Last week the Taboo and DSRII 0.5m cables I ordered arrived to me here on the west coast of Canada. When I picked it up at the post office the box was in perfect shape, almost like I had brought it home from Decware myself (thanks USpost and Canada post, great job).
   I came home opened up the box and was rewarded with a beautiful site, no damage at all, and a very nice looking amp which has quite some heft to it for it's size. I was very busy last week when it arrived so I didn't get to hook it up until the weekend.
  I hooked up the amp as per the instructions and I'm using it without a pre-amp, so I have my cd player (2volts) connected via the DSRII interconnects into the Taboo and the speaker outputs on the Taboo connected via Cat5 cable soldered directly to my fe108's in BIB cabs. It doesn't get any simpler than this folks and that's what I'm following and believe in, the "KISS rule" (Keep It Simple Stupid).
  One thing I noticed is that the rectifier tube that came with the Taboo looks more like the one in the picture of the CSP2 or the Select rather than the big bulb looking one that's shown in the pic of the Taboo. The tube that came with it is a Sovtek 5y3GT and I'm not sure what the one in the pic on the site is?
  Well the important part now begin's, I pressed play on the player and settled in for a listen and all I can say is "WOW"
what a awesome sounding amp. Right from the first play until now it has been putting big smiles on my face and it's not even past the break in period yet.
 I've taken the last 3 days off of work just to be able to have the house all to myself so I can listen to it. I'm not one of those people that explains things with tons of fancy worded sentences like on some of the reviews that are out there, I guess the best way I can put it is this amp has captured me and made me very pleased that I now own it.
  I'm very happy I was able to make this purchase (finally) and have to tip my hat to Steve, DeVon and Crew for offering such a fine product and for being so easy to do business with.
                                                          Dave
                                                                 

Dave,

CONGRATS!

It only gets better from  here. . . after about six months you'll be astonished at the depth of sound.

Many happy listening days ahead!

Hey Dave,

Congrats on the purchase!  That tube in the Taboo picture is an RCA tube (you can see the letters on the base), but I can't locate any RCA 5Y3 types that have the "coke bottle" shape like that.  It almost looks like a 5U4 type, which would be the wrong type according to the specs.  Are you curious because you like the shape? Or are you wondering if different types can be substituted for the 5Y3?  I have a Mazda 5Y3 type that is like that that I got from here http://tubeman.com/item128.htm.  It looks cool, but I don't like it as well as my plain-jane JAN-Phillips 5Y3.

Good luck, and happy listening!

Quote:


D'oh!  I didn't check the manual.  It probably is a 5U4 then.  With those options, if you're like a lot of us, you'll be sinking some money into various and sundry tubes for rolling.

Anyways, I hope you'll keep us posted with your impressions as the amp breaks in.

Hmmm. . . I sense a mind about to be BLOWN.

get yourself some of the Russian milspec sv83's (6P15P-EV marked 6П15П -ЕV or -EB) and have them cryo treated.  Makes a marked improvement and doesn't cost like the NOS stuff.

Also, I prefer a cryo treated Sovtek 12AX7-LPS (long plate) in front, and a 274B rectifier though they make less of a difference I think than the cryo SV83's

DaveCan,

Glad to hear that you received your new Taboo! I hope that it is everything that you expected it to be. How does it sound with your speakers? I am curious as to the detailed effect that you are experiencing with your system and if you noticed just how special the spatial properties are with this amplifier.

FYI: The rectifier seen in the promotional photo was probably used just for effect. I can assure you that it would be an expensive and difficult task to provide high end (n.o.s.) RCA ST style rectifiers such as that with every amplifier that ships. It does provide a nice touch of class to the promo though.

Due to the  non-clarity of the tubes internal structure, it is really hard to distinguish the exact designation of that tube pictured but there is one give away that could lead to it being that of a 5R4GYA rectifier instead of the 5U4G type that would be more compatible with the Taboo. If you look closely, you will identify the two center rods which run vertical between the lower and upper plates. That would lead me to think of it as the 5R4GYA type which I doubt that Steve would use with this amplifier due to its characteristics but I may be wrong.

Note: I just purchased  eight very old General Electric 5U4G ST style rectifiers sealed in the original boxes and all are in  pristine condition. Having one removed from the box for inspection, I was  somewhat intrigued by the fact that these particular 5U4G’s also had the vertical center rods with some very unique construction not so common with later production models. These appear to be manufactured around the 1940’s or close to that era. Therefore it is possible that some 5U4G’s may have used this construction principal. Someone with extensive tube history could better answer that.  Eddie V. would have been the man to  ask but I am sure that Steve could answer this as well.

If this tube IS permissible with the Taboo and Steve can verify this, I would definitely go with purchasing a 5R4GYA as this tube is sonically first class. I have operated a set of these in the TORIIMK2 and found them to be the highest favored over the others tried. *Many other people have stated the same claim in general and feel the same way about this rectifier. You will need to make absolutely sure that these are compatible before using!!

You cannot go wrong with a quality set of 5U4G or 5U4GB rectifiers as the next best thing and they are well worth experimenting with. Different rectifiers will change the operating points of the amplifier so different signatures are sure to come about in the Taboos presentation. Remember, the Taboo has been biased to operate optimally with the 5Y3GT types. If you want to stay with that designation, I highly recommend finding a good RCA, Sylvania, or General Electric brand. A very strong tube in excellent shape can be easily purchased on e-bay for roughly $5.00 to $10.00 for a 5U4GB but be prepared to pay a much higher premium for the shoulder style large 5U4G as they go quick.

The GB’s have excellent quality and sound and they present the best overall bargain when considering the going price. Just verify that the tube has been checked on a tube tester  and compare the results carefully. I do not need to worry about this as I have several Hickok tube testers  for measuring the integrity of the tubes plates and general condition. (These have the capability of testing mutual conductance for driver and output tubes as well).  

Even different brands of the same tube designation will provide distinct differences in overall presentation. *While you are at it, find yourself a few different 12AX7's to try out. I recommend RCA or any other high quality n.o.s. tube.

This can make a dramatic difference in presentation and can often “make or break” the sound that you seek. Again, go for the good  n.o.s. as first choice. A current production tube which is heavily favored by many is the Sovtek  12AX7LPS. I used the military grade  6n15n-EB output tubes and found them to be far better than the standard SV83’s and those were cryogenically treated!

Experimentation is what makes it interesting  and you will eventually find this to be very enlightening to say the least.

Just as a reference, I will post some features of the tubes referred to above.

These are the 5R4GYA ST style rectifiers which resemble the 5U4G tubes in appearance. The internal composition is what gives the two away. *Note the two center vertical rods.