[hypnos1]

The Elise, in many ways, reminds me of modern high-performance tube amps like ARC's Ref150. The sound isn't tubey in a classic 50s-60s definition of the term - no bloated, rolled-off bass, very extended on top, fast, exciting sounding with almost startling transient response, and no grain. The bass, in particular, is extremely impressive. It extends as deep as my Krell and has almost the same degree of control. From tubes. Unbelievable. This is not a $500 amplifier. It's worth far more. The fit and finish, alone, speaks of a bespoke product. Not a single rough edge or a fastener in sight. If I had to guess, as one who worked in the high-performance sector of the industry, this amp should retail for about $2K.

... more to come in a week or so.

 
Hi Shaffer.
 
Wow indeed!  Many thanks for your honest appraisal, and from someone with obviously far more knowledge and experience than myself in this field - I am so glad I haven't been deluding myself (and others!) all this time. And am so glad you are obviously enjoying immensely this VERY modestly-priced offering.
 
I look forward to later impressions when things have burned in even more...
 
I wish you continued happy listening...have a GREAT weekend!
 
CHEERS   

 

[Lorspeaker]

Shaffer's impression is gonna damn alot alot of wallets..arrrghhh.
 
ok Tyll has picked up the scent on the dt150...check out this amazing can.
post #936

 

[smial1966]

Thanks for that link (below) as the DT150 had bypassed my radar too, but I've just bagged a pair from Amazon for under £100 delivered.

 
 
Quote:

  Shaffer's impression is gonna damn alot alot of wallets..arrrghhh.
 
ok Tyll has picked up the scent on the dt150...check out this amazing can.
post #936

 

[hypnos1]

  Shaffer's impression is gonna damn alot alot of wallets..arrrghhh.
 
ok Tyll has picked up the scent on the dt150...check out this amazing can.
post #936

 
Methinks it's gonna damn alota wallets rather more before too long - we early adopters are definitely getting a discounted product, lol! 

...

 

[Shaffer]

Methinks it's gonna damn alota wallets rather more before too long - we early adopters are definitely getting a discounted product, lol! :wink_face: ...

I heard from Lukasz earlier today. He hinted at the price being an introductory offer.

Edit: I think we should start referring to each other by our double-o names - ie. our respective serial numbers. You're 001. I'm (proud to say) 007.

 

[hypnos1]

I heard from Lukasz earlier today. He hinted at the price being an introductory offer.

Edit: I think we should start referring to each other by our double-o names - ie. our respective serial numbers. You're 001. I'm (proud to say) 007.

 
001 to 007...M hopes those who have been tailing us for some time push the button fairly soon then... 

...
 
This message will self-destruct in....oops, wrong mission!!

 

[Shaffer]

001 to 007...M hopes those who have been tailing us for some time push the button fairly soon then...  ...

This message will self-destruct in....oops, wrong mission!!

One would be smart to order an Elise now, before the price goes up. Each and every one is made by hand to order. The $500 cost is almost silly, given the sound quality.

 

[Acapella11]

So far, so good. I found the amp to be somewhat sensitive to interconnects; the "wrong" one allows for a buzz. I listened to the Russian 6AS7s for about an hour, I know that's not long enough, and replaced them with a pair of NOS Chathams. I'm very happy with what I hear. Give me a week or so for a better set of impressions.

Great to hear your impressions Shaffer. Only listening at home gives a true reflection of SQ.
Could you share your experience on sensitivity with respect to interconnects?

 

[Shaffer]

Great to hear your impressions Shaffer. Only listening at home gives a true reflection of SQ.
Could you share your experience on sensitivity with respect to interconnects?

Let me start out by saying that I live in a neighborhood heavily saturated with RFI. As I prefer analog and LOMC cartridges, as much as I hate it, I've had quite a bit of experience quieting things down. Unfortunately.

Tube products, in general, act as antennae in my home. All require a different level of massaging, if you will. The LDIII, for example, hummed a bit along with tuning in a local radio station. Playing with interconnects - I used a Chinese ribbon-type silver cable - got rid of the radio, and an alternate power cord fixed the hum. The same interconnect on the Elise produced a loud fuzz, for a lack of a better descriptor. I tried several other wires with mixed results and settled on a DHLabs cable, which made the amp sound funeral-quiet.

 

[Shaffer]

What tubes is everyone using?

 

[Renderman]

What tubes is everyone using?

Hi Shaffer!
 
My favorite combination so far is the 1967 RCA JAN 6SN7-GT Grey Glass and the Sylvania 6080WC. This to me sounds very balanced with a wide sound stage, which I like a lot.
 
Having said that, in my opinion the first and best upgrade one could do on the Elise is replace the driver tubes. The stock 6N13S tubes are actually quite good! I would suggest listening to the stock configuration first before replacing the driver tubes with some NOS RCA 6SN7-GT. That at least would be a good starting point and might satisfy quite a few people.

 

[mordy]

Hi Renderman,
 
You made my day! Finally I found somebody who likes the Sylvania 6080 as power tubes. I am using them in my modded Little Dot MKIII, and found them better than the Chatham 6080 and 6AS7 (as well as a host of others).
 
The ones I like are 6080WB, I also have  Sylvania Gold Brand 6080 tubes, but found the WB better. Also have a pair of Philips 6080WC - perhaps these are the same as the Sylvania 6080WC.
 
(Oskari: I had to look up the spelling. Again.)

 

[Renderman]

Hi Mordy,
 
It's nice to know i've made at least one person happy today... You make me curious about the 6080WB, could you elaborate a little more on what characteristics you like about the 6080(WB)?
 
I have a Philips 6080WB that I like too but, that is only a single tube so not suited for stereo use on the Elise. What I like about those is the imaging and soundstage.
 
Are you considering an Elise perhaps?

 

[Oskari]

  Also have a pair of Philips 6080WC - perhaps these are the same as the Sylvania 6080WC.

 
If Philips ECG, then yes, just later.
 

(Oskari: I had to look up the spelling. Again.)

 
Good job! 

 

[Lorspeaker]

So the 6080s could be slotted in directly now?