Hi nice system by the way; questions for you I am considering the Synergistic Research Tesla cables myself. Im curious why not use the Acoustic Reference from preamp to amp ? reason for my questions is that's the configuration I was thinking about choosing using your same speaker cables Tesla Precision's anything negative with that combination that i need to know before i take the plundge ?

Thanks,
Brett

definitive5150 February 17, 2009 03:41

Hey Spence, I have a bunch of 7308s including Amperex, and while these were my personal "best" in other preamps and gear, the two I mention above are considerably better in the Dodd. Go figure!

Shadorne, good call! It is absolutely from Keb. Heard it first in the Tin Cup flic, and have been following Keb ever since then, trying to not miss any of his shows here in Chitown. Thought it would be an ideal title....and quite true in an audio sense..;)

Funny thing is that I own a Canon 30D dSLR with a few choice pieces of L glass. Just a slacker I guess! I gotta get on it, I know!

1markr May 03, 2008 11:30

One other thing - do you have any change left over for a digital camera - nudge nudge wink wink - know what I mean - a few pics please?

shadorne May 02, 2008 06:58

Keb 'Mo does a great job on Crapped Out Again - is that your source of inspiration for system title?

shadorne May 02, 2008 06:41

Mark, I've still got stock 6922s, but will keep my eyes open for Amperexes. I've liked them in the CAT I used to own. The 7308s are supposed to be great, too, but even more $. Take care,
Spence

sbank May 02, 2008 03:09

Hey Spence, haven't spent too much time on Agon lately, so I missed your post 'til now. Wish it was because I've been listening too much to my system, but unfortunately that is not the case. Workload and quite a bit of business travel have limited my listening time. Might be time to get an iPod for the road!

Congrats on the Dodd preamp. It is wonderful! The best tubes that I have used on my Dodd are the white label US made Amperex 6922 PQs and the Amperex white label Bugle Boy 6DJ8s. Funny thing about the latter... I never liked them in any preamp until I put them in the Dodd. What tubes have you been using?

I've added a pair of Martin Logan Depth i subs shortly after Christmas, and they have done a great job in keeping up with the Andra Is, are very musical, and get me the bass I was looking for (not too mention that they are a nice add for my integrated HT). They won't pound your chest like the Fathoms or the Velodynes, but they do get me flat to 20 Hz, and they blend seamlessly to a point that I do not hear that they are there. And yes, my system has never sounded better too!

1markr April 27, 2008 01:01

Hey Mark,

Glad to see you're pretty happy since I checked in with you last. I also just grabbed a Dodd battery preamp. Curious to hear if you've tried any more tubes, and your current thinking on best tubes in the Dodd.

Also, I have a friend who runs Andra I's and felt like you did. He uses a Classe Omega amp, but still couldn't get the bottom octave that he craved. He is a bass player, and needs to hear it all. Long story, short, an older model Velodyne 18" sub(perhaps F series??) is now running along w/the Andras, and his rig has never sounded better. Food for thought...Cheers,
Spencer

sbank April 07, 2008 02:54

Mark
A few added tweaks have the Dodds sounding better then ever
I'm now in the process of changing speakers. I'm anxious to hear how the dodds will do with the Ridge Street Sasons

It's good to hear from you

musicfile February 11, 2008 11:07

Pat, I wouldn't say "out" of the scene, just a little quiet, that's all. The Art Audio Quartets are fantastic, and I enjoy them every time they are fired up. And that awesome glow of the 845s! Can't beat it. I still think the Dodds are great amps, and a steal for what they go for. I would have kept mine if I could afford both. But the Qs, well, they took me to a whole new level.

Art, the Fusion Audio cables on the front end, and the DCCA power cables on the Quartets are a devastatingly good combination. They synergize incredibly well, and build on each other's strengths. Great match, great balance, imo. I'm just working with subs now to seemlessly get the lowest octaves out of my system. That is the only limitation with the Andra Is (but then, what did I expect running 86 dB speakers with 50 wpc tube amps??!!). Good times indeed my friend!

Thanks for the comments guys!

1markr January 25, 2008 12:16

Hey Mark! Looking sweet man! The Quartets have to be spectacular with your Andra! I also have the new DCCA Reference Masters, what an incredible cord, Don has outdone himself with these. I also had the opportunity to spend some time with the Fusion cords, those guys have it going on with their product as well! Good times buddy, congrats!

arthursmuck January 24, 2008 12:04

Hey Mark
You've been out of the scene for a while

How's things
Are you enjoying the quartets

Yeah i'm still hanging with the Dodds
Speaker change in on the horizon though

Cheers Pat

musicfile January 24, 2008 10:23

System edited: Added the wonderfully musical DCCA Audio Reference Masters to power my Art Audio Quartet tube amps. Moved the DCCA PowerWave 2s to power my recently acquired Martin Logan Depth i subwoofers (arghh! of which one arrived DOA!).

1markr January 21, 2008 06:25

Hey Mark, Sounds like you had the same results with the Quartets...intoxicating! Hard to turn the system off and walk away...that's a great piece of audio gear! The Gill Audio Alana preamp adds a touch of realism that makes it even harder to walk away from....great stuff!! My only wish was that the Quartet's would drive the bottom end also. Once I find another one of these Plinius amps I'm going to order up one of the Alana preamps...very nice. Don

virgo_ref September 20, 2007 06:18

Warning....somewhat LONG! Continue at your own risk...

It's been a long time since I had a chance to describe the changes in my ever evolving system, so here they are as they happened over the last 6 months or so...btw, this is not meant to be a review of any single component, just a synopsis of my path to a potential audio nirvana.

Disclaimer: These are just my opinions in the context of my own system, so take them with a grain of salt, your mileage may vary, etc. etc. I only listen to the best components, so any listed here as auditioned, or previously-owned, still warrant further investigation in the context of your own system; our systems, rooms, ears, preferences and WAF vary significantly. That being said, the current iteration of my system is the most pleasing, natural, and "real" for me, to date.

Eggleston Andra I speakers. Replaced my Andra II speakers with these, and have since owned Blue Heron II speakers. The Andra Is are a clear winner for me. It must be something to the properly slanted baffle (time alignment) and a crossover-less midrange. I have never heard coherence and speed in my system like I do now; some of this has to be attributed to the Andra Is. However, yes there is always a "but", I am seriously shy in the bass area. The Is are very difficult to drive below 50 Hz, and I refuse to go back to SS amps. Can you say "subwoofer” perhaps??

I have changed my interconnects and speaker cables to the new Synergistic Research Tesla series of cables (see my system above for the mix of cables I’m using). They were a significant upgrade and while I don't normally subscribe to “hype", they are every bit as good as various posters here describe.

Swapped out the standard Modwright power supply (for my Modwright (Bon-Mods) 9000ES) with a tube rectified power supply from Dan, and swapped out the Auricaps with Mundorf Silver / Oil caps in the cdp. Gains in soundstage width, depth and holographic field were attained, as well as improved palpability and naturalness.

A Dodd Battery preamp replaced an older Modwright preamp, as well as a slew of other great preamps preceeding it. No more preamps for this guy (for now... ;). I can't think of any shortfalls that this "off the AC grid" preamp has. it serves the music in my system as "right" as it can be; black background, dynamic as all heck, detailed but not bright, I've tried multiple times to go "preamp-less", including in the latest interation of my system, but I always go back to a preamp. No different with the Dodd Battery preamp in place. I don't care if it is adding something or not, the end result justifies the means (keeping it in place), and it synergizes extremely well with everything in my system. ‘nuff said.

I have been extremely happy with my Dodd 120 tube monoblock amplifiers (w/ Sonicap Platinum upgrade, HiFi Tuning fuses, SED Winged C EL34s). They drove my Andra IIs very well, with bass that was tight and controlled, better than any tube amp I heard in recent history. But with the change to Andra Is, they would no longer drive the bass, but then, I have also owned the VAC Musicbloc 160s, the Moscode 401HR SS amp, and the Art Audio Quartets. NONE of these would drive the bass on the Andra Is. The Dodds and the Quartets are the fave of mine out of all of these, and the competition is incredibly tight between these two fine tube amps (much more than the diff in retail pricing would dictate: $15k vs. $5.5k). But alas, the Quartets, with their 845s, Class A biasing (auto-biasing for that matter), and the zero feedback setting, are downright intoxicating, and at 50wpc, sound a bunch more powerful than that, and drive the Andras (60Hz on up) flawlessly, coherently, with excellent "slam" and with unbelievable liquidity (whoa, and what a midrange!). The Dodds do a tremendous job too, but the Quartets are another level up, as one would really expect. If they only did bass on the Andras! But, the fact that Dodds are even mentioned in the same breath as the Quartets should tell you something though!

Lastly, just as important as anything above, let's talk power cords. No secret that I'm a big fan of Don's DCCA power cords, and am still using the same power cords (PowerWave IIs) on my amps since I bought them last year or so ago. Amazing power cords for the $$ and highly recommended, especially given the trial period that Don offers.

Another impressive recent discovery....Fusion Audio power cords. Eric focuses on power cords made from proprietary blends of silver and copper foils, ample amounts of shielding (RF and EMI rejection), along with cryo'ed Wattgate or Oyaide connectors. Very light, very flexible, very well made, but these are no lightweights when it comes to their sonic performance. Power cables don't make a difference?? Ha!! I put the Impulse on the Modwright tube rectified power supply, and an Enchanter (for higher power apps) on my PS Audio power conditioner. They are staying there! Why? On these components, to my ears, they beat out the highly rated Purist Audio Dominus (ferrox), Ridge Street Poiema III and Alethis, the Virtual Dynamics Nite II and Master, and various older Electraglide power cords. Those are some top notch competitors folks!

Don't take my word for it, let Eric from Fusion Audio and Don from DCCA Audio set you up with some trial cords and decide for yourself. I have no ties to either, just a satisfied customer. Commercial over and out.

So what's next for me? I'd love to stick this system in the "DONE" file, but alas, the lack of lower octaves is preventing that. I love how everything else in my current system has manifested itself into a cohesive whole, so I doubt there will be any significant changes to the above. Experimentation will be in order, e.g. a JL Audio F113 subwoofer, and who knows what else.

And Jmcgrogan2, there is absolutely nothing wrong with finally "feeling satisfied" and I am certainly envious! Well, I am an octave or two away from joining you pardner; it's been a long bumpy ride.

1markr September 20, 2007 04:25

Sorry about that...I will have to reformat the previous post.

1markr September 20, 2007 04:09

System edited: Warning....somewhat LONG! Continue at your own risk... It's been a long time since I had a chance to describe the changes in my ever evolving system, so here they are as they happened over the last 6 months or so...btw, this is not meant to be a review of any single component, just a synopsis of my path to a potential audio nirvana. Disclaimer: These are just my opinions in the context of my own system, so take them with a grain of salt, your mileage may vary, etc. etc. I only listen to the best components, so any listed here as auditioned, or previously-owned, still warrant further investigation in the context of your own system; our systems, rooms, ears, preferences and WAF vary significantly. That being said, the current iteration of my system is the most pleasing, natural, and "real" for me, to date. Eggleston Andra I speakers. Replaced my Andra II speakers with these, and have since owned the now defunct Meadowlark Blue Heron II speakers. The Andra Is are a clear winner for me. Must be something to the properly slanted baffle (time alignment) and a crossoverless midrange. I have never heard coherence and speed in my system like I do now; some of this has to be attributed to the Andra Is. However, yes, there is always a "but", I am seriously shy in the bass area. The Is are very difficult to drive below 50 Hz, and I absolutely refuse to go back to SS amps. Can you say "subwoofer" perhaps?? I have changed my interconnects and speaker cables to the new Synergistic Research Tesla series of cables (see my system above for the mix of cables I'm using). They were a significant upgrade, and while I don't normally subscribe to "hype", they are every bit as good as various posters here describe. Swapped out the standard Modwright power supply (for my Modwright (Bon-Mods) 9000ES) with a tube rectified power supply from Dan, and swapped out the Auricaps with Mundorf Silver / Oil caps in the cdp. Gains in soundstage width, depth and holographic field were attained, as well as improved palpability and naturalness. A Dodd Battery preamp replaced an older Modwright preamp, as well as a slew of other great preamps preceeding it. No more preamps for this guy (for now...;). I can't think of any shortfalls that this "off the AC grid" preamp has. It serves the music in my system as "right" as it can be; black background, dynamic as all heck, detailed but not bright, I've tried multiple times to go "preamp-less", including in the latest interation of my system, but I always go back to a preamp. No different with the Dodd Battery preamp in place. I don't care if it is adding something or not, the end result justifies the means (keeping it in place), and it synergizes extremely well with everything in my system. 'nuff said. I have been extremely happy with my Dodd 120 tube monoblock amplifiers (w/ Sonicap Platinum upgrade, HiFi Tuning fuses, SED Winged C El34s). They drove my Andra IIs very well, with bass that was tight and controlled, better than any tube amp I heard in recent history, and as good as many SS amps. But with the change to Andra Is, they would no longer drive the bass, but then, I have also owned the VAC Musicbloc 160s, the Moscode 401HR SS amp, and the Art Audio Quartets. NONE of these would drive the bass on the Andra Is. The Dodds and the Quartets are the fave of mine out of all of these, and the competition is incredibly tight between these two fine tube amps (much more than the diff in retail pricing would dictate: $15k vs. $5.5k). But alas, the Quartets, with their 845s, Class A biasing (auto-biasing for that matter), and the zero feedback setting, are downright intoxicating, and at 50wpc, sound a bunch more powerful than that, and drive the Andras (60Hz on up) flawlessly, coherently, with excellent "slam" and with unbelievable liquidity (whoa, and what a midrange!). The Dodds do a tremendous job too, but the Quartets are another level up, as one would really expect. If they only did bass on the Andra Is! The fact that Dodds are even mentioned in the same breath as the Quartets should tell you something though (not to mention that I like them better than the Vacs and Moscode too)! Lastly, but just as important as anything above, let's talk power cords. No secret that I'm a big fan of Don's DCCA power cords, and am still using the same power cords (PowerWave IIs) on my amps since I bought them last year or so ago. Amazing power cords for the $$ and highly recommended, especially given the trial period that Don offers. Another impressive recent discovery....Fusion Audio power cords. Eric focuses on making power cords from a proprietary blends of silver and copper foils, ample amounts of shielding (RF and EMI rejection), along with cryo'ed Wattgate or Oyaide connectors. Very light, very flexible, very well made, but these are no lightweights when it comes to their sonic performance. Power cables don't make a difference?? Ha!! I put the Impulse on the Modwright tube rectified power supply, and an Enchanter (for higher power apps) on my PS Audio power conditioner. They are staying there! Why? On these components, to my ears, they bested the highly rated Purist Audio Dominus (ferrox), Ridge Street Poiema III and Alethis, the Virtual Dynamics Nite II and Master, and various older Electraglide power cords. Those are some top notch competitors folks! Don't take my word for it, let Eric from Fusion Audio and Don from DCCA Audio set you up with some trial cords and decide for yourself. I have no ties to either, just a satisfied customer. Commercial over and out. So what's next for me? I'd love to stick this system in the "DONE" file, but alas, the lack of lower octaves is preventing that. I love how everything else in my current system has manifested itself into a synergy-packed cohesive whole, so I doubt there will be any significant changes to the above. Experimentation will be in order, e.g. a JL Audio F113 subwoofer, and who knows what else. And Jmcgrogan2, there is absolutely nothing wrong with finally "feeling satisfied" and I am certainly envious! Well, I am an octave or two away from joining you pardner; it's been a long bumpy ride.

1markr September 20, 2007 04:05

System edited: Getting extremely close to posting my system in the "Done for Now" category. Everything is clicking into place with the latest addition of my awesome Dodd Battery-powered preamp. Sonically, the system is better than anything I've had ever put together thus far and is extremely musically satisfying! Talk about major synergies at work here...

1markr November 18, 2006 07:50

Hi WDI,

I thought the deHavilland UV preamp that I owned was an excellent preamp. I think of it as being voiced on the warmer side of things, and it is definately has a tubier flavor than the Modwright, an excellent performer in it's own right.

It was close, but I ended up keeping the Modwright since it synergized with my system a little better, and got me closer to my goals of an airer, faster presentation. Not that the UV couldn't do it, but the MW did it a little more, and it balanced out an already warm system.

I do have a Dodd battery preamp coming soon, so I will see what battery power will do for the sonics in my system, especially in terms of soundstaging, noise, and dynamics.

1markr August 01, 2006 05:16

1Markr,
Since I'm a DeHavilland owner, and see that you replaced yours with a Modwright, I’d be interested in how you think they compare.
thanks

wdi August 01, 2006 03:02

System edited: Playing with room treatments (bass traps and diffusors) and changed speaker cables.

1markr February 13, 2006 00:29

you're not broke!you are just in a negative cash flow situation. Not liquid!

gregadd February 10, 2006 20:08

System edited: Some minor changes in my ever evolving system.

1markr February 04, 2006 04:19

Hi Chris, yes, the Speltz speaker cables are still holding their own in the system. They do many things right. I do have the Speltz ICs, and use them on my HT. I prefer the AQ Diamond X3 on my two channel setup. The Speltz ICs are very good for the low $$ spent.

1markr January 21, 2006 15:02

Mark,so the Speltz Anti-Cables still in the system ? Have you tried the Anti-Connects ?

Regards

Chris

bluebull January 21, 2006 03:31

Hey Spencer, I feel the "interesting" journey coming to an end, hopefully sooner than later. I'm very close. The current system is the finest that I've had in my house, and it's close to the end state of where I want to be. This system has gotten me closer to being "one with the music" than any previous iteration I've run. Obviously, I have learned much over the course of this travel.

The Berning / Merlin combo was about a year and a half ago, so it's a fuzzy memory by now. Neither UltraVerve nor the Modwright preamp (I just got the SWL 9.0 SE last month) were played in that combination. The Berning was shortly replaced by Joule OTL monoblocks, which I preferred.

I didn't play with a whole lot of power cords at the time of the Berning, so I can't tell you what worked best. I remember the Berning having a "hardness" in the sound that I couldn't tame by moderate tube rolling and limited access to powercords.

1markr January 21, 2006 02:34