DancingSea
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Great insights Lon!
I think the CryoTone are more transparent, a more desirable to some audiophile sound. But the tone, compared to my 1960’s Mazda and RCA, is not to my tastes.
I have been digesting the latest Dave’s Picks 42, four discs. In my DirectStream days (and prior to tube gear) the additional level of transparency would’ve made such a live 1974 Dead recording almost unlistenable. The DirectStream sent many of my long time favorite CDs to a similar fate while making my A+ recordings sound amazing.
I’m, for better or worse, only recently an audiophile. In 1999 I researched and bought a decent stereo. Meadowlark Audio speakers, YBA integrated, DH Labs cables, and an Ah! Tjeob 4000 CD player (about $4000 in today’s money). For 17 years I never once explored an upgrade of anything. I had yet to contract the virus. It was just about playing music with the only critical thought being whether or not I liked the music. Zero attention was applied to the gear.
In 2016 I wanted to know what a DAC was. That led me to the crackheads at Computer Audiophile and within 6 months, I was smoking along with them.
The gear upgrades began. By the time I got to the DirectStream Junior, I had crossed into an uncomfortable level of transparency that substantially narrowed the type of recordings I could listen to, while elevating the cream to new levels of wonder.
But I wanted to find my way back to a modern version of where I was before. Where most recordings sounded really good.
My current Marantz (SACD 30n, Model 30), LRS, CSP3 (stock tubes), ZR2 (NOS Mazda or RCA) brought me there. With great joy I play my old CDs. And the recently arrived Dave’s Picks 42 sounded incredible.
But when I put in the CryoTone, it took me back to those more transparent days. Dave’s Picks 42, the only recording I used for evaluation, was unpleasant. Put in my old tubes, and ah, so much easier to listen to.
From CryoTone I bought one each of the 12AU7 and ECC88. With the 10% off I paid $222 delivered. What do you think would be an appropriate price to sell them both?
I’m convinced that NOS is the place for me. I’ve learned that I’m tone centric. If the tone is not to taste, the rest doesn’t matter to me, even if the “rest” has its virtues. The tone creates the emotional connection in my brain, and in that regard, the NOS Mazda and RCA is a better personal match.
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