[oqvist]

I had much better luck curing congestion by DAC rather then amp switching

 

[MrGreen]

Personally, I think I would have noticed conjestion on other headphones if the dac was responsible (although I plan to upgrade later just for curiosity sake). Particularly headphones that are more... in-your-face about detail (lambda, hd800, sa5k) than the LCD-2.

 

[jamato8]

Zero, no congestion, even on bass heavy complex passages. Don't know about poorly recorded as I don't enjoy listing to it. The LCD-2 do respond well to balancing but they tend to reflect everything coming to them. 

 

[Frank I]

I have no compression with the new amp but I had a smaller sound stage using the OTL CSP-2 and now with the new Taboo zero as the sound  stage s very wide and no matter how demanding the music is it does not clip nor compress the sound stage . So all in all the right amp is important as well but I use a Marantz Universal player which I have been very happy with.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

I have no compression with the new amp but I had a smaller sound stage using the OTL CSP-2 and now with the new Taboo zero as the sound  stage s very wide and no matter how demanding the music is it does not clip nor compress the sound stage . So all in all the right amp is important as well but I use a Marantz Universal player which I have been very happy with.

+3 for me with my setup.

 

 

[jamato8]

Quote:

I have no compression with the new amp but I had a smaller sound stage using the OTL CSP-2 and now with the new Taboo zero as the sound  stage s very wide and no matter how demanding the music is it does not clip nor compress the sound stage . So all in all the right amp is important as well but I use a Marantz Universal player which I have been very happy with.

 

[size=medium]

That looks like an interesting amp. I would love to try some of my many EL84's in it. I have NOS circa 1950's Mullard and others. And then the driver tube, so many types I have. I have some gold pin 12AT7's that are excellent. Those old Mullards I have are in pairs and quads wrapped in sold cushiony brown paper. It should be able to use the 7189 also. Looks like fun. 
 
Do you use the volume control on the amp or a pramp? 
​

[/size]

 

[Frank I]

 
Quote:

Quote:

I have no compression with the new amp but I had a smaller sound stage using the OTL CSP-2 and now with the new Taboo zero as the sound  stage s very wide and no matter how demanding the music is it does not clip nor compress the sound stage . So all in all the right amp is important as well but I use a Marantz Universal player which I have been very happy with.

 

That looks like an interesting amp. I would love to try some of my many EL84's in it. I have NOS circa 1950's Mullard and others. And then the driver tube, so many types I have. I have some gold pin 12AT7's that are excellent. Those old Mullards I have are in pairs and quads wrapped in sold cushiony brown paper. It should be able to use the 7189 also. Looks like fun. 
 
Do you use the volume control on the amp or a pramp? 
​

John I am using the Decware CSP-2 as a preamp with the Taboo. The SV83 tubes are very nice but I want to get some NOS EL84 and the Genalex reissues which I love in my preamp. The nice thing I can use the volume control as Deckert put a direct input and variable input plus the custom headphone jack in the front. I am really enjoying this amp but I do wish I was in your candy store for those nice tubes you have collected.

 

[jamato8]

Quote:

John I am using the Decware CSP-2 as a preamp with the Taboo. The SV83 tubes are very nice but I want to get some NOS EL84 and the Genalex reissues which I love in my preamp. The nice thing I can use the volume control as Deckert put a direct input and variable input plus the custom headphone jack in the front. I am really enjoying this amp but I do wish I was in your candy store for those nice tubes you have collected.

Yeah, it is kind of frustrating as all my tubes, a few thousand, sit in storage. I really like tube, obviously. I even have 2 Hickok 439C  testers, with one that I modified with digital meters, and then 3 TV7 testers a rare NoS TV10 and a few others all calibrated and working fine, at least the last time I saw them. But the tubes. I have some real Gold Lion tubes but the Mullard EL84's are some of the best they ever made. I have several from 1954 in NOS. Then the rectifiers. . . . I wonder how the amp would sound with a nice GZ34 metal base or the Sophia Princess mesh plate. I have some 1965 6N1P black plate's. Very rare now and better sounding than the later grey plate version. And on it goes but nothing to plug them into and no way to touch them right now. 
 

 

[grokit]

^ Probably better than money in the bank as a store of value though.

 

[jamato8]

Quote:

^ Probably better than money in the bank as a store of value though.

That is part of the reason I have them. I have around 60 NOS GZ34 Mullards and Valvo that have gone up very nicely from when I bought them. 

 

[dminches]

Frank, did you compare the Taboo with the Mini Torii?

 

[Frank I]

Quote:

Frank, did you compare the Taboo with the Mini Torii?

No Dave what made the Taboo so attractive for me was that my CSP-2 is a preamp and really was designed to match with the Taboo,. The mini Torri is very nice but in my system since I already had the CSP-2 made more sense to order the Taboo both the same wattage but the Mini Torri Rob has is more like an intergrated amp and the Tabo0o can be uses as such but I can bypass its volume control which made it cool Very happy with the gear ans Wed will get the hig efficiency Omega I bought to complete this rig.

 

[Frank I]

 
Quote:

Quote:

John I am using the Decware CSP-2 as a preamp with the Taboo. The SV83 tubes are very nice but I want to get some NOS EL84 and the Genalex reissues which I love in my preamp. The nice thing I can use the volume control as Deckert put a direct input and variable input plus the custom headphone jack in the front. I am really enjoying this amp but I do wish I was in your candy store for those nice tubes you have collected.

Yeah, it is kind of frustrating as all my tubes, a few thousand, sit in storage. I really like tube, obviously. I even have 2 Hickok 439C  testers, with one that I modified with digital meters, and then 3 TV7 testers a rare NoS TV10 and a few others all calibrated and working fine, at least the last time I saw them. But the tubes. I have some real Gold Lion tubes but the Mullard EL84's are some of the best they ever made. I have several from 1954 in NOS. Then the rectifiers. . . . I wonder how the amp would sound with a nice GZ34 metal base or the Sophia Princess mesh plate. I have some 1965 6N1P black plate's. Very rare now and better sounding than the later grey plate version. And on it goes but nothing to plug them into and no way to touch them right now. 
 

I dont know about the GZ34 but I know when rob has the CSP-2 he thought the Princess was too bright. I like the Sylvania 5U4G which I just found another one for the Taboo. Those Mullard EL84 would be very pricey I imagine now. I have never heard the original genalex but I have the 6922 tubes and Macedonian Hero bought and loves the 12AX7 and my tube dealer Jim McShane swears by these tubes and I really trust his judgment as he has never let me down. They are 59.00 matched pair for new production so not a killer. Rob also likes the Sylvania EL84 which I seen a pair on Ebay for 30.00 but not willing to take the shot with a limited seller. I will ask my tube dealers whats out there.When are you coming home to look at your tubes. Is your job permanent there.

 

[dminches]

I am using 4 Sylvania 6BQ5s in my Leben (Rob's suggestion) and I like what I hear.

 

[Frank I]

Dave where did you find the Sylvania and the price for them if I can ask so I can get a pair.