T2K Posted December 26, 2003 Share Posted December 26, 2003 The other night I had the time to listen to the newly acquired Chorus II's along with my Scott 222-C and a Pioneer DV-563A universal player. I bought the Pioneer player because I was tired of trying to decide what CD player to buy and I was wondering if my 10 year old Sony CD player was up to snuff. First off I tried the L/R stereo outputs of the DV-563A with CD's. The sound was an improvement over the old Sony CD player, slightly smoother and an improvement with the ChorusII's. Then I changed connections to the 5.1 channel audio outputs, using the L/R front RCA's. Another slight audible improvement. Ran an S-Video out to my Sony TV and listened to several multichannel DTS/DD/DVD-A concert videos. You can't beat multiple speakers for multichannel recordings. There seemed to be something lost in the multichannel downmix to 2 channel. I decided a few days ago that the Telefunken 12AX7 preamp tubes in the 222-C had to go when using the ChorusII's. Too harsh for my old ears. I had replaced them with a pair of white label RCA blackplates which, from the getgo, seemed to be the polar opposite of the Tele's as far as upper mid detail goes. I immediately thought the sound of the RCA's was not what I was looking for, but decided to give them a few hours to settle in, along with my ears. Most of the six hour session was with the RCA's. The sound of the RCA's was OK but boy, I sure missed the unsmothered detail (audiopile lingo) of the Tele's. The next morning I decided to listen again with fresh ears. After about an hour the thought of trying different preamp tubes crossed my mind. Replaced the RCA's with a new pair of JJ/Tesla 12AX7's. Surprise! Got back the detail that was lost with the RCA's. Smooth sound, no grain/edge, and without the harshness of the Tele's at 95db. Acoustic guitar sounded real again. Strings, sustain with more air. More listening required. My goal is to improve my Chorus/Scott 2-channel setup without mods to the Chorus and without spending a fortune. I think I'm getting there with the addition of the AQ Slate wire and the Tesla 12AX7 preamp tubes. The Chorus' are no doubt fine speakers and have balls. Their sheer energy/big sound in some ways eclipse the sound of my 4 KSP300's. Of course we're talking 2-channel as opposed to multi-channel and, to me, both have their place. Happy New Year to all! Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeritageBob Posted December 27, 2003 Share Posted December 27, 2003 Keep this thread updated with your views Keith. I just got my Scott LK-72B back from Craig yesterday and have been running it for the last day straight to help burn in the Auricaps and such. Its calming down nicely over the last day and sounding very nice to me so far, I couldn't be happier with my first step into tube audio on my Chorus II's. I can't get the volume knob over 4 without scaring the cats out of the room and getting the neighbors to knock on my door. I have the original Telefunken smooth plates in my preamp section and original HHScott 7591 output tubes. I need to burn the caps and amp in for another 80 hours or so though before I make any final conclusions. I tend to like more highs though myself, so it seems the Telefunkens are going to do me nicely. The Scott cranks out plenty of Bass on the Chorus II's also, more than enough for me and my pictures hanging on the wall. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubinhard Posted December 27, 2003 Share Posted December 27, 2003 Keith, I would imagine you could upgrade some of those crossover components for about the same or less than the cables and tubes will run you. Those components are the single most important thing between the amp and drivers -- not the cable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkrop Posted December 27, 2003 Share Posted December 27, 2003 Keith, if you are unhappy with the telefunkens, I could provide a good home for them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted December 29, 2003 Author Share Posted December 29, 2003 OK Bob. Pick up a pair of the Tesla 12AX7's. They're cheap and have a sweet smooth sound in my 222-C. Read your thread about the selector. I have a Russound in the box in my closet. When I get time I will double check the model. I could send it to you for a try out if you're interested. Dean, I may try that eventually. The wire and tubes cost nothing. I had them in my closet. The sound of the Chorus' are really close to something I can live with and enjoy. Have a safe trip. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeritageBob Posted December 29, 2003 Share Posted December 29, 2003 Cool Keith, I may pick some up eventually after my burn in is done. I went ahead and ordered the Niles unit. It was a little cheaper and it also stated that it could handle 350 watts RMS per channel, so that makes me think the internals are wired good. Thanks, Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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