I believe I'm #4  (4th MA on the waiting list at least).. and the invoice says Red caps.

Go to this page: https://www.decware.com/newsite/contacts.html

Select the link Amplifier Real Time Build Sheet  It will launch a pdf.

At least i don't have anything on there to wait for.

My waiting now is for items to be seasoned enough in my second system to move into my main system (Torii Mk III and a CSP2+ with beeswax caps).

I know. It's exciting.

I'm very excited by my system these days. I get to spend so little time with it that I don't take it for granted. The audio from the DVR and the Blu-ray just blows me away, as does my vinyl and cd listening. Every second seems stolen from the boring morass of spending most of my time at my parents' (though that boredom is peppered with some really stressy times). My trusty Mk III upgraded to beeswax caps sounds so so good that I don't want to try the new one out yet. . . just don't want to unplug this amazing machine, want it available for the next stolen moments!

Oh I intend to try the newest (received late July) Mk III in the main system eventually. Maybe in another few weeks or a month. I want to play with the bass controls in that machine; my original Torii couldn't be upgraded to bass controls per Steve.

Lon,

Sorry, I misinterpreted "the new one" as the MkIV. Whoops...

Well, it looks like it's time to say goodbye to an old friend. '74 Porsche 914 - the 3rd "budget" Porsche I've owned. I put her up for sale on Saturday, and had 3 serious offers by Sunday afternoon. I just need to fix a title issue when the DMV is open (and I'm back in town), and I'll have the last bit of mulah I need for my Mystery amp!

Honestly, it's probably for the better...I just don't have the skill to fix her up and get her back on the road myself, and I don't have the funds to pay someone else to do it. It's been sitting in storage at a friends for many, many years. It's best she help fun my audio project, and open up the space at my friends house...so the Mystery amp has been good motivation to move stuff of some value I've been sitting on way too long...

Now the long wait for my amp to be built...




Is it done yet?

Brianne already complains to her parents that I collect/hoard too many projects for my hobbies. Between the guitars and amps, guns and reloading, archery, home theater, computers and networking, two-channel audio, camping/hiking, motorcycling, woodworking, photogrpahy...I'm sure there are more that I'm forgetting...yeah, she rolls her eyes and complains when I bring home a new project. LOL

So yeah, moving some stuff out is a good thing. I have piles of computers I need to get out, and I need to get the garage woodworking shop back in order so I can actually focus on house projects. I have a feeling the Mystery amp might derail me from getting anything done late at night though.  

I purchased two pair of OA3's.

It is nice to hold/see the old boxes with RADIOTRON, RCA Logo's, RADIO CORPORATION of AMERICA, Harrison, N.J. ...Made in U.S.A.
ELECTRON TUBE   -S

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Yeah, I'm holding off on any tube purchases for the Mystery amp till I talk to Steve more. He and I seem to like/hear the same thing, so I'll see what he says would be premium tubes to track down.

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I really wish I knew more about auto mechanics. I'm mechanically inclined, just never had the opportunity to really work on cars, or someone to teach me how unfortunately.

Brianne (my fiance) keeps giving me grief about not having an emergency fund...I tell her I sorta do...except I can play with my emergency fund(s) until I need to liquidate them for something else.  

For my Torii MK4, I got such NOS RCA tubes from Vacuumtubes.net

Their tubes are really NOS and tested.

maddog, I got these RCA OA3 from Tube Depot/Memphis. Actually, I was not expecting them. They list what they have as "assorted lot". So, I was pleasantly surprised to get these. I am a good customer of 12 years with them.  I like them even more now and have always had great service and great Tubes from Tube Depot.  

I will purchase my backup Quad of Tong Sol KT66 & Quad of 6N1P's from Tube Depot, when my Mystery Amp Ships (so if any failure occurs with the Tubes shipped...I have backup). I will also order a Quad of Tong Sol KT120's too. After a week of burn in on the Tubes shipped & the MAmp.....I will Tube Test these KT66's, KT120's, 6N1P's & RCA OA3's in the MAmp....then shelve them. Unless the KT120's talk to me and say: "keep me in".     -S

Genelex for KT66 are on the docket too. Let us know Steve's Input.

Good news, hope you sell it this weekend. I should sell my Truck...but I would miss it! Especially, 4 wheel drive hi on the fly for the Winter Months. 2006 mint Ford F150 White/Crew Cab V8 Triton, PVD all weather American Racing Rims, Fiberglass Lid, Chrome in between door windows, Chrome Step ups......Grill change. 14.2 miles around town...but damn do I look good doing it!  Plus, who is going to pull the Dodge & Chevy's out of the ditch...or off the beach when they get stuck pulling their Boat Docks in? Yeah, you got it...me.

I digress. Anyway, I have had quite a few things in the last 24 months...and returned.  ...this has fortified the credit on CCard to get the Mystery Amp and another pair of Speakers.

Demoed rigorously in the last 24 months/Returned:

Torii MkIII (I should have kept...I would already have it back with the IV upgrade done!....I sold it after 4.5 months)

PrimaLuna Dialogue Five (can't compete with Decware on ANY Level-good luck with that Kevin Deal)

PWT/PWDII PS Audio (overrated-you don't need to kill a Fly with a Sledge Hammer)

Zu Audio Unions (came to me with 500 hrs on them....very shouty and not refined with tone/timbre. Just a garage rock speaker to me).

Klipsch RF something (returned...but I kept the 2nd pair I had in, of RF 7 II's for my Garage Rock System).

NAD M51 DAC (after many hours...was not tactile or musical....always had a veil....the Anedio D2 destroyed it...as it did the PWT/PWDII=more expensive does not mean better....those that Build a Sledge hammer to kill the FLY are exposed).

Sim Audio MOON W5.3 SE Amplifier w/PS Audio AC-10 (good solid Amplifier...but I can't sit and actively Listen to 2 channel Music through Solid State anymore.....Decware has ruined me)!  -S

I really enjoy listening to you guys talk about what you do and don't like about audio, and how we have different wants/needs and there is no one perfect answer.

For example, when I first met Steve, his setup was very clinical (anal as he likes to call it), and Fast Forwarding to today I see his gear has gotten even more musical, without losing detail. Listening to you guys makes me  more aware of what I'm listening too, as I feel I was getting a bit too much on the clinical side; I had a couple friends over and they were like, "this sounds awesome, but yuck".  [smiley=10.gif]

You are absolutely right Lon. I hope I did not come off as a dink with my assessment of my last 24 months.

LR, you are so right. I feel it is not cliché at all to say.....Decware Amps are our common denominator and we all learn from each other for sure. Me, probably more so from you guys.

maddog, ruined is right!  

Well, time to go buy some Candy at Target!  I have at least 80 kids coming to the door soon (6 till 9:30 pm)!    -Stone

Awesome LR...SOLD!

I know....is it done yet?

I keep looking at the build sheet...as if it is going to go faster or something?!  All those IV's ahead of us!  The pain....the pain!  :'(
-S

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I was thinking the same thing...but I was wondering because I want to get some Tenderfeet or Iso-Cups or the like for it.

But now you have me wondering if my glass and steel rack is going to be sturdy enough to hold it up. I've already had the big dog knock into one of the glass shelves, shearing the mount and dumping my Onkyo Home Theater receiver out the front of the rack as the shelf tilted. I have several HDMI ports that no longer work since that incident.  >:(   I'd hate to have that happen with the Mystery amp...I may just use this as an excuse to replace the racks with something DIY.

For some reason 60# is coming to mind...either Steve said that in the build thread, or someone through out that rough number as an example.

I'm getting to where I don't want to fiddle with my gear as much as I used to. I also like the fact that after the amp and tubes are seasoned and warmed up, I *don't* have to muck with the bias once it's dialed in.

I've stopped reading this thread over and over...it's driving me slightly mad. http://youtu.be/vkT5dVJsnYk

I'm researching other improvements I can do to my setup to prep for the Mystery amps arrival. I'm seriously looking at one of those Power Plant that the guys are always talking about...

In the mean time, I'm mentally sending good vibes to the audio gods in hope they whisper in Steve's ear that it's time to assemble the first five Mystery amps....I have a birthday coming up after all (Nov 12th) and this is the biggest and *best* birthday present I've ever gotten myself.  

Well, believe Steve if you want, but I've used my Decware amps with and without a power regenerator and whether they have his OA3 circuit or not, they're BETTER with a regenerator and not as good without one. I'll not be without one if I can help it.

And I'm not sure I've ever heard Steve say that about power regenerators.

I'm not worked up. It's just my own personal experience makes this sound like sales hype.

Sorry, I'm just very skeptical, and just wanted to point out that my personal experience with all other amps goes counter to that. Maybe this one is some miraculous new thing. Steve puffs so much that I am skeptical a lot these days. I love him and his work, I just could use leaner prose and milder posturing The way he writes about that amp actually steers me away from it.

Hope you get it soon and it's all you want it to be. But I bet if you put a P10 in front of it you would hear an improvement. But then again, do you need the improvement? That's the apt question I think these days.

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Sorry for the dumb question, but surely he's not talking about burrying a PS Audio Power Plant in the dirt in your backyard

Can somebody explain what exactly he means by that statement?

I think it is tongue n' cheek.

Maybe I should try one?   -Stone

(Seriously, I am not being tongue in cheek).

It`s an Iso-teK power sub. Now discontinued but they pop up on bay at good prices. New they were around £1k. They do cater for the US and having a quick look found one of their giant models retailing at $13k. I imagine they have most models on sale in the US.
The power sub is large, very heavy and as far as I know excellent, and with 6 outlets I can get my 4 Decware amps + tt and cassette all sorted. The PS does intrigue, and the debate/info has gone up a notch on the `regeneration` thread. So maybe we can give Steve some credit for that quote which is bringing more light to the regen topic.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Isotek-Substation-Audiophile-Flag-Ship-High-End-Mains-...

http://www.kosmic.us/isotek-power-filters.html

Congrats to the MA owners.

That was a completely honest answer Stone. I'm sorry, I'm not into his ramped up writing.

It makes it seem like hype even if it isn't, and I'm not much of a fan of hype.

So REALLY Stone. I've even been downplaying how much I dislike it, and it HAS made me less interested in the amp than I would otherwise.

As for Steve's hype...I  love hearing it - it cracks me up! I trust the man, and I've told him that many times before, but I being the skeptic I am I take everything he says with a grain of salt - and the gear still has to prove itself to me. The problem is, he's more often right on the money than not. It doesn't help that he said at the last meet that he and I "hear things a lot a like".

So while he suggests the Mystery amp puts the need for a Power Plant out to pasture ( for better grounding! LOL) - I'd have to hear that to believe it. It would be awesome if all I needed was the Isolation transformer for surge protection...would certainly save me a lot of money, but I have my doubts.

I hate to admit, his comment did make me wonder if improving my grounding scheme at the house would improve my sound any. Hey, if I'm nutty enough to wire an outlet with 10 AWG Zen Styx, why not improve the grounding scheme?  ;D