[templeboy]

I believe the $ on hi-fi should be spent on tuners first as the best investment. Therefore I recently scooped a couple of "super tuners" by Sterephile. One is a MD108. Very very happy even though I don't think it worths that much compared w/ Sony ST-J88B (another "super tuner"'s sister model) I have already owned. Maybe the headphone cannot bright out it's forte - soundstage. Anyhow considering it's collection value and deep discount for this used unit in perferct condition, I jumped on the deal.

Now the trouble: w/ 4 tuners and 1 CDP, I'm fairly busy w/ plugging and unplugging ICs to my RKV which effectively has only one inputs. I figured out remedy: sell my Sony which is in excellent but not PERFECT condition and purchase another set of headphone amp (maybe +phone).

One easy solution is to take the advantage of Jan's fabulous package deal. But I'm not a big fan of K1000 even it's a pretty good cans.

Or I can get a Cary which probably sounds great for the SS super tuners even it's a bit "fat" w/ my other tubes gears. Plus, I can use it to drive speakers which can fully bring out the potential of MD108.

Other two candidates are HP and Sony R10 but I never have chance to try them. Those free trials through mail order is simply too troublesome for me. Plus, even if decide to buy them, I will get them from other sources at deep discount, new or used. Thus my conscitiousness is against me to take advantage of "free ride".

Of course, there are a lot of other possibilities except electrostatic gears I don't like. I will go slow on this one. Your comments and suggestions are highly appreciated during my mind-boggling period.

 

[jude]

Is that a Magnum Dynalab you're talking about? I always read about those in the Audio Asylum catalogs and they look absolutely remarkable, especially from the standpoint of specifications. Unfortunately, radio for me is almost exclusively news and talk radio ("traffic and weather on the 8's!").

But I am very curious about how good a MD tuner is. Best I've ever heard was Creek and Linn, but I don't think they have the specs of the MD, if I'm not mistaken. Must be somethin', those MD's.

 

[Vertigo-1]

templeboy...interestingly you're using the same amp (RKV) that made me totally highlight my R10s as the best in my own pile...so you should definitely consider it if you can, especially since I'm sure your source is much better than mine!

I honestly believe that when matched with a nice tube amp, the R10s bear some consideration in a purchase match next to the Omega IIs or the Orpheus.

 

[templeboy]

Jude, it is Magnum Dynalab. Fit-n-finish is all man can ask for. As for the sound, it's quite different from tube Mac tuner. Almost perfect! Extremely extended and see-through w/ perfect musicality but MAY just lacks the taste of the magic "beer bottle". A killer tube preamp should provide the lacked juice, On the other hand I'm an Asian so bias may be applied here. Weren't my Sony tuner only costs me one-tenth of MD (plus my labor and my EE friend's expertise to fix display section; Did I mentioned it actually has some better specifications!!! It cost $900 in 1979 w/ an expensive quarter-inch milled aluminum faceplate.), I would be extrememly happy w/ the purchase. Now, I'm still very happy but you know the kind of psychological effect.

Anyhow, if living near FM stations w/ high quality broadcast (public, university, classical...), you won't regret of investing in a great tuner as it will beat ANY other sources during live broadcast. Plus, it provides you a unlimited music library. Therefore, I don't hesitate to buy those tuners while pretty penny-pinching on (SA)CDPs.

MD is quite different from other tuners save Fanfare in that it is analog tuned vs digital tuned. For digi tuned tuners no matter how expensive they are, the core ICs are the same as the ones in car audios except a handful of manufacturers like Accuphase. Hence there is NO WAY I will put the money down on those tuners w/ the same cheap core but prettier skins. Psychological effect again.

Speaking of RKV, I just received some Mullard and Amperex yestereday. Now I realize my stash of 60+ PCL805s (mostly West European and hence the pricyness; at peak I have more than 100 but gradually get rid of Americans) worth almost as much as the amp itself (I got it when it's still $700 shipped). Seems like I can make quite a few RKVer happy w/ my juicy tubes if I have a different second headphone amp so I can have fewer PCL805 backups. Not sure about the price of the amp now but after a storm of good reviews, it seems going up quite a bit. Anyone can tell me the average tube life for PCL805s? W/o knowing it's life, I can only play safe and corner as much good tubes as I can.

Vertigo-1, I'm not sure about your taste but Omega sounds lacking "milkiness" (or "wet" for J-10) for me. I dismiss it very quickly even though it otherwise betters dynamic phones in almost every category. I do wish I didn't missed the bid on Orpheus on eBay for its bargain basement price much discussed here though. The reason I didn't make effort on trying R10 was mainly due to mrbeanyohan's review a long time ago at Headwize. He is the lucky dude that tried and own the best headphone gears than any of us. I can deduct the Sony is more detailed due to the inherent nature of close-end design.

 

[Vertigo-1]

Wow, no wonder I hardly see any PCL805s on the market...cause somebody bought them all already!

I think those 805s should last about maybe 2-3 years at least...there seems to be a trend that higher end tube amps utilize tubes that last longer (that Holmes Powell DCT-1 uses tubes that last a good 5 years or more apparently). So I think 2-3 years would be a safe bet.

Mmmmm...Mullard...and Amperex...now there's the true tuby sound for you. *drool*

I highly doubt I'm getting the ideal RKV sound at the moment (and yet it sounds so good still!

) since my current tubes are made by GTE or something like that. You're gonna have to hook me up here templeboy...once I get back to college I'll email ya.

For amps, either the EAR HP-4 or the Holmes Powell DCT-2 would be nice. Man I could just imagine what the R10s would sound like with those...the other current R10 owner, Jatinder, uses an HP-4, and he seems very happy with the setup.

 

[templeboy]

Vertigo-1, you really need better tubes. No, I didn't buy them out except that I cleared at least 4 dealers's meager European tube inventory.

I'm now leaning towards Cary or something that can drive Reference 3M De Capo besides being a great headphone amp. Just bought MD108 to my friend's place this morning to catch the weekly live performance from Temple University Station studio. De Capo drived by Cary CAD-300SE monos. The Baldwin panio is like in the room! The soundstage is goose-bumping! I must say listening MD108 through cans during live broadcast, therefore forgoing soundstage, is wasting at least half of the money.

What's the output power for EAR?

I'm finally getting speakers. Also means I may need to move out of my beloved sound-proofless apartment sooner or later. Pretty sure I caught "Jude" Syndrome. Still thinking whether I should confess another sympton appeared in the "fever".

Stay tuned...

 

[thomas]

baldwin= yuck

sorry...

 

[DanG]

Thomas, finally there's something we can agree on.

About the Cary: if you use the best tubes for the 300SEI, the Western Electric (WE) tubes which cost $800/pair, the output power is only 15W per channel. The KR tubes which cost $400/pair (I think they're called LX20) output 20W/channel. Vka and I listened to the KR tubes (I'm not sure they were the LX20, though) when we auditioned the Cary with the MS Pro and AKG K1000.

I don't know how efficient your speakers are, but you should probably take that into consideration.

 

[templeboy]

Not sure about different pianos as I don't play the instrument at all. Plus, in all the concerts I have been to, it's either Baldwin or Steinway so no experience w/ other brands.

I guess I will take some free music training courses at university if I have time (or perseverance more importantly).

The Cary should be able to drive De Capo to over 100dB so no problem. As for the 300B, WE can be haven around $450 through eBay and Audiogon. However, the 300B of my choice is TJ tube made in China. Identical construction w/ WE plus ballon shape and better materials. It's a little known tube as it only starts to export in less than a year ago. I heard during a shootout at a HK hi-fi magazine, it goes neck to neck to WE for sound but wins for its much desired shape and bargain price. It only costs $275 through its dealer, even much lower if I get it from China directly. Speaking of competitive labor cost!

 

[templeboy]

Noted at the time of post, Jude is a "911" member. You're probably be the first to crack 1000 posts. No wonder you open your own forum after Headwise down!

By the way, the "Search for new post" feature is great but somehow it misses some returns like this thread after DanG and thomas posted replies.

 

[DanG]

Templeboy, just a warning: I know that there is a pair of Chinese 300 tubes which is one of the three most-popular tubes for the 300SEI. However, these are consistently rated (from what Vka tells me) worse than the KR and WE tubes. I think it may be wise to audition the three different tubes if possible to make up your mind; while the Chinese tubes cost much less than the WE, it would still be a lot of money to lose if it turned out the WE tubes were much better. Just a heads-up!

 

[templeboy]

The one you mentioned is from Valve Art, a totally different state-owed manufacturer. TJ is a fairly new private enterprise located in a metro (Tianjing, therefore TJ, larger than LA) near Beijing.

 

[templeboy]

Check this out!

Here is my confession, after just acquiring a MD108, I couldn't resist this one and went for it (through all the troubles during my weekend getway)! Received the tuner 8am today through overnight rush ($190 shipping but a good insurance against abuse during otherwise prolonged journey) and wow!

Some background first. The own is a tuner collector as oppose to a listener. Therefore, shortly after MD108 came out, he specially ordered the FIRST 24K gold MD108. During his 4-and-half year possession, he maintained the tuner obsessively and barely turned it on. Today, I got the tuner and it looks almost fresh out of factory!

More astoundingly, the sound of this MD108 is quite better than the other MD108. So much so that I suspect the one I got earlier is out of alignment. To make long story short, I returned it to dealer and keep the gold one I got from eBay. I can only conclude the sound of my current MD108 in one word:

PERFECT!

It makes my CDP sounds so crappy that I don't think I want to listen to CDs for quite a while. As for the other two tuners I have? They probably won't stay for very long!

Simply put, no other sources can beat MD108 during live broadcast. I call it one of the best bargains in hi-end, period.

A shopping spree centered around the tuner is ensured.

But I will go slow and listen to my fellows' advice.

 

[templeboy]

Last time I was on short vacation, the Orpheus went to Monster. Still regretting very deeply. This time I made sure that I secured an internet access regardless all the troubles I went through. Ok, I didn't have a portable (or digi cam or cellular or corvette or house) so made a simple thing complicated. But personal priority varies. This is one of the happiest days in my life!