[korzena]

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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. 

Thanks for the interesting informaton! The Miniwatt tube might be of a great interest to me as soundstage is something I care about. Please let me know about the Siemen's tube when you test it.
 
Can I ask you how much you paid for your tubes and where you bought them?
 

 

[korzena]

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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 comment regarding the sound. 

I am surprised you are able to go with the 20dB attenuator in A/C mode on Isabellina. Hmmm...cables, cables...
Have you actually tried radio shack or Canare cable with attenuator in A/C mode? Do it play or not?
Thanks for the update.
 
 

 

[tuberock]

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 you are looking for in the tubes. 
 
 
The Canare and the Radioshack cables with the 20 db attenuator did not play in A/C mode and I never even thought to play them in battery mode, at that time. 

 

[korzena]

Thank you for the information.
 
I will be willing to test a better cable and tubes next year.
 
BTW for me the biggest difference between Hiface with and without attenuator was about dynamics and liveliness of music.
 
 

 

[korzena]

I've checked the Black Cat Veloce cable you mentioned to me before. The website of the company and what they say gave me quite a lot of confidence. Then I've started reading different people's impressions and opinions. Some people were very happy with the cable and others (in other systems) claimed the cable sounded dull to them. Looks like it's very system dependent (like most of audio stuff) and the only way to know is to test it out oneself and check for synergy in one's own system. It's not always easy esp when one lives outside U.S. where most of the audio products are made. Maybe Audiogon will be the best option.
 
Your Kimber cable seems to be very good, but I am not prepared to spend that much money on a cable (yet!). I just can't believe I have to pay this kind of money to get an optimal cable - there must be less expensive way...or maybe there is not...
 
Enjoy your listening!

 

[korzena]

I started to wonder to what degree the improvement I have experienced by the use of the attenuator was cable dependent. When you told me about your Kimber interconnect that works also in Isabellina AC mode and the other interconnects don't... The interconnects must have quite a big impact on the signal that is picked up by Isabellina (which may appear to be a cable-sensitive DAC) . Also you said that you haven't heard any improvement with attenuator...this is interesting. I am going to test a better digital interconnect with MK3 early next year.

 

[tuberock]

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 XLD. The music sounds different. They sound cleaner and clearer with xld. But the low mids are not as pronounced and overall not as full as itune rips. I go back and forth what I like more.

 

[korzena]

 
Quote:

I did notice a slight 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. This may be why using  attenuator has less effect while using the kimber. I sill want to wait a little longer, before doing all my tests. I also threw another monkey wrench into the mix and re-burned my cd's with XLD. The music sounds different. They sound cleaner and clearer but not as full and the low mids are not as pronounced. I go back and forth what I like more.

That's another interesting thing! Do you mean you listen from a CD (not audio files like FLAC)?
 
Yes, with the cable I suspect the very thing you wrote about - better cable, less effect of the attenuator. I will make my 'independent test', too
 
 

 

[tuberock]

Quote:

 
That's another interesting thing! Do you mean you listen from a CD (not audio files like FLAC)?
 
Yes, with the cable I suspect the very thing you wrote about - better cable, less effect of the attenuator. I will make my 'independent test', too
 
 

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.
 

 

[korzena]

Unbelievable things like these do happen in audio! Hmm...list of things that impact the sound is unending!
 
Have you found wav files sound better than lossless (e.g. FLAC)?
 
What player do you use? I am now comparing Foobar2000 with JRiver Media Centre (both kernel streaming). What output mode do you use? (kernel streaming/wasapi/asio?)
 
 
 

 

[tuberock]

Quote:

Unbelievable things like these do happen in audio! Hmm...list of things that impact the sound is unending!
 
Have you found wav files sound better than lossless (e.g. FLAC)?
 
What player do you use? I am now comparing Foobar2000 with JRiver Media Centre (both kernel streaming). What output mode do you use? (kernel streaming/wasapi/asio?)
 
 
 

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 I was blind to what she was playing. I would do different listening sessions to relax my ears. I believe cables, burn-in, types of players, types of rippers, and formats all make a difference. Their is a lot more going on then just Bit perfect and 0's and 1's. Some make a bigger difference then others.
 
 

 

[tuberock]

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 hpa back. Yes the attenuator makes a big difference! For the worse. The sound immediately opened up. Just like I stated earlier it's, clear, clean and articulated. It sounds better in all aspects. The bass is "almost" muddy in comparison with it in on. The magic is back like never before! I believe this has everything to do with the Mk3, Kimber 2020 bnc and wywire usb combo. But have not done any a/b's yet. On another note the xld rips are hands down better than the itunes rips. They are just more detailed. The only reason I couldn't decide witch I liked better before was the attenuator negatively effected my personal system. 

 

[korzena]

Thanks for reporting back. Wow! This is really interesting how the attenuator impacts our systems in a different way. Now I really have to try a better BNC cable!
 
I saw your post in Jkeny’s modified Hiface thread. drez's reply about the right amount of attenuation is also interesting. I don't know how the things work with the attenuators. Maybe it is just better to use a higher quality BNC interconnect and forget about the attenuators. I really don't know...
 
I remembered I've read somewhere that iTunes is not so good CD ripper and your opinion supports this now.
 

 

[tuberock]

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

 

[korzena]

Don't even know what an integer mode driver is...but suppose it must be something good;)
 
Regarding the Isabellina AC and battery modes, have you noticed big differences in sound quality between the two?