I feel I’ve finally had enough time with the Dynagrid Jr. to share some observations and listening notes.
First, I’ll admit I felt a little silly buying it. I’ve dealt with arcing rectifiers in the past, which helped me justify the purchase, but if I’m being honest, it was mostly FOMO and a moment of impulsiveness that pushed me over the line.
I told myself that I could try it out, and if I felt it wasn’t worth the price tag, I could turn around and sell it for what I paid for it. Part of me may have been hoping that would happen, with the pragmatic, frugal little accountant on my shoulder prevailing over the voices from the other side.
My first impressions of the Dynagrid, paired with my UFO25, were very positive. It sounded huge and room-filling. Did it always sound this good with my previous rectifier? I wasn’t sure, to be honest.
This morning, I decided to try some A/B testing, which I had been avoiding. I was worried I’d
think I heard an improvement with the Dynagrid, but wouldn’t feel confident it was a true upgrade, and then I’d talk myself into believing it probably was, and keep the unit anyway, sheepishly. The gremlin on the other shoulder striking again.
I unplugged the Dynagrid and inserted my preferred Cyrotone 5AR4, and cued up a track I’m very familiar with. I listened to the first 90 seconds or so, powered everything off, then back to the Dynagrid for 90 seconds of the same track, and then repeated this a couple times, swapping out records to hear a variety of albums of various pressing quality.
The verdict? This thing is the real deal.
The Cryotone 5AR4 still sounded great, but it was noticeably a little looser in the bass, slightly less refined overall, and not quite as transparent. With the Dynagrid plugged in, the sound was somehow tighter, cleaner, and more effortlessly resolved.
While these characteristics were noticeable and important, they still felt secondary to the most obvious improvement: the expansion of the soundstage. Closing my eyes, it was as though someone had moved my speakers several feet farther apart, while maintaining the center image.
This initial “hugeness” was what I noticed about the Dynagrid when I first plugged it in. After A/B testing, I realized the Dynagrid was, in fact, providing a much larger and more immersive perceived field of sound than I was used to, as if the giant size of the 845 tube was somehow indicative of what I was hearing. I’m guessing that this effect alone would be enough for most users on this board to justify giving the Dynagrid a try. It would be for me.
But as I’ve been listening to the Dynagrid for several hours, I’m realizing that while the expanded soundstage is the most immediately obvious thing it brings to the table, the real star of the show is the jump in transparency and atmosphere. Images are more clearly defined and more stable in space, low-level detail comes through without being forced, and you hear more of the decay and air around notes, the little cues that make a system feel alive and “in the room.”
At the end of the day, the Dynagrid feels less like a subtle tweak and more like a meaningful upgrade, at least in my system. It doesn’t change the character of the UFO25 so much as it lets more of what the amp is already capable of come through, with better control, more clarity, and a more convincing sense of space. And yes, a bigger soundstage.
Needless to say, I will be keeping the DG Jr.
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Demo LPs:
- Oscar Peterson Trio – We Get Requests (AP 45rpm)
- Radiohead – In Rainbows (2x 45rpm box set)
- Billie Holliday – Songs for Distingué Lovers (Acoustic Sounds reissue)
- Willie Nelson – Stardust (AP 45rpm)
- Bill Evans – Waltz with Debby (OJC, Craft)
- Patsy Cline – Greatest Hits (AP 45rpm)
- Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks (US first pressing)
- Brian Eno – Another Green World (45rpm Half Speed Master)
- The Beach Boys – Surfer Girl (AP 45rpm)
- Yamamoto Tsuyoshi Trio – Midnight Sugar (45rpm)
- Fleetwood Mac – Rumours (US first pressing)
- Frank Sinatra – In the Wee Small Hours (Blue Note Tone Poet)
- Miles Davis – In a Silent Way (Mofi)
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