I just read something about cathode stripping and fast start rectifiers like the 5U4G damaging tubes in your Amp.  Please tell me that Steve's design has a slow start to counteract this.  This XRCD next...

This is what i read followed by the next CD...

A problem caused by directly heated or filamentary cathode rectifiers is known as cathode stripping. Cathode stripping is a highly technical issue, but the basics of it are this: Filamentary Cathode rectifier tubes like 5R4, 5U4, 274B etc can deliver full DC levels only FIVE seconds after powering up an amp in which they are installed. In contrast, it takes TWELVE seconds, more or less, for the input tubes (12AX7, 12AU7, 6SN7 etc) and the output tubes (KT88, EL34 etc) to even BEGIN conducting this DC voltage.. so there are about 7 seconds where full DC levels are applied to the power supply capacitors and the audio input and output tubes… and these tubes are not ready to use/conduct this DC voltage. Thus, when the audio tubes do begin to conduct current at ca. twelve seconds after the amplifier is turned on, the 5U4/5R4 type rectifiers have already been charging the entire circuit with full DC current/voltage levels for 6-7 seconds. This difference in warm-up time causes a huge transient surge of current and electron emission in the cathodes of the input and output tubes as these audio tubes begin emitting electrons and thus conducting current— The audio tubes essentially are “slammed” by the full DC levels that have been present for several seconds before they were able to conduct current. These extreme transient currents and emission levels at the moment when the audio tubes begin to emit electrons and thus conduct current causes cumulative damage to the cathode. This cumulative damage gradually begins “stripping” precious cathode emulsion away as small amounts of the cathode emulsion are literally boiled off the cathode during the brief but intense current spike as the audio tubes first reach operating temperature some 7 seconds later than a filamentary cathode rectifier reaches operating temperature. The damage is rather small each time, but over the course of hundreds of turn-on cycles when the amplifier is powered up it cumulatively contributes to an early death for expensive audio tubes.

Well that's interesting. I think Steve would be concerned about that if true to this extent and either compensated for it in his designs or would have cautioned owners about the use of expensive tubes. . . .

I don't know. Would be interesting to hear his viewpoint or the viewpoints of those far more in the know than I am. . ..

My wife is off work today. . . no music for me!

Back at you Lon...  This is a four CD set with a March 22 concert with John Coltrane and an October 13 concert with Sonny Stitt...both 1960. Same tour as yours.  Playing CD #1 with Coltrane...the sound is remarkably good for a 1992 CD of a 1960 Live recording.  Oh, I bought a third 5V4G tube for $10 shipped...I'll try it in the Taboo MK III and CSP3...

Well, I was hoping I had the set you're listening to but couldn't find it but did find a 1 CD of the Same Coltrane set played April 8, 1960 in Zurrich one day before the Coltrane set in your set...same set exactly even the order of the tunes is the same... I'll have to look for that one you have if the sound is so good.  Was it recorded for radio broadcast?

Speaking of jazz shows in Holland that are well-recorded I'm listening to this one:



I love the late recordings of the Ellington Orchestra when they are "on." This band really knew how to express the joy of playing and entertaining for people, and they had a goofy swing at times that really gets under my skin.

This now...you may have sold this to me...Of course, I'd prefer acoustic piano and bass  ;)

Here is the list of appearances in that tour as chronicled on the best Miles Davis website I know:

March 22, 1960      Konserthuset - Stockholm, Sweden      
March 24, 1960      Tivoli Konsertsal - Copenhagen, Denmark      
March 28, 1960      Apollo Theatre (WDR Studio) - Düsseldorf, Germany  (MD absent)
March 30, 1960      Kongresshalle  Miles Davis Quintet
April 3, 1960      Kongress-Saal, Deutsches Museum - Munich, Germany      
April 8, 1960      Kongresshaus - Zürich, Switzerland      
April 9, 1960      Kurhaus - Scheveningen, The Netherlands      
April 9-10, 1960      Concertgebouw - Amsterdam, The Netherlands      
September 27, 1960      Free Trade Hall - Manchester, United Kingdom      
October 11, 1960      Olympia Theatre - Paris, France      
October 13, 1960      Konserthuset - Stockholm, Sweden      
October 15-16, 1960      Concertgebouw - Amsterdam, The Netherlands      

http://www.plosin.com/milesahead/Sessions.aspx?d=6

This morning I was googling to find a users manual for the Monoblocks.  I didn't find it but did find the original site write up for it.  They were sold for $2295 in 2008.  The new version with the UFO and Copper foil Jupiter caps are $1195 each...$2395 for a pair.  If I didn't already have mine, I'd be snapping up a pair before the price goes up.  They get far more use than my Torii.

I was trying to find out the purpose of the dual on off switches...the ZP3 also has them.  Also I have three more inputs that I'm not sure about...maybe two are outputs....here look at the pics of my Amps.

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/tube-decware-se84zsm-monoblocks-with-ckc-mod-j...

So the standby would keep everything but the Tubes on?  So Caps, resistors and wires warm?  I've just been treating the two switches as one. I never leave them on once I leave the room or house.

Also these little Amps...mine are rated at 2.3 and the new ones at 2.7 WPC...sound much louder than you would expect...something about a choke?  I'll see if I can find what Steve said again.  Louder than the Mini Torii and Rachel is what I remember...I don't know if I buy that but it is much louder than my Taboo MK III with speakers.

Well, yes, tubes are warm too but not fully powered.

I am pretty sure that the Monos wouldn't have the juice to give me the headroom I need. If this were only an audio system, perhaps yes, but it's also a video system and to work that way for my wife I need the power of the Torii. I have had the Eddie Vaughn modified C amp in this room with these speakers and it just doesn't have enough power, and that has more power than the Taboo with these speakers.

I can't afford more amps anyway and I LOVE my Torii Mk III and in part because of the fantastic sound the tone controls let me have. So I'm beyond the moon with what i have. If Steve could put these tone controls on a ZMA I would probably save up to try one. . . but he told me he can't.  And he told me that unless I was prepared to also get a ZTPre and go balanced all the way from source to preamp to amp I really wouldn't get an audio upgrade worth the cost (I'm paraphrasing him I believe). And that's a lot of cost!

Right now
Disc 2

I'm sort of in agreement. You really have to work hard to get "resolving" and "more detailed" to work for a lot of recordings, it takes great cabling, isolation control, electrical power, etc. and I have that but I listen to a lot of mediocre recordings and that slight forgiveness the Torii has is welcome. And yes, these tone controls are something I can't do without now.

This last month the sound has inched forward even more. The only real change I've made is moving to another type of output tube as the speakers are a bit closer to the back wall than I want them to be but compromising is good, and I've added more of Herbie's Audio Lab dampers for interconnects on all interconnects and also on HDMI and coaxial and optical cables. I think they've made a subtle difference towards letting in a bit more detail in a musical way.

This is what Steve said in the write up for the 2008 Monos...

"The new SE84ZMS monoblocks evolved to use a single tube per channel because in the end this was the most transparent.  Even though it's predecessor had 4 watts from paralleled output tubes, the new amplifiers actually get louder and are more dynamic from the benefits of a choke regulated high impedance pure polypropylene film and foil power supply and tube voltage regulation of the input stage."  

https://www.decware.com/newsite/monos.htm

Right now,
I like Al Hibbler. First time Lucy heard this she laughed and said "that's old and corny."

The second time she was swaying along with it!

Disc 2 of this part of the July 1978 box set.

CD #6...

PS...Well, I may be fooling myself but this is the best this "Hot" CD has sounded on the Monoblocks...never tried it with the Torii.  So I guess these RCA 5V4Gs further cooled it.  The Amperex 6922s also seemed to do a bit of cooling so the combo is smooth...errrr.    

One minor problem, one of the rectifiers is a little noisy, I'm hoping it clears with burn in. It's only slightly noticeable from the listening position at listening volume.  I have a third one on the way so may switch it out if it doesn't improve.

I finally have the Miles " My F V in concert " on the way Mark. Bit of a cheek really as they charged me another £8 because the price has gone up since I ordered it. Post Brexit he said. lol.

ps I`m bidding on the companion Miles 2fer `Working and steaming`. Red cover. That`ll be all four of his Prestige albums from that period.
Mono but really good recordings.....must be among the best efforts from RVG.

Just got a notice that Music Matters has sent me a package.  Checking my Credit Card it is 3 LPs.

Dexter Gordon - Gettin' Around, Duke Pearson - Wahoo and Kenny Dorham - Whistle Stop.  That's the end of the subscription and the end of the 33 RPM Blue Note series for Music Matters  I did get 2 ebay LPs in the mail today.  So I have something new for tomorrow morning.







And the two ebay buys...