A somewhat radical switch from reasonably powered (125 Wpc) solid state Blue Circle amp to flea-powered tube amp. The amp is a 45-based 2 Wpc SET affair favourably reviewed by Jeff Day at 6moons.
Well, I took delivery of a Yamamoto A-08 amp and CA-04 preamp a couple of weeks ago and just yesterday received my speakers back from Zu, where they were upgraded to Druid Mk4 status. Anyway, after I got everything hooked up yesterday afternoon, I started spinning CD s and am very pleased with the music being made in our modestly-sized living room.
I notice greater air and presence to the music compared to my previous amp and preamp (Blue Circle). Yesterday evening, I listened to kd langs latest disc (Hymns of the 49th Parallel) and was astonished by the purity of her voice in the room. I also spinned Pat Methenys latest Group effort (The Way Up) and, while the bass is not yet as firm as it will likely be after some break-in, the overall cohesiveness of the band was spectacular, and with only 2 Watts! Amazing!
A fine table and tonearm combo for returning to vinyl.
Clearaudio Aurum Classic Wood
Entry-level MM cartridge.
Channel Islands Audio VPP-1 Phono Stage
MM/MC phono preamp with VAC-1 power supply.
Zu Cable Gede interconnect
Silver/copper hybrid, Zu's B3 geometry, locking RCA's. CD player to headphone amp.
Anthem CD-1
Tubed, 6-disc changer. Bought used and modded by Chris Johnson at Parts Connexion, with AudioCom Superclock II and a pair of Bybee Quantum Purifiers, caps and wiring upgraded, Telefunken CCa tube.
Zu Cable Bok Power Cord
Proprietary B3 geometry, copper/silver wire.
Zu Cable Gede interconnect
1m silver/copper, B3 geometry. Looped out from headphone amp to preamp.
NAD C-420 tuner
am/fm
Monster Cable M-550
From tuner to preamp.
Yamamoto Sound Craft CA-04
Pair of 6AK5W tubes, 3 inputs, with two possible gain settings. Resin-infused cherrywood chassis.
Have now replaced the Clearaudio Aurum Classics Wood cartridge with the Maestro Wood, which is the top of Clearaudio's line of MM carts. Still breaking in, but already hearing greater resolution and detail.
Several monts ago, I inserted a pair of Emission Labs solid plate 45 tubes, which provide a little more heft and presence to the overall sound.
The Druids portray a very cohesive aural canvas and the bass has become more fleshed out over time.
System edited: Most recent change has been the addition of a vinyl rig after much internal debate. System now includes a Project RPM5 turntable with 9c carbon-fibre tonearm, ClearAudio Aurum Classic Wood MM cartridge and the Project PhonoBox. Wow, everything I've read about vinyl being qualitatively better than digital turns out to be true in my case. A greater sense of being there with natural flow of music intact. The vinyl soundscape is in 3D, whereas CD is more 2D. I am salivating at the prospect of upgrading cartridge and phono preamp. Long Live Vinyl! Max
I hadn't checked on my system page for more than a month and just noticed your post. Apologies for not responding sooner.
The decision to change my system from solid state to low-powered SET amplification was simply motivated by a desire to try something different. I had been reading about tube amplification, and SET in particular, for a while and as I had already acquired efficient speakers I decided to take the jump. I found out about the Yamamoto gear from a glowing review on 6moons, where the reviewer gave it one of their Blue Moon Awards. I e-mailed the reviewer and the dealer to find out a little more and the rest is history.
The recent changes to some of the cabling and power conditioning have, I believe, made some incremental improvements.
System edited: Some more recent changes, switched to Acoustic Zen Satori speaker cables (slight improvement in bass performance), Shunyata Hydra 6 power conditioner connected to wall outlet (Shunyata Venom outlet)with a Silent Source power cord (quieter than Blue Circle MR1200 in my system). Walker Audio Ultimate HDL's just installed yesterday and initial impression is favourable, as it appears to have eliminated some tube noise. Further listening required to assess effect.
Hi Max, I enjoyed reading your experience. What made you change from a "conventional" system to where you are now? Are things settling in? Any further comments? I would love to listen to this system. Cheers, Scott
My initial impressions are posted above, just below the equipment listing. It has been a week or so since I got my speakers back and was able hook them up to the Yamamoto gear and I have been very pleased right from the start. Of course, there is still some break-in to get through for the amp, preamp and speakers, but so far so good.
I was informed by the good people at Zu, specifically Sean Casey, to expect the upgraded Druid speakers to evolve for 200 hours or so. The very helpful Brian Bowdle of Venus Hi-Fi, from whom I purchased the Yamamoto equipment, advised that the 45 and 717A tubes on the amp will hum for the first 100 hours or so and should then smooth out.
I have logged perhaps 20 hours so far on the new gear, and any hum that exists is inaudible when the music is playing. The music is sweet and satisfying, with air, detail and tonal purity. The speakers are fast and true, with great presence. More to follow as things develop.
Hi, I am very interested in knowing your impressions on the Yamamoto amp. It also caught my attention. I am currently using a Wright Sound 3.5 and a Bottlehead Parabee and I want to upgrade. My pre is a Supratek Chenin. Thanks, Pablo.
