soemwhere though... How do yoru speakers, at 85 db, work with the 60 wpc VRDs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul79 Posted July 24, 2013 Author Share Posted July 24, 2013 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkalsi Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 I'm only posting to say that Joseph Audio are my favorite speakers. Wish I could afford them. Owned a lot of Klipsch and JBL/Altec gear, but am a huge fan of Joseph Audio. I've attended Capital Audiofest three years in a row here in the DC area - they have close to 100+ speakers available for audition (Wilson Audio, Focal, B&W, etc. etc.)- for me - none can compare to Joseph Audio. The plan is to eventually sell everything and end up with Joseph Audio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaddeus Smith Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Just so we're clear - Do you like Joseph Audio? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul79 Posted July 25, 2013 Author Share Posted July 25, 2013 No, he LOVES Joseph Audio [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 No, he LOVES Joseph Audio I got some knock offs from a white van one time. I think they were called Joe Sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 You might like one of the small monitors like the old RB-5, RB-75, or RB-61. I love a good small monitor that kicks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 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. Sorry. I had found this: The Perspectives have a response window of 35Hz to 20kHz. Sensitivity is an moderate-low/industry-standard 85-ish dB. I’ve heard these speakers on tubes and on solid-state, and both have sounded great, but were it me, I think I’d lean more on the side of “power”, of whichever type was preferred. But then, I’m kind of an idiot when it comes to volume. YMMV. http://parttimeaudiophile.com/2012/08/14/caf2012-command-performance-av-presents-joseph-audio-bel-canto-vpi-audience/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul79 Posted July 25, 2013 Author Share Posted July 25, 2013 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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