The instalation of this VTL´s Monoblocks change all the soul of the System, a miracle.
The combination of this Monoblocks and the 803´s is magical
Thanks for looking
With the Straight Wire Maestro Speakers cable and the Stones in the Speakers Bases, add more stage and clarity, and give to the 803´s more deep bass.
At this time I always use a japanese turntables all my life, yesterday start to use a vintage fully restored Thorens TD126MkII, and the sound is absolutely new to me, open and rich, deep bass and full stage, I already use a Vintage Cartrigde, my next step, some Benz Micro or another, accept sugestions, Thanks
Tweaks
Shanling CD-T100, I buy the Audiocom Superclock 4 from Kyle, excellent service by the way, and installed myself, I found some problems to find the adequate power source, having a noise troubles, at last we install a Toko PS30-12C power supply 110/12vdc variable (9 to 17vdc). This tweak is really amazing in this way, with this power source we can change de DC out tuning the superclock 4 depending on the DC out, in the 10.5 vdc works excellent for me. Equally I install the Underwood Mods 1 and 2, buying the components from Ebay, rising the Shanling to the High End level.
VTL´s
The originals MB-300´s mono blocks are excellent tube powers amplifiers for the money, just with a some harsh sound problem in the tetrode mode, and of course the detail of the age. I realize four important changes on this beauties, changing the originals VTL´s polypropylene Rolled Film (0.47k-400v)for the Mundorfs (16 in total), retiring the 16 Electro harmonix KT-90 for the Genalex Gold Lions KT-88, installing a Telefunken´s NOS originals driver tubes from 1956 (210 dollars from Ebay), and changing all the electrolytic capacitors from a new ones (Elna Caps). With all this Mods the VTL´s sound more delicacy and powerful, with a enormous detail, stage and some interesting point to my B&W 803s, a defined and powerful bass.
B&W 803S
Change the originals Crossover Caps for a Mundorfs, and installing a new internal cables from Cardas, offer a new dimension to this beauties, the mids and the highs are more defined, and you can noticed much more definition between instruments.
VTL´s Power Cords
I buy four AC connectors from some people in Hong Kong (Ebay), two males and two females, obtain from a Car Audio Store some meters of the high power DC cable number 10 (Used in the Cars Audio installation) and built my own Power Cords (see pics). After that I install a exclusive 230VAC socket to plug this two Powers Cords through the VTL´s Monoblocks, in this current this beauties sound more relaxed and open and you save money on the electricity.
System edited: Install the VTL´s monoblocks in the down sides of the equipment, very close to the each monitor, and reload the rest of the pieces over the table, better view and better WAF. New Video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmqGxr2UQps Merry Christmas and thanks for looking.
System edited: I don´t have any problems to the evolution of High End Audio market, but in the end for me and audiophile is someone who always stay in search of a new sound frontier, using his personal skills and the rich information through the Internet, obtaining a better sound everyday expending less money, and the more important, feeling great. Thanks for looking, sorry for my english, is not my mothers language.
System edited: This week I built my own power cables for the Monoblocks. Made it with Special terminals buy it from Hong Kong (4x36 bucks), and a combination of torched cables 8 awg (3 pcs.). The sound presents more detailed, and reinforced in the middle bass.
System edited: Always learning, new perspective with this Shanling, of course with the mods, the best improvement was the Telefunken 801s in the PV-12 C&J and the VTL´s, fine high ends and deep bass, a lot of stage.
System edited: Today I install this Cardas cables in the TP-16 tonearm of the Thorens TD126MkII, in combination to the Tube Phono Stage from Jolida (JD9), its absolutely a new improvement. The Jolida was overhauled with some new internals capacitor and a nice pair of NOS Mullards 12AX7.
Not yet, my sound taste is different, my prefer music is the classic and jazz, trying to drive the amplifiers in triode mode, but in my plans i have to get some pieces of that telefunken. The principal problem is that i have a lot of tube equipments, and yhe tube rolling is a littlie expensive and we have to do it step by step to appreciate every different.The real advantage is that you enjoy a new equipment from time to time. Thanks for your interest.
I really like the way you've taken top shelf components and tailored the sound to your tastes with tube rolling. Very nicely done. That's a lot of the fun with tube gear, isn't it? Have you tried any Telefunken NOS tubes? Seem to be a bit brighter and more forward in the midrange than the Mullards or Siemens.
The VAC Amplifier is sweet, mellow, with a excelent stage, magical in triode, and delicious in linear, but the 803´s are hungry speakers, deserve and can handle a lot of power.
The VTL´s have more hard sound in the begining, in triode mode, but full of a incredible stage, punch and power, 300 to 350 watts of pure tube power per monoblock. To control better all this force, first I change the 12AX7 tubes with some Mullards NOS, second I install 16 new Teflon caps (expensive), and third, always running the amplifiers in triode mode; in this way this monsters sound like angels, a brutal caramel, the next step is to change the tubes KT-90 for 16 KT-88, this is the pinacle of sound of this amplifiers. The best impresion of the VTL´s that always let you impresed is the stage, live sound sensation, and the incredible punch, the last changes made to this beautys, is for get more detail, stage, sweet and controlled sound. In this moments they sound amazing, I recomended, sometimes the best way to obtain the high end sound, enjoy better searching the grial, making ideas, working and dreaming, for me this is the real audiophile. Thanks for asking, sorry for my lousy English.
Nice clean installation, and I'll bet it sounds great. Congratulations on putting it all together. Looks as though you've gone from a VAC amplifier to VTL. What are your impressions of the change?
A lot of Jazz, Michel Camilo, Patricia Barber, Miles Davis, and Classic to, the Germans one, Karajan of the 80´s, and Opera. In the other side I have a extensive collection of the 70¨s and I have certain preference for Zucchero and Sting in the popular music. In this days I prove the new 180 grs vinyl´s, really awesome.
System edited: Actually I install a pair of 12AU7 Siemens Nos in the C&J PV-12L, and the equipment get a totally new life, deep bass, delicious mids and very extended trebles. Inserting the Wadia 860 in the pit I just make anoyher miracle rediscovering all my CD collection. In the case of the Thorens turntable, I change the tonearm cables for a Cardas one, buy it in ebay to some nice person in Canada, and adding the Jolida Tube Phono Stage in the line, with the combination of the Benz Micro Cartrigde, just demostrate that the vinyl is just the life.
Nice System Luie. I too have the N803's but dont use the spikes and they sit on the carpet. You mention the stone bases as a homemade tweak. Did you have this stone (what type) cut at a local stone shop? Just curious. Thx
System edited: To the Thorens TD126MkII, put a Benz Micro Lo4 Moving Coil Cartrigde, just marking the real initiation inthe Analogic world, buying some new Lp´s of 180 gr. a real discover.The turntable is in perfect condition, already overhauled. The VTL´s is running with a new VCaps teflon Caps of 0.47uf to 600 vdc, 16 pieces of this nice stuff, a little expensive but, absolutely marvelous
System edited: Put a pair of Straight Wire Maestros, and install a Home Made Speaker Bases, of Stone.With the cables improve the bass of the 803´s in presence and detail, the highs sound more like the 802´s, more realistic, with the stone bases and metal spikes, the speakers dissapear .
Yes, the original VTL, but really don´t like the sound, with the CJ was a discover. I also tried with a McIntosh C32, forget it. All my crazy audiophile´s friends tell me about this combination, the best results. Thanks for asking.
