[Kurt]

Has anybody A/B ed them with better Amps?

And can somebody make a critical (AKA advantages and disadvantages) comment about their Design, please?
TIA

http://www.talisman-audio.com/produc...phone/t3h.html

http://www.talisman-audio.com/pics.html

http://www.talisman-audio.com/press/pics/3top.html

 

[TonyTripleA]

Hmmm, the question will find few who can answer as few who own a Talisman will be able to compare them to anything better

he, he, he.

Seriously, the Talisman beats hands down the Perreaux, xcans3, and the two valve amps I have listened two which are the MAD ear and MG Head OTL 32. The last two amps are by the way excellant amps! The MG Head is almost A$400 dearer in Australia as well. It may not be fair to compare valve amps as they do not present a sound without a signature in this price range, and the Talisman does. Very accurate, excellant channel separation, clear, detailed without hiss and the truest bass I have heard.

Kunwar on this forum, has listened extensively to a large range of amps and hasn't yet found anything to better it. Snufkin, who sold me mine seemed to be of a similar opinion and as a dealer has perhaps listened to an even larger range of equipment (and I value the views of both these gentlemen). I was willing to go all the way to the Sugden but was advised to go for the better sound!!!

I noticed on the Talisman web site they offer a money back guarantee if not satisfied... sounds good.

Just my two cents.

TonyAAA

 

[Kurt]

TonyTripleA:
I mean to remember you use the Talisman with the DAC1. Isn’t that overly bright?

 

[kunwar]

No its me who uses the Talisman with the DAC1
Tony TripleA will use it next year once he has heard the DAC with my talisman and buys his own
And as to your question, No I don't find it bright at all.

I like my music to be intimate and close to me not in Row 1 or 2 or 3.
this combo does exactly that.
BTW my phones are the MSP's like TTA's
The fact is that the DAC1 + Talisman is as neutral as it gets for something in this price range.
All you need is a headphone suiting your taste in delivery of music.
as in forward/backward/ROW10/ROW 20
You know what I mean.
Hey and I heard the Grace 901 today
I would not buy it , you know why cause i think I already have an amp which leaves it behind.
it would not be an upgrade for me

 

[kaitsuburi]

I find the T-3H to be very adequate in the bass area, giving enough umph to my K-501s. I briefly auditioned a Sugden Headmaster and I think the T-3H possesses a similar "authority" but adds a bit of mellowness that I found a bit lacking in the Headmaster. And there is the coolness factor of course; the T-3H is really cute

@kunwar - I am really glad you like the combination with DAC-1. My next upgrade is definitely going to be a DAC and the Benchmark seems like a really good choice. What interconnects are you using?

Cheers,

-kaitsuburi

 

[kunwar]

atm they are custom made cables utilising Canare GS-6 cable with Neutrik Gold professional connectors.
i am getting a cable pretty soon which will allow me to have an XLR to RCA conversion.
I am a happy chappy these days.
The good part is I haven't spent enormous amounts on equipment which I didn't like, with extensive reading and some good judgement I have managed get a good setup which is perfect for me.
It still cost a bit ( over 2K) but I don't need to add anything else to it.
This is it for me.

 

[kunwar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaitsuburi @kunwar - I am really glad you like the combination with DAC-1. My next upgrade is definitely going to be a DAC and the Benchmark seems like a really good choice. What interconnects are you using? Cheers, -kaitsuburi

i am not making a judgement but I imagine you quite like classical music which is why the 501 seems to be in your setup
Boy are you in for a surprise, things you never imagined will come out of the music.

 

[kaitsuburi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kunwar i am not making a judgement but I imagine you quite like classical music which is why the 501 seems to be in your setup Boy are you in for a surprise, things you never imagined will come out of the music.

He-he. More than half of my music collection is classical. Good guess!

There are definitely a lot of things hidden "in the back" of CD recordings! Hiccups, subtle movements, squeaking chairs

I can only imagine what kind of detail a high-quality DAC like the Benchmark can conjure!

Cheers,

-kaitsuburi

 

[kunwar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaitsuburi He-he. More than half of my music collection is classical. Good guess! There are definitely a lot of things hidden "in the back" of CD recordings! Hiccups, subtle movements, squeaking chairs I can only imagine what kind of detail a high-quality DAC like the Benchmark can conjure! Cheers, -kaitsuburi

yep those are just some of the things that the DAC is capable of reproducing
I can hear James Galway breathing while the flute plays, one can almost tell when he is getting ready for the next intake similarly, a recording that I picked up for the Adelaide Symphonic Orchestra has several of these moments what with the music being recorded live.

 

[GWN]

Kunwar, did you get a chance to listen to the Talisman T-3HP as well? If you have I would be curious of a comparo with the T-3H since according to the two french magazine reviews I have read it has a different topology.

 

[kunwar]

GWn: if you are referring to the T-35HP then No I haven't heard it
However I would advise you to get in touch with Snufkin who does carry this range of amps and has definitely heard it.
He should be able to help you
From what I make out from the images on the TA website, The 35HP is I believe a T-3H with the Premap circuitry built in.
it has a selector switch underneath to convert the circuit from HP to preamp usage.
That is the extent of my knowledge about it.
Personally I do not have speakers worthy enough of the Talisman.
i just use the receiver I have here
Of course I do have the MAD Ear+25th which does have a preamp built into it and uses russian oil caps.
it has a nice tubey sound to it, very relaxing and sweet
I will try to find out more info about the 35HP

Take care

 

[Kurt]

Very interesting info, thanks.

Would somebody comment about the advantages and disadvantages of the design?

TIA

 

[kevin gilmore]

Kurt has invited me to make comments on this amplifier.

I have never heard it or touched it.

From the pictures i can tell a number of things. No input capacitors.
No output capacitors. Pure class A. At least single differential input
possibly dual differential input. To220 output transistors. Depending
on which model, 2 or 4 per channel. High quality parts and large
ground plane. Probably very low noise. Somewhere in between
my original dynamic amp and the dynahi in power capabilities.
Likely a fair number of surface mount resistors on the bottom of
the board. Single dual opamp likely used for dc servo.

Probably very similar in sound to my solid state amplifiers.
Which is to say excellent.

I do know one person who would absolutely hate this design
calling it textbook and high feedback. And most people by now
should know who i'm talking about.

 

[kevin gilmore]

more comments after looking at the smallest of the bunch.
Definitely all bipolar, definitely fully complementary everything
including dual differential front end. Output transistors are
2sc4793/2sa1837 all other transistors are 2sc550c/???

As you move from the t31 to the t3 it looks like you get a
cascoded vas stage. From the t3 to the t35hp you double the
number of output transistors and increase the power.

All the amplifiers look to run off +/-15 and therefore have limited
power into high impedance headphones.

Compared to the price of some amplifiers, this may be considered
a bargain.

Definitely similar in sound to my solid state amplifiers.

 

[kunwar]

well there you go GWN
You have the opinion of an expert on the subject.
these amps are definitely powerful enough, but remember whats important is the quality of the power delivered to the headphones , not the quantity.
The quality is excellent, the quantity plentiful.

As kevin mentioned, noise level is very low , I couldn't hear anything out of my etymotics even when volume knob was turned up to full.
No noise whatever, very clean and black background against which every nuance comes out , of course that depends on the source which in my case is the Benchmark DAC1.

Result: PURE AUDIO BLISS