Interesting point, I hadn't considered since I already have invested much into my SE LDR w/ LPSU.

I do know of a possible balanced LDR you could borrow and try in Texas.

I can pose this question to Morten as I have asked him about the input sens. of RCA in the LDR.


"The output from the RCA jacks is fully adjustable from 0 to anywhere between 3 & 10 volts ~ basically the full output voltage of your balanced component."

I'm still skeptical about adding a traditional attenuator to my current LDR-based system. I might as well stay SE to the Rachel.

hifitubes,

I did read that the Tortuga pre that I'm looking at is fully balanced, but I don't know what that means exactly. I think different manufacturers mean different things when they say a component is balanced. When Steve says balanced, he means it is coupled to the Jensen transformer, but I don't think that most manufacturers handle it the same way. That's what I need to find out about the Tortuga.

I understand your hesitation to add anything to the LDR-based attenuation. I'm pretty high on it after I bought a Lightspeed Attenuator a few months back, just as an experiment. I paid $280 for it, so I figured I couldn't go too far wrong. I replaced a $2500 preamp with it, and when I plugged it into my system, what I heard was...nothing. No coloration whatsoever. I felt like I was closer to the music. I don't know what better attribute a preamp could have than to disappear. That's why I'm considering stepping up to the Tortuga (also because I'm lazy, and want the remote control). I guess in an ideal world, all of our amps would have balanced inputs, no?

hifitubes,

When you say you added a LPSU to your Tortuga, are you meaning a Linear Power Supply? If so, what unit did you go with? Thanks for the info.

That's good news about having the same voltage output balanced/unbalanced. The TEAC dac that Steve recommended to me has 4v balanced output, but only 2v unbalanced. My amps are unbalanced, hence my recent ZBit purchase. Let us know how the XLR/RCA adapters work.

Hi guys! I wonder if you have any more insights to share regarding the ZBit and what the differences are between using it and taking it out of the system, as well as how it combines with your current gear.

Also, how long it takes for the ZBit to get shipped after ordering?

Thanks for any thoughts.

Well, if you have a Mini Torii, like me, then we'll be adjusting the ZBit's output on the low range (due to the high gain in the Mini), but according to Steve, with the same good results. I've never used balanced inputs in the Mini before, so this is going to be an additional experience.

I'll be testing ZBit, balanced inputs, new balanced cables, new tubes, two pairs of Diffusor panels and the anxiously awaited for Yggdrasil. This implies a long period of concomitant burn-in conditions.