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Message started by Rraymond on 12/28/15 at 21:48:19

Title: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by Rraymond on 12/28/15 at 21:48:19

I'm new to all of this but being a guitar play I truly understand what a good tube amp can do verses solid state. I have a Harmon Kardon AVR 7300 that I use for surround sound because the music audio just sounds pretty crappy. A few years ago I purchased a Sound Dock 10 by Bose and for not being a "stereo" system I always thought it sounded pretty good. Recently I decided to jump into the tube arena and purchased a Chinese made 2 tube Bluetooth amp and also a pair of the dealers speakers. My first impression was "I think I wasted my money". When my wife came home I did a blind test between the new tube amp system and the Bose. My wife liked the Bose better. The vocals just sounded cleaner. Well I thought I'd give it some "break in time" and after about 80 hours and trying to stretch my ears around it hoping to hear what I expected I finally decided to return it. Well after lots of reading here, I finally decided that this site had the answer. Finally I called Steve and we decided the Tori Jr and ERRx speakers would be a good start. I am really excited and hoping to be "Blown Away" when I get these in my room. Although I only have a Pioneer Elite DVD/cd player to start with I will be also looking for another source for music. I currently have Tidal and will likely upgrade it to premium. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to optimize the digital streaming for the best possible quality sound?

Title: Re: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by alper_yilmaz on 12/28/15 at 22:42:35

Hey Raymond,

Welcome to the Forum! I hope you will enjoy tube amps, particularly the ones designed by Steve. Just keep in mind that you need to give it a decent few hundred hours before it finally settles in and sound spectacular! Sometimes, they are great right out of the box as well, but till they break in fully, you might experience quite some inconsistency.

As far as streaming goes, I subscribe to Tidal and Spotify. Tidal is CD quality but it is not as rich as Spotify in its collection as of yet. I am not a big fan of streaming, but at the same time, it is a great source for checking out new or interesting stuff.

I use a very simple system in my bedroom where I do the streaming. The signal chain is as follows:

Streaming by iPhone or iPad --> Apple TV --> Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 (into its optical input) --> Decware TABOO mkIII --> Rega RS-1 speakers (all the cables are by DH Labs)

If you would like to put together a similar system, you should make sure the DAC has to have an optical input (as Apple TV has only optical output). At the budget level, DacMagic 100, Musical Fidelity's V90-DAC and Peachtree Audio's DAC-IT are the ones I am familiar with. These are around $300 and they sound quite fine. Of course, if you would like to go higher, I love DAC's by Hegel, a small Norwegian company.

Anyway, enjoy! Happy holidays!

Alper

Title: Re: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by Rraymond on 12/31/15 at 15:31:51

Thanks for all of the great info. I have an iPhone 5s and will first try plugging it directly into the Tori Jr and if it seems to lack audio quality compared to my CD player, I'll look into your recommendations on DAC's. I've found some interesting reading on the audio output of the 5s and it appears to be quite good but I'll have to see for myself once I get the amp.

Title: Re: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by Rich on 01/02/16 at 04:10:34

Hi Raymond, Welcome to the forum. For Streaming, you may want to check out the Bluesound Node or Vault. Both are capable of Hi Def 24/192 audio. They have an Android as well as a IOS app for control that works very well. I have a SE84UFO2 Decware amp and use a Bluesound Vault as my source. The built in Dac in the Vault is very good. I'm using Open Baffle speakers from Caintuck and I'm very happy with the sound. Big sound stage, great imaging, and very good detail.

Title: Re: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by hdrider on 01/02/16 at 17:45:59

Rraymond- Welcome to the Decware community! There is such a wealth of info, opinion and all around banter here. I have a Rachael, ZP3 and ZMC1 and Omega speaker/sub system and have started year number two on the electronics and have never enjoyed our music so much. This year I plan to add a DAC to my Oppo disc/streaming part of the system. Let us know when your gear is in and running. Read Steve's notes about 5 on/5 off and the break in of the gear, it's real and just takes time. Still very listenable on the bad days but know amazing things will be coming. Keep us posted and happy listening, Chris.

Title: Re: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by Acetone on 01/02/16 at 18:08:09

Welcome and happy listening...something quite easy to accomplish with the decware gear.

Title: Re: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by Rraymond on 02/20/16 at 16:08:40

I think the Tori Jr and the ERRX speakers will be arriving soon. As I play music through my Boss Soundock 10 using a Bluetooth connection I'm realizing how much I like the ability to control my music from my phone. I think I will soon be in the market for a streaming audio DAC that can be controlled via my phone with an app. Any suggestions?

Title: Re: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by Tommy Freefall on 02/20/16 at 17:04:46

Rraymond, I'm also assembling a digitally-sourced (CD player, iDevice, streaming) system with the ERRx speakers and either the Tori Jr. or the Rachel amp.
So I'll be curious to hear others' suggestions on this topic.

Title: Re: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by busterfree on 02/20/16 at 19:18:22

It all depends on your budget. There are a lot of solutions in the market. I'm happy with the solution in my signature, but it did come at significant investment.

Title: Re: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by Rraymond on 02/20/16 at 20:13:23

Yikes Busterfree!!! Man that sure like a nice streaming DAC but way out of my budget for now. I bet it sure sounds great though. Hopefully there's something out there for significantly less that will do the job for me.

Title: Re: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by Jeff1 on 02/20/16 at 20:49:06

Any one with a ZMA or another amp with the OA3 regulator tubes had them pop? Blew a tube on the second start up and can't figure why.

Title: Re: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by busterfree on 02/21/16 at 00:11:03

Lots of options <$500 - I haven't tried them, but I would look at Bluesound node or tascam cd-240.

Title: Re: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by Rich on 02/22/16 at 01:48:33

The Bluesound gear sounds really good I have a node in one system and I use a Vault with my Decware SE 84. The Vault has a built in 2 terabyte hard drive and a CD ripper. Both are controlled by apps (IOS or Android)
The built in Dac is the same for both and is very good

Title: Re: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by Rraymond on 02/22/16 at 16:01:32

Looks like the Tascam cd-240 and the bluesound vault have similar features but the cost difference is $400 vs $1000. Of course I'd much rather get by with spending $400 but is the $1000 Vault have something over on the Tascam that I'm missing?

Title: Re: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by Rich on 02/23/16 at 01:08:38

One difference I see in the specs is that the Tascam has a CD player. The Vault does not play CD's but rather rips them to its internal hard drive. Music files that reside on the Vaults hard drive can then be played through any Bluesound gear on your network. It functions as NAS storage. The sound quality from the vault and the node is really good. Not having herd the Tasscam I can't comment on its quality. Bluesound does have a user forum website: help desk.bluesound.com.

Title: Re: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by Core32 on 02/23/16 at 12:02:29

Based on what you stream, be aware that I think the CD-240 is limited to what services it can connect to.
And I suppose you also know that Steve's ZCD240 is a modified CD-240?

Title: Re: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by n2djazz on 04/03/16 at 05:38:30

Rraymond, have you received your Torii JR? If so, what are your thoughts?

Title: Re: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by Rraymond on 04/03/16 at 06:07:26

Yes I have received the Tori Jr. And ERRX speakers and I've been breaking it in for almost a week and feel it sounds good but a bit tight most of the time. I will post again once I feel it's broken in to the point where it opens up. I also need to probably get better cables than my current ones I purchased from Blue Jean cables. I had a couple buddies over tonight and they were expecting more than what they heard so I'm hoping for a huge reveal after breakin and some further tweaking.
Rick

Title: Re: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by n2djazz on 04/03/16 at 19:33:57

Thanks for your reply. I can tell you from past experiences that breaking in audio gear, especially speakers, can take weeks. Moving parts in a speaker need time to loosen up. There will come a day when you will realize they sound a helluva lot better than when you first got 'em. I had a pair Thiel CS 2 2s that I bought new in 1993. When I turned them up, the woofers would pop. I was so disappointed. I paid $3500 for a pair of speakers that I couldn't turn up past the 9AM position. But one day, I noticed I could lean heavily on the volume and the speakers wouldn't even flinch. So, hang in there, things will get radically better. After that, I would be curious to hear your thoughts on the Torii JR.

Title: Re: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by pineman on 04/05/16 at 03:17:55

I think I had my ERRx speakers for almost three months before they opened up. I actually built a WO32 subwoofer during that three months, only to find it probably wasn't necessary! I was surprised how long it took, but was it was worth the wait.

Title: Re: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by Rraymond on 04/05/16 at 03:57:10

Thanks Pineman for the encouragement. The plus side is I have something to look forward to in a few months. The downside is I could be straining my ears for 3 months trying to suck the detail out...lol. Currently it does sound pretty decent but I'm looking for it to fill the room profoundly and make me have that spiritual connection to the music most everyone here seeks and has found. I also have a transformer hum that I need to talk to Steve about. Maybe it's nothing but while I wait during the burn in, I just want to make sure everything is in good working order so I don't spend time trying to get this system to open up. I currently find myself listening at higher levels (2/3-3/4 and sometimes max volume) so I can feel the punch and hear the nuances of the music. I play the system every day for at least 3 hours so hopefully soon enough, one day I'm going to turn it on and be totally taken back by what this thing can do!

Title: Re: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by JD on 04/05/16 at 23:01:14

Rraymond,

Replace those chinese tubes. Read the Torii III and IV threads about tube choices. Huge upgrade can be had via tubes. Any time i've had any doubt/issue with the amp it's been a tube problem and yes explore cable upgrades but all in due time.
Enjoy, you are in for a treat i'm sure the amp is just like it's big brothers. Also remember it is all about the source of music..it seems you are listening to digital something I know nothing about. There are also threads on that topic.

JD

Title: Re: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by Rraymond on 04/13/16 at 14:30:56

Ok I now have about 50 hours on the amp and speakers and it's finally loosening up. It's been a long few weeks waiting for this to happen but it finally has and the music is really pouring out of the speakers very nicely. There's still a few big enhancements coming (ZP3, better ic's and speaker wires, I also have a NOS cryo treated rectifier tube coming Monday) so I'm sure with more breakin time and the little tweaks here and there, there's only more coming! I'll post again with more feedback in a couple months. For anyone breaking in a new amp and especially new speakers at the same time, all I can say is, be very patient... The ups and downs during breakin can be torturous at times but in the end, it's worth the wait!
Rick

Title: Re: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by Lon on 04/13/16 at 14:33:13

Great news Rick! Whew! ;)

Title: Re: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by Rraymond on 04/14/16 at 13:32:45

Yeah Lon the cd's sound really good coming from the Pioneer Elite which is my home theater cd/DVD player, the lp's sound a bit weak due to the cheap Artcessories pre-amp I'm using. So I can see that the amp is great depending on what you feed it. Can't wait to get the ZP3 to hear some lp's with more meat on them.
Rick

Title: Re: Newbie here excited about Tori Jr and ERRx speaker
Post by hdrider on 04/14/16 at 14:24:09

Rraymond - I think all of Steve's amps are great (I have two) and I am sure they are extra great driving Decware speakers. Things to take time, time, time to settle in and then the difference in tubes, cables etc is very obvious. I have been leaving my ZP3 on and it makes a huge difference, in my system. Keep us posted and happy listening, Chris.