Rivieraranch
|
I took delivery of my new Mini Torii SE-X amp a few weeks ago. I bought it without tubes because I enjoy the hunt, so to speak. I had been buying tubes for it even before I put my order in so prior to its arrival I would have accumulated the tubes it takes. The monkey wrench in this plan was that my tube tester, sent for calibration in March, has still not been returned to me. I did not feel comfortable placing untested tubes in the amp. I was urged to try the amp with the tubes anyway even though I would have much rather tested all of them prior to placing them in.
The tubes are Sovtek 5881WXT; 1957 CBS OD3 voltage regulators; 1969 JAN Sylvania 6X4 rectifiers; 1960 RCA OC2 voltage regulators; and 1959 square getter Sylvania Baldwin 12AU7. (The Sovteks and Baldwins had been tested already and the other tubes were NOS. The likelihood that one would have been bad was slight). I have a pair of JAN Sylvania 6V6 tubes that I would like to try. Before doing that I want to obtain a pair of OA3 voltage regulators.
Once I figured out what all these gizmos were for and where to connect everything, thanks to the online manual, I was ready to turn it on. I connected it to my CSP2, opened the Torii's volume control all the way and used the CSP's gain control to regulate the volume. The gain pots on the CSP2 were turned up only moderately. I turned these pots up a lot more when using my Taboo. I tried the Torii with the CSP2 and without it. I ordered the amp with gold knobs to match my CSP2 instead of the standard retro "chicken head" knobs. That was a good move.
My first conclusion is that this amp does not need a preamp to come to a robust, or even ear shattering volume. It is written that it will handle an input voltage as low as 1 volt. The Taboo likes a 3 volt source. That is where the CSP2 comes in handy with the Taboo. It is not necessary with the Mini Torii. I may revisit using the CSP2 with this amp, but I would have to do a lot of experimenting. For example, there may be a combination of a certain gain on the CSP2 with a certain volume level on both units that might be more pleasing than using the amp without the preamp. But again, this amp does not require a preamp.
The quality of the stereo separation is noticeable immediately. In addition, although I have not listened to this thing at length, there seems to be added depth to the sound field. The imaging and focus is very tight and coherent. My speakers are Von Schweikert VR-1 Mini Monitors and with the amp they sound BIG. This is despite their 89db rating. The EX transformers in the Mini Torii SE-X drive the 8 OHM load well.
I do not have anything further to add at this time. I will post further impressions when I log more listening time. Of course, as with all DECWARE gear, it was carefully packaged and shipped timely. It was everything they promised. The unit works well with no problems of any kind, no hum or anything else undesireable.
|