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AUDIO FORUMS >> DECFEST >> A Decfest afternoon.
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Message started by Andy831 on 02/24/07 at 21:27:19

Title: A Decfest afternoon.
Post by Andy831 on 02/24/07 at 21:27:19

Fellow Decware fan KeithC came to my home today with his Taboo.

The purpose of the visit was to let me have a listen to the SEP and compare it against my Select SET.

As soon as the Taboo was switched on It was fairly clear that it belonged to the same family of amps as
the Select and from the hands of the same designer.

The Taboo seemed smoother than the Select,... slightly more... "polite" in some respects, however the signature
clarity of the mids and highs were firmly there.

The Select seemed to time slightly better than the Taboo, and there was definately more seperation between
instruments, more "air " around individual musicians however the actual soundstage was fairly similar.

It was an interesting enjoyable afternoon. To cap it all my "new" and second Select has arrived however I
Cannot strap them together just yet as I need some modified interconnects.

Incidently and Mostly for Mr Contents benefit, when i compare the 110v Select with the step down Tranny with the 240v Select I am at a losss to hear any difference between the amps. So I would not hesitate in buying a 110v with a £30 stepdown tranny Mr C.

Title: Re: A Decfest afternoon.
Post by Brad on 02/24/07 at 23:58:59

Andy, what speakers were you using? and what source? just curious.
That "air" you heard, could it be some of that "triode bloom"?
I've had both amps in my home before - during the TABOO beta tour.
I've heard the extra bloom you get with the Zen CS compared to
the TABOO, but I didn't hear more separation than with
the TABOO - they were both about equal to my ears.
Granted, my room is not very good - no room treatments
in a fairly reflective room.
Also, was there any difference at all in the tubes
used in both, I mean other than their designations?

Title: Re: A Decfest afternoon.
Post by Mr Content on 02/25/07 at 03:55:58

Thanks for thinking of me Andy. I am looking around now, my dear wife wants to buy me a new amp.......she loves me so much :) And thanks for your impressions of the 2 amps.

Mr C :)

Title: Re: A Decfest afternoon.
Post by Andy831 on 02/25/07 at 06:50:29

"Triode Bloom" Yeah i like that terminology a lot Brad LOL. Think thats probably what I was hearing.

As you suggest Brad maybe the room/ speakers were the cause of the different amounts of seperation between
instruments but the Select definately had more seperation to my ears.

Tubes were similar and speakers were Tannoy GRF Memory`s (not the most efficient speakers around but 92db so should be ok) Speaker cables were Mogami 2972. Not sure if it makes any difference but the Taboo was a new style one with the new chassis whereas the select was an older black chassis one.

Title: Re: A Decfest afternoon.
Post by KeithC on 02/25/07 at 19:45:12

I agree with Andy's conclusions - it was an interesting and enjoyable experience (and it gave me the opportunity of auditioning my Taboo with a GZ32 in advance of receiving the ones I Ebay'd).

The differences between the amplifiers were not great, not even in perceived spl. CS bias lift is a totally different beast to Taboo lucid mode tho.

Title: Re: A Decfest afternoon.
Post by Brad on 02/28/07 at 00:00:31

Those GRF's look like great speakers. Btw, the Tannoy site spec's them at 95db/1watt

Title: Re: A Decfest afternoon.
Post by Andy831 on 02/28/07 at 05:48:40

Brad

You have to be careful when looking at GRF spec`s, Mine are the Memory version
made as a tribute to the founder of Tannoy Guy R Fountain (hence the GRF)

The original GRF was supplied as either a corner cabinet or flat back cabinet and
contained Tannoys Monitor Gold (red silver or black) Version of the Dual Concentric
(DC) Driver. Mine are a derivative of this cone employing similar characteristics and construction
but due to the complex crossovers are not as efficient. Tannoy quote 94db@2.83volts which I am
reliably informed equates to about 92db/1 watt/metre.

http://www.tannoy.com/GRFMemory

They are fabulous speakers none the less

Regards

Andy

Title: Re: A Decfest afternoon.
Post by Brad on 03/01/07 at 20:50:35

If they are rated at 8ohms nominal then 94db@2.83volts would be 94db/1watt/1meter.

Title: Re: A Decfest afternoon.
Post by Andy831 on 03/01/07 at 21:36:39

Yep thats what they are Brad, but I am not a techie and really do not understand ohms, watts, and volts very well, but if you say so, I will believe you, It also makes me feel a bit better about their abilty to be driven by the Select too.

Regards

Andy