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https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl AUDIO FORUMS >> Reviews >> Torii MKIV 25th First impressions https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1620186612 Message started by Dominick on 05/05/21 at 04:50:12 |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by will on 05/05/21 at 06:07:36 Nice Dom! Guessing you won't have to push in order to play it a lot. 8-) After several hundred hours of really good sound, you will get into levels that you know now might be difficult to fully describe, but that feel so beautiful the tears grow even sweeter! |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by Dominick on 05/05/21 at 12:39:23 Thanks Will!! The amp has been up and running for about a week and a half now. I’ve been playing it for the recommended 5 on/5 off. On my days off from work, I can get 2 full rounds in with no problem. Last night at about 1 am, I had some Oscar Peterson playing in the 65 dB range, and out of no where I heard something in the music that caught me off guard and made me turn my head. I was on the couch and off axis, but it really hit me how magical these amps truly sound. |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by JBzen on 05/05/21 at 13:53:55 Welcome to Steves magic. Brace yourself for more newfound detail! John |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by HockessinKid on 05/05/21 at 14:23:07 What Will said +1. The immersive experience with the Torii will continue to get better, and better, and better... HK |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by Dominick on 05/06/21 at 05:26:42 Thanks Roger. I can’t wait to hook up my ERR speakers and hear how the amp drives them. Dom |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by GroovySauce on 05/06/21 at 12:44:39 Congratulations! Now that I have a more revealing system, it’s a bit of a double edged sword. My solid state amp not only smeared the sound, but also covered up the handicaps. With the Torii...a veil has been lifted to where I can hear more of the recording. This also allows me to hear the weaker links in my system which are now more noticeable. Now it’s time to really start to tweak things in my system. This really hit home for me, "It's so good already, how good can it get? is it possible to get better?" Fortunately, I'm really happy to sit back relax and be transported into the music which is so easy to do with the Torii. |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by Dominick on 05/06/21 at 23:07:59 Groovy sauce.... from what I have been told, there is a noticeable difference after like the 200-300 hour mark. It’s so good out of box, so I can’t even imagine what to expect. But I have been picking up subtleties here an there, so I’m excited to hear how the amp opens up. Dom |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by Tommy Freefall on 05/07/21 at 22:41:32 Congrats Dom! Keep the photos coming! |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by Dominick on 05/08/21 at 18:08:31 Thanks Tom! The next set of photos I will probably post will be in the next two months when I temporary move into my parents house for my renovation. Dom |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by HThiara on 05/12/21 at 00:10:14 Greetings from England, My first post ever. Can the ZSB used to switch speakers? Thanks in advance. |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by Lon on 05/12/21 at 01:28:19 No, that it won't do I'm afraid. |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by GroovySauce on 05/29/21 at 15:18:55 Dom, How has the seasoning been going on your Torii? I got mine back from voltage swap and switch to Miflex Caps. Every day the amp sounds really different, mostly the sound stage. Sometimes it's incredibly deep and narrow. Then it will be the opposite incredibly wide and very shallow. Then it will open up and be mind bending sonic adventure. Next day the sound stage collapses again and I'm left wondering when will it have it all, all the time? I have about 50-70 hours on mine. Even with the sound stage changing rapidly the tonality is terrific! I love this amp! |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by piezoman on 05/29/21 at 16:01:55 Groove, that is very exciting news! As we know, it will all come.....somwhere around 300ish hours. As I'm officially on the wait list, looking for an Oct-Nov delivery. Miflex caps, 25th A mods. Cant wait! |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by Tommy Freefall on 05/29/21 at 16:05:23 Piezoman, I think you're really gonna love that additional power! |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by piezoman on 05/29/21 at 16:30:13 Hey Tommy, thanks! Even in a 12x10 room, the Taboo can be a tad thin on a fair amount of recordings.....and thats with the spigot nearly wide open, and the employment of the awesome ZRock2-25th. Its not so much an issue with volume. To my ears, a tad more depth and complexity is desired on more demanding and dense tracks. I like bold impact, with all the delicate tapestry and detail on top. Could I be happy with the Taboo MK 4-25th for life? Yes! Just looking for a bit more, in the bass region.....especially since since single driver speakers are involved, even with a subwoofer [as good as the sub is]. Baroque chamber music, jazz, acoustic, vocals, et al are definitely insanely good right now. But Im greedy......I want even more. Did some more reading in the Torii MK 4 section, and saw a post regarding the Torii MK 4 and single driver relationship being particularly mind blowing.....I believe Steve agrees. Also, I just love the idea of the amazing versatility the Torii offers.....the VR tubes, bass switches, variable treble cut, feedback recovery.....and the headroom I'm looking for on terms of power. The listening room I'm in now may not be forever, so the Torii will be right at home on a larger room. Having a treated [finally!] small room, I'm so excited about the possibilities. I had considered the SEA84UFO 25th, but realized that wouldnt really be getting me anywhere vs. the Taboo in terms of my goals. Versatility, power & headroom, greater depth and texture, more of everything......its impossible to ignore! Brad |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by GroovySauce on 05/29/21 at 19:37:08 Brad, There is something different about the Torii MKIV, Once mine has seasoned more I might have some distinctions to speak of. What cables are you running? I’m again and again I’m surprised how much cables make a difference! |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by piezoman on 05/29/21 at 20:23:40 Nigel, really looking forward to your impressions in time! I'm using all Decware DSR ic's right now. I'm wide open to any and all recommendations. I'm thinking of DIYing my own. Might start with making 3 sets out of an existing EMM Labs pair that was never used in the current setup.......they made a huge jaw dropping difference in my previous system that was very noticeably less resolving [due to the integrated amp I had]......never made cables before, but thats no reason not to start now. |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by Dominick on 05/29/21 at 22:12:02 GroovySauce, The seasoning is going well. I’ve been sticking with the 5 hour on and off recommendation by Steve. I’m probably close to or just over the 100 hour mark, and it’s starting to play head games with me. Like yourself....the soundstage is what changes the most. Some days I get a nice wide soundstage, and other days its a bit narrow. Tonality wise....the sound is nice and full. Last night I was listening to some jazz music, and out of nowhere I got my doors blown off. I was able pick apart the location of every instrument and who was in the foreground and the background. It was only one of a few times I was able to discern true depth perception. Several days ago I decided to tube roll for the first time with my ZSTAGE. I went from the stock 12AU7 to the NOS Amperex 12AT7 pinched waist D-Getter, and I was really impressed. The added gain is less than a regular 12AT7, but more than the 12AU7. There was added clarity and detail with this tube that I liked. I’ve been running the ZSTAGE in the lower bias setting, and the gain about 3/4 of the way up. It’s a quiet tube, and I am able hear subtitles that I wasn’t able to extract before. The bass is the only thing that’s a bit flabby right now. It’s not horrible, just lagging behind. Groovy....You also mentioned how cables make a difference… I completely agree. Right now I am running silver interconnects for most locations except where I run the Decware DAG interconnect cables that go directly into the amplifier which crossover the power cable. Even just by moving the interconnects, around I can hear a difference. In terms of speaker wire… I am just running some basic OFCC cables. Noting special but I’m ready to install my DH Labs D14 Silver Sonic speaker wire. It will be very interesting to see how they sound. Dom |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by GroovySauce on 05/30/21 at 13:15:21 I’m around the house most the time so I’ve been leaving the amp on for 12+ hours a day. The bass in my system hasn’t gotten flabby, it has faded out and come back a few times, I’ve gotten up to flip the Torii bass control switches or Zrock bypass switch and/or adjust the Zrock magic knob. With the fully seasoned ZMA the Zrock would get subtle adjustments. Zrock2 is also burning in new caps so might be part of it. Last night I had some magical listening when everything was mind bending good. The holography is so wild! I’ve been waiting to really play around with different tubes. I’ve had so many changes with my system, recapped Torii and ZRock2, voltage conversion on my PSA DSD and firmware update, and new speaker cables. Once I have some more time I’ll explore tubes a little. Brad and Dom, Besides the DHC-1, I've not listened to a system with any of those cables, consensus is they are good cables. Cables, especially PC are my least favorite thing to evaluate. I’m working into a full loom of Snake River Audio signature cables a blend of gold, silver and copper, really enjoying what they have been bringing. |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by Dominick on 05/30/21 at 17:38:03 Groovy.....yes the bass comes in and out. When it goes out it’s just not tight....I guess flabby was the best way I can describe it. Mind you that’s with the bass cut switch not activated. When I play a piece where the bass is not optimal, the switch just works as described. In terms of USB cables and implementation, it’s the hardest to nail down. If electrical noise and jitter are not handled with good cabling and USB DAC implementation, then the sound gets smeared. Part of the reason I bought my Bifrost 2, was due to its redesigned USB implementation, galvanic isolation, and micro processor. I have to say that I get really good sound with the Acoustic BBQ Double Smoked cable. Right now… I mainly stream music using an optical connection, so I don’t have a lot of listening time in with my USB cable. ****UPDATE*** So today was the first time I decided to run the optical out from my TV, through my DAC and into the Torii and it was amazingly good. I first watched the Indy 500 live, and the sound of the cars flying by is very different than going through my (SS) amp. I did have to use the treble cut to tame the highs, but everything else was so much more life like, that I want to take my SS amp and use it as a paper weight. This is where I believe the Torii is a godsend.... the treble, bass cut, and feedback switches allow you on the fly to tailor the sound while keeping your current tube set. Next my daughter and I decided to watch Harry Potter since we are both big fans. The sound was just so natural and lifelike that we were mesmerized. My Oppo DVD is boxed up in storage, so for now I am limited to broadcasted movies. Either way...I now have a new avenue of exploration. Dom |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by GroovySauce on 05/31/21 at 11:24:32 Yesterday I got my Holo Audio MAY KTE DAC. The next month or more I’m going to be in for the ups and downs of system seasoning. The treble cut is being utilized as it seasons. I’ve been using Toslink because I have a 20ft run from my CDT to DAC. I just got my MicroRendu back so I’ll start using USB for streaming from Roon + HQPlayer I’m hoping my Curious Cable has good synergy. After watching movies and TV that have a good audio system attached it’s hard to go back to a sound bar! I would be setting up the Oppo take movies to the next level. |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by Dominick on 06/03/21 at 07:25:44 Keep us posted on the May Dac...I’m sure it’s going to blow your doors off!! Dom |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by piezoman on 03/08/22 at 21:58:40 Hey Dom, how are you enjoying your Torii MK 4? Brad |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by Dominick on 03/09/22 at 05:57:31 Brad, I am going on almost a year now with my amp am I absolutely love it!! It has seasoned nicely and the sound has greatly improved in the bass department which has gotten tighter. It has plenty of power to drive my ERR’s and even an older pair of less efficient Pinnacle speakers with no problem. My NOS Raytheon rectifiers made a big difference in the sound…more bolder and alive. I started out with the GL KT66 and really like them better over the stock Tung Sol. I will roll a new set of Tesla 6922’s soon, so that will be interesting. My ZSTAGE I cannot live without…. It adds such a great dimension to the sound that I enjoy tube rolling with it often. I am sure you will be really love you MKV!! Dom |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by piezoman on 03/09/22 at 21:18:19 Hey Dom, that's very exciting to hear! Really glad to know its all up to snuff and you're in orbit :-) I originally had my order in for the MK IV, then as you know they were all converted to MK V orders. I believe I'd be utterly smitten with either one. The Taboo ended up as a mistake; my goals quickly changed when I realized after owning it about 6 mos. that headphone listening was only going to make up about 5-10% of my time during non-bed hours [I have a solid transportable DAP for that, which is a mind-blower], though I still went all-out and purchased a used Audeze LCD-4 & Norne Silvergarde S3 cable to replace the LCD-3F and a much lesser cable I had custom made by Amplifier Surgery. Anyway, enjoy that truly great amp, as many here are! Brad |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by DLM on 03/22/22 at 21:03:30 Dom, What phono stage are you using with your MKIV $ Rega3 ? Thanks, |
Title: Re: Torii MKIV 25th First impressions Post by Dominick on 03/23/22 at 03:39:33 DLM, My turntable system is not currently setup since my house is under renovation. I will be using the Rega Fono MM MK3 phono stage. Dom |
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