[paradoxper]

When using a Pre, do you just set the CFA3's volume pot to max?

Yes, I max out the CFA3.

 

[jlbrach]

I am a bit confused...why would those who do not like a softer sounding amp and who promote the CFA3 due to its NOT being a softer sounding amp want to use a tube pre amp in front of it?...would that not soften the sound?...I ask as one who is intrigued by the CFA3

 

[paradoxper]

I am a bit confused...why would those who do not like a softer sounding amp and who promote the CFA3 due to its NOT being a softer sounding amp want to use a tube pre amp in front of it?...would that not soften the sound?...I ask as one who is intrigued by the CFA3

Your commission doesn't have to mean soften sound. You could increase bass, round transients, improve decay as long as you pair the tubes properly.
For me, the TC has now a sweet lift in the mids, insane sound cues from stage space and reverb and a minor smoothing in the treble. This isn't at masking, blurring, blooming.

 

[Pars]

This summarizes it very well. Although I would recommend powering off the amp when plugging/unplugging hp, doesn't take long to do it.
I have done some configurations with speaker terminals. In that case, it would be alright to turn the volume down and use the headphone/speaker switch while the unit is on.


You are probably trying to save your headphones from a spike in DC at the outputs. Thump or pop upon power on/off. You should consider incorporating a timer delay of some sort.

A little late on this, but one reason why I modified a version of Kevin's protect board to incorporate a mute switch which completely disconnects the phones via the protect relay. Also did the same with Amb's board for SE only use (on my DynaFET). This of course won't help you regarding live switching the input from Bal<->SE, or at least I don't think it would. I would never use something as powerful as the CFA3 without the protect board in place.

 

[Ethereal Sound]

I am a bit confused...why would those who do not like a softer sounding amp and who promote the CFA3 due to its NOT being a softer sounding amp want to use a tube pre amp in front of it?...would that not soften the sound?...I ask as one who is intrigued by the CFA3

In my experience, tubes tend to have better Z axis imaging compared to SS amps. Putting a clean pre in front can give you that without compromising much, if at all, on detail retrieval, excess bloom, etc.

Your commission doesn't have to mean soften sound. You could increase bass, round transients, improve decay as long as you pair the tubes properly.
For me, the TC has now a sweet lift in the mids, insane sound cues from stage space and reverb and a minor smoothing in the treble. This isn't at masking, blurring, blooming.

Do you think that the Freya+ is enough to not leave me wanting much more? Balanced tube pre's tend to get a looot more expensive after the freya+ lol.

 

[jlbrach]

Your commission doesn't have to mean soften sound. You could increase bass, round transients, improve decay as long as you pair the tubes properly.
For me, the TC has now a sweet lift in the mids, insane sound cues from stage space and reverb and a minor smoothing in the treble. This isn't at masking, blurring, blooming.

perhaps all true but placing a tube pre amp in front of a solid state amp has to change the overall sound presentation...I am not at all suggesting it not be something one likes better I just find it a bit inconsistent..again I say this as one who has been in touch with and talked of obtaining a CFA3...mostly on my buddy paradoxper's recommendation..personally, I have a chord dave/blu2 and if I had my druthers for transparency sake I would use all my HP's straight out of the dave...sadly that doesnt work for my TC and susvara due to their inefficiency so I use an additional external amp...I try to use amps that color the sound as little as possible but if I placed an tube pre amp in front of the amp I will now have 2 more sources between the music and my HP's...this is a debate that has been going on forever here but to say we are not further altering the sound seems misleading...again please understand I get that the distortion can be pleasing or sound better but there is distortion however well implemented

 

[kevin gilmore]

the tube input section is nothing like a tube preamp. it has no voltage gain. only current gain, and it has much lower thd than even the best of the tube preamps.
fully balanced, fully differential and dc coupled input thru output.

the tube input has a very high input impedance. the solid state input has an input impedance of about 5k.

 

[paradoxper]

In my experience, tubes tend to have better Z axis imaging compared to SS amps. Putting a clean pre in front can give you that without compromising much, if at all, on detail retrieval, excess bloom, etc.

Do you think that the Freya+ is enough to not leave me wanting much more? Balanced tube pre's tend to get a looot more expensive after the freya+ lol.

I rolled through a ton of tubes before finding the MELZ and it was not close to where I wanted things to sound before. That fine line of punch vs bloom, presence vs shout, etc. I found it now without much compromise, however, scaling the Susvara the other way, this would be a much more difficult tuning. I wasn't looking to lean into color that would detract the CFA3's strong characteristics but rather help illuminate spots.

 

[Ethereal Sound]

I rolled through a ton of tubes before finding the MELZ and it was not close to where I wanted things to sound before. That fine line of punch vs bloom, presence vs shout, etc. I found it now without much compromise, however, scaling the Susvara the other way, this would be a much more difficult tuning. I wasn't looking to lean into color that would detract the CFA3's strong characteristics but rather help illuminate spots.

Thanks for your input, as always. I may give it a shot anyways and see if I'm able to achieve what I'm looking for on the Susvara/SuSy Dynahi combo.

 

[paradoxper]

Thanks for your input, as always. I may give it a shot anyways and see if I'm able to achieve what I'm looking for on the Susvara/SuSy Dynahi combo.

Let me know if you need help with 6SN7 tubes. I would start with the RFT and Ken-Rad VT231 with Susvara in mind.

 

[rsbrsvp]

I am a bit confused...why would those who do not like a softer sounding amp and who promote the CFA3 due to its NOT being a softer sounding amp want to use a tube pre amp in front of it?...would that not soften the sound?...I ask as one who is intrigued by the CFA3

I have this exact same concern which is one of the reasons why I will not add a tube pre-amp. However, from what I understand about the new hybrid- there is no softening or mushing relative to the SS and only a very very insignificant amount of noise added- which was a requirement for me to order the hybrid version. Adding a pre-amp is playing games which I don't want to play; to costly, to time consuming; to much equipment, to many tube options, to many preamp options, to much opportunity for softening of sonics, noise, microphonics, etc....; just to much opportunity to mess up in to many ways and in addition become very poor along the way. DC coupled Hybrid is the "purist" clean way to add tubes to the CFA-3.

ORDER NOW WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!

 

[PierPP]

While we're talking about hybrids... Mr @Dukei is starting to work of my SS CFA3...
Thanks to my Jedi, @paradoxper! your little padawan is learning the ways of the force

 

[paradoxper]

While we're talking about hybrids... Mr @Dukei is starting to work of my SS CFA3...
Thanks to my Jedi, @paradoxper! your little padawan is learning the ways of the force

Importantly you have the TC prepared.

This is the way.

 

[PierPP]

Importantly you have the TC prepared.

You're rubbing salt into the wound, evil

 

[fiiom11pro]

While we're talking about hybrids... Mr @Dukei is starting to work of my SS CFA3...
Thanks to my Jedi, @paradoxper! your little padawan is learning the ways of the force

dukei is Master Yoda.
little padawan is you.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is paradoxper!

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