Forums - Print Page

Forums
https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl
AUDIO FORUMS >> Reviews >> TABOO takes over the house
https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1307664606

Message started by skiroe on 06/10/11 at 01:10:05

Title: TABOO takes over the house
Post by skiroe on 06/10/11 at 01:10:05

Its been about 4 or 5 years it seems since I sold my Zen mono's and of course it wasn't because they din't sound good. I have been running through all kinds of amps. Music Reference,, Quicksliver, custom built 2a3, and others. Currently I have a Scott 7591 refurbed 208 and a Luxman M-02 s/s on the sidelines and a NAD integrated in the bedroom. What has now taken center stage is a 3 month old Taboo that I picked up on Audiogon... And the person that bought it originally from Steve really should have gotten higher efficiency speakers but then I would not have had the opportunity to buy the best sounding amp I have ever heard to date. ;D Steve has certainly put all his years of experience into making this one incredible amp. Love that over sized power tranny and that internal construction and the parts compliment AND 8-) that white deck with the black case.
Tube compliment at the moment:

BENDIX NOS military "missile tube" 6106 rectifier-- cost non factor. :o (someone may correct me if I am mistaken as I could have mixed up my tube lore trivia.)

signal tube .. GE 5751 5 star ***** :P
pair of Siemens no label el84's
Sweet indeed,, damn,, Im not kidding :-*

running now with Klipsch Fortes ii's w/Crites upgraded tweeter and I need to upgrade the crossover with the caps I got from him.
I havnt even hooked the Taboo up to my MG 944's which are in the bedroom calling out for a union with the sweet heart in the front room. ;)
I havnt even played vinyl yet that's how good this amp sounds with only fm. I do have a very optimized tuner situation w/rooftop antenna,,etc. so I am getting a signal that is worthy of this amp. And I am very lucky to be here in the bay area with some of the best fm in the country. And with CD's even better. Whats gonna happen when I play vinyl? ::)

Title: Re: TABOO takes over the house
Post by Pale Rider on 06/10/11 at 01:44:04

Very nice skiroe, a fellow Taboo owner here by the bay! But you need to compare your EL84s with SV83s on the Hazen grid. Makes a big difference.

Cheers!

Title: Re: TABOO takes over the house
Post by Rivieraranch on 06/11/11 at 02:08:31

Mine took over my office. I have my new TABOO in there with bookshelf speakers right in front of me. Using the 6P15P-EV tubes and the grid modification, you can really tell the difference. Mine has V-caps and dual variable inputs for 2 sources. Bye bye cheap Radio Shack switching box. I have had it since late last year and it just keeps getting better as that transformer mellows and sweetens over time.

Title: Re: TABOO takes over the house
Post by skiroe on 06/11/11 at 16:56:39

V caps. I had thought I possibly read on the site that those were standard in particular amps? Is that correct? Possibly someone may also have a suggestion re/uploading pics. I have entered URL from 2 different photo sharing sites and am unable to upload pics. The URL addy goes into the browse bar alright but no button to be found to upload.. :-?

Title: Re: TABOO takes over the house
Post by Lon on 06/11/11 at 17:11:59

As far as I know V-Caps are an option on several amps, but not "standard." I have no experience with V-Caps. They have been praised to near-high heaven. :)

Title: Re: TABOO takes over the house
Post by Pale Rider on 06/11/11 at 19:06:46

I don't believe V-caps are standard on any amp either. But they also are not offered on every item. I have them in my Taboo, and on order in my Toriis. In my Taboo, I assumed that their break-in, along with the transformer and tubes all contribute to the evolving sound.

@skiroe: I have been able to upload photos using the static URL from from a variety of sources, include .mac, Flickr, and of course Amazon and other sites. I have discovered that photo uploading from iPad works much more reliably than Safari on my Macs. Tha makes little sense to me, but it is repeatedly true. Example pic of the guts of my Taboo to illustrate, uploaded from Flickr, using my iPad:

Title: Re: TABOO takes over the house
Post by Pale Rider on 06/11/11 at 19:53:16

Here's a better one where the V-caps are easier to see:

BTW, if for any reason, Steve and the team don't want these pics posted, I can take them down.