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In Reply to: Re: Help me pick a preamp for my SETs! posted by Iain42 on October 19, 2006 at 09:32:42:
Wright is good stuff and cheap for what it is.
(i have Wright amps and pre)
But he needs to listen his combo amp+pre.
Certain combo sound crap - for instance:
Wright 3.5 + TVC.
Follow Ups:
Not sure that really has a lot to do with the Wright amp OR the TVC, and everything to do with the source component's output impedence and voltage along with the capacitance of interconnects(as you know). There doesn't seem to be anything in the Wright 3.5's specs to indicate it is a bad match: 2V input sensitivity and 100Kohm input impedence. Pretty standard for a tube amp.I remember that you posted in the Digital forum recently about having a modified Squeezebox. I don't know if you DIY'd it yourself or had Bolder Cable do the work, but here is quote from Scott Faller's ETM review :
Here are just a few comments regarding the mods Bolder Cable has done to the Squeezebox. Removing the output gain stage has advantages and disadvantages. Getting rid of the mediocre JRC opamp and its associated gain stage circuitry causes a dramatic increase in clarity and detail. On the down side, the output voltage of the unit drops to just over 1 volt rather than the 6 volts in the stock unit. This shouldn't be a problem for most as many preamps have ample gain to boost this lowered output signal. In my case, the highly modified Korato KVP 10 isn't phased in the least with the lower input voltage and it has only 15dB of gain.The other issue with removing the output gain stage is that the DAC doesn't like to see a high capacitance load from the interconnects. You will need to keep you interconnect lengths as short as possible. Using high capacitance interconnects will likely result in some loss of the sonic qualities gained by the analog mods.
1V ouput through a TVC into a 2V input amp is simply not going to work very well in a highly revealing system. There is no headroom. Dynamics would definetly suffer and low volume listening probably would be poor.
And I wouldn't be surprised if the stock Squeezebox was difficult to use since it has a 6V output. Seems like that would make for a very small usuable range of volume control with a TVC and high efficiency speakers like your AER's.
My Welborne Labs DRD 300B monoblocks have 1.5V/> 100Kohm input and work spectacularly with my TVC. I think this is due to the fact that my Museatex Bitsream DAC puts out 3V@300ohms.
Hi Darkmoebius, thank you for the advices.
I quite agree with you, but would
not promote the TVC pre as a universal solution.
Here is my experience.I tested different things.
I listened to the combo Wright apms+TVC with a
old marantz CD player (quite decent sound but nothing
high-end). Anyhow this CDP had plenty of "juice" and may be
too much gain for the Wright pre.
But according to my ears CD player+TVC+Wright monos
sounded very clean but flat with highs rolled off.About my SB, yes the amp-op is removed and i did not
even try with the TVC! With SB+Wright pre and wright
monos i can tell you that the length of the interconnect
after the SB was crucial - as you suggested. Even though
with the smallest cables i could built I was not satisfied
by the sound (again not "enough dynamics", "flat" kind of
sound).
I may try a bit more things with the SB, but i am
going to use the digital out anyway now.
By the way the value of the coupling cap on my modded
sb was too high. The effect was that the sound was
"softer" --- more bass !--- but it is just because and
the highs were rolled off. But totally inaccurate: I lost
the image certainly due to that cap.Eventually, I concluded that the Wright pre (high gain!)
and Wright monos matched very well giving a very precise
open & dynamics sound (of course with the adequate
speakers)To come back to Jim's problem, I would advise him
if he can - to test with his source and his amp.Best,
Vincent
First off, I have to compliment you on your system. George Wright makes some of the finest amplifiers and preamps on the market. His prices are ridiculously low for their performance. From the few pieces I have heard, they are masters at resolution and clarity. Tonality is fantastic. But, they leave little room for poor equipment to hide.Not to mention, he generally designs all his equipment to be quiet enough for 100-107dB horns. Not many manufacturers do that.
I quite agree with you, but would not promote the TVC pre as a universal solution.
I absolutely agree with you. TVC's require a much higher understanding of component interaction and experimenting than fully active systems. For a lot of people, the time and effort will simply not be worth it. And, as with everything in this hobby, many will not like the resulting performance even if everything was perfectly matched.
But, it is a legitimate option for those seeking the highest level of transparency and tonal purity. Not the only one, just another.
I listened to the combo Wright apms+TVC with a old marantz CD player (quite decent sound but nothing high-end)...But according to my ears CD player+TVC+Wright monos sounded very clean but flat with highs rolled off
Two obvious things come to mind; 1) that's the actual sound of the cd player, 2) the actual capacitance of your interconnects (regardless of how short).
Excess capacitance has the direct effect of attentuating or rolling off high frequencies. Wright's amplifers are going to really reveal any upstream problems like this.
What kind of interconnects are you using and what length?
Eventually, I concluded that the Wright pre (high gain!) and Wright monos matched very well giving a very precise open & dynamics sound (of course with the adequate speakers)
No doubt that is a killer combination, GW really makes his components to perform flawlessly together. It would be real hard to better that performance for the money.
Darkmoebius, thanks for your post. I quite agree.To answer one of your question:
Unfortunately my interconnect cables
were decent - no need for esoterism here.
I had a few that i paid too much and
some i did myself (with different length).
They are all ok, i know what a poorly
interconnects do.Somewhere else in the tread
(Janos) said something i believe in.
I am not sure that there is a big difference
sonically between a pot and a TVC (that one can
discuss...) but for sure somthing that kills the
music is the length of these interconnect cable. Now
from this, to put a TVC or a resistor in a separate
box is not a great idea.
Another thing i noticed (and that might be obvious
to any engineer) is that the length of cable is
particularly an issue between the cd and the pre
and not so much between the pre and the amp.So there is a choice, a source with just one
op-amp stage and a good pre or a source with plenty
of juice (many op-amps or tube stages) and a TVC
pre. But is the second solution not a bit like to
put a pre in the cd?The only guideline that i see:
- avoid as much amplify the signal to reduce it later;
- the less amplification the better
- reduce length of interconnect at early stage.I am unable to say whether a pot or a TVC is better.
(But i still hope to do something with my sowter).Best,
Vincent
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