Steve Deckert
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Hey Lon... Ironically as I read your post, I find myself setting here listening to your actual ZROCK2 with the silver jacks and the type II beeswax caps.
I am using my vintage Sansui tuner that I had to give up on years ago because it's just too thin for the MP3 radio stations in my area. On a good jazz station with strong signal (which no longer exists) the tuner sounds clean and transparent. It's quite nice.
So tonight I put it on a classic rock station that never lasts more than about 22 minutes before I've been distracted by disappointment so many times I just have to give up.
Tonight with Lon's ZROCK2 connected to the tuner's outputs the sound is massively improved. Interestingly I was just realizing moments ago how much more enjoyable it is and that I've never been able to listen to this tuner without rapid disappointment... and it's not the tuner's fault btw.
In fact, the sound I've grown to hate from the MP3 rock station and the Sansui tuner is good enough now, that there really isn't any reason to stream it off the internet and chew up bandwidth and put up with the occasional digital farts that are so impossible to ignore when you use a computer. That will certainly simply life: )
Interesting story... the stations around here are so bad now compared to 20 years ago that I had to give up on my Macintosh MR71 as I found it basically unlistenable - as in the Internet sounded better.
What I am hearing tonight with Lon's ZROCK2 on the solid state Sansui tuner compared to the MR71 which had God knows how many tubes, is actually better. That deserves a long pause while we all hang our heads in shame...
In fact I have to say that the speed and transparency of the Sansui, with the weight hit and tone of the ZROCK2 is far surpassing the MR71 by itself, and frankly the MR71 was too thick to add a ZROCK and get this kind of result. You have to admit this hobby is never boring!
If you look at the price of the Sansui and the ZROCK2 the total is just under the price of the MR71 and the combination sounds better. There is no thickness or mud, just solidness and HIT. It's so damn refreshing.
So I guess after distracting myself with that realization, I should say that so far I have spent a fair amount of time with three of the four cap choices, and they are all really good.
My guess as I listen to the type II's in Lon's is that these are going to be at the top of musicality and resolution with no edge whatsoever. The VCAPS will probably impress with more HIT, but will also be more clinical so that voicing may not be good for rooms that are lively.
So that is to say that the with this particular line up of caps, the sonic results are not what you would guess. You start with the Film and Foil from G.E. which is already reference grade by any engineer's standard. We like this cap because it sounds good on digital.
Normally as you go up in resolution there is a price to pay.. however in this case it is different. The next step up is the Cryo Beeswax caps, which are aluminum foil, and with those you get a noticeable increase in resolution without any additional edge. It's a win win. Normally the increase in resolution would come with some edge that would ruin less than great recordings.
If you increase the resolution further with the type II beeswax, which are copper foil, the only thing that happens is the liquidity goes up as well, there is no trade off. Again a win win.
I find the sonics of the Jupiter cryo treated beeswax caps reminiscent of what a tube rectifier brings to the table when employed in a good tube amplifier. Midrange liquidity and naturalness in the bass with surprising control... for some reason we tend to think you can't have tight bass without dry bass... a misnomer that came from mid fi retail.
The VCAPS are going to be the king of resolution and HIT but with a less organic feel and several weeks of break-in where you will question your choice at least three times. Once dialed in and properly seasoned, the VCAPS are quite good and do achieve the liquidity that you have on day one with the Beeswax caps.
Happy listening!
Steve
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