[preproman]

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That's my hope.  When I had my last B22 I had the Senn 800 and its just crushed the amp I had at the time.  That was a 2 ch.  The one I have coming is 4 channel balanced with dual o22 power supplies, single ended and balanced preamp functionality, over sized heatsinks and the builder did an awesome job with the wiring.  Everything cut to length and twisted, no antennas

 
 
Solude,
 
Curious to know who your builder is.  I have one coming from YBM.

 

[Solude]

Round 2 is done and mwilson... keep hoping the next amp fairs better
 
The WA22 continues to impress with its solid foundation. great resolution and texture retrieval.  Its ability to convey the song's emotion is also unsurpassed at this point.
 
As for the Trafomatic HeadOne... it's equipped with stock Sovteks and a mystery rectifier.  And I swear the right Sovtek is glowing brighter than the left.  That said, the gap between the two is closer than that of the WA22 and the Gold Lion 6922 equipped LF.
 
Closer, but not similar.  The Trafo has high detail retrieval but a poor bass foundation.  Its clearly top tilted with cymbals, lacking their low frequency harmonic, coming across as tizzy.  The lack of the bass foundation means while detail retrieval is high, resolution and textures are average.  Instrument staging is focused and well layered but take up more space left to right.  There is no noise, blackground is good but the lack of sub bass reduces the feel of it because there is no sensation of presence coming and going.
 
"But Sol you said they were close.  That all reads like bad news!"
 
The gap is primarily due to the rolled bottom end.  Scratch that, its MIA.  If I ignore that, and think of the LCD-2 as a monitor and not a full sized floor stander then whats missing would always be missing.  Their performance from 60Hz up is similar except in tonal balance.  Tubes for the Trafo are peanuts.  Could I swap the mystery rectifier for a Siemens or eI and close the gap?  Swap the who knows how old Sovteks for Reflector or EH, closer still?  That experiment would come in at $60 per complete set.  Worth a shot?  Let's see where the GS-1 slides in Monday and decide then.

 

[Solude]

Quote:

Solude,
 
Curious to know who your builder is.  I have one coming from YBM.

 
Frank who isn't active on Head-Fi anymore.  Its a build from 09 I believe, very similar to jc9394's which I believe is a clone of the group build that AMB did.  Mine however has no combo jacks or led volume ring.  It has a recessed led just right of the 4 pin XLR.  Black cases, kind of reminds me of old Aragon and Acurus casings.  Well hopefully less sharp.  Picking up a hot Acurus A200 is literally a knife through butter to your hand.. ah good times.

 

[mwilson]

 
Quote:

Round 2 is done and mwilson... keep hoping the next amp fairs better
 
 

 

[twizzleraddict]

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Now, you are killing me. If my money is not tied up on D800E purchase, I will all over that amp. Heck, I even drive up to Ottawa to pick it up after I stop by Montreal first to have "Duck in a Can".

 
I think the "Duck in a Can" will kill you before you had a chance to buy. Cholesterol and artery busting evil food! But damn is it sooooo good.

 

[Solude]

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What is the gain? It is my go to amp now, the WA22 is taking a vacation lately.

 
That's where I had to roll the dice.  The builder doesn't remember but built and used it for Denon D5000 and HD650 so I hoping ~6x at the most.  Goldpoint in mine as well.  You hear that mwilson, things are looking up

 

[jc9394]

The beta22 is not forgiving at all, it will reveal everything that either recording or from the DAC. But the details is to kill for...

 

[hodgjy]

My Trafomatic is definitely not lacking in the bass. It is very balanced linear, runs deep, and is very tight. I'd roll some different tubes in there and you will hear a difference. Sovteks are pretty bright tubes in this case.

 

[Solude]

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The beta22 is not forgiving at all, it will reveal everything that either recording or from the DAC. But the details is to kill for...

 
Forgiving is definitely not the right word but it is grain free and tends to round its treble which though not forgiving is not fatiguing either.

 

[Solude]

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I'd roll some different tubes in there and you will hear a difference.

 
You got it  Reflectors 6C45P and Mullard or Brimar EZ80.  On the EZ80, does D v O v Square getter matter enough to avoid one?

 

[hodgjy]

In the EZ80 line, the Valvo/Philips/GE/Miniwatt/Mullard/Amperex D-getters are all the same tube, just varying in the plant they were made.  They all sound quite good.  Find the one with the best price and buy that one.  Don't overpay for a Mullard ($45) or Valvo ($45) when the GE is only $18.
 
The Yugoslavian Ei EZ80 is almost the same as the Philips EZ80 because they bought out all the equipment for themselves.  They made a few slight changes to the tube that I can see with my own eyes.
Quote:

 
You got it  Reflectors 6C45P and Mullard or Brimar EZ80.  On the EZ80, does D v O v Square getter matter enough to avoid one?

 

[Solude]

Mostly square getters on eBay right now... matter?

 

[jc9394]

Forgiving is definitely not the right word but it is grain free and tends to round its treble which though not forgiving is not fatiguing either.

Yes, it is not clinical at all. Cable choice can be critical too, I sold my TWag after I received the Q cable. It has plenty of power to drive the LCD-2, with the output of my DAC, it may even have enough to drive the HE6.

On the WA22, try to get a hold of Nationl Union or Tung Sol BGRP 6F8G (you need an adapter for it to replace 6SN7). It will bring the WA22 to another level.

 

[hodgjy]

I would say no matter.  Get yourself a good GE D-getter for $15 or so and enjoy the sound.
Quote:

Mostly square getters on eBay right now... matter?

 

[hodgjy]

I have this tube and it's quite good.
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/6V4-EZ80-GE-VACUUM-RADIO-TUBE-/320890932651?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item4ab6970dab
 
Quote:

Mostly square getters on eBay right now... matter?