[mwindham08]

   
You will get several updates.  Once you get a notice of shipment you'll be given a UPS tracking number and delivery will probably be 3 or 4 days  not including Sundays.  My CSP 3 remained in the shipping department for a while before shipment.  Next Friday might be more realistic.  Mark.

 
  lol I know I've already gotten a Taboo before, I'm just joking. Be nice if I got it before the weekend though. A person can dream...

 

[koiloco]

Lol.  Btw, any of you guys have tried sophia princess for rectifier yet?  I am thinking about giving that a shot.

 

[mwindham08]

  Lol.  Btw, any of you guys have tried sophia princess for rectifier yet?  I am thinking about giving that a shot.

 
Don't even get me started on that one...I accidently bought a used one but it was the mesh version? or something like that. Definitely the wrong type of tube for the Taboo. I turned it on, heard the worst screaching noise you've ever heard, and immediately turned the amp off. This was like 2 days after I got the Taboo so I freaked out pretty bad...

 

[koiloco]

Guys, i don't know what to say and what to do.  I was so happy to receive the taboo today.  I listened to my akg Q701 the entire afternoon (1/4" TRS) at the office.  I just got home and hooked everything up.  I plugged in my Hifiman HE500 (4pin XLR) and to my disappointment, there was a constant loud hissing/wailing noise without any other components connected to the taboo.  The only thing that would stop this horrid noise is to turn on either lucid mode which I don't use.  This problem didn't exist before I sent the taboo back last time for the DSD playback troubleshooting.  I already emailed Steve and waiting for his response.  This sucks big timeeeeeeee.  Omg.  

  Any advise?

 

[mwindham08]

Bring your he 500 to work and see if it does it again. If not it's definitely something at the house. I'm assuming stock tubes so all I can guess is it's something at your house or its the xlr connections. Is the akg at your house? Does it work fine?

 

[thegrobe]

Oh yikes. When it rains it pours. I hope you sort it out quickly.

 

[koiloco]

Bring your he 500 to work and see if it does it again. If not it's definitely something at the house. I'm assuming stock tubes so all I can guess is it's something at your house or its the xlr connections. Is the akg at your house? Does it work fine?

 
Stock tubes.  AKG works fine off the 1/4" TRS (with lucid on as required of course).  HE500's cable is balanced running off the 4 pin XLR.  There's nothing wrong with the plugs at my house.  Before I sent the taboo back last time 3 weeks ago for troubleshooting the DSD playback noise issue from my TEAC DAC, there was no hiss/wailing running my HE500 from the XLR.  Honestly, I don't really care what it is at this point.  I am just disappointed approaching pissed. Yes, I might just be the unlucky one who probably should just call it quit with Decware.  Well, at least, I've tried.  Tomorrow, I will bring the taboo back to the office and pack it up for shipping back and cancel my CSP3 order too.  I don't have time for this back and forth. 
Don't get me wrong guys! Decware's customer service is great.  Steve is a great guy.  Their QC and testing need a lot of work, IMO.  

 

[Argo Duck]

^ (Sigh) that's just really bad - I feel for you. I hope you make these points about QC and testing to Steve. I'm pretty sure he'll take it seriously.

Especially because two days ago I discovered how well Decware gear scales with improved source. The BMC dac I bought recently has so much texture and impact in the bass it revealed my previous tube choices were now too bassy (obviously compensating for somewhat thin dacs). Luckily, I had the right tubes (tubes that previously sounded too cold) on hand. One track was Led Zeppelin's 'In my time of dying'. I know John Bonham hits hard but...the sheer power, impact and attack of his first drum strike just about blew me out of my chair. I never heard his drumming like this before - and this was with the CSP2/Taboo, which I've previously considered less transparent than Taboo alone.

When the gear works (which I'm pretty sure is most of the time), it works brilliantly.

I wish you well and a lot better luck in future finding the right amps for you...

 

[mwindham08]

   
Stock tubes.  AKG works fine off the 1/4" TRS (with lucid on as required of course).  HE500's cable is balanced running off the 4 pin XLR.  There's nothing wrong with the plugs at my house.  Before I sent the taboo back last time 3 weeks ago for troubleshooting the DSD playback noise issue from my TEAC DAC, there was no hiss/wailing running my HE500 from the XLR.  Honestly, I don't really care what it is at this point.  I am just disappointed approaching pissed. Yes, I might just be the unlucky one who probably should just call it quit with Decware.  Well, at least, I've tried.  Tomorrow, I will bring the taboo back to the office and pack it up for shipping back and cancel my CSP3 order too.  I don't have time for this back and forth. 
Don't get me wrong guys! Decware's customer service is great.  Steve is a great guy.  Their QC and testing need a lot of work, IMO.  

 
That does suck I understand sending it back though. I hope my CSP3 doesn't have any problems with it. I don't even experience the humming alot of other people have been hearing with my Taboo so hopefully my luck will hold out. 

 

[longbowbbs]

^ (Sigh) that's just really bad - I feel for you. I hope you make these points about QC and testing to Steve. I'm pretty sure he'll take it seriously.

Especially because two days ago I discovered how well Decware gear scales with improved source. The BMC dac I bought recently has so much texture and impact in the bass it revealed my previous tube choices were now too bassy (obviously compensating for somewhat thin dacs). Luckily, I had the right tubes (tubes that previously sounded too cold) on hand. One track was Led Zeppelin's 'In my time of dying'. I know John Bonham hits hard but...the sheer power, impact and attack of his first drum strike just about blew me out of my chair. I never heard his drumming like this before - and this was with the CSP2/Taboo, which I've previously considered less transparent than Taboo alone.

When the gear works (which I'm pretty sure is most of the time), it works brilliantly.

I wish you well and a lot better luck in future finding the right amps for you...

 
It does scale very well. When I upgraded the DAC-2 to the DSDse version the Decware happily upped its game.

 

[bearFNF]

I just did a little test with my HE-500's and with lucid mode off there is some noise (static and popping) when turning the volume up, but it goes away when I turn lucid mode one on.  Pretty much dead silent until you get to max volume.
I also tried this with my Schiit Asgard 2 as pre-amp and there is considerable amount of noise (static) with lucid mode on or off and the same kind of noise as in the above with lucid turned off but with more static.
 
no music playing during these tests USB to my uber bifrost, 4-pin xlr, bugle boy power, sylvania 53YG rectifier, and stock output tubes.

 

[mwindham08]

I tested the volume on my Taboo as well. I turned up my dac all the way up (which ouputs 2.5volts) and turned the taboo volume all the way up with all lucid modes and mine is dead silent. Not sure if that will change when I add the CSP3. 

 

[thegrobe]

I tested the volume on my Taboo as well. I turned up my dac all the way up (which ouputs 2.5volts) and turned the taboo volume all the way up with all lucid modes and mine is dead silent. Not sure if that will change when I add the CSP3. 

The only "noise" that added into my chain with the CSP3 was a slight hum that was the result of a carelessly routed interconnect that is poorly shielded that was lying across a power cord.

Corrected that and the CSP3 added no noise whatsoever. (I still had the slight hum that sent my taboo in for service -but the CSP3 in or out of the chain it was unchanged.) You've got to be careful with the mess of vertical interconnects and power cords!

 

[OPR8R]

Real briefly, my setup is pretty well silent.  I get pops from my volume nob using 6DJ8 signal tubes but quiet tuning with stock or 6922 tubes.  My CSP3 did nothing to add more noise.
 
Not to change the subject (back) but no one has tried the compatible Sophia rectifiers?

 

[koiloco]

I am still waiting for a response from Steve.  The noise in my taboo off the 4pin XLR is a loud hissing/wailing tone, not a humming one.  When I touch the left speaker taps between + and -, the noise would change tone like I am playing an electronic saxophone.  When I touch the right speaker tap shorting + and -, the noise would decrease significantly to barely audible.  Also, if I plugged another HP into the 1/4" TRS while the HE500 in the XLR, the noise will disappear.  All these are with both lucid modes off.  This is just so frustrating...