Hello everyone,
This is my first post on the site, but I've recently purchased and received the Torii MkIII with Vcaps and stepped attenuator upgrades, and a cherry base. It is an unbelievable amp and I love it!
Some people have stated that it takes a long time to run in the vcaps, and I'm sure that's the case. I've only had the amp for about 3 weeks now, and I used an Esoteric CD - Full System Enhancer & Rejuvenation Disc to break it in. I put this CD on repeat for almost two days straight while at work, and it does a great job of breaking in the amp.
I also purchased the ERRs a month and a half ago, and was really disappointed at how weak the bass was at first. I knew they needed breaking in as well, and playing the Esoteric CD once completely improved the bass (this was before the Torii arrived). This CD is worth the price to break in gear, in my opinion.
Back to the amp - it is unbelievably good!!! I switched the EL34s that came with the amp for New Tung Sols, and am using Telefunken CCa 6922s for the input tubes. I kept the OA3s, but switched the OC2s for OB2s, and I think the sound is just where I like it.
I purchased the ERRs to go with this system because I live in an apartment and dont' want to go the room treatment route just yet, so I thought the ERRs would sound great and minimize the room problems. I think I made the best decision because they sound awesome together, big lush soundstage, wide, deep, you name it. I also have a Counterpoint SA-5 preamp which has tube regulation, which I thought would be perfect with the Torii. Boy was I wrong!
The midrange seemed pretty thin, and was really disappointing me because everything else was so good. I use the preamp for both the CD player and my turntable. One night I remembered the instruction manual saying to try the Torii at least once without any preamp, so I did just that. Hooking up my CD player directly to the Torii, and guess what? The thin midrange was gone! In its place was the best sound I've ever heard from a CD, and I definitely prefer vinyl. The CDs sounded great, so much better than through the preamp.
Moral of the story -- I'm now looking at getting the ZP3 for my turntable, and will continue hooking up the CD player directly to the Torii. Having two inputs on the Torii is perfect, and I can't emphasize enough how beautiful the figured cherry custom base is on the amp. Well done Zygi, it's a masterpiece. When I order the ZP3 I'll be sure to get a cherry base as well, because it's just a perfect finish in my mind.
Ok, been rambling a bunch, but the Torii and ERRs are unbelievable, and this will totally put an end to my habit of wanting to upgrade my system constantly. After I pull the trigger on the ZP3, maybe the Decware interconnects, I'm done for life. It's just that good. I can't emphasize it enough, this system rocks, and Steve and company know what they're doing and do it well. No excessive bragging on their part, they just stand behind their work and produce excellent products while letting the buyer decide just how good it is. I like that kind of humility and pride in their work, and I'll be recommending Decware to everyone seriously interested in amps or speakers.
Doug