Tír Na HiFi

tony wrote:

Diapason wrote: Cant comment on Ivors but maybe it was badly packed or the amp was heading that way anyway. Seems to have ended well thanks to Fran

I would put it down to shoddy soldering. The valves and caps were recently replaced. The amp was well packed, styrofoam, bubble wrap etc but still this capacitor escaped and had a good run around the innards.

Diapason wrote:Right. Some new valves recently added to my monos have introduced a hum through the speakers...

Well I have a few spare valves knocking around so I might try replacing them one at a time.

What's this about the new speakers??? I WAS going to say something about the preamp problems but all I can think of is SPEAKERS :)

cybot wrote:What's this about the new speakers??? I WAS going to say something about the preamp problems but all I can think of is SPEAKERS :)

all in good time.... it's not mine to discuss. I'll just say that they are bloody impressive on every front!

Ivor wrote:
Well the Audio Innovations arrived promptly on Thursday

About which model AI you talking Ivor ???

Modest wrote:

Ivor wrote:
Well the Audio Innovations arrived promptly on Thursday

About which model AI you talking Ivor ???

It's the 200 Pre.

The picture isn't the exact unit but apart from a power light seems very close

Ivor wrote:

cybot wrote:What's this about the new speakers??? I WAS going to say something about the preamp problems but all I can think of is SPEAKERS :)

all in good time.... it's not mine to discuss. I'll just say that they are bloody impressive on every front!

Can't wait for the unveiling :)

Ivor wrote:

Modest wrote:

Ivor wrote:
Well the Audio Innovations arrived promptly on Thursday

About which model AI you talking Ivor ???

It's the 200 Pre.

The picture isn't the exact unit but apart from a power light seems very close

Ohhh i see ...nice stuff i have AI L2 very same looking pre :) was thinking to do http://www.audionote.co.uk/articles/twe ... d_01.shtml upgrade with Frans help ...maybe later this year echhh :)

Modest wrote: Ohhh i see ...nice stuff i have AI L2 very same looking pre :) was thinking to do http://www.audionote.co.uk/articles/twe ... d_01.shtml upgrade with Frans help ...maybe later this year echhh :)

thanks for that link... interesting. Certainly the transformer is a little weedy but probably enough.

Ivor wrote:

Ivor wrote:MMMMMmmmm all this talk of pre amps has put the goo on me.... I've gone direct to a power amp for years (well power amp with gain) and have been quite happy but now this thread comes along and gets me thinking that maybe I should try a pre amp....

Using my existing phono stage via AUX the sound wasn't bad at all..
the sound through the CD player was really good, REALLY good. The improvements were subtle but there was more space, more defined sound and more engagement.

Quick update...
Although the system isn't 100% set up yet I did get in some serious CD listening last night and there's no question that even this humble old pre amp brings something to the party. I'm now clearly hearing minute details and subtleties that add to the whole "picture". These seems to more of a sense of space and air about the music and, as I said above, more engagement. The sound is more immediate and intimate and on recordings which years ago I thought weren't great I'm realising they were bloody brilliant!

I have a bit more tweaking to do yet and I need to compare my existing phono stage with the amp's - if indeed the amp's phono stage is working at all. Certainly my phono stage through the AUX sounded "fine" if not as good as I'm used to - this could simply be down to less isolation and hurried lacement of that phono stage.

CDs used:
Ry Cooder - Chicken Skin Music
This one's for him - Tribute to Guy Clark Disc 1
Tom Waits - Small Change*

*
"Small Change" is the album I always thought was a dull, if acceptable, recording. All tracks from voice & drums to full orchestration were recorded straight to two track stereo by the now legendary Bones Howe. Previous HiFi simply didn't do it justice but in recent years I've realised it's a beautifully recorded album with a huge sense of space and air. Last night I realised there were quite a few little musical twists and turns in there too.