LR, no bottle of ZMA for me. (heHe)

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2012/august/cooling-glove-research-082912.html

...I will get "The Glove".....I turn 50 in February....I still run 21 miles per week in the Winter & 35 per week in the summer. Music high & runner's high...can't be bought.    -S

Yes, it has been around for a few years. The last couple of years you can get one for a grand. They say it really works. Recover that core Temp down and resume training.  I don't race anymore...so I don't need it (read: old). I would like to try it though.

I will live vicariously through my son, whom is waiting word back from Stanford for acceptance. However, he probably will go to Rice in Houston. He takes after his mother.....smart.   -S

I live The Secret Life of Walter Mitty!

Well, after a lot of back & forth research....I have decided to get a pair of Steve's ERRx's. I will continue to use and love the Speakers I have been listening to...with my SE84CS & CKC (MA...will be a nice addition).
However, the radial design has always intrigued me...so it's happening.
-S

Quote:


Thanks for that ... I know a lot of people like the stepped, but I don't think I can agree with getting the volume "just perfect" without having an infinite knob ... It just seems that there will be times where one knotch is too low and one too high and that the benefits would be negligible overall.  Still those striving for that last 1-5% have their points too.

Did you by chance ask him about additional inputs and preamps?  I'm really interested to know why there is only one set of inputs rather than at least two.  I just need 2 for myself (really three would be optimum though).

For myself, I have the following sources and I seriously doubt that I would ever need more unless a really new and powerful media came out.

1. Phono Stage
2. DAC (connected to my PC)
3. Universal Disc Player

Unless somebody has a reel to reel or tuner, I would not think that many others would need much more than 3-4 inputs max.  I have to agree with Lon in the aspect that I doubt Steve would make a preamp such as this - as it just doesn't seem like his type of product.  But wow, I think it's a huge hole in their lineup that leads customers to look elsewhere who aren't satisfied with the CSP3 limitations.

The way I see it, the CSP3 is too much of a middle of the road product to please most ~ it doesn't have the flexibility of a full blown preamp (with only 2 inputs) and he already has one of the best headphone amps out there with the Taboo.  Why not ditch the CSP3 altogether and get a freaking awesome Preamp which we all know he is capabe of doing!

What if Steve could find a 3-4 point switch that didn't degrade the sound appreciably, and simply had a CSP3+ with 3-4 inputs based off that switch?

I don't know if the layout of the CSP3 would allow that, but if he can do two with a quality two way switch, why not 4 with an equal quality "audiophile" switch.

Would that sound like what you guys needed? Or am I missing something?

Maybe if we all whisper to the audio gods they'll whisper it into his ear late one night.  

"So the gist of it is, the amp is good to go as it is, just get it and enjoy it. And that's what I'm going to do..."  ...you said.

I agree LR.  I will get KT120's too...which is a gamble, because I could end up just preferring the KT66's. However, the curiosity of using them will win out. At first though, ...I'll only use the Tube compliment Steve sends.  

I do look forward to the Manual coming to the Web Page too.   -S

Regarding the XLR inputs, Steve told me that they do not result in a second set of inputs on the ZMA.  It's still XLR or RCA even if you have both on the amp.  He recommended that I stick with just the RCAs.

Thanks for the feedback.

Looking at the Mystery page its a bit vague. one statement says "You may optionally have your amplifier configured with an additional pair of fully transformer balanced XLR inputs from within the shopping cart."

and another has a reference to the mono II which themselves have dual input RCA and XLR.

If you look at the mystery photos you can clearly see both RCA and XLR inputs but i don't see a switch to select the input.

This is from Steve's email to me:  

"The amplifier is only capable of one pair of inputs used at a time.  When we put XLR inputs on it, the RCA are still active but can not be used at the same time as the XLR or even have cables hooked up to it."

XLR for long IC runs only.
RCA Coax for .5 meter to 2 meters.
If XLR was better for my KS1030 IC RCA....it would be XLR.

Steve, stated in this thread and/or on the Web Page for the Amp you can use only one input at a time.

LR, Sweet....I only see Chris W./T IV ....ahead of our parts being pulled!
SWEET!    

(Hearin' those Anthony Gallo Acoustics 3.1's tonight(!)...with cash in hand.   0 degree's with a wind chill of 22 below zero tonight....yeah, I love Winter = NOT).

Enjoying.....the Stone of Tone  8-)

http://images.craigslist.org/00505_edDPjnKjdZd_600x450.jpg

Yeah, a couple weeks would be nice.... . I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer but, with bench testing....I figure mid-January?

Here is pic of my Listening tonight!    -S

PS-now, this gentlemen does not have my Acoustic Room Treatment (he has none/obviously), this room is to big, or my Front End, Cabling or a ZMA on the way! So, I will have to discern their sound the best I can.  I will let you know.

Not surprising, Steve is consistent with his advice.  "RCA will sound better then XLR b/c of less parts in the signal path".  I was hesitant to add XLR based on his advice, but chose to for future flexibility.  I don't know where or what my audio room will look like in 5 years, nor do I know what my pre-amp situation will be.  Initial listening will be done via RCA.  I will provide my listening impressions once I have the amp broken in and look forward to reading what everyone else has to say.  The first batch of ZMAs is about to be built.  Cheers.      

WOW! I'm super Jealous! That's a great price on great kit! I'm really hoping my MG944 bloom with the ZMA - they sound great with the SE84-A, but I'm not getting them to disappear yet!

Parts pulled on the first ZMA!! Makes me wish I hadn't hemmed and hawed and just put my order in with Steve at Decfest....but being the second ZMA owner is OK as well.  

Quote:



I did give Steve's well broken in MG944 a listen on the ZMA at Decfest - it was only short bursts since so many other people wanted to step in and do their own thing...in fact, someone did without asking me first...but that's a story for another day.

I can't quite describe what I heard, except it was very liquid...and it had harmonic content that the MK IV didn't have. I know Steve mentioned the ZMA is *the* amp for high-def files, but I was listening to my own CD rips, and I definitely heard difference on his MG944. It wasn't night and day, but it was a step up for sure.

Now, all that said, my MG944 are not like anyone else's. Mine have trapezium sides....and a crossover. Mine were a modified version Bob built for himself that I happened to get because they were there and I had cash in hand. My issues - I'm hearing some distortion at a very specific frequency, and I can't decide if it's the speakers, or my Zen amp...and my speakers aren't disappearing - which could totally be a room issue; I know that better than most. Personally, I feel the crossover, no matter how good, is adding distortion at this specific frequency. Bob assured me it's not the drivers, that they are pretty bulletproof in this setup, and I am running only 2 watts after all.

So, why don't I open up the speakers and tweak or bypass the crossover and see? Yeah, well, Bob installed the crossover, *before* assembling the speakers. So I can not access the crossover at all. I can kinda see one cap if I take the jack plate off and that's it. LOL So yeah, I could bypass the crossover still, but I don't want to go through the hassle (and expense - I'd need new caps and breakin time!) - and I'm giving the speakers the benefit of the doubt. The distortion could still be me driving the Zen amp a little too hard, and I want to give the speakers a couple thousand hours of break in.

Edit to add: I got my Zen amp modified and back the same day I got the MG944 speakers, and my Zen Amp is a one off as well, so the distortion could be a small side effect of the modification I guess. I think Steve would have caught it, but I don't know how much listen time he gave to it. It's a very, very small amount of distortion, at a certain frequency...but others have heard it as well when critical listening.

So, the short version is, I'm waiting on the ZMA to show up. If I still have the distortion, I'll either work something out with Bob or Steve to get different speakers, or I'll try bypassing the crossover by wiring directly to the drivers, and adding a capacitor to each tweeter.

Stone…congrats on the speakers and parts being pulled.  95% of the waiting seemed to go by quickly for me (In fact, I almost missed the window to change my order from a Torii to the Mystery), but I am positive the last 5% will seem like forever.  

LR…thanks for the update and description of your gear.  I am a new contributor to the forum, so hopefully most of the information wasn’t common knowledge.  Sounds like you have a couple cool custom pieces.  

Nice to know you were at Decfest to hear the ZMA in person.  

Out of curiosity, what was your favorite speaker pairing with the ZMA?  

In your post above, when you said “definitely heard the difference on his MG944”, do you mean the difference in hi res vs. CD rips?  

I’m still not sure what to make of Steve’s comment regarding *the* amp for high def files yet.  I think I need to make my own assessment.  Not sure if this factors in or not, but I may be one of the few people that purchased a Decware product and returned it--the Zen CD player.  I felt it added a slight distortion and compression to the music that didn’t sound right to me.  We did some troubleshooting before I returned it and it turns out there wasn’t anything wrong with the player.  

So, if the comparison of hi res vs. standard res digital is a digital download played on a computer vs. Redbook CD on the Zen CD player, I am not convinced.  My preference, and maybe this is what was done, would be a comparison of files Steve recorded himself at a high bit depth and sampling rate (e.g. 24/192) versus the same file downsampled to 16/44.  Both files would be played back through the same software on the computer and without any up-sampling.  

Does this sound right to you guys?  Do you have additional insight into HD vs. SD?

Dave1210 wrote on 12/12/13 at 19:29:25:


I never returned my Zen CD player, but I ultimately didn't keep it and it sent me on a search for a great front end that really ended with the PS Audion Duo.  I returned the Zen CD for all the options when I was sure it was broken in and still didn't like the sound. . . After tht I kept it far too long, hopng I'd learn to like it and I just never warmed to it. Just wasn't right for me, especially tonally. I sold it very cheap. . . .

Dave, I can't imagine that the ZMA and 944 won't be a great fit with the 944s.

One day you should try a CSP2+ or CSP3 in between. I mean I really like the PS Audio into the amp, but the preamp really seals the deal for me, makes me not hunger for any other front end (other than my SACD player). My preferenxce for hi-res is the SACD format, I've run some hi-res files via DVD-R into the PWD Mk II and they sound great, but SACD is so convenient and is a disc format, sue me I like discs, I don't like files, I don't like mixing music and computers. I know you'll dig the hi-res files on DVD-R into the ZMA, it's going to be awesome, just as SACDs are da bomb for me, and Redbook to be honest (98 percent of my digital collection) sounds amazing to me and I'm sure does and will for you.

I think you have a lot of great musical fun ahead of you!

Lon…Sounds like I should arrange for some pre-amp demos in the future.  I appreciate your level of enthusiasm.  This may just be the push I need to investigate further.  Thanks for the advice.

I suppose I like discs too.  I certainly have a lot of them (98% of my music collection is Rebook CD too) and while I have incorporated the computer into the mix on occasion, it appears there are more factors influencing sound than I expected.  Maybe I shouldn't be surprised.  As an example, if cd players sound different, I should have expected software players to sound different.

I am looking forward to the road ahead.  I am not in a bad place with my current system, but I know there is room for improvement.  For example, there are some discs I just can't play loud enough with the SuperZen (these are the discs I am looking forward to playing loud b/c they aren't overly compressed).  

Also, I need to improve soundstage depth at some point.  I have heard better than my current system and room treatments really aren't an option for me (I have tried a few and took a lot of heat, so not sure I want to go there).  The ZMA should take care of the former.  The latter is likely the next step.  

Sounds like the radials were well received at Decfest.  What are your thoughts?  If you already covered this elsewhere…just point me in the direction.

Cheers,
Dave

Well LR, I've heard a MAC Mini set up for audio through my system, a friend who is a digital engineer and was at that time stayting with me set it up, he knows what he's doing and he loves computer audio.

Did nothing for me. Didn't sound better than the PWT/PWD Mk II, and I just don't like the process. And I could spend the rest of my life trying to rip and file all my discs. I have zero interest in doing that. I get why so many dig the whole hting, and if I were dong mobile music of any kind (I don't, partly being a motorcycle only rider for a few decades and also having been unable to do so at work for a long time, never developed the habit) maybe that would lead me to it. But I'm very happy with all my discs and players and am not at all drawn to computer audio. In fact the opposite, it seems strongly the wrong direction for me.

Lon,

Best description yet of the radials.  I find that you can make subtle changes in the sound with various tubes but the signature that you described stays true (I only have the ERR's). For example in the input position I find my nos mullard cv2493's add warmth and have a slightly loose top end where my telefunken e88cc's (fav so far) have a real airy 3d quality that envelops you with a tighter top end...the speakers truly disappear.

JD

JD, the ERRs are just special. I've finally fallen under the spell of the HR-1s and have learned how to get them to be most ERR-like, and they're an even more "jack of all trades" implement for musical playback, but for some material, the ERR just can't be beaten (and for video material as well). I can only imagine how the new ERR sound!

Glad my description seemed on the mark. The HR-1s share the trademarks of the ERRs but I've never yet made them quite disappear into a sonic landscape the way the ERRs do. Very close, and I may have something room related (in two rooms) or system related holding that back from happening. And with the sound they get, close IS a cigar. I'm very happy.

Lon has a lifetime worth of media, so I can totally see how he wouldn't want to rip it to digital...it would be a lifetime of ripping and archiving...and it would be like a part time job. I only have like 1000 CDs or so (I used to have over 3000 but many were lost or stolen - crappy room mates) and even just those 1000 CDs took me two months of ripping a dozen every week night and dozens on the weekend.

That said, now that Oppo just released a "Media Control" software for Android devices, I'm able to control my Universal player with my phone or tablet, including browsing the network to reach a NAS, computer, or my portable hard drive (that is now my music base) directly connected - I'm pretty  much in heaven right now.

Last night I put sound absorbers in front of all my equipment (blocking all the lights and fans and whatever) and tried out this new Media Control software, it was absolutely fantastic! Any song that I could think of that is in my collection was easily dialed up during the last 10 seconds of whatever song was playing, and I seamlessly jumped from song to song, album to album, personal collection to downloaded collection. *This* is what I was envisioning for digital music playback - it brought me closer to that "nothing but the controller, chair, and dark room" that I've been wanting for a long time now.

I'm even more eager for the ZMA now (if that's even possible)!

Yeah, making it work doesn't make it fun at all. And I don't have that ritual that you LP Record guys go through (I do appreciate rituals, my coffee making is somewhere between Tai Chi, Meditation, and Chemistry). The portable thing means nothing to me (currently) - I hate listening in my car (which needs a new and expensive exhaust anyways), and I only listen to audio books on the road.

Ultimately I hope to have a setup that I presume is something like Mark's Listening Cave - my little Audio Temple - cut out all distractions and go for that "out of body experience" as Steve would call it.

I really do enjoy these online discussions with you, Lon; it helps keep me grounded, and I enjoy seeing things from your point of view.

I was hoping to see the first Zen Mystery Amp had shipped yesterday. Looks like lots of parts pulled on different things (probably a little burst to get ahead before the holidays) but none shipping yet.

I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on your own ZMA, Stone!

Brianne is looking forward to me getting mine, so I'd finally shut up about it! LOL Little does she know....