Sweet you will be happy! They are all very hard to get and expensive. The Genalex Gold is more common. So if you can find a Miniwatt for cheap that's even better. Quote:  

Quote: I might do that. It will be at least a couple months though. As I am still waiting to see if things change with the LCD 3. I go back and forth on pulling the trigger now.   I know the one thing the Audiophilleo has over the Mk3 is integer mode. Maybe if enough Hiface owners...

Quote: I think you can't go wrong with either one. If you get a CCa make sure it's a 50's or early 60's grey plate. The later ones are more common and not as good. If I could only have one, my favorite is the pinched waist Amperex. The miniwatts sounds very similar. But those three are...

Quote: Oh this makes sense. I read this review http://www.digitalaudioreview.net.au/index.php/audio-reviews/digital-source-reviews/item/156-red-wine-audio-isabellina-lfp-v-edition and he mentioned the same thing. The isabellina DAC was too polite. I found the HPA isabellina  LFP-V to be a...

Yes I have tested the 1950's Siemen CCa. It's a great tube. It has a much bigger soundstage then the JJ's. Even bigger than the Dario Miniwatt. It is more on the analytical side vs the miniwatt. Which tends to have more of that tube warmth. At the same time the CCa is more musical than the JJ's...

Quote: I agree! :)  

Quote: When using the MkIII and the HPA together the sound was better, vs the hpa directly connecting to the source.  The sound field was deeper and wider. The instrument separation was more precise. It gave it more of a 3 dimensional sound. Without sacrificing any clarity or dynamics.   

Quote: Hope this helps because things are relative to each system. Which may have different components with different implementations. Such as synchronous or asynchronous usb. So you get  different results.   I believe each system is different. In my current system, the Red Wine Isabellina...

Quote: I use the shielded Wywire usb cable. The owner Alex, says the cheaper one sounds very similar, but I have not tried it. Yes I use the one that came with the Isabellina as well as other standard usb cables I have lying arond. They all sound very similar. I have on different...

Is interger mode a significant improvement over hog mode by itself.

My opinion with upgrading usb cable's, as well as other opinion's from what I've read, is some cables actually improve the sound. Some don't. They are not always price dependent. The names of usb cables that most people say improve the sound, are the locus design usb cables. It seems other usb...

  I finally did my a/b with my cables with and without the Mk 3. Cables made a big difference in my system. I will state it again, but the Red Wine HPA is hands down better with the Mk3. The thing that may surprise some people is that the usb cable made just as much difference, as the BNC...

I finally did my a/b with my cables with and without the Mk 3. Cables made a big difference in my system. I will state it again, but the Red Wine HPA is hands down better with the Mk3. The thing that may surprise some people is that the usb cable made just as much difference, as the BNC cable...

Quote: It's not that old. I have not asked John yet. I did not realize how short my mk3 was playing compared to others.    

Quote:   I am not an expert about integer mode and players. So if someone wants to explain it better please do so. Players like Pure Music and Audirvana have different modes that improve the quality of the music. By shorting the path and  limiting the function your computer uses at...

I now feel almost content with my my mk3 set up. ;) I wish m2 tech made a integer mode driver. This would be perfect.

Quote: Your Mk3 Can play for 18 hours straight? On a full charge I get around 6-7 hours.

It's very interesting because me and korzena have very similar systems. The HPA and a Mk3. But we are using different cables and experience different results with the attenuator.   I finally got to a/b the 20 db attenuator. Initially the 20 db attenuator did not work with my red wine hpa in...

Well  I am writing this with a big smile on my face because my system is REALLY starting to sing. Everything is so clean, clear and articulated. My cables are getting close to fully burned in. So I decided to a/b with the attenuator. I have had it place and have not removed it since I got the...

Quote: These are touchy waters.. :  ) Digital is digital right? I use pure music on my mac pro into the mk3 to the isabellina. Honestly I have done a lot of testing and I can here a very slight difference. But not on all songs and not every time. I would have my wife play back the music so...

Quote: I burn everything to uncompressed wav and listen from my hard drive. But the same songs sound different in wav format when burned from itunes or xld.  

I did notice a change in sound with the attenuator but I was waiting for everything to settle and burn in before I decided which I liked better. Supposedly the kimber 2020 has less reflections and jitter. So we'll see. I also threw another monkey wrench into the mix and re-burned my cd's with...

I paid $100 for the Dario Miniwatt, Vinnie at Red Wine Audio had an extra one and I asked if he would sell it. When I purchased the HPA. I paid $150 for the 1950's CCa on Audiogon. Audiogon is a good place to check for tubes and cables. Just do a little research to get an idea of the qualities...

Just tried the 20 db attenuator it works with battery mode and A/c mode. I guess different cables effect more than just the sound. They effect the signal strength as well. The Kimber 2020 lets everything through. The radio shack and Canare do not. I am going to let the cables  burn in before I...

Yes I use a dario Miniwatt tube. It sounds better in every way over the JJ. The soundstage is the biggest improvement. The sound is much wider and deeper with better instrument separation. The mids, highs and bass are better defined as well. I have a 1950's Siemen  CCa tube coming soon.