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Post by antonio on Feb 22, 2022 14:45:00 GMT
I knew you was going to say that Jim  |
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Post by jimbo on Feb 23, 2022 15:56:01 GMT
Listening to some new NOS Teslas. Only took 2 years to get hold of them! But WOW - worth the wait!   P1030408 by y, on Flickr |
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 23, 2022 16:33:48 GMT
Listening to some new NOS Teslas. Only took 2 years to get hold of them! But WOW - worth the wait! P1030408 by y, on Flickr I put some Tesla ECC88 gold pin in my BBu and they were bloody awesome. Probably the best valve i have heard. They now reside in Australia with the BBu. Foolishly, i thought there would be more of them...there aren't |
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Post by jimbo on Feb 23, 2022 16:40:10 GMT
Nice one Oli, yes they are even better than the last couple I got even though they are the same coding. Probably from a different factory - who knows? Not surprised they all went as the were 100% the genuine article as you know and dont come up for sale very often.
Should have bought more myself!
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 23, 2022 16:50:48 GMT
Nice one Oli, yes they are even better than the last couple I got even though they are the same coding. Probably from a different factory - who knows? Not surprised they all went as the were 100% the genuine article as you know and dont come up for sale very often. Should have bought more myself! Thankfully i no longer need to buy ECC83's, but i do regret not buying more ECC88's. They were stunning valves. Simply sensational. Alan bought some and had a couple that were slightly microphonic. Langrex refused to match them as they were quite unreliable in terms of measurements apparently. But the four i got were awesome. I have my eye on something a little.....rare for the replqacement BBu....but that is for another day |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2022 17:02:05 GMT
There are three pairs of Gold Pin ECC88s on eBay right now.
Do you want the white or yellow print? All have factory code 32
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 23, 2022 17:17:47 GMT
There are three pairs of Gold Pin ECC88s on eBay right now. Do you want the white or yellow print? All have factory code 32 I don't need them at the minute. I have 3 resistors in my replacement phonostage🤣 I've got my eye on something and will see if that pans out. |
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 25, 2022 9:10:07 GMT
jimbo Great that you've dug out some bargain digital and put a rig together, but the DDC does seem to be a particular gem. What clocks did you go for in yours?
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Post by jimbo on Feb 25, 2022 9:21:15 GMT
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 25, 2022 10:19:42 GMT
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Post by antonio on Feb 25, 2022 10:41:36 GMT
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Post by jimbo on Feb 25, 2022 10:47:07 GMT
Yes aliexpress do have some different clock options on the leafaudio version. |
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Feb 26, 2022 7:36:23 GMT
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Post by stevew on Feb 26, 2022 7:36:23 GMT
Fantastic stuff Jimbo and why it’s also good to have you back in the neighbourhood.
Having succumbed to the temptation of getting a Mutec mc-3+usb it’s clear the difference to be heard from cleaning up the signal before it hits a dac. However to do it at this price point is quite something. I wonder how the Mutec would compare with the Douk?
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Post by optical on Feb 26, 2022 8:27:07 GMT
Fantastic stuff Jimbo and why it’s also good to have you back in the neighbourhood. Having succumbed to the temptation of getting a Mutec mc-3+usb it’s clear the difference to be heard from cleaning up the signal before it hits a dac. However to do it at this price point is quite something. I wonder how the Mutec would compare with the Douk? It is good to be back Steve. I saw the Mutec DDC sometime back and I am sure it has made a clear difference to your digital set up Steve - good move! The Douk is a real find at an incredible price which first came to my attention over on Head Fi forum where a lot of the folk there are always ahead of the game as it were with digital audio. There is a thread running on there with lots of folk using the Douk DDC with much more expensive DACs including the Denafrips Ares 2 which I believe you use? As to a comparison between the Mutec MC-3 haha that would be fun. All I can say is that in my own system the Douk has elevated my humble digital system to a really great level. As you may know I am not a fan of digital audio but this at least makes my digital files listenable! I'd be interested in a comparison too and needless to say I'd be a bit peeved if the douk did match the performance ... But I wouldn't be that surprised.... I would like to think the circuitry in the Mutec would result in lower noise and the clocks should be superior but you never know in hifi until you try-fi! Yes I did just invent that phrase I think, apologies. |
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Post by karma67 on Feb 26, 2022 8:30:58 GMT
try-fi, i like it!
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Post by lurch on Feb 26, 2022 8:31:57 GMT
Whilst my streaming rig is not as cheap as the above, I'm very happy with my Audio-GD DI-2014 DDC between my pimped Node2 and pimped Black Ice DSD DAC. It sounded pretty good before but the £170 a payed for the used Audio-GD made everything sound more right. Not being big on digital replay I only went down the DDC route as I was intrigued by the Mutec and whether it could lift things closer to the SQ levels of my cdp & tt but didn't like the price of addmission, the Audio-GD has certainly done that, to my ears anyway.
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Post by jimbo on Feb 26, 2022 9:01:27 GMT
It made me smile when I saw folk questioning if DDC actually worked sometime back and maybe because the results can be subtle it is a tricky one to justify. However when you get a big uplift in performance as I have using a very cheap DAC they are obviously a benefit.
As too the difference in performance between alternative DDCs and how they benefit your digital system is not an area I have seen much information on. However I am sure there are differences as there are between DACs.
Nice to be able to find something that does the job without having to take out a small mortgage.
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Post by stevew on Feb 26, 2022 9:20:55 GMT
Fantastic stuff Jimbo and why it’s also good to have you back in the neighbourhood. Having succumbed to the temptation of getting a Mutec mc-3+usb it’s clear the difference to be heard from cleaning up the signal before it hits a dac. However to do it at this price point is quite something. I wonder how the Mutec would compare with the Douk? It is good to be back Steve. I saw the Mutec DDC sometime back and I am sure it has made a clear difference to your digital set up Steve - good move! The Douk is a real find at an incredible price which first came to my attention over on Head Fi forum where a lot of the folk there are always ahead of the game as it were with digital audio. There is a thread running on there with lots of folk using the Douk DDC with much more expensive DACs including the Denafrips Ares 2 which I believe you use? As to a comparison between the Mutec MC-3 haha that would be fun. All I can say is that in my own system the Douk has elevated my humble digital system to a really great level. As you may know I am not a fan of digital audio but this at least makes my digital files listenable! The difference putting the Mutec in my system was profound. Happy to bob it over sometime (we are getting braver at venturing out.. so shouldn’t be too far away).. and hear if the Mutec offers anything different in your setup. In the meantime I’m wondering just buying a Douk just to play around with. I’ve got a little project that even with my limited skill set might benefit. |
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Post by optical on Feb 26, 2022 9:28:32 GMT
It is good to be back Steve. I saw the Mutec DDC sometime back and I am sure it has made a clear difference to your digital set up Steve - good move! The Douk is a real find at an incredible price which first came to my attention over on Head Fi forum where a lot of the folk there are always ahead of the game as it were with digital audio. There is a thread running on there with lots of folk using the Douk DDC with much more expensive DACs including the Denafrips Ares 2 which I believe you use? As to a comparison between the Mutec MC-3 haha that would be fun. All I can say is that in my own system the Douk has elevated my humble digital system to a really great level. As you may know I am not a fan of digital audio but this at least makes my digital files listenable! The difference putting the Mutec in my system was profound. Happy to bob it over sometime (we are getting braver at venturing out.. so shouldn’t be too far away).. and hear if the Mutec offers anything different in your setup. In the meantime I’m wondering just buying a Douk just to play around with. I’ve got a little project that even with my limited skill set might benefit. That would be interesting chaps. The additional myriad of inputs/outputs from the Mutec are also a huge factor for me as I do like running multiple DACs, it also has a world clock output which I run into my digital EQ. Just a thought, some people have reported even more of a jump in SQ when 'daisy chaining' a couple of Mutecs together! I wonder if the same would occur with the Douk..... Or running a Douk before/after the Mutec.... Can of worms just opened in my mind..... |
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Feb 26, 2022 9:54:30 GMT
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Post by stevew on Feb 26, 2022 9:54:30 GMT
The difference putting the Mutec in my system was profound. Happy to bob it over sometime (we are getting braver at venturing out.. so shouldn’t be too far away).. and hear if the Mutec offers anything different in your setup. In the meantime I’m wondering just buying a Douk just to play around with. I’ve got a little project that even with my limited skill set might benefit. That would be interesting chaps. The additional myriad of inputs/outputs from the Mutec are also a huge factor for me as I do like running multiple DACs, it also has a world clock output which I run into my digital EQ. Just a thought, some people have reported even more of a jump in SQ when 'daisy chaining' a couple of Mutecs together! I wonder if the same would occur with the Douk..... Or running a Douk before/after the Mutec.... Can of worms just opened in my mind..... As you posted this, I was thinking exactly the same. In fact, just looking up the Douk outputs to see if you could daisy chain the Douk kit. Certainly worth thinking about a Mutec/Douk daisy chain |
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Post by jimbo on Feb 26, 2022 10:15:10 GMT
It is good to be back Steve.  I saw the Mutec DDC sometime back and I am sure it has made a clear difference to your digital set up Steve - good move! The Douk is a real find at an incredible price which first came to my attention over on Head Fi forum where a lot of the folk there are always ahead of the game as it were with digital audio. There is a thread running on there with lots of folk using the Douk DDC with much more expensive DACs including the Denafrips Ares 2 which I believe you use? As to a comparison between the Mutec MC-3 haha that would be fun. All I can say is that in my own system the Douk has elevated my humble digital system to a really great level. As you may know I am not a fan of digital audio but this at least makes my digital files listenable! The difference putting the Mutec in my system was profound. Happy to bob it over sometime (we are getting braver at venturing out.. so shouldn’t be too far away).. and hear if the Mutec offers anything different in your setup. In the meantime I’m wondering just buying a Douk just to play around with. I’ve got a little project that even with my limited skill set might benefit. As its cheap as chips Steve it might be worth getting hold of one. The one I have is the earlier model with i2s and I bought it from Amazon. Yes indeed we will have to sort out a meet up sometime when we feel brave enough too |
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Post by jimbo on Feb 26, 2022 10:20:23 GMT
Just in case folk have not tried using a LPS on your DDC it will also give it another lift in performance.
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Post by stevew on Feb 26, 2022 10:37:03 GMT
That would be interesting chaps. The additional myriad of inputs/outputs from the Mutec are also a huge factor for me as I do like running multiple DACs, it also has a world clock output which I run into my digital EQ. Just a thought, some people have reported even more of a jump in SQ when 'daisy chaining' a couple of Mutecs together! I wonder if the same would occur with the Douk..... Or running a Douk before/after the Mutec.... Can of worms just opened in my mind..... Yes daisy chaining does seem to improve the digital data even more and would be a far lot cheaper with Douk audio DDCs than mutecs although the daisy chained experiences i have read about were using Mutecs! Just pondering.. is it possible to daisy chain the Douk? It’s usb in, but no usb out? How could it work? |
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Post by brucew268 on Feb 26, 2022 10:39:12 GMT
That would be interesting chaps. The additional myriad of inputs/outputs from the Mutec are also a huge factor for me as I do like running multiple DACs, it also has a world clock output which I run into my digital EQ. Just a thought, some people have reported even more of a jump in SQ when 'daisy chaining' a couple of Mutecs together! I wonder if the same would occur with the Douk..... Or running a Douk before/after the Mutec.... Can of worms just opened in my mind..... As you posted this, I was thinking exactly the same. In fact, just looking up the Douk outputs to see if you could daisy chain the Douk kit. Certainly worth thinking about a Mutec/Douk daisy chain Looks like the Douk input is USB only, as are many DDC's and Mutec being an exception to that, so no easy way to daisychain. |
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Post by macca on Feb 28, 2022 14:35:33 GMT
The only cables I have had for years which have not fallen apart or broken internally in some way is a set of Audioquest Turquoise.
Had them 25 years and they still work fine. They were a hundred quid though so about £250 in today's money.
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 28, 2022 14:50:37 GMT
There must be a decent cable somewhere in this lot...?  P1030401 by , on Flickr Some Spotfire in there Jim. Moved on? |
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Post by jimbo on Feb 28, 2022 16:20:48 GMT
Haha not quite but some interesting stuff in that pile, just trying to get my head / ears around at the moment. But you know me I never rush into things. I was going to let you know about that cable I was reviewing last week but things got a bit more complicated - hence the rats nest!  |
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Post by jimbo on Feb 28, 2022 16:22:31 GMT
The only cables I have had for years which have not fallen apart or broken internally in some way is a set of Audioquest Turquoise. Had them 25 years and they still work fine. They were a hundred quid though so about £250 in today's money. Don't think they do that one anymore but probably good to move on as its most likely worn out. |
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 28, 2022 16:25:11 GMT
Haha not quite but some interesting stuff in that pile, just trying to get my head / ears around at the moment. But you know me I never rush into things. I was going to let you know about that cable I was reviewing last week but things got a bit more complicated - hence the rats nest! No worries. It can be tricky to be definite about what you're hearing so best to take your time. Will enjoy reading a good cable post though. |
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Post by jimbo on Feb 28, 2022 16:46:00 GMT
Haha not quite but some interesting stuff in that pile, just trying to get my head / ears around at the moment. But you know me I never rush into things. I was going to let you know about that cable I was reviewing last week but things got a bit more complicated - hence the rats nest!  No worries. It can be tricky to be definite about what you're hearing so best to take your time. Will enjoy reading a good cable post though. Very tricky with cables as they can change considerably from new as you know and although I was joking about 100 hour burn in I think this is about right so it maybe sometime to make a decision on one of those in the picture. I heard a cable I had from Steve (megabucks price) and it did my head in trying to nail it down as it completely changed its character from one day to the next. Thought there was something wrong with my system at the time but double checked all was OK? Like cartridges and speakers - bits of wire are tricky suckers to evaluate until you have had them in your system for a good while at least in my humble experience. |
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I saw the Mutec DDC sometime back and I am sure it has made a clear difference to your digital set up Steve - good move!
