Home Theatre combined with two/multichannel Audio System, Ribbon speakers with active crossover for two channel stereo, seven ribbon speakers in all with two subwoofers, SACD multichannel, Movie Multichannel, and separate vinyl based analog setup
Very nice system, especially with the Allnic gear! I have owned the Apogee Centaur ribbon speaker and enjoyed it's performance. I know your original posts go back quite a few years, however, could you share what you thought of the Apogee Cassiopeia 6? The photo of the Apogee looks like a planar bass model such as a Stage or Caliper. Thank you for sharing great information on your Allnic-centered system.
I am now breaking it in a bit and it is wonderful. I will write an end user review when I have some more time on it. I cannot compare it with the L 4000, because I have never heard the L 4000. The gain tubes of the Allnic L 5000 are DHT triodes. Some preliminary commentary can be found at:
www.ultrahighendforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=715
I will post the review first on the other site (since that is where the east bay BAAS guys hang out), then copy it over here.
Carl, I see you've added the DHT version on the Allnic Linestage. How does this differ from the L4000? I've been living with the H3000/L4000 combination for a couple of months now and they've really been more than I could have hoped for. I'm also keeping an eye out for word on the new A7000 150W monos but I think they're a ways off yet.
Pardon if you were joking, Lew. cjfrbw (2004 Subaru WRX wagon, $23,000.00) Maybe I will list my turntable light in your honor (Ross Dress for Less $5).
If you listed your system, you would see that Audiogon solicits the price statements for each product. It helps people who might be thinking of purchase to have a barometer when looking and its a lot easier than answering a bunch of questions about price. If you are trying to state that it is some form of bragging, then you are more insecure than me, I was just following the format.
The "Allnic train." I like the analogy because I'm quite happily on the ride right now.
Cjfrbw - The L 3000 and L 4000 are a good listen by ant standard. With the gear you've got already, I'm not so sure I would change. My situation mat be different. Apparently this April/May 2009, Allnic is introducing a tube based speed controller that regenerates 60W of useable power at 240 volts a/c.This is good news for my Garrards - and it won't break the bank to move up in the chain. My VPI SDS will be gone.
Gersimon the "dilettante." - VERY funny indeed. For those of us on this thread who would tire of the "higher" high end - don't fret - because if you're at Gerry's house you can always choose between one of several tube based systems he has in his home. I have heard a better sounding system in Edmonton - but fell short on the $300,000 CDN price.
Cjfrbw - I will quote Gerry (very respectfully - but without his permission.) "I own two Allnic Verito cartridges because they are better than anything else I own." Gerry went on to rant and rave about the new Allnic "Z" - and I do trust in Gerry's opinion. The proof is in the pudding as they say.
I compared the "old" Allnic to the London Decca Reference and a couple of Ikedas - but now David Beetles of Hammertone Audio is absolutely ecstatic - and he compares the new Allnic "Z" to the Lyras and Airtight carts in the $10,000 range. This new cart sells for $2800.00 US - so my very sincerest advice to all here is to heed the word. Like Gerry - I'm not financially linked to Hammerone - but I have bought twelve pieces of gear. HERE'S a very pleasant surprise. David Beetles telephones me last week - and says "please send your old cartridge back to the factory - you are getting the new one free of charge." I would love to hear anyone beat that story given that there is a recession going on. "Customer appreciation" - says Dave. I just got ripped off by a well known Garrard dealer in England - and so the news was very welcome to me.
In a rather sudden and unexpected turn of events I walked out of Dave's house a few weeks ago with a very rare and pristine Audiocraft arm. Dave showed me on the net that there was another for sale in Japan. It could not have been in better condition as mine was mint - but it was still $2500.00 more.
I'm telling you guys in honesty that Beetles is honest and very fair. He also hooked me up with Gerry Simon - and now I can say with certainty - there are two more gentlemen in my circle of friends.
I did have a problem with Dave one time (buzzy tube amps) - and I'm actually glad I did. As good as all of our business was to that day - it wasn't until the problem developed that Dave jumped into high gear.The only thing he didn't do was drive three hours and knock on my door.
I spoke of a new power supply earlier in this thread. I haven't seen it, nor heard it - and the first one is still on the bench in Korea waiting for hand-wound transformers from the supplier to arrive. Dave will call - i'll send money - and my sound will improve. That is the always the net result when buying with Dave.
There are four Allnic "Z" carts out there right now in the hands of some of the best analogue men in the world. Allnic and Hammertone are hearing that their "top 100" Verito has been bumped up to the "top 10." The word to the wise "early adopter" is that the price does not reflect that - "yet."
Like Gerry,. I met Dave through Audiogon - and I watched Allnic North America bloom. David Beetles was a pretty successful businessman in another venture.With good reason - I expect to see the same development here.
Yes, they make a transformer coupled line stage, the L 4000 currently available with stateside voltage. I have never heard it. It uses small pentodes with transformer coupling and tube rectification and looks to be top notch. I think I would be partial to one of their more obscure products not made for the US market, the Allnic L 3000 which uses a 300b for voltage regulation and an obscure German directly heated triode tube for amplification, but I have only seen one ever come up for sale. The owner thought the triode was a bit microphonic, but I think I would take my chances.
Great, great review...a pleasure to read. An audio buddy of mine from the Intuitive Design circle mentioned Allnic recently. He has owned a lot of "money no object" gear and has several friends in the same category who are all on the Allnic train. Do they make a line stage?
I am sure that the Verito must be special if the phono stages are any indication. I have had a Clearaudio Harmony Mg and will stick with that for a while because it has excellent synergy with the turntable and tonearm. It looks like it would be easy to get lost for days in David's items, a nice mixture of vintage and new. Allnic seems the same, an ideal combination of vintage philosophy and new production. Thank you for sharing your experiences with the cartridges and please keep reporting on your impressions.
I have two Allnic Verito cartridges - one hasn't even been played because I bought it as a spare. I just received the new version yesterday - NOT the boron, which is still to come, apparently, but a revision of the original that I have - and installed it last night without doing a really careful job. Even set up like that, it is much superior to the original (I like understatement). Air, detail, dynamics, soundstage, you name it are all better. I sat there with my mouth hanging open after I switched the leads on one side because of a phase issue (I can't change phase at the phono stage or preamp - yet - the old weird surround sound headphone effect - though even with that I could tell that this was different). When I sat back down... Wow. Hammertone has a deal on right now for early Verito purchasers to trade their originals for the new at no cost. Glad I'm one of them! My two are in the mail tomorrow.
By the way, I met David through A'gon and, by coincidence, we turned out to be a short 3 hour drive one way apart and we've gotten to know each other - I have no financial interest in his business - but we get along well. Something about common interests? Demographics of gray-beard audiophiles? I am a mere dilettante, but David is a SERIOUS vinyl gear addict - and he wouldn't be using the Verito if it wasn't as good as he says. I've been to David's place and had the same experience as Cameronbs - take a look at the Hammertone website to see David's analog rigs; you will "get the picture" - it's like a museum/showcase of top end vinyl playback rigs - not just the current most expensive (though there is lots of that, especially in the cart and arm departments) but also top end stuff from the golden days, much of it skillfully modified, "be-plinthed", etc. by pros (some of whom advertise on this site) to magnify the positive and reduce the less desireable characteristics - and I've had the opportunity to listen to almost all of them and benefit from that exposure! Lucky me! YEEHAHH!! as we say 'round these parts.
I didn't audition it, you would have to contact Hammertone about the possibility. It seems a common evolution that most owners of the H 3000 have gotten the Allnic H 1500, are bowled over, and proceed to purchase the H 3000 sight unseen as soon as they can muster the scratch. That is what I did. I have been looking at transformer coupled designs for a couple of years, so for me, the topology also influenced my decision to purchase. The H 3000 is still improving, I think the transformers take at least 1000 hours of listening time for basic break in. It quite an amazing piece.
Cjfrbw, The H3000 is on my short list of potential end-all phono stages to eventually upgrade to based mostly on what others have said about them here. At this price it would have to be auditioned in my system first though. How did you come to decide on the H3000? Did Dave send you one for an in home audition?
This may seem like a silly question, but one potential cancern I have about the 3000 is the collection of dust on all the inner parts due to it's open design. Do either of you guys find it hard to keep it clean. Dust settles everywhere. Maybe it's better to have the top open so you can at least see it rather than having it accumulate inside unseen.
Thank you for your remarks. The Allnic H 3000 is a remarkable piece, you are lucky to own one. Please give more impressions on the Verito cartridge as you become familiar with it, welcome to the Allnic club!
I thought I would chime in with some insights I gained through my experience with Allnic, and Allnic's North American distributor - Mr. David Beetles. I'll just get to the point, and say that Dave has sold me some beautiful gear over the last couple of years. He has been one of my greatest educators - and he has moved me farther along the audio path than I had ever intended to be.
Earlier today I discussed the H3000 with Dave, and a few other audio related concerns. According to Dave, the H3000 reacts very little to cabling ,footers, or tweaks.Negative interaction with other components is extremely negligible - and synergy seems to naturally occur. High build quality and LCR technology (balanced transformer signal path, with no capacitors in the way) - offers a level of refinement so great that traditional DIY improvements have almost no sonic impact on the sound. As a disclaimer, I will say Dave uses good cables in his personal system - and his choice of arms, cartridges and tables are almost second to none.
Dave and his company - Hammertone Audio - have sold me some of the best equipment out there - including a Koetsu Onyx Platinum, VTL/Tara Labs tube amps,turntable , tonearm, cables and whatever else I need. Oh, and yes - an Allnic 1500 phonostage. Right or wrong as this may be - I do own and enjoy one of the best systems I have heard.
We are planning to compare the Koetsu to the Allnic Verito, and after listening to the Verito, the Koetsu might be gone. The current Verito is an excellent cartridge as it is - and an upgraded boron cantilever Verito is on the way to market in the next few weeks. I preferred the Verito/H3000 to several of Daves cartridges in the $5000.00 - $6,000 range. To be a bit more clear - it was the best I heard that day. I believe it sells for $1700.00 US.
The Allnic cartridge is a very special thing. It's high on my list of "things to buy" - but after speaking with Dave I ponied up and bought the H3000 now. It was well received at Las Vegas - and I simply could not afford what that will eventually do to the price. It is the best phonostage I have heard.
I have to admit that Dave has become my mentor and friend. It all started long before any sale. I was new and looking for help and saw Dave's ad on Audiogon. "Phonecalls welcomed and expected" told me that "Beets" was a pretty good guy to know. We have done a lot of business since then.
Thank you very much for the invaluable info. I will start out with the stock tubes and run the cart for around 50 hours and then defiantely try the WE417a. Im happy to hear that the Allnic doesnt seem to be sensitive to cabling. Im gonna try the DNM cables which I think have a nice technology behind them.
I am not a 'cable' person or a "power cord" person, but I do use pure silver "Crystal Clear" audio brand cables from the the Allnic to the preamp with a very ordinary generic power cord. WE417a tubes do come on ebay and some vendors carry them, do a google search. Don't buy them new from Western Electric, the prices are incredibly high. A good matched pair might run from $45-70 per tube. Also, the Amperex gold pin 5842 tubes are also excellent, but not quite as full sounding as the WE tubes. I would change the 5ar4 rectifier tube first and the two main input WE417a with a matched pair (expensive). Sometimes the WE417a can be microphonic, so you might have to try more than one pair. Also, the WE417a tube sockets are the Allnic gel types. You will have to find a way to grasp the plastic base of the tube socket and slowly wiggle the tube out so as not to damage the gel interface. I use a pair of rubber tipped tongs for this and a WE tube puller. Have a dealer or an experienced person do it for you if you are not certain.
