[daverich4]

My current fav tube combo with the HD 800 (sorry for bad pics from my phone & yes, my equip rack is overflowing so have temporarily kept the WA22 on the floor) :

USAF 596, GEC 6AS7G, TSBGRP 6F8G

Swap out the 6F8G's for Sylvania 6SN7WGTA Brown Base's and I'm there. Plus, sometimes TS5998's for the GEC's. Or a WE422a for the 596. Crap. Can't decide.

 

[punit]

Swap out the 6F8G's for Sylvania 6SN7WGTA Brown Base's and I'm there. Plus, sometimes TS5998's for the GEC's. Or a WE422a for the 596. Crap. Can't decide.

.....& sometimes GZ34 metal Base or U52 

... yes, i know the feeling. That's why I said my "current" fav tubes...Love the tube rolling options on this amp. It's a cash sucking addiction. Every time I tell myself I have enough, STOP & then a good deal pops up that I just can't pass

 

 

[I right I]

I'm running Sylvania 7236s and 6F8Gs with a GZ34 Mullard. I swap in a Sophia Princess when I want the light show...

 

[bpcans]

It's here!"Come to me my precious".

 

[bbophead]

Great!!!!

 

[bpcans]

Thanks bbophead. Last night was just a teaser. I'm warming up the Woo with the Princess sitting on her throne. I also got a Stefan Audio Art Endorphin power cord off the buy/sell/trade thread from a great guy who's moniker is Flyfish 2002. He was super helpful, and fast. We shall see what kind of a difference, if any, these two high-end upgrades make.

 

[bbophead]

Thanks bbophead. Last night was just a teaser. I'm warming up the Woo with the Princess sitting on her throne. I also got a Stefan Audio Art Endorphin power cord off the buy/sell/trade thread from a great guy who's moniker is Flyfish 2002. He was super helpful, and fast. We shall see what kind of a difference, if any, these two high-end upgrades make.

I would like to hear your take on the power cord.  I've never heard a difference.  Maybe if I had a bazillion dollar system ............

 

[Red Jacket Mike]

I've never heard a difference with any type of cable I've ever used, including speaker wire, USB, interconnects, etc.; until I tried a Shunyata Venom 3 power cord at the recommendation of a friend.  
 
There was a huge audible difference--particularly in the black silence of the background, and in sustained notes decaying off into silence.  More bass impact and speed, with less flabbiness, as well.  I am using 3 of them currently, with my W4S DAC2, Violectric V-200, and Woo WA2.  
 
I would never have thought that an AC power cord could make a difference, but these certainly do.  They are also extremely well built, and the connection  at either end is very solid and tight.  

 

[bpcans]

I would like to hear your take on the power cord.  I've never heard a difference.  Maybe if I had a bazillion dollar system ............

As far as a difference with the power cord I'm going to piggyback on and echo the statements of Red Jacket Mike in what he said concerning the black silence of the background. There's definitely a barely perceptible but still audible hum, kind of like a general fuzziness, and a less defined sound when using the standard three pronged power cords. Not like somebody put gauze over the drivers but more like a piece of silk, lite, but you know it's there. At least I think I'm hearing clearer highs and a tighter bass. I can't begin to tell you what wonderful sounds are coming thru the RS1's now. Of course adding a proper power amp is the key. It was difficult to balance my wants and needs. For sure I wanted a WA22 or WA5, but I also like to eat and keep the lights on.

 

[koiloco]

  I've never heard a difference with any type of cable I've ever used, including speaker wire, USB, interconnects, etc.; until I tried a Shunyata Venom 3 power cord at the recommendation of a friend.  
 
There was a huge audible difference--particularly in the black silence of the background, and in sustained notes decaying off into silence.  More bass impact and speed, with less flabbiness, as well.  I am using 3 of them currently, with my W4S DAC2, Violectric V-200, and Woo WA2.  
 
I would never have thought that an AC power cord could make a difference, but these certainly do.  They are also extremely well built, and the connection  at either end is very solid and tight.  

Confident enough to do some blind tests?  I am just wondering.  That's all.  

   Be honest to yourself and ask a friend to help you setup a blind test.  I did this years back and failed miserably.  

 

[I right I]

Confident enough to do some blind tests?  I am just wondering.  That's all.      Be honest to yourself and ask a friend to help you setup a blind test.  I did this years back and failed miserably.  

I don't want to get too entrenched here but I have done blind testing with ten volunteers and the cheapest power cable that made a noticeable difference to all testers cost $900. For those of you who are willing to entertain such niceties, it was a Nordost Vishnu PC in a 3 meter length. 7 out of 10 testers repeatedly reported a difference (more clarity in the upper frequencies and a lower overall noise floor - these two advantages are likely to be one and the same IMO) between a silver-over-copper conductor PC versus pure copper. Variation in conductor size netted results that were negligible beyond 14ga. for all source components. Same with insulation and geometry until you get to the Vishnu which uses air as it's primary insulator (the conductor is "suspended" in air by FEP wound around it - it's worth Googling).

The amplifier test was utterly pointless. The only statistically significant jump was from stock PCs to an aftermarket (and heavier gauge) PC. Don't buy anything more exotic than the Shunyata Venom 3 for an amp...ever. It's a total waste of resources. A high quality power supply negates the effects of PC changes. Lower end amps might benefit from a nice PC but why wouldn't you just buy a better amp with the cash you are spending on a PC?

For a source component though, that depends on how deep your pockets go. I like Nordost because they are beautiful and I've proven they work well. You may have to experiment to find your own Valhalla. (Nordost fans will get the pun). I can say this for those of you with a healthy budget: a $2K source with a $900 PC has more clarity at the top end (maybe the whole spectrum - I can't be positive) than a $3K source with the stock PC. If you have a more budget-oriented source THAT YOU REALLY LIKE, try out a higher end PC before you upgrade the component. It may stave off upgrade-itis for a while and your system can grow into the PC over time.

 

[I right I]

One more thing: if anyone wants to borrow my Vishnu PC, PM me and I will be happy to loan it to you.

 

[magiccabbage]

 a $2K source with a $900 PC has more clarity at the top end (maybe the whole spectrum - I can't be positive) than a $3K source with the stock PC. If you have a more budget-oriented source THAT YOU REALLY LIKE, try out a higher end PC before you upgrade the component. It may stave off upgrade-itis for a while and your system can grow into the PC over time.

Could you explain why this is the case? I have a basic enough laptop and was thinking of getting an Audio-gd master 7, what would the differences be if instead i had a really good P.C and why?
I was under the illusion that once you connect the DAC via USB then the DAC does the rest of the work and so the laptop specs don't come into account. Is there a thread that explains this in dept? 
 
Maybe a P.M would be more appropriate. 

 

[Red Jacket Mike]

  Confident enough to do some blind tests?  I am just wondering.  That's all.  

   Be honest to yourself and ask a friend to help you setup a blind test.  I did this years back and failed miserably.  

I have done that, with a friend randomly switching between the Shunyatas and the stock power cable.  (We used the V200 stock cable; the Woo amp does not come with one.)  For music we used the end of one track and the beginning of the next track on Lindsey Buckingham's 'Out of the Cradle' album, in order to get the space between tracks as part of the test.  We did the test 7 times.
 
I was never able to tell the difference with the DAC power cables being switched, but with the V200 and the WA2, I picked the correct cable every time; 7 out of 7.  As I said before, it was most noticeable during the silence between the tracks.  Perhaps my stock cable was defective, but it was very obvious each time.
 
I've done the same thing with interconnects and USB cables, but have never been able to distinguish any audible differences.

 

[I right I]

Could you explain why this is the case? I have a basic enough laptop and was thinking of getting an Audio-gd master 7, what would the differences be if instead i had a really good P.C and why?
I was under the illusion that once you connect the DAC via USB then the DAC does the rest of the work and so the laptop specs don't come into account. Is there a thread that explains this in dept? 

Maybe a P.M would be more appropriate. 

I meant PC to mean "Power Cord". Sorry for the confusion.