JOMAN
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It hasn’t been a week but sometimes even when the burn in isn’t complete you can tell that you’ve nailed it. Lon’s right... the ZR2, even before the A-mods, does reveal good and bad but not to the same degree as after the A-mods. This is a very good thing because if you follow what it’s telling you, you end up with something that is so outsdanding.
Before getting the A-mods on my ZR2 I knew I would have do make some changes to the cabling, simply changing connectors did it. Actually that started when I installed my new Co-Ax cable, actually it isn’t a Co-Ax configuration - a Boomslang (I know Lon... it doesn’t exist), and that was before the A-mods.
When I got the my A-moded ZR2, as impressive as it was, it and the UFO-25 were pointing to something else that needed ‘adjusting’. I was using a Seimens ECC82 nickel plate in the ZR2, great tube in the right application. I use German tubes because they can be very dynamic but do tilt to the upper frequencies, which up until I got the modded ZR2 was good for me. Afterwords though, as the moded ZR2 continued to burn in the ‘tartness’ started to become a distraction from the really good things that were happening and that I was so impressed with
So I felt that I needed to experiment with the tube that I had in the A- moded ZR-2, but had a limited choice of tubes, a Seimens E80CC and the tube that came with the ZR2, a re branded GE 5963 long grey plate 60’s vintage. Put the Seimens ECC80 in and the ‘tartness’ was gone. Nice but not enough resolution for me. So I put the original Red Tipped GE in thinking why not. Things improved quite significantly, tartness gone, impressive, better resolution but I wanted more life.
Next I looked at what I had in my CSP-3 outputs... 6N11’s. These had been in for a couple of years and I new that these Could be a bit ‘hard’. So these were the next to go. I have a few options here and the one I chose went against my better judgment.. pair of Seimens ECC88. I have a couple of pair and I was thinking of selling them, but I put them in the CSP-3 with the original GE 5963 in the A-modded ZR-2 and W O W!!!
Walking back to my chair I started to move to the tempo of the music and I didn’t sit down for a while. As the tubes started to burn in I noticed a bit of haziness with some music but not all, with jazz it was great, my wife commented that it’s like being in a smokey bar.
So I got and tried an RCA 5963 blackplate and a National 5963 black plate. Really nice but lost some life and after experiencing that I was not prepared to let it go. Next I tried a Sylvania 5963 long grey plate and BINGO. More resolution no ‘tartness’ and all the life is back. I did dial the input volume level on my ZDSD back from -.5dB to -1dB.
What I mean by life is what we used to refer to as PRaT, I think that Naim started that. Now some will argue that you can only get Pace, Rythm and Timing in a live event. Well, I can’t keep still when I listen now, toe tapping and foot stomping galore! Voices to die for... Yes all the audiophile stuff is there along with a huge sound stage with a large scale perspective on the musicians and vocalists. But the sheer dynamic power of the music is just amazing. You can clearly hear what the musicians are doing, perhaps not as much as in a live event but more than enough.
The ZR-2 still reveals the quality of the recording, however, I’ve yet to take a disc out regardless.
As everything is burning in the PRaT remains and the sound gets better. Let me emphasize it’s not just one tube that’s doing this it’s sum of the whole, not just the tube. No magic bullet, just patience and perserverence.
I have to confess, one more tube en route... Raytheon 3 hole grey plate, wind mill getter. After that, a final selection and tube rolling is over, just need to get spares. For now it’s the Sylvania 5963 long grey plate and GE 5963 long grey plate for me, in that close order. I’m keeping both. You may find you like the black plate tubes better with your set up.
Finally after many years of trial and trial, I’m there!
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