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.
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.
