Rusty Messages: 1187 Registered: May 2018 Location: Kansas City Missouri
Illuminati (3rd Degree)
There's a new hombre on the horizon. And my trigger finger is really itching to pull. A preamp that has phono with gain controlled by a tube. And tube rectification. https://www.transcendentsound.com/slider.html
I had resisted pulling the trigger on his prior phono pre because it had so much gain that with my set up would necessitate adding volume pots for gain attenuation on each channel of it. Rozenblit is known for innovation and dependability with his products. I can attest to that. I've used his OTL and preamp for decades now. The preamp, the grounded grid I cobbled together from plans from one of his books. Which makes it a rather sentimental attachment for me. But I can use it with my old Hafler 220 amp and my 1st speaker build, Dynaudio Gemini's. This ought to be quite a change from the Graham Slee phono I've use for decades too. Fate made me wait with his former phono pre. Had to have a new hvac system put in. Guess the fickle finger worked. Ready, aim....
gofar99 Messages: 1949 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
Hi, Yes some feed back would be nice. The write up makes me want to mention something about signal to noise. I notice that the preamp is listed as DBA for S/N. This is a common way to do it but..... it might not tell the whole story. DBA uses a roll off for noise below say 200 HZ and is really steep below 50HZ. I personally prefer DBV. That is flat without any roll off. At about 20HZ the difference is about 40 to 50 db. So at 20HZ a device with a -80DBA S/N could actually have only a S/N of -40 DBV. Since the DBA curve is supposed to be related to the sensitivity of our hearing that may not matter to most folks. I personally have the feeling that low frequency junk can alter the quality of the sound. I was really chagrin when I measured my pre-production tube phono preamps at -53DBV at 20HZ. The DBV for 300HZ and up was -93. A less scrupulous designer would say fine -53 DBV at 20 is about -90 DBA and let it go. Not my style. I thrashed it and made several changes so that at any frequency below 300HZ it was at -80DBV and still at -90 to -95 above that. Is it quiet....yes indeed. So my message is beware of specifications and know what they mean. I encourage folks to listen to devices and determine if they are suitable and pass on the numbers.
Rusty Messages: 1187 Registered: May 2018 Location: Kansas City Missouri
Illuminati (3rd Degree)
Never noticed any spurious noise with the two older designs I've used for some time. From his website he has a line stage product called the fixer that the specifications list noise as less than 200 microvolts unweighted. Is that the same as what you mention? Anyway, based on the products I've used for so long and his strong reputation in the diy community for integrity I don't feel too insecure that this product will be anything less than the write up says. Guess I need to pull that trigger and find out. Final cost with tubes is going to be around $750. The one tube it's built around, the 6386 is a pricey little buggar. Around $125.
Rusty Messages: 1187 Registered: May 2018 Location: Kansas City Missouri
Illuminati (3rd Degree)
Absolutely. I've no doubt about the veracity of both designers. Both have my admiration as creative craftsmen, even artisans depending on how looking at the audio business. I just know Rozenblit from using his products and having a bit of home town pride of someone making a small mark in the audio field that lives a few miles away from myself. I don't detect animosity, just some professional throw down. I've read enough peer debate, here and many other venues and disciplines that it's all part of the make up of experience and interpretation. Healthy stuff.
gofar99 Messages: 1949 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
Hi, I never intentionally disparage other designers or builders. Doing so has IMO no value. I just wanted to point out that there are different ways to indicate performance and that the ultimate decision for getting something ought to be by listening to it. I figure if the person getting it is satisfied then all is well.
Rusty Messages: 1187 Registered: May 2018 Location: Kansas City Missouri
Illuminati (3rd Degree)
I ordered it and I will post pics of it's innards after I get it soldered. And how I interpret it's contribution from what I used for so long. Have to wait for his delivery he said. He's swamped with orders. He's a one man band. I'll get personal delivery from the designer himself.
This forum seems to have the dog days of summer with a covid twist going on. Not much activity.
Rusty Messages: 1187 Registered: May 2018 Location: Kansas City Missouri
Illuminati (3rd Degree)
A knock on the door and a delivery personally via an electric bicycle with a newsboy basket on the front. On my front porch, a pony tailed gent that looks to take care of himself. I'm in the presence of an eccentric creative genius. I call him now, The Wizard of Waldo. Waldo is a section of the city developed in the 1940's when it was a suburb. The wizard is Bruce Rozenblit. And the box of wonder within the shipping box.
Putting in the hardware. A dainty handed lady could have done it in a half hour. But an aging wiener fingered guy like myself took hours.
About halfway done, whew, doing point to point wiring is time consuming and sometimes exasperating getting wire crimped over the solder lugs. It's been close to 20 years since I'd done anything like this. It becomes a learning curve again with the soldering skill. And...those wiener fingers again, makes things much harder.
That's all for now. I'm taking my sweet time. I can't sit for too long with a furrowed brow.
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