[Voltron]

Trying to fulfill my long-ago promise to compile my notes from the other TTVJ phono stage thread, so here goes. Final update at the end.


First entry:

I want to thank Todd again for this really fun opportunity. Once this loaner program kicks off, I highly recommend taking advantage and getting a listen. Or just buy the thing and have one all to yourself!

I have now spent a fair amount of time listening on both speakers and headphones and I continue to be very impressed. The price to performance ratio is incredible, especially given that I have now put the TTVJ up against the RSA XR-10B and found that the TTVJ truly held its own and actually sounded very similar. There are greater flexibility features on the XR-10B, the balanced output, and a slightly more detailed presentation, but the TTVJ was awfully close from a pure sound and musicality perspective. At 1/5th the price even with upgraded tubes I have been using so far, tube snob that I am , that is really saying something.

As to the noise floor issue I mentioned before, I have never had a truly silent TT rig. The gain needed to get those tiny signals amplified creates some amount of hum without a signal playing, but I have never been too concerned. I don't hear it when music is playing, and it is not so distracting in between as to be a problem for me. Interestingly, when I was switching back and forth with the solid state XR-10B I noticed that the noise floor was not much different than the TTVJ unless I turned the gain to the lowest setting on the RSA and then it was noticeably lower. It is nice to have the ability to drop the gain and lower the noise floor, but that change can come at the cost of authority and dynamics being diminished depending on your cartridge. In the end, the TTVJ is completely satisfactory from this perspective and really did not exhibit more than the slight hum -- more noticeable on headphones, of course -- that I get on my system as it is with the XR-10B.

The first tubes I was using were the Amperex, which are a $250 upgrade if purchased from Todd. They give a beautiful, warm but detailed sound. The words that come to mind while listening to the TTVJ with these tubes are sweet and round. The sound is natural and fluid, and the details inside the music come through very nicely. I have listened to jazz, blues, vocals, and rock, and all have been portrayed beautifully with the TTVJ in place. I was listening to Lightning Hopkins from the Fantasy 45 series and the presentation was incredibly real. In fact, my wife came back from running an errand and walked into the living room saying she thought it sounded like somebody was at the house playing guitar and singing. Now, I didn't think The Who, Wilco or Final Fantasy were in the living room with me, but Endless Wire, Sky Blue Sky and He Poos Clouds all sounded great.

I switched to the Mullards, which are a $240 upgrade from Todd, and he had told me that they are a little smoother or warmer when we were discussing the options. The first time we spoke, he was certain that the Amperex were his favorite, but the second time, he wasn't so sure any more because he was impressed with the Mullards. For me, I think the Mullards win the day. They are smoother, and might roll off a little tiny bit of detail at the top to get that feeling but man is it a beautiful sound. They don't sound mushy at all, but the sweet tone is kicked up a notch while the details still shine through. I was listening to Endless Wire when I made the switch and Roger Daltry's vocals on Man in a Purple Dress were even more touching and weighty and real. I loved it. Then, I put on a favorite jazz album, The LA 4's Just Friends and really went to town. I love Ray Brown's bass (in general) and the way it plays off Laurindo Almeida's guitar, and the sound was gorgeous with the TTVJ. The percussion details and nice alto sax tone were just right too, and I listened to that album all the way through with minimal back and forth with the XR-10B.

I pretty much decided that I will have to buy the TTVJ to replace my Antique Sound Labs Phono LUX even though I have yet to compare them head-to-head. The ASL has moving magnet duty on my wife's nice Dual 505 and I will definitely compare them this next week, but I don't think there is any doubt as to which will prevail. This is a fine product and Todd and Pete Millet ought to be proud of the TTVJ line.

Here are some pics to tease the senses some more:









OK, and some gratuitous TT shots too!





Happy listening, and keep analog alive people!


Second Entry:

Listening with the stock tubes, which are branded Sylvania even though Todd says they are JJ tubes. Now that I have listened to the stock model tubes and both upgrade tubes Todd is offering, I have to say they are 3 for 3 on sound. The unit is very quiet and sounds excellent in its fully stock mode. Very impressed.

I still think that the Mullard is going to be my favorite, but I need to swap them back in to try that out. In any case, if these are the stock tubes then it is a definite option to start out with the stock. No major hits on the sound, but I think the Amperex has a more detailed presentation and the Mullard has both details and a warmth/musicality I find enticing.

Last night I played a couple Fantasy 45 RPM series jazz albums and loved every minute. I got in two sides of Vince Guaraldi Trio's Impressions of a Black Orpheus and two sides of Gene Ammons Blue Gene. The Guaraldi is really quite fast and dynamic at times and the piano just popped last night even though it was late and I was playing pretty low volume. I should have tried out the headphone option, but I was enjoying it just the way it was. The Ammons had a great presence and body, and the bluesy sax was a killer match. I will definitely come back to this one with the Mullards.

Tonight, we put on Bob Dylan Modern Times and we listened to all 4 sides consecutively. It sounded wonderful, and certainly the way Dylan is supposed to sound. His voice just seems better on vinyl. I had this record on CD and and it isn't quite the same. I might want to hear this one again with the Amperex tubes because of the clarity and speed to see how they compare.

Right now, I switched to John Coltrane The Last Trane on Prestige. Great album that sounds wonderful from the TTVJ. Coltrane's tenor sounds sweet and fast, and the ride cymbal just shimmers nicely. The bass notes are so clean and distinct. Man, this sounds good.

More to come, I'm sure, but I am happy to report that stock or upgraded the TTVJ Phono Pre is a winner!


Third Entry:

Today I received an upgraded version of the TTVJ Phono Preamp, which is the version that will ship to all purchasers. Todd and designer Pete Millett came up with a few improvements that they have implemented to great effect. I do not know the details of internal changes, although the most obvious is that the power supply is different. The new one is an in-line brick type that I understand is more expensive for TTVJ to buy but if this is part of what changed the phono stage performance then it is well worth it!

I have listened all night to some extraordinary vinyl from Music Matters Jazz, which is putting out 45 RPM Steve Hoffman remasters of classic Blue Note titles. I also received the latest two titles, Horace Parlan's Us Three and Hank Mobley's Soul Station. I also listened to a plain old 180g 33 RPM record by Tift Merritt called Tambourine.

It's late and I did not yet have time to compare the old version to the new one, but there is no question in my mind that the new one is quite a bit quieter -- to the point that it could not be much quieter, actually. The sound quality is really excellent and even though the vinyl I was spinning mostly, the Blue Notes, is extraordinary I am convinced that the new version of the phono pre is a nice little improvement over the already great performer of the original model.

I will do some more comparing with my loaner time and will write up a more cohesive review taking my old notes in the other thread and new listening notes from the new model. Then, I will sadly let it go on to the next lucky soul, derekbm, next week. I am even more convinced, however, that I will be buying one of these beauties very shortly. This is a great piece of gear in absolute terms, but it is surely one of the greatest bargains around from a price to performance standpoint.

Nice work Todd and Pete!


Final Entry:

Finally decided to sell my XR-10B and an Antique Sounds Labs unit and buy the TTVJ with some Amperex tubes. Looking forward to hearing this one again!