alper_yilmaz
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Upon reading this post and checking Lon's link for cryo'd TAD EL84 STR's, I ordered a pair, and have been listening to them for the last two weeks or so. Last night I put back the stock SV83's and immediately had the urge to switch back to the TAD's. I love the SV83's, and actually they might be my all time favorite output tubes! Yet, the TAD's brought the SE84UFO to another level. Let me share my observations...
First the setup:
Sources: Rotel RCD-1070 CD Player (used only as a transport), MacBook Pro for iTunes and TIDAL (connected to the DAC via USB port) DAC/Preamp: Copland DAC215 (with Siemens 6922 tubes) Amp: Decware SE84UFO Speakers: B&W DM630 (at 91db 1w1m) Cables: DH Labs Filters/Power Distributors: Stein InLine Power 2, BlackNoise
Second, the music:
Alper Yilmaz - XX - Revisited; Deep Down; A Day in Granada; Different City, Different Mood (Different City, Different Mood) Aydin Esen - Anadolu; Song for Santisi; Love's Haunts (Anadolu) Joe Henderson - Miles Ahead (So Far, So Near) John McLaughlin - Blue in Green (Live at the Royal Festival Hall) John McLaughlin - Very Early (Time Remembered) John Coltrane - Liberia (COltrane's Sound) Wolfgang Muthspiel - Matteo (Vienna Naked) Vera Blue - Private (Perennial) Beatles - In My Life (Rubber Soul) Daft Punk - few tunes from Random Access Memories Keith Jarrett - J.S. Bach Goldberg Variations Rosalyn Tureck - J.S. Bach Goldberg Variations Emil Gilels, Amadeus Quartet - Brahms Piano Quartet #1 Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Phiharmonic - Schoenberg, Verklärte Nacht
When I put the TAD EL84's on few weeks ago, I could not tell any difference at the beginning. It might be due to burn-in, or more likely that, it takes a while for me to hear things and process them in my brain. However, after two weeks or so, yesterday I switched back to SV83's. The other tubes are NOS RCA 5Y3GT as the rectifier and a 6N2P I bought from Decware.
The first impressions were much around the bass. On pretty much all Decware amps I have listened to so far, the mids and trebles are to die for. I know a lot of people try to tame their trebles on their TORII's but when I had the mkII, I never touched the treble controls. Anyway, my tube rolling experience always revolves around what I hear on the bass.
Going back to last night with SV83's, I started listening to Tureck's out-of-line Goldberg Variations interpretation. During the counterpointal lines of Bach's masterpiece, I felt like Tureck was using the "uno corda" (soft) pedal way too much, but somehow the pedal sounded like it was affecting all the left-hand lines! Weird! It even felt as if the left and right hands were recorded separately and the left hand which covered the bass and low-mid register was pushed back a bit in the mix.
You know what I mean, the basses were kind of soft, yet they were there, fully detailed. But soft, and coming from behind... I thought that might be an issue due to the placement of the mics (towards the right of the piano in relation to the player) or something weird done in the mix.
I immediately switched back to my album, "Different City, Different Mood" which I know inside-out (inevitably) and have been part of all stages of post-production. Let me tell you this; I could not recognize my bass! It sounded good (the bass, not the player), detailed, but lacked the body and the punch. Somehow, the Rhodes and piano, and the drums were taking over the recording and the bass was somehow there but not as prominent. I know my bass tone quite well; I am not as demanding as Anthony Jackson when it comes to bass tone, but I am almost there!
In order to check, I switched to Aydin Esen's "Anadolu" where Anthony plays the electric basses. Nope, it was soft. Peter Erskine's cymbals were crisp, had the shimmer and a very pleasant, linear decay, yet the kick blending in with Anthony's monster bass accompaniment was way too understated.
Interestingly, this representation brought a 3D effect to the music, as if some plate reverb was used in the mix. But the so-called reverb was applied to all frequencies, so softened the bass. The soundstage was only a tad higher, but depth of field got deeper as if I were on an opera stage with more depth than width! Was it good? Yeah! But is it what I was looking for? Well, I am a bass player; switched from guitar back in '93 and never looked back! So the sound of the bass would rather be good! :)
Anyway, coming back to today... As soon as I woke up, I switched back to the TAD EL84 STR's. Boy, am I loving them!
In comparison to the SV83's, these sound much more balanced and natural to me. The basses are much punchier and better defined now. I can now recognize my bass lines and my tone. Anthony's bass and Peter's kick drum are clicking together much more tightly.
Rosalyn Tureck's left hand is much closer, now, to her right hand and I can tell there is only one piano, not two actually! :) The mids on Keith Jarrett's harpsichord on Goldberg Variations are even more detailed now. They sound less fatiguing, yet more crisp and defined.
The overdubbed guitar lines in Muthspiel's "Matteo" and his voice blend in better; and it really shows a higher appreciation of how well that album was recorded, mixed and mastered (let alone the great music). The electronically enhanced basses on Vera Blue's "Private" and Daft Punk sound clearer now and make you want to dance.
Coltrane's tenor on Liberia from his re-mastered work at 192kHz/24 bits sounded as good as its original vinyl with the body of the sax, despite there is no close micing in that session.
John McLaughin's interpretation of Bill Evans' "Very Early" is an amazing interpretation of the late pianist's work with a guitar ensemble. With the TAD's, you can identify each guitar in the recording and the separation is a bit better than what was presented by the SV83's.
I wish I had the original mono recording of the Rubber Soul. The remastered stereo version simply puts each instrument in one of the channels. It is still very beautiful, but I would have loved to hear the mono layering of instruments with the TAD's.
Coming to some of the orchestral pieces... I did not have much chance to run the SE84UFO into trouble by feeding it some large symphonic work! But, Schonberg's Verklarte Nacht (Transfigured Night) sounded amazing! It is one of Schonberg's earlier works composed in a very traditional way, but under the baton of Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic excels in this recording. Oh, stop! I started talking about music, not the tubes or the SE84UFO... Well, maybe they are both out of the way! How about that! :)
Anyway, lastly, I checked Emil Gilels collaboration with Amadeus Quartet on Brahms' Piano Quartet #1 which was recorded in 1971. Some of the Deutsche Grammophone's chamber music recordings from that era sound a bit mid-forward to me. But I must admit, they are beautiful though. The TAD's did an amazing work by putting out what was recorded very truthfully. It did not sound "not forgiving" though. But it did not feel like it was coloring the sound, and I love that...
I know I have written quite long. So thanks to all who have been patient enough to read this far. My last two cents... Both sets of tubes are amazing! As I said before SV83's or EL84's in general are my favorite tubes. But on SE84's SV83's have been my favorite up until I was introduced to the TAD's. Even with a problematic set of speakers that I have, the outcome of the combination of NOS RCA 5Y3GT, TAD EL84 STR's and a 6N2P has been amazing. I just put another order of NOS Mullard GZ32 after the last one was stolen; and I remember those tubes being my favorites on my TORII mkII. I cannot wait to receive that one to see how it would affect the bass on my system. I know the mids and trebles would be still to die for! :)
Have a nice weekend...
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