My CT-5 needs a solid hour to warm up...

[Puma Cat]

While I've been noticing that my CT-5 is sounding better and better at it burns in, I've also noticed that it needs a good hour to warm up after being switched on to start to sound it's best.

Upon first switching it on, it sounds thin and hard and a bit edgy....but after almost exactly a solid hour of playing music through it, bam! all of a sudden it sounds markedly better, like your gear does at 2 AM.

Interestingly, when Jeff Whitlock was at my place a while back and we were listening to the CT-5, he noticed the same thing.

[Jerome W]

While I've been noticing that my CT-5 is sounding better and better at it burns in, I've also noticed that it needs a good hour to warm up after being switched on to start to sound it's best.

Upon first switching it on, it sounds thin and hard and a bit edgy....but after almost exactly a solid hour of playing music through it, bam! all of a sudden it sounds markedly better, like your gear does at 2 AM.

Interestingly, when Jeff Whitlock was at my place a while back and we were listening to the CT-5, he noticed the same thing.

Stephen,

With proper power regulation and / or filtering, your gear can sound as good at 2 AM than at 7 AM when all the toasters and coffe machines of the country are on duty !

[Rafale]

Stephen,

With proper power regulation and / or filtering, your gear can sound as good at 2 AM than at 7 AM when all the toasters and coffe machines of the country are on duty !

I completely agree with you Stephen, the rite it is: 1/2 hour of warm up and it is the second LP who opens the festivities but the difference is reduced in time when CT5 will be completely broke in it will be less blatant
For my part I have never felt the need of main filter or regulator with CJ and my electric environment, the sound is the best especially when the children are put to sleep and whom I am in a good state of mind to listen to some music!!!:music:

[Rayooo]

While I've been noticing that my CT-5 is sounding better and better at it burns in, I've also noticed that it needs a good hour to warm up after being switched on to start to sound it's best.

Upon first switching it on, it sounds thin and hard and a bit edgy....but after almost exactly a solid hour of playing music through it, bam! all of a sudden it sounds markedly better, like your gear does at 2 AM.

Interestingly, when Jeff Whitlock was at my place a while back and we were listening to the CT-5, he noticed the same thing.


I could swear the ET-5 takes an hour or so as well... what drew my attention to this was that on the ET-3SE I had, I did not notice this at all.

Oh and every system I've ever owned, sounds best on Saturday and Sunday mornings, 5AM-8AM. (2AM is nice as well) I've always attributed 90% of this effect to my own "human factors".

... to state this in Audiophile Pseudo Science babble: "It's well known that the sound of Teflon capacitors are affected by the amount of stress present in the humans within 50 feet of the caps"
....as we all know as superior listeners, our own hearing and perception of same is a constant. :laughin:

[Removed]

Hi Stephen.....its good to see the CT-5 still in your system, not at all uncommon for an hour of warm up to sound good.....My Aesthetix Calypso Sig line stage takes about an hour as does my Rhea Sig and Steelhead to get in the groove!......Tubes, robust power supplies and big caps = Cold blooded but worth the wait :yes:

[Tonepub]

All tube gear takes about an hour to stabilize. For thst matter so does most SS gear from cold.

[jimtranr]

No surprise, Stephen. My non-Tefloned 17LS takes no less than a half hour to hit full stride from a cold start, and my SS MF2500 somewhat longer. As in Philippe's case, it's generally the second LP that gets the juices flowing.

Jim

[Puma Cat]

Jim,
Yep, I've found my Premier 17LS takes a good half-hour to get "on the cam" as the car racing guys would say.

That Premier 17LS/MF2500 must be a really nice combination. I've thought about picking up an MF2500 at some point in time to try out an SS amp in my system. Heard great things about them.

I switched out the CT-5 last night and finished up listening with my Premier 17....there is just something that preamp does that's really special....maybe because it's more of a baby ART than a baby ACT....

[Tonepub]

Actually the circuit of the CT5 is a simplified one of the first generation ACT2. Nothing like an ART, which is based on 6922's vs the 6H30's in the ACT2. The ART preamps are much warmer sounding than the ACT 2's or the CT5.

[Puma Cat]

Hi Jeff,
Yes,that was my point....that the CT-5 is more like an ACT than an ART, and the reason there's something that I still really like about my 17 is that it's more like an ART than an ACT design. Probably that extra touch of warmth.

Probably my ideal pre is an ART 3 like Turntable has....or maybe the new GAT.

[Puma Cat]

Had the music server on tonight while cleaning up some LPs on the Spin-Clean, still my fave for deep-cleaning used LPs from the record store (these were picked up while I was up in Eugene this week for work).

Had the music on for almost exactly an hour, when the CT-5 said: "Bam! I'm all warmed up!"

Funny how all of a sudden it gets really good....almost like turning on a switch.

[jdandy]

While I've been noticing that my CT-5 is sounding better and better at it burns in, I've also noticed that it needs a good hour to warm up after being switched on to start to sound it's best.

Upon first switching it on, it sounds thin and hard and a bit edgy....but after almost exactly a solid hour of playing music through it, bam! all of a sudden it sounds markedly better, like your gear does at 2 AM.

Interestingly, when Jeff Whitlock was at my place a while back and we were listening to the CT-5, he noticed the same thing.

Stephen.......This parallels my experience when I had the two MC275 MkV's running in mono in the studio sound system. The system always sounded good, but after the amps had been energized for an hour the three dimensional texture of all sounds developed a more lifelike presentation. Voices and instruments seemed just a bit richer, and captured my attention and imagination more thoroughly. I mentioned it in several posts on other threads, and got a fair amount of support for what I was describing. Of course there were opposing points of view as well, but the differences I heard once the amps had completely warmed was strikingly real.

[cmalak]

Stephen...same here. For me it's somewhere between 30 mins to an hour. There is a transformation where everything locks in, the staging becomes even more holographic, and I just get sucked into the music more. It must be a tube thing :thumbsup:

[Puma Cat]

Cyril and Dan,
Yeah, I think it's mostly a tube thing.

Cyril, I think with the Teflon-capped components it's takes an extra half-hour...like Jim, I notice my Pr17 takes about 30 mins...the CT-5 clearly needs an hour.

Interestingly, my Dyns need 30 mins to "warm up", too. I noticed it on my own, but even the Dynaudio factory guidance says to warm them up a bit before settling in for serious listening.

[jdandy]

Cyril and Dan,
Yeah, I think it's mostly a tube thing.

Cyril, I think with the Teflon-capped components it's takes an extra half-hour...like Jim, I notice my Pr17 takes about 30 mins...the CT-5 clearly needs an hour.

Interestingly, my Dyns need 30 mins to "warm up", too. I noticed it on my own, but even the Dynaudio factory guidance says to warm them up a bit before settling in for serious listening.

Stephen.......Heck, I'm getting to the point where I need to be warmed up before getting serious about anything. :D

[Puma Cat]

Ha! Yeah, I know what you mean, Dan...speaking of which, now that I'm done cleaning LPs, I'm going to warm up and and settle for some serious listening by pouring a splash of Cragganmore single-malt...:thumbsup:

[jdandy]

Ha! Yeah, I know what you mean, Dan...speaking of which, now that I'm done cleaning LPs, I'm going to warm up and and settle for some serious listening by pouring a splash of Cragganmore single-malt...:thumbsup:

Stephen.......Excellent. Great way to unwind. :thumbsup:


http://www.whiskyguild.com/glenmorangie/therange_sm.jpg

[Puma Cat]

Glenmorangie would work, too!

Glenmorangie or Talisker will likely be my next Scotch purchase!

[jimtranr]

Jim,
That Premier 17LS/MF2500 must be a really nice combination.

It certainly is with the Paradigm SE-3's in this room.

Jim

[Puma Cat]

The CT-5 did again tonight....was listening to an LP of Oscar Peterson's We Get Requests, and bam! After 60 minutes, it's like somebody flipped the "Now I'm going to sound really good" switch...it's the d*mndest thing.

[turntable]

Stephen

Since it has only two tubes. leave it on 24/7 most of the time :yes::no:

[Tonepub]

Those 6H30's get really hot. While I did manage to get about 18,000 hours out of the first set in my ACT2, I don't know if I'd leave a tube anything on 24/7.

Most mfrs. do not recommend this.

[Puma Cat]

I don't leave the CT-5 on 24/7. When I do leave it on for burning in, it's 8 hours during the day at work, or overnight, then I switch it off.

[cjfan]

Have any of the CT5 owners on here tried changing the 6H30's?
Any recommendations or advice?

I to have noticed that it takes it time to 'come on song' and happens suddenly.

[Briz Vegaas]

Hi. I have a pair of gold pin tubes and the standard ones. My dealer recommended the std ones as I was using the CA200 and the goldies might be too warm and fuzzy in that combination. I did not find a huge difference but I don't roll often, the std tubes have been in there for a while. Actually maybe I should start thinking about swapping them for a fresh set. Been in there 15 months and they weren't new when I got it.

The 60 minute thing is standard but its still nice from cold, it just gets better at 1 hour. The CA 200 does it also but it takes 1/2 hour. I'm fine with that. Modern life is too fast anyway.

[tdelahanty]

Both tube and solid-state benefit from thermal equilibrium, heat soaked and fully charged. Optimum conditions take longer than an hour. My SS equipment stays on 24/7, I can tell a difference, compared to being on just one hour or so. Unfortunately it's the tale of two evils with tubes, better sound or shorter tube life.

I know of no power conditioner or filter that is a substitute for thermal equilibrium, better sound always, maybe with dirty power.

[Puma Cat]

Have any of the CT5 owners on here tried changing the 6H30's?
Any recommendations or advice?

I to have noticed that it takes it time to 'come on song' and happens suddenly.

Yup....that's my experience exactly. Takes almost exactly one hour. That's just the way it is, it seems. I've put in the 6H30DR, "super tubes" from Reflektor, which are better, but the 1 hour "warmup time" is still required. It's like the CT-5 just goes SNAP and it's better all of a sudden.

[cjfan]

Thanks Puma-cat. Are the super tubes worth the money in your opinion?
Cheers

[microstrip]

Those 6H30's get really hot. While I did manage to get about 18,000 hours out of the first set in my ACT2, I don't know if I'd leave a tube anything on 24/7.

Most mfrs. do not recommend this.

Did you leave it on 24/24 for two years?

Although I would think twice about some other equipment, considering that all power supply supply capacitors of the ACT2 are Teflon type, except for the tube filament and control supply, I also did not had any problem leaving the ACT2 permanently on. The only problem I have had with the 6h30's was one sample becoming noisy.

Unhappily the 6922's of the ART were a different story ...

[Briz Vegaas]

My CT5 was out of action for 5 weeks waiting on a modification to fix a flakey relay problem. They fit what I think was described as a grounding plate, or a bigger one anyway.

I was glad to once again have my preamp hooked up to my CA200 despite an early moment last weekend where something else Happened. The system crackled after playing a few albums. Fortunately that episode has not returned. The system was sounding ok, but I expected it would need to be run in after it was laid up so long.

By Friday i began to think my pre wasn't so special after all. Maybe my CA200 was pretty good all on its own. Reinstalling the CT5 didn't seem to work as well as i remembered.

In the back of my mind I remembered auditioning the unit and how it took a week to click and all of a sudden it produced a bigger better sound. The famous Teflon run in.

Well it finally happened today. Just when I was thinking I imagined it the first time. I left the room and was reading a newspaper article when suddenly I noticed the music change.

It will be interesting if this apparent blossoming remains or if was just a change in my mood. I was all ready to go borrow a LP70 to see if I could find some of the systems mojo again. I will have to see if this impression remains over the next few days but things seem to be a lot bigger and more transparent now.

[Puma Cat]

Thanks Puma-cat. Are the super tubes worth the money in your opinion?
Cheers
Yes, definitely. Unfortunately, one has very little tube rolling options with this tube.

[Puma Cat]

My CT5 was out of action for 5 weeks waiting on a modification to fix a flakey relay problem. They fit what I think was described as a grounding plate, or a bigger one anyway.

I was glad to once again have my preamp hooked up to my CA200 despite an early moment last weekend where something else Happened. The system crackled after playing a few albums. Fortunately that episode has not returned. The system was sounding ok, but I expected it would need to be run in after it was laid up so long.

By Friday i began to think my pre wasn't so special after all. Maybe my CA200 was pretty good all on its own. Reinstalling the CT5 didn't seem to work as well as i remembered.

In the back of my mind I remembered auditioning the unit and how it took a week to click and all of a sudden it produced a bigger better sound. The famous Teflon run in.

Well it finally happened today. Just when I was thinking I imagined it the first time. I left the room and was reading a newspaper article when suddenly I noticed the music change.

It will be interesting if this apparent blossoming remains or if was just a change in my mood. I was all ready to go borrow a LP70 to see if I could find some of the systems mojo again. I will have to see if this impression remains over the next few days but things seem to be a lot bigger and more transparent now.

I find that if my CT-5 has not been used for more than about 2 weeks, some
"reburn-in" is required, and takes about two weeks to get to where it was. Keep an eye on the time, but my guess is your CT-5 will be about the same, Briz.

[Briz Vegaas]

Well it's definitely close to being back to where it was. Just listening to Jimmy Hendrx's this may be love and it sounds great. Some say this is not a well recorded album. Sure the 60 s stereo is naff but the guitars and vocals and drums, it all sounds great. Detailed but not at all harsh. You never guess it was a CD playing.

This is the quality that was missing before yeasterday.I also thought it was a bit too dark as well, now it's better balanced .

[Tonepub]

Why use a CT5 with a CA200 in the first place?

[microstrip]

Why use a CT5 with a CA200 in the first place?


Jeff,
In order to get better sound! :music:

As far as I know the CA200 is mainly a lower power version of the Premier 350 using a selector and a switched attenuator in the input. Using it with an ET5 should result in a much better sound - at less the 350 sounded much better with the ET5 than using an high quality passive switched attenuator incorporating high quality Vishay resistors. But this is just an opinion - I never owned a CA200.

[Tonepub]

Jeff,
In order to get better sound! :music:

As far as I know the CA200 is mainly a lower power version of the Premier 350 using a selector and a switched attenuator in the input. Using it with an ET5 should result in a much better sound - at less the 350 sounded much better with the ET5 than using an high quality passive switched attenuator incorporating high quality Vishay resistors. But this is just an opinion - I never owned a CA200.

Having owned and reviewed the CA200, it's like any product with a passive attenuator; it's either magic or flat and lacking in dynamics. I guess if I still had my CA200, I'd just try and find a source that really worked well with it, than adding the complexity of another component. Unless you just wanted the tubey thing, or didn't feel like changing any of your components.

If you can find the right sources (i.e. perfect impedance match) the CA200 will sound better without a preamp. That's why it was made that way.

[Briz Vegaas]

My CA200 experience went from a standard configuration to one with a digital volume control.

The Weiss INT202 showed me that the ladder attenuator was holding back the CA200. This was proved to me again when the CT5 was off line. I started using the built in attenuator and I was disappointed after running the CT5 for so long. Running via the theatre input gave me back some detail and I was ok living with this configuration as a backup.

As I said in the previous post, the CT5 is now back and re-run in with very good results. The CA200 will not give the best results on its own using its volume control. Good, but not its best.

I did wonder if maybe the Naim DAC was a miss match but I preferred it to the Weiss DAC2 and Weiss DAC 202. The only other DAC I have had in the system was the CJ DAC but that was via the CT5 and I still preferred the Naim, it was not a huge difference however.

Now of course you have re-established the thought in my head that I should still try the LP70s. It would mean no fall back should my preamp get sick again but why have a stand alone amp when a more logical amp can be had. Thanks for that little germ, I had just convinced myself that the CA200 was the best long term bet for me. Now I am once again no longer sure.

I did try the 250S by the way. It hated the digital pre option, hummed and grumbled, only had it hooked up for a minute that way. With the CT5 it was better behaved but it did not sound at all like the CA200, not as involving. This was before the CT5 had hit its straps. Im told the 250 needs 5 hours from cold to sound good so maybe that was a factor.

I think I will just have to borrow the LP70s and find out for myself. My dealer still has a demo unit. Of corse the issue then may whether a valve amp is best foe my Vivid B1s that can drop to about 3ohms at certain frequencies. My speakers seem very reactive to amps, they sound completely different through A Luxman combo at the shop which lacks the body that I get at home.

Why is hifi so complicated? Oh well :-)

[Joe Appierto]

If you can find the right sources (i.e. perfect impedance match) the CA200 will sound better without a preamp. That's why it was made that way.

Jeff,

The c-j website lists the CA200's input impedance as "varies with level control setting, 12k Ohms minimum". I seem to remember something about the output impedance of a source should be no more than 1/10 the input impedance of the target. Is this what you're referring to? And, presumably, the lower the output impedance of the source the less frequency response variation/attenuation you'll get?

Thanks for your thoughts.

[Puma Cat]

My CA200 experience went from a standard configuration to one with a digital volume control.

The Weiss INT202 showed me that the ladder attenuator was holding back the CA200. This was proved to me again when the CT5 was off line. I started using the built in attenuator and I was disappointed after running the CT5 for so long. Running via the theatre input gave me back some detail and I was ok living with this configuration as a backup.

As I said in the previous post, the CT5 is now back and re-run in with very good results. The CA200 will not give the best results on its own using its volume control. Good, but not its best.

I did wonder if maybe the Naim DAC was a miss match but I preferred it to the Weiss DAC2 and Weiss DAC 202. The only other DAC I have had in the system was the CJ DAC but that was via the CT5 and I still preferred the Naim, it was not a huge difference however.

Now of course you have re-established the thought in my head that I should still try the LP70s. It would mean no fall back should my preamp get sick again but why have a stand alone amp when a more logical amp can be had. Thanks for that little germ, I had just convinced myself that the CA200 was the best long term bet for me. Now I am once again no longer sure.

I did try the 250S by the way. It hated the digital pre option, hummed and grumbled, only had it hooked up for a minute that way. With the CT5 it was better behaved but it did not sound at all like the CA200, not as involving. This was before the CT5 had hit its straps. Im told the 250 needs 5 hours from cold to sound good so maybe that was a factor.

I think I will just have to borrow the LP70s and find out for myself. My dealer still has a demo unit. Of corse the issue then may whether a valve amp is best foe my Vivid B1s that can drop to about 3ohms at certain frequencies. My speakers seem very reactive to amps, they sound completely different through A Luxman combo at the shop which lacks the body that I get at home.

Why is hifi so complicated? Oh well :-)

A CT-5 and an LP70S is a pretty magical combination. Take it from someone who knows! :D

[Briz Vegaas]

Wow. Weird. Confused.

Hands up who believes in power cords.

I currently have the lp70 In place running standard tubes.

Initial thoughts. Wow, very open and detailed compared to the CA200 on a piano and vocal track. I even called the dealer to ask what he would want to trade the ca200 on the LP70, I was suddenly getting serious about the possibility of a change. Then I tried a few rock tracks and I was less convinced, it was kinda thin sounding, no real body. Somehow less "there" sounding, more hi fi in a not so good way. Also it sounded less rich harmonically. How could it be more detailed yet somehow more.......bland maybe.

Maybe this was different and not actually better. I was missing something the CA200 brought to rock and pop. I could hear more detail sort of but maybe because the body was missing from the picture.

Lets go back a few days, this story started to take place on Thursday when my CA200 played up, it just stopped working. after checking all connections it was flickering its led lights, something was wrong. I had to take it in to be looked at so I finally borrowed the LP70s just to have an amp. When I got home the LP70 was dead also. It wasn't the amp, it was a Valhalla power cord. I swapped in a OEM cord and the LP70 came to life. Called the shop and confirmed the CA200 was also fine. That's when I started listening.

So, my initial impressions were with the regular cord in place.

Now I had been going for about 2 hours and decided to try that Valhalla again. Still dead. So I swapped a Valhalla off my DAC with the one on the amp, click, everything was working fine now with the two Valhallas swapped.

You know what else, the bass and the body was back. In fact ..............it sounded just like the CA200, but maybe a little less harmonically rich and a bit of emotion was missing. I tried the Stereophile bass guitar test track, it was so similar to the CA200, but.........

I think I prefer the CA200 with CT5 to the LP70s and CT5.

With the changeover at a few grand, why would i want to do it.

My initial wow experience was because a thinner sound appeared more open and detailed.

I can't swap back and forth as my CA200 is at the shop but if I am struggling to differentiate why spend money.

Some will say the power cable is killing the sound, but its clearly adding more bass and punch and body. It's like a better power supply to my mind. Some albums just sounded thin and almost unlistenable to me without the Valhalla. Of course I need to get that cord checked electrically to ensure that it is not a lose wire, but it works fine on the DAC.

Weird, the power cord has more impact on my sound than 2 different amps, and a solid state amp sounds richer that a valve amp, just by a shade. Who would have thunk it.

I will keep listening but this is totally unexpected. It's peak time hear in Australia so my power is at its worst, maybe late evening will change my mind again.

How will I tell my dealer that my enthusiasm for the LP70 has vanished and I was tricked by a standard power cord into initially thinking the sound was more open and detailed. And the matching amps look so good also.

More listening is required on this one. Much more.

[ronenash]

If the LP70s was sitting at the dealer place not used than it definitely need a week of re-breaking in the amp and that might account for some of what you are hearing.

With that said, in order to get the drive and scale of the CA200 you will have to move to one of CJ larger tube amps. In my opinion the LP70 cannot compete in this area. LP140, LP125m, Pr140 come to mind.

...and still the CA200 with the CT5 is a world class combination and you will have to invest a considerable amount to better it.

Just my 2c.

[Briz Vegaas]

Any change is a learning experience. I have lived with the CA200 for five years.

Missed dinner tonight doing this comparison and things are becoming clearer, but I'm dying for a bite to eat right now.

Listening to Beth Orton's Candle right now in 24 bit download. This is clearly better than with the CA200. Jen Chapman just sounded way more more right, Miles Davis was similar.

It probably is a little less punchy than the solid State but its not missing out by much.

There is a you tube video by a conductor explaining how musicians grow and learn to play "on one buttock" as he puts it. It's his way of describing an even handed maintenance of musical tension throughout a piece of music. That sort of sums up the difference. Where as Austra's singer seemed to be a bit off when singing her cover song for Australia's JJJ " like a version", she now seems pretty much spot on and her vocal is clearer. I am also finding it easier to pick layered vocals,

I was thrown by the big difference without the Valhalla. Now that I am adjusting to the more subtle improvement it's becoming clearer that the LP70 betters the CA200 when paired with the CT5. The only question is whether its enough to justify the change. As much as I hate to say it, I think my wallet is looking lighter, not for a spectacular difference but one that shows off the Vivid's B1s neutral yet musical qualities very nicely.

[Puma Cat]

Briz,

Ronenash is correct; if the LP70S is sitting for some time, it will need about two weeks to fully re-burn in. Trust me on this, I go down this road every time I listen to my Premier 350 for two weeks or more. I wouldn't make any judgements on it until you've had it playing music for that period of time. The LP70S is very fast, very dynamic and punchy, compared to my Premier 350, not quite as punchy, but still quite close, and impressively so for a tube amp. Bass isn't quite as "firm" and tight as the Pr350, but there's more midrange magic. Adding a good PC like a Shunyata Black Mamba HC CX improves the bass even more, especially when combined with a Hydra 8 or Triton distributor. Overall, the LP70S is one of the finest tube amps I've ever heard, so be sure you give it time to re-burn in fully.

Cheers,
Stephen aka PC

[Briz Vegaas]

That's for the advice guys.

I think the LP has sucked me in. :-) Did nothing but listen to music for 6 hours last night. All I need is a turntable and I would be an old school audiophile ( no need to go down that path I don't think, I have an excellent digital source)

It's dead quiet as well which I like. Not expected from a tube amp.

I don't think it's been idol for too long , it was playing two weeks ago when I was in store. I don't think it is a low mileage demo either.

What's the go with a tube amp. Do you keep some spare valves in the cupboard to keep you going over time. I will have to read your tube rolling threads now as well, although I will need to pay off this unexpected purchase first before considering any swapping adventures. I'm in no hurry on the rolling front.

I should bias my left hand side as well as the red LEDs are lit on that side. Actually as a novice i should play with biasing just to get my head around it, bound to be utube videos on this.

Thanks again CJ gurus

[ronenash]

If you decide to get the LP70 get a set of KT120 output tubes for it. The performance will go up one notch.

[Puma Cat]

Yes, the LP70S is extraordinarily quiet; try it with a Shunyata Black Mamba HC CX or better cord for even more noise rejection, and kick and back and relax.

I would get the KT120s as Ron suggested, the performance will go up as he mentioned. Better bass and definition, as well as dynamics. I bias mine so that the LED just goes out. You will be very happy with these tubes in this amp. If you want to take it a step further, get some Ediswan 6922s for it from Upscale Audio.

[Briz Vegaas]

Thanks Puma. I think I have maxed out on power cords. Ridiculous and obsessive is a reasonable summary, although i know of one similar setup (my inspiration, he did it first) and that setup sounds wonderful. i always argue that my power here coming in from the street is dreadful, Prior to my cable obsession everything sounded bad to me.

Let's see, we start with a dedicated line with beefed up cable from a separate breaker at the power box, then at the wall we start with a Nordost Odin, then we hit a Q4 Qbase with 2 QV2 generator things, then a Nordost Valhalla to a second Qbase, then a second Valhalla to the amp.

I think the term WTF has been used by more than one person, on seeing this. Insanity. Yet when I first installed the LP70 with the last cord being a standard one the sound was as thin and etched as you could get. Inserting that last Valhalla gives a slightly dark sound but its wonderfully solid and non fatiguing with a black background and full and tight bass. That last Valhalla is clearly additive, or the standard cord is just plain subtractive..

So thanks but I will stick with what I have. :-)

[Briz Vegaas]

L o v e t h I s a m p

Listening to some late night classic 60s with lots of over driven valve amps, just before hitting the hay.

Cream. sunshine of my love
Jimmy Hendrix. Voodoo Chile

This sounds so amazing. You would never know you are listening to a humble ripped CD.

If you think metal drivers have a certain sound and high end speakers are too hifi. Well sorry you are wrong. This is just so organic, great synergy between amp and speakers Vivid B1s and CJ, fantastic, even an hour ago I would not have guessed they had this sort of synergy, I even though the CD of these albums were a bit nasty and digital. No way.

This may be a new toy moment, but this is one of those evenings when system synergy, music synergy, the whole things comes together.


Valve-tastic goodness. :-)

[joeinid]

Briz

I'm so happy to read your enthusiasm. That's all that counts my friend. I understand what you are hearing and share in your enjoyment. Congratulations.

[Puma Cat]

L o v e t h I s a m p

Listening to some late night classic 60s with lots of over driven valve amps, just before hitting the hay.

Cream. sunshine of my love
Jimmy Hendrix. Voodoo Chile

This sounds so amazing. You would never know you are listening to a humble ripped CD.

If you think metal drivers have a certain sound and high end speakers are too hifi. Well sorry you are wrong. This is just so organic, great synergy between amp and speakers Vivid B1s and CJ, fantastic, even an hour ago I would not have guessed they had this sort of synergy, I even though the CD of these albums were a bit nasty and digital. No way.

This may be a new toy moment, but this is one of those evenings when system synergy, music synergy, the whole things comes together.


Valve-tastic goodness. :-)

Terrific. Told ya that that combo was pretty magical! :thumbsup:

[Briz Vegaas]

Now that the LP70 is officially mine I have a set of KT120s to install. Too late to muck about now so will wait till tomorrow to install.

Do they fit in the cages of the LP70s or do you need spacers to allow them to fit?

I expect a day or two of run in depending on how much listening time i get, should be interesting how things improve. Even cold and with std tubes this is a very enjoyable combination.

[Joe Appierto]

Now that the LP70 is officially mine I have a set of KT120s to install. Too late to muck about now so will wait till tomorrow to install.

Do they fit in the cages of the LP70s or do you need spacers to allow them to fit?

I expect a day or two of run in depending on how much listening time i get, should be interesting how things improve. Even cold and with std tubes this is a very enjoyable combination.

Best of luck with your new LP70S, I'm sure you're going to continue enjoying it. Do you have a little more than 1/2 inch additional clearance? Taking into account you don't want the cage to be resting right on top of the KT120s. The 6550C is about 116mm/4.57" tall and the KT120 is 130mm/5.12". So it's about 14mm/.55" taller.

Regards,

[Puma Cat]

Briz,
The tube cages will not fit on the amp with the KT120s... you will take to to them off and leave them off while using these tubes. That's what I do with mine.

[Briz Vegaas]

Or.........

Flip them. They are wider than they are high. If I flip them they still sit in the top groove but are are too narrow and the "sides" (previous the top) sits just inside the bay.

You can't screw it in place but its adequate. I might grab some of those sticky pad things or similar to better secure the bottom part. It should be enough to keep it cat resistant, if not cat proof. They have stayed away so far, being content to sit in front of it rather than on it ( touch ipad)

Of course a CATastrophic failure might not be a good look

[Briz Vegaas]

Moved to better thread

[rlw3]

4 ayre myrtlewood blocks raise each of my cj pr 12 cages. 2 in the back next to the caps and 2 on the sides: the cage looks like it is floating. with the bottom of the cage about an inch in the air the tubes have great ventilation