Scott Dolan

Oh, and I never said anything against gain. Without it there'd be no real reason I would want to replace my HeadRoom amp with it. So, I'm a bit confused where you came up with that part. Because I just bought a $600 pre-amp that I'm perfectly happy with. I do not want the tube sound on my main system. It's crystal clear and aggressive, which is what I was going for. I'm just look for it on my headphones. I'll build a tube rig as a hobby later on, but that will be for a dedicated listening room.

Right, ok. We're obviously talking past each other then. I'm not disagreeing that there would be a difference. If I didn't think there would be, I wouldn't be interested in adding it to my rig. I won't be running it through my amp, though. It will be used strictly as my headphone amp. I'll run the signal through my DAC directly into it.

Then your experience is flawed, because I've head everything from transistor radios to five figure rigs. I've also made incremental steps up the ladder, and have been there as friends did it at a much higher dollar level. Unless your equipment had a serious issue, or unless you're going from a $1000 rig to a $10,000 rig, the improvements will be incremental. Period. You can experience anything you'd like to with Decware. But at the end of the day, just like me with Velodyne for example, you are not an impartial source. Not even close. I'm not an impartial source when it comes to Apple, either. These are truths one just has to accept, or else they turn blue in the face fighting that fact. Now, I just spent four times the money to upgrade my mains. And although I went from mid-level big box store Polks to award-winning, world renown Dynaudio, at the end of the day the improvement is still only incremental. And I guarantee that Dynaudio is just as superior to Polk Audio as the Decware pre is to my HeadRoom Micro, if not a little more. I use reality and (shared) experience to inform my view. I got past homerism a long time ago. Hell, I'm even the one defending tubes in that discussion. So pardon me if I don't choose to take the opposite side here. BTW, here is the link to that conversation if you're interested to see what all was said. http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/amps-pre-pros-receivers/89630-matching-tube-amp-speakers-w-rega-rp3.html

What DAC did you go with? I've got a Dolby Digital 5.1 Harman Kardon I'll sell you for a good price.

Actually, that's not true at all. If you buy a $1,300 pre-amp that makes your DAC sound twice as good, and your amp a "lot" better, then both of those components were suffering from very serious issues (in other words, it's impossible). And that was my point. Unless you were trying to power 4 ohm speakers with a transistor radio, your amp might sound better, but not a lot. That's not the way it works once you pass a certain threshold in the audio world. And claiming to make a DAC sound twice as good is beyond absurd. As for tubes vs. SS, yet another subjective battle that rages on. Just like CD vs. LP. Technically, SS is superior as far as the technology is concerned, but as I said in response to the post I quoted, "Many folks actually prefer the harmonic distortion inherent in vacuum tubes. So considering it an upgrade or downgrade is actually pretty subjective, IMO."

Ouch! Shit just got real on another site where some cat claimed he was looking to "upgrade" from his current marginal system to a tube system. The response went as followed: "Let's be clear on this right off the bat: If you go from solid state amplification to tube amplification, then you are downgrading! Tubes are technically inferior to solid state in pretty much every way and every measurement. Also, with tube amps, it is much more important to worry about amp output impedance and speaker input impedance. In other words, a well designed and robust SS amp will drive a wider range of speakers than a similar tube amp will. Now that I have that out of the way..... Do you have any inclination for the DIY approach on a tube amp? IF you think you might want to build your own, then check out the Dynaco Clones from Bob Latino. Absolutely top-notch components, easy to follow instructions, and awesome support from Bob himself. I built an ST70 and love it! The bottom line is that tubes can be fun and can sound good, but you must be more mindful of the limitations of tube amps." And the somewhat subjective argument still rages on all these decades later.

And I believe all of that, I just wish Decware would avoid this level of hyperbole: "The CSP3 is a tube preamplifier that does two things: It makes your DAC sound better - like twice as good - and it makes your amplifier sound better - a lot better." I have no problem with a company being enthusiastic about their products, but that's rather embarrassing.

I actually think of Stripes when I hear his name. Talented director. He will be missed.

Well, since it will be part of my main system, I pretty much have to go with the black base since it will sit atop my subwoofer. That said, I do think the base looks pretty elegant.

I do find certain aspects of Decware incredibly disappointing, but goddamn if they don't make some absolutely beautiful equipment.

It's just an innocent curiosity, that's all. Kinda like a class reunion. And many of those folks have aged very well.

Well, initially I thought about addressing this thread to you. But, I realized that it was not only in your wheelhouse, but completely out of it at the same time since you've sworn off of headphones. I really wish I could have you listen to my PSB phones on one of those amps, but completely understand why you wouldn't want to. I honestly think that amp will smooth things out just as I hope. Based on your experience, do you think I'll experience that? It's hard to describe, but those PSB phones are seemingly accurate to a fault. They aren't what I'd call "cold", but they seem as though they'd benefit from a little more "analog warmth". Does that make sense?

Audioholics is the only magazine I truly trust. They're online only, but a great group of audiophiles that don't buy into myths and hype. They're what I've come to refer to as "Blue Jean Cables audiophiles". No nonsense types that understand you don't have to float a five digit loan just to make a decent system. I consider Emotiva to be the in that same boat. They build really solid equipment for the budget-minded audiophile. And you won't see them selling outrageously priced interconnects and speaker cables. They build and sell high quality stuff for sensible prices. Oh, and both Audioholics and Emotiva have forums with a lot of knowledgable and helpful people. I highly recommend both if you're looking for advice. The Steve Hoffman forums CAN be very helpful, but there is also a lot of snake oil peddlers there. So it can be a mixed bag. The UMC-200 has a dedicated subwoofer pre-amp output. Pretty much everything on the market does these days. Though, I'm not sure if that also holds true for most two-channel amps. Yeah, but I do wish they'd upgrade their forums. They can be a pain in the ass to read.

Niels, congrats on the house purchase! It's a stressful undertaking, but FAR more exciting than any audio purchase, IMO. That turntable arm looks really, really sweet! like a piece of art. Hope you are able to get it as soon as possible. Stefan, what kind of problems are you having with your Airport? My Apple TV has been a little bitchy recently. Had to unplug and reset yesterday as it simply wouldn't allow me to play anything. My library populated on my iPad remote app, but whenever I chose a tune, it would queue it up, but not play it. Before then, it would delay playing for about 30 seconds when I first fired it up. Not sure if it's an iTunes issue, or what.

After my recent rebuild my wife is under the mistaken impression that I'm somehow "finished" with audio purchases. God bless the dear woman. So up next for me will be the Decware CSP3 headphone amp with the black figured base. While I love my HeadRoom Micro, my PSB phones are perhaps a little "too accurate". I realize there is no such thing, but they are so razor sharp that they can seem a bit too clinical. So, I'm thinking that adding some tubes into the chain to provide a little of that warm harmonic distortion may smooth the sharp edges a bit. At least, that's what I'm hoping for. Does anyone else here use a tube driven headphone amp? So there's the next item on my list. I know GA is currently staring down excellent Creative speakers for his computer. But what's next on your lists?

Yeah, just kind of a cool way to see what you're getting from your speaker cables. IIRC, a loss of .5 dB is the acceptable threshold before you start hearing the effects. So as long as you stay under that, you're good. Sounds good to me. I guess I could go 10 gauge on my mains, but I'm not thinking that extra 1.78 watts of power is going to justify the price of the cables.

Sure. Emotiva UMC-200 http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/processors/products/umc200 Emotiva UPA-500 (class AB) http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/amplifiers/products/upa500 Emotiva XPA-2 http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/processors/products/xda2 Velodyne CHT15 http://www.soundandvision.com/content/bigger-better-bass-page-5 (no longer in production) Dynaudio Excite X12 http://dedicatedaudio.com/inc/sdetail/18199 Apple TV http://www.apple.com/appletv/ Monster HTS1600 PowerCenter http://www.monsterproducts.com/productdisplay.asp?pin=3243 (found on sale for $100, which is the only reason I bought it. Love a shelf mount power supply, though) That is everything I use for two-channel listening. All of my music is streamed from my iMac via the Apple TV unit, mostly in ALAC but also some in AAC. As for the rest which I use either for surround sound or headphone listening: Some discontinued Toshiba Blu-ray player, which is marginal at best. Polk Audio CSi A4 http://www.crutchfield.com/p_107CSIA4B/Polk-Audio-CSi-A4-Black.html?tp=189&awkw=25135382545&awat=pla&awnw=g&awcr=6453696265&awdv=t Polk Audio RT25i (surround speakers) http://www.polkaudio.com/products/rt25i (no longer in production) HeadRoom Micro Amp (class A) http://www.headphone.com/headphone-amps/amplifiers/headroom-micro-amp.php PSB Speakers M4U-1 http://www.psbspeakers.com/products/headphones/M4U-1-Headphones As you can see, I don't take movies/tv/surround sound all that seriously. Two channel stereo for music remains the most important factor for me.

It has aspirations...

http://www.electrovoice.com/cableloss.php Ran across this when I was doing some homework to make sure my 14AWG speaker cables were going to be a good match for my new 4 ohm speakers. For mine the loss is .11 dB, with 117.03 of my 120 watts reaching their destination. If I switched to 10AWG those numbers would be .04 dB, and 118.81 watts. Not a huge gain. Either way, this is a neat little tool I thought you cats might enjoy.

I reponded to it above.

Absolutely. I actually have these 18 inches away from the wall, but even with that, I may experiment with the port plugs that were included. *edit* OH! And thanks to CJ and jazzbo for their kind comments.

Agreed, I can't manage without my mono switch. At least a third of my LPs are mono and so are most of my 78s. Lack of mono switches and money have prevented me upgrading my amplifier. Your set up looks cool. How does it sound? It sounds very clean and powerful. The X12's strength is in handling vocals. Unlike my old Polks which made a singer sound kinda muffled and jumbled in with the rest of the music, the X12's truly separate the vocalist and bring them out front and center. And they throw an outrageously wide and deep sound stage. Classical music sounded vertical and flat on my Polks, but with these it has a much more horizontal presentation with individual groupings of instruments far more pinpointed and accurately placed. My wife loves her angry stuff and wanted to listen to a Linkin Park tune during our four hour marathon listening session last night. So I played By Myself, which is really just a jumbled mess of shit, sonically. The X12's presented that tune with such disarming clarity that I was actually floored. No distortion during the loudest moments, no jumbled mass of sonic shit, just a clear and powerful reproduction. Really amazing. All I can say at this point is that this rig is serious business. Even listening at a moderate listening level last night which registered around 70dB on my handheld meter (my personal sweet spot), the power and clarity borders on intimidating.

I think Emotiva stopped including those a year or two ago. Trust me, it's not as clean as it looks... My wife asked about doing that, so we're going to experiment with it later today. I read a professional review that stated the X12's were actually one of the few speakers he had ever reviewed that sounded better facing straight on, so who knows? I'll let you know how it works out.

I don't have the best photography skills, so please forgive the blurry and general crappy aspects of these pics.

Thanks, Peter. I received my speakers yesterday, and so far I'm truly blown away. The depth of the soundstage, clarity, and the way they handle vocals is just wonderful.