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Message started by piezoman on 05/05/21 at 16:52:05

Title: On the waiting list for a Torii MK 4
Post by piezoman on 05/05/21 at 16:52:05

Adding to the stable of one. With 25 A-mods. KT66 tubes.

Now ready for that 6 month wait.

Small room, big sound.

Sometime back, I thought I wanted a SE84UFO. But I already have one of Steve's lowest powered amps. I'm going the other way and see where the Torii takes me with the Omegas.



Title: Re: On the waiting list for a Torii MK 4
Post by ScottNC on 05/05/21 at 18:04:51

Congrats!
I’m sure you will more than happy with that choice.
Tik Tok!
Best,
Scott

Title: Re: On the waiting list for a Torii MK 4
Post by piezoman on 05/05/21 at 19:09:13

Thanks Scott, tik-tok is right LOL

I'll not forget the painful wait when I ordered the Taboo......4 mos. with no system because I put the amp and speakers on the open market and sold them much too fast [Rogue Chronus Magnum, Martin Logan Theos].

After much fumbling about, I'll very reluctantly but probably will sell the Taboo. Someone is going to get a pristine, barely broken in, full 25th A- modded Taboo MK 4 with no waiting!

Title: Re: On the waiting list for a Torii MK 4
Post by Tommy Freefall on 05/05/21 at 20:27:16

Congrats piezoman!
Bummer you can't keep the Taboo.

I have both the Rachael SET, and the Torii Mk IV.
If I could only keep one, it would be the Torii.

Title: Re: On the waiting list for a Torii MK 4
Post by piezoman on 05/06/21 at 01:52:22

Thanks Tommy. You were one of the first to welcome me when I first joined the forum.

I really dont have to sell my much beloved Taboo. In 6 mos. once I receive the Torii, I'll likely change my mind. What a wonderful backup amp it would be. I know, Im all over the place on the decision.....the nice thing about it is that its a decision thats not pressing at all.

Out of curiosity, what do you like about the Torii over the Rachael?

Title: Re: On the waiting list for a Torii MK 4
Post by CAJames on 05/06/21 at 03:08:29

Very cool! Looks like you have a bunch of new tubes horde research over the next 6 months. Looking forward to your comparison of the Taboo to the Torii.


Title: Re: On the waiting list for a Torii MK 4
Post by armstdav on 05/06/21 at 03:53:39

I've also owned an SE34I.2+ (predecessor to the Rachael) and a Torii MK IV (beeswax but not 25thA) and I agree with Tommy completely - the Torii would be the keeper. I thought the SE34 was really good but I think the EL34 family works better in a push-pull config than it does in SET mode. 25 watts and all the adjustments of the Torii give it the capability to handle so many more speakers and tailor the sound. Prior to the SE34 I also used an Almarro A205 for a while and preferred the tone of the EL84 to the EL34, so while I've never owned an SE84 or Taboo I'm guessing I'd also prefer them to the SE34.

All these amps were driving Zu Druids, which in spite of their stated 101 dB efficiency loved the extra power of the Torii. Since many speaker manufacturers are optimistic, more power is almost always better.   :-)

Title: Re: On the waiting list for a Torii MK 4
Post by Dominick on 05/06/21 at 05:14:41

Congratulations Piezoman on adding the Torii...it is so worth the wait!!  I have been enjoying my Torii for the past week and a half now and I can’t get enough of it.  You will definitely not be disappointed.  I originally wanted the SE84UFO25, but I realized that with my ERR speakers, I would not have any headroom and would also not maximum the potential of those speakers.  I just posted my first impressions in the review section, so give it a read when you get a chance.

Dom


Title: Re: On the waiting list for a Torii MK 4
Post by GroovySauce on 05/06/21 at 12:29:10

That's exciting! I love my Torii MK4. If you listen at night with the lights off you're in for a surprise, Between the 4 VR tubes and 8 other tubes it puts off a lot of light, I love it! I'm going to get to start the burn in process all over again as I sent it in for the Miflex caps and a voltage change to 120v.


Title: Re: On the waiting list for a Torii MK 4
Post by Tommy Freefall on 05/07/21 at 19:18:49

Piezoman, subjectively, in a nutshell, in non-critical listening, with all other components remaining the same - the Torii sounds fuller, a little warmer, with more weight or density behind the music.
The Rachael - to my ears - sounds a little leaner, a little tighter, a little more delicate and detailed in the upper registers.

I listen to both, and I could easily live with either, but whenever I go from the Rachael to the Torii, I immediately prefer that extra warmth and fullness of the Torii.

And like groovey, late at night I enjoy it visually with those VR tubes glowing a nice warm orange.

Title: Re: On the waiting list for a Torii MK 4
Post by piezoman on 05/07/21 at 20:04:39

Thanks guys.....all. Your input is very helpful!

I really do want to hold on to both amps at this point.

The Taboo is truly exquisite in my small room, a tapestry of delicateness with some balls, EXTREMELY revealing & transparent.....especially with the Omegas and their single 6.5" ALNICO driver. What a combination. I never heard the SE84UFO, but I have to think its relatively close in terms of overall character, given its 3-4w rating, and that it was originally created with a nod to the SE84. So I would imagine the Taboo MK 4 and the SE84UFO are very close cousins.

I'm planning on the Torii MK 4 to be the main event, so going into another direction this time. Indeed, I am hoping for the rendering of an even more rich and complex playback which should be really good with 95db efficient speakers. The Torii shares much of the same basic tube configuration as the Taboo, so that's great....with the added feature of the VR tube dept......so the more that can be tweaked, the better! Another facet I think I'll really like is the idea of a variable treble cut circuit. And of course the power....though I have a small room, I WANT MORE POWER, and the headroom it affords. I find myself having to fire up the CSP3 and the Taboo nearly all the way wide open -- with the ZBIT cranked ALL the way up on a good chunk of recordings. My goals are a BOLD and powerful presentation, yet silky detailed, highly nuanced, with the right air and space. The Taboo is dead nuts on for a part of that ride.....now I'm looking for something that will take me on for the rest of the ride.

One of the main reasons I went with the Taboo in the beginning was the headphones aspect.....I went into this thinking 50%/50% headphones vs. speaker duty. But I end up more like 95% speakers and 5% headphones. So, I will ask Steve to machine up one of his adapters so I can use headphones on the more rare occasions [the CSP3 25th Anniv. doesn't have a headphone jack].

Title: Re: On the waiting list for a Torii MK 4
Post by Tommy Freefall on 05/07/21 at 22:46:00

Piezoman, Steve's amps are like crystal meth - once you buy one, you want moar!

Dying to try the 25th ann super zen triode!

Title: Re: On the waiting list for a Torii MK 4
Post by Archie on 05/08/21 at 01:00:34


Quote:
Piezoman, Steve's amps are like crystal meth - once you buy one, you want moar!


And you know this how?   [smiley=10.gif]

Title: Re: On the waiting list for a Torii MK 4
Post by GroovySauce on 05/08/21 at 16:03:42

Brad,

You run your system wide open and it's not loud enough?! I'm guessing your DAC outputs 4v on the XLRs. Are you adjusting the pots on your CSP325 to get some gain riding? I would think the amp would start to clip way before you got wide open. Even on low level classical you should have enough gain.

either way once you pass through the Torii life is different :)

Title: Re: On the waiting list for a Torii MK 4
Post by Dominick on 05/08/21 at 18:03:38

Brad,

I can tell you that even after only owning the Torii for the past two weeks, I really enjoy the adjustability of the bass and treble cut switches on the unit. I am running a pair of 90 DB efficient speakers in my great room, with only using the ZSTAGE as a preamp and I have yet to go more than halfway up for normal listening.  With your speakers I don’t see you having a problem whatsoever.  

Dom

Title: Re: On the waiting list for a Torii MK 4
Post by piezoman on 05/09/21 at 04:08:27

Groove, yes wide open. My DAC puts out 4.5v.
On many of classical recordings, and older recordings of other genres I need more power. Just my preference. I need to be gripped and taken for that ride. More slam when its called for.  The only solution to that in my mind at this point is more power.....with plenty of headroom. No headroom at all a little too often for my taste, plus I need some more weight [with the space and air that I do get now].

I can't clip my amp, believe it or not!

Title: Re: On the waiting list for a Torii MK 4
Post by piezoman on 05/09/21 at 04:14:42

Dominick, thank you for that info. I read your posts on your new Torii......fascinating and really exciting!

Yes, I definitely expect some enviable changes to the positive. I love the Omegas, and with their relatively high efficiency the Torii should really make them sing.

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