A week ago I received a pair of VooDoo Cable Evolution XLR interconnects to use with my ZBIT (purchased from bottlehead/Randy, he has one pair left to sell). I was happy with the 2' Take Five Audio cables I bought purposefully instead of VooDoo Cable XLRs for the ZBIT. . . I didn't want to pay the VooDoo Cable new price and the Take Five are very similar in construction and materials and are also cryo'd. But I thought that the 2' length would be fine and it isn't, I just needed another foot to place the ZBIT where it works best, so I went for the Evolutions, knowing that Randy is fantastic to deal with.

Well these Evolution from VooDoo Cable are just better than the Take Five in a few important ways: they are a bit more refined and a bit more neutral in tonal balance. They bring out tiny details in spatial and rhythmic ways and draw me into the music. With the Take Five Audio cables I felt that the ZBIT and the CSP2+ were both equally great ways to get sound from the DSD DAC to the Torii, but with the Evolution cables the ZBIT method is just a bit superior. I'm so hoping that the ZBIT and the ZROCK2 will work well together as this should give me the best, adjustable, sound.

The ZBIT just is such a transformative device in my system. This elegant little brainchild of Steve's keeps impressing me, and it will respond to cabling and placement and keep dishing out wonderful sound.

I'm so impressed with the Evolutions that when a friend repaid me a loan I made him seven years ago (! ! !) I invested in a pair of VooDoo Cable Stradivarius Amati XLR cables that the Cable Company showed as a special (probably demo) pair from VooDoo Cable at a price that was the best I've seen. . . . I hope those are actually at VooDoo to ship (the Cable Company wasn't yet sure) and I know (as I have Stradivarius interconnect cables everywhere else in my system) that these will be EVEN BETTER.

Haha!  Aren't we all Lon.  Not a bad "substance" to be addicted to, though.  Doesn't require any dark alleys or shady acquaintances.

I suspect my ZBIT will ship this week.  Been in testing/QC for awhile.  Can wait to get it attached to my DirectStream w/ Huron.  Although, this DAC attached to my Torii MKIV and Omega SAHO's has a noticeable increase in weight and drive.  Could be a product of system synergy and/or break in time.  Ive got quite a few hours in on it.  Whatever the reason, it is sounding really good just out of the RCAs.  I can't imagine how awesome it will sound with the ZBIT in place!

Well, thirteen months after ZBIT #29 hit here ZBIT #34 hit here. I had this one built with two stereo outputs (silver RCA) and two stepped attenuators. It's a beauty. It spent a long time in "Testing" and "Quality Control" and sounds pretty darned good right off the bat.

With the two outputs I can feed one of them to my Torii Mk III and one to my Taboo Mk IV. I had been disconnecting and reconnecting and disconnecting and reconnecting to use one or the other of the two amps for a few months and not really enjoying that (plus that's a lot of wear and tear on connections and connectors).

I love the ZBIT. My original ZBIT is now in my second system feeding my Taboo Mk III from the XLR output of the Denon universal player and sounding quite good. I think I may be able to use it in place of the CSP2+ I have there and simplify that system. I think that means I have three Decware preamps and three Decware amps in excess. . . I'm going to have to start selling items soon. Maybe I can sell enough to afford a ZMA!

Maybe. It's so hard for me to sell stuff. But I may get on the stick.

I just received my ZBIT with two outputs and one volume control.  In my system in my livingroom, I am feeding a Hegel HD30 DAC into a Copland push-pull (with KT120’s) with ProAc D28 speakers and a TABOO mkIII with an Audeze LCD-2.  Hegel has both RCA and XLR outputs.  Even at its full-volume (Hegel’s volume), I did not enjoy listening to the TABOO much as it lacked something in the bass compartment (my usual problem).  I had a feeling from what I have read on the Forum that the ZBIT would resolve the issue by doubling the input into the TABOO.  And baaam!  Here it is!

As I am writing this, I am listening to some Robert Glasper, and I have never heard the TABOO and the Audeze sound this good.  By the way, volumes on the TABOO are at full (both the gains and output) and the ZBIT is at 2:00 o’clock.  The lucid mode is off.  The tube compartment of the TABOO includes a NOS Siemens 6922, the stock SV83’s and a NOS RCA 5Y3GT.  

When I fed the Copland with the ZBIT, I must admit I did not care much for it.  Direct feed from Hegel into the Copland via RCA’s sounds so good already, I felt like the ZBIT took part of the body out.  

Is the ZBIT a keeper?  Hell yeah!  With the TABOO, it is amazing!  I cannot wait till it fully breaks in.  

In the meantime, I think I am done for the time being in terms of sources, DAC’s, pre- and power amps.  The only itch I am left with is a pair of speakers for my bedroom, maybe a pair of Zu’s...

Thanks for another wonderful product, Steve!!!

Thanks for the note, Lon.  My Copland is an integrated pre- and poweramp (both tube).  It does not require a high-output source, and the RCA connections from my DAC at its full output gives me a very satisfactory sound, which the ZBIT did not contribute (actually, it even deteriorated).  And my take is usually to keep the signal chain as simple as possible.  So, if it is working fine, I would not add any other component to the signal chain.  

With the TABOO - Audeze combination, it was a different story till I introduced the ZBIT into signal chain.  

But, I will definitely give it another try.  Maybe the two outputs of the ZBIT are different, I do not know.  I need to experiment a little bit!  :)

Best,

Alper

I just tried it again, Lon.  

Hegel HD30 --> ZBIT --> Copland

Two observations...

- The RCA outputs of the Hegel gives as much volume as when the ZBIT is fully cranked up.  Should not be the case, but I wonder this has anything to do with the Hegel, or the input stage of my Copland.

- The sound without the ZBIT is fuller with a deeper soundstage.

But with the TABOO, it is a different story.  In my setup, the TABOO is all the way up and the ZBIT is around 2:00 o'clock.  And maybe the first time, I am enjoying the TABOO this much with the headphones...

I have been reading up your posts to learn more about the ZBIT. I am trying to see if I can use it if I convert my phono system to fully balanced.
Has anyone ever tried using fully balanced SUT + phono stage and then feeding into ZBIT to convert back to RCA ? Would the benefit of having balanced phono system still be there?

yah the ZBIT seems to be a perfect solution if one does not want to convert all the components to fully balanced, as I am not sure if the ZP3 can become fully balanced. Besides I have a cheap TT with RCA that I use routinely to test records, and it would be a pain to then have to convert that to balanced interconnects (given the cheap quality of the TT). I will definitely check with Steve first.  :D

For me that's a hard one to answer as the single-ended output from my DAC is quite low, and using the balanced output from the ZBIT is a big help. But with other sources and overall the ZROCK2 is a huge help for frequency balance and I would say that it would probably be the best first pick. . . .

You know, I got to thinking. . . .

I've run out of rack space and I'm using the CSP3-25 Anniversary Modded preamp to control volume, not the remote on the ZTPRE. Next time I crawl around behind the system I'll try bypassing my ZTPRE and running my DAC into the ZBIT and then to the ZROCK2 and then to the CSP3-25, and see how different that may sound. The ZTPRE is so "not there" that maybe not being there would be just as sufficient with the CSP3-25 adding its magic now. If that is the case. . . I might be able to get a SECOND ZBIT for my Oppo UDP-205 output, and use the excellent single-ended out put of my tuner into the other input of my CSP3-25 and do without the ZTPRE. A scandalous thought, but an experiment worth trying. I'll get around to it in the coming week.

Looking forward to your thoughts, Lon. I keep going back and forth on which one to get. I know both would be the best of both worlds but have to prioritize budgets.

Wow. Been listening for about five hours to the speakers with the ZTPRE removed--my chain is balanced out from DSD DAC to ZBIT to ZROCK2 to CSP3-25 to SE84UFO3-25 mono blocks.

A bit rawer, a bit more open a bit of an unrestrained sound. A bit less bass. I'm liking the sound a lot.

I'm going to leave it this way a while. I've at the moment this signal chain going into one input of the CSP3-25, and the single-ended output of my Magnum Dynalab 90T SE tuner going into the other input. I've ordered a second ZROCK2 with the Anniversary mods, and when that comes I'll use it with the DAC signal chain, and the one I have now with the tuner.  

Quote:


Hey Lon, have you had a chance to do the above and form thoughts on it?