[WarriorAnt]

Quote:

My favorite driver tube for the MT is actually the 12BH7.  I like it much better than the 12AU7.

Skylab, Perhaps you could list some of your favorite tubes for the Mini now that there is this devoted thread for Decware.

 

[Skylab]

I have settled on the Sylvania VT-107B/6V6G for the power tubes, Tung-sol black-plate 12BH7A for the driver tubes, and Sylvania 6X4WA for the rectifier tubes.  I use the stock regulator tubes - they were RCA and Raytheon, and there are not a lot of options anyway for those.

 

[WarriorAnt]

I think all those tubes just went way up in price! 

 

[Argo Duck]

^ I took a look for 12BH7s (Tung Sol black plates) and I think I saw them going up in price right in front of my eyes! 

 

[Skylab]

I highly doubt that.  The 6V6 is a guitar amp tube - all the audiophile users in the world don't influence the market for the 6V6, and all the head-fiers in the world are a small percentage of tube-loving audiophiles.  The 12BH7A is a medium-priced tube today, so that I would grab while you can, just because they could go up in price at any time like all NOS tubes (unrelated to my liking of them...)

 

[WarriorAnt]

Quote:

I highly doubt that.  The 6V6 is a guitar amp tube - all the audiophile users in the world don't influence the market for the 6V6, and all the head-fiers in the world are a small percentage of tube-loving audiophiles.  The 12BH7A is a medium-priced tube today, so that I would grab while you can, just because they could go up in price at any time like all NOS tubes (unrelated to my liking of them...)

I'm finding the statement about the 6V6 to be true as I research the 6L6 tube which is another guitar amp tube.   I find myself drowning in a world of reviews by guitarists on the 6L6 tube and I'm learning their descriptive language and the manner in which they work these tubes in order to make an audiophile assessment of the 6L6 for my own needs.  In many ways it is fascinating to see how the guitarist pushes and distills a tubes response for the sound they desire.  They work a tube for its particular response and we plug them in to listen for their basic operational essence.

 

[tink97]

Quote:

Thanks for the review tink! Though brief, I find it has all the requirements for a balanced 'meal' and is perceptive and to the point. Very satisfying to read.
 
I find it interesting your impressions could describe my Taboo - except obviously Taboo lacks the fine-tuning options of the MT. Intriguing, as these are different circuit designs.
Perhaps it reflects that Decware sets the same goals and standards (aka "house sound") regardless of what path they take to achieve it.
 
Thanks again 

 
ps: I've rolled a couple of tubes to replace the stock JJ driver, left the other tubes alone. I too find the stock configuration very good.
 
So far a 1950s Tung Sol 12AU7 seems to have given me the "best" sound. An alternative hypothesis is this tube has made no difference at all: it is merely that I rolled it in just as the Taboo reached a new plateau in its burn-in cycle 

 
pps: I still hope to find time to compare Taboo vs Meier Concerto vs Schiit Lyr (GE 6BZ7) vs Lyr (Mats 6922) - however this is an exceptionally busy year so may not happen.

 
Heh yeah my review was farely short, sorry I never meant to mislead anyone thinking I would write a long review.  Actually that is the longest review I have ever written, lol first time I actualy took notes while listening.  Anyway glad you enjoyed it
 
Yeah it would be interesting to hear a taboo and the MT I actually was on the fence between getting the CSP2+ and Taboo or the Mini Torii.  Finally decided on space and not wanting two separate amps lol.
 
Could be the decware house sound not sure as this is my first decware gear ever though hoping not be my last
 
 

 

[WarriorAnt]

Quote:

 
Heh yeah my review was farely short, sorry I never meant to mislead anyone thinking I would write a long review.  Actually that is the longest review I have ever written, lol first time I actualy took notes while listening.  Anyway glad you enjoyed it
 
Yeah it would be interesting to hear a taboo and the MT I actually was on the fence between getting the CSP2+ and Taboo or the Mini Torii.  Finally decided on space and not wanting two separate amps lol.
 
Could be the decware house sound not sure as this is my first decware gear ever though hoping not be my last
 
 

Thanks for the review!
 

 

[Argo Duck]

tink no need to be sorry! It covered everything. IF only more of us could achieve your brevity 

 

[BournePerfect]

Quote:

Daniel Nice. We been chatting about this for the past year so when is the T1 arriving or did you get that yet.

 
 
Not yet Frank! I'm waiting for Amazon to have it at $999 like they did a month ago. I know I might find it cheaper somewhere else, but I like their return policy in case something is wrong with it. Also, I kind of want to get my whole system (amp/dac/T1) around the same time frame now that I am in a better situation, plus I need to decide/research some dacs as well. I'd love to get a great AGD dac again, but feel like it would be some wasted money since all of their flagships run balanced. Which brings me to a wallet-cringing question: Is it possible to run 2 CSP2+s in a balanced dual-mono configuration?? 

  

 
-Daniel
 

 

[tink97]

Quote:

 
 
Not yet Frank! I'm waiting for Amazon to have it at $999 like they did a month ago. I know I might find it cheaper somewhere else, but I like their return policy in case something is wrong with it. Also, I kind of want to get my whole system (amp/dac/T1) around the same time frame now that I am in a better situation, plus I need to decide/research some dacs as well. I'd love to get a great AGD dac again, but feel like it would be some wasted money since all of their flagships run balanced. Which brings me to a wallet-cringing question: Is it possible to run 2 CSP2+s in a balanced dual-mono configuration?? 

  

 
-Daniel
 

 
Hey Daniel I am not sure if I can be of much help but currently I have the AVA Vision dac and enjoy alot with the mini torii.  Though it has only coax and optical in no usb so if its for computer a spdif converter would be needed.  I also have the centrance dacmini and found it is also to be very good with the mini torii though for me I pefer the vision dac for the tad warmer signature it helps give.
 
Hope that helps a little bit in your dac search  Good luck..
 
tink97

 

[BournePerfect]

Thanks-that gives me more to research. I am a COMPLETE believer in Audio GD's TOTL dacs though as I've owned one in the past, but was forced to sell for financial reasons at the time. I just hate the idea for paying for balanced operation if I'm not going to use it. Hence the dual-mono CSP2+ question. I guess I want a TOTL dac that is single ended-perhaps a used Anedio D1 or something similar. I've got a couple of months to research though, and save more $$ as well. I'm probably looking at stuff within the $1-2000 range.
 
-Daniel
Quote:

 
Hey Daniel I am not sure if I can be of much help but currently I have the AVA Vision dac and enjoy alot with the mini torii.  Though it has only coax and optical in no usb so if its for computer a spdif converter would be needed.  I also have the centrance dacmini and found it is also to be very good with the mini torii though for me I pefer the vision dac for the tad warmer signature it helps give.
 
Hope that helps a little bit in your dac search  Good luck..
 
tink97

 

 

[Ultrainferno]

Is there a dedicated TABOO thread anywhere? couldn't find it trough the search... thanks!

 

[TIMITS]

I became interested in the Decware amps are reading FrankI's excellent review and have visited the website a number of times.  But I've got to confess that I can't make head or tail of the CSP2+ & Taboo combination or the Mini Torii.  What reasons would one get one combination over the other?

 

[Frank I]

The reason I bought the Taboo was because I had the CSP2 which is a preamp/headphone amp. I alos wanted EL84 baseed tube amp which made the decision easy.