I am on a constant journey too, but not as eager to change things as I used to be. I am always learning new things as I experiment and one of the things I've learned lately is; once you reach a certain level of sound quality, you don't have the itch for better sound anymore. At lower levels of sound quality, improvements soon lose their novely and sooner than soon get taken for granted in an amazingly short time. It's like you're a spoiled brat and want more improvement right away. But once you reach a certain level, a certain high plains vista of sound quality. Any further improvements don't seem important anymore. When your sound lacks things, that's when further improvements are important. When every area lacks nothing, nothing at all; there DOES come a point where it's ...this IS the sound and experience I wanted. I could live with this forever! There is no one more surprised at this than myself. The sound, especially in the middle, is on the ceiling. There is so much air volume that it has nowhere to go...so it goes UP. If there was even MORE air volume it would be a "So what." Enough at some point really IS delightfully enough!. Just like the fading myth that only analog can sound totally sweet, 3 dimensionality and big airy spaces between the instruments, front to back, is not the sole province of tubes after all. For people who don't have the kind of money to buy an amp like the Gallion, try a tube preamp with a good vintage solid state integrated amp. One where the amp has pre in and main out inputs on the back.The totl models usually had them. Connect your preamp to where you bypass the solid state preamp section and go straight into the power amp section of the integrated amp. I find now, that it's the solid state preamp section that destroys that 3D imaging, not so much the good solid state power amps. My system uses such a configuration with a tube preamp/solid state power amp section of a totl integrated. If I had any more depth, many of the instruments would sound just too far back and lack presence. If you hook things up that way, don't expect the integrated amps tone and balance controls to be operable. They are effectively out of the circuit. Some of the power amp sections of totl integrated amps from around 4 decades ago, are real sleepers!
There are many strange things about high end audio. One of things that I think is strange is that people are all striving toward something that is not known to them. There is no place you can go where someone will put on a recording and say "Ok this is it. This is the goal. This is what you work toward getting, or at least as close to THIS sound I'm gonna play, as you can get. This is the pinnacle, this isr just what recorded sound can be, at it's best. And this is recorded sound at its best. This is where we are at right now at the current state of the art." This is what you upgrade for, to try to achieve sound quality like this"... as he presses the play button or lowers the stylus. So Audiophiles are spending tens of thousands of dollars and more to achieve a goal or some level that they have no idea what they're trying to achieve. They're spending all that money to achieve something which they don't even know what the goal or achievment is, or if they'll like it, or how it will sound or anything. They have been told by credible people that you cannot achieve the sound of live music; Not even close. There's a tendency when hearing real good sound reproduction to think; this perfectection, or near it. No, if you had the musicians in your room playing, you would realize that thought is way off. it's going to be something much less than that, even if you are a trillionaire. With most things in life, the goal is clear. A War General shows on a map, a bridge that has to be destroyed. The aim is clear. A builder of skyscrapers looks at the blueprints and clearly sees the goal. An athlete knows how high he has to jump to clear the bar. The goal is visible and a known entity or quantity. Even religious people who believe in heaven have seen pictures of it depicted in books and in The Bible. But audiophiles are going for something so vague that even they don't know what the end game is; what they are really going for, and spending tens of thousands to get.. What will it sound like? Will it be nirvana, or something so revealing that you will hate all but some of your recordings. Will it be a hell of sorts? There is a lot of fantasy involved in audio. If you think you are going to achieve sound that is something convincingly as real as live music, you are in fantasyland. The late Ivor Tiefenbrun of Linn turntable fame, once said in a printed interview that our best equipment only achieves around 12% of the sound quality of real musical instruments being played. That might seem like a low estimate, but if you've ever sat at a piano and started playing it, and hear all the complex harmonics, the complex blending of notes and tones, you no doubt realized how simplified and primitive our audio reproductions are, compared to the infinite comlexity and numbers of sounds even one instrument can make. There is something else going on. Maybe people just need to have some goal in life to give them a reason to go on. Even if that goal is unattainable. Perhaps it's good that it is. What if you actually attained that goal? Then what then? What next?
This is spot on and I am going through this. I've added a couple things recently that made a huge difference. But before adding them I had no idea it could get better. It inevitably causes me to look at the rest of my equipment and wonder what else I could change. Maybe there's nothing further I could do, but it's the "Maybe" that pushes me forward. It would be wonderful to have an actual goal and know what the level is where it can't get any better. Impossible though...
Oh don't think that yet! You have some nice equipment but you might only be about 30% up the.sound quality mountain. Your best piece from what I gather is the Gallion Gallion.amp. With enough isolation and a good moving coil cartridge, you could get the TD 160 Super not that far from Class B, or borderline Class B. But I am finding that the improvements keep coming even after I subjectively subjectively easily reached Class A. I'm now sure that there is at least 6 performance grades gradesor levels above equipment in Stereophile magszines Class A. A. It takes serious modding though. With each grade representing about another 20 to 25% improvement. I say "at least" another 6 grades because with my mods the improvements show no signs of stopping, or even slowing yet. Your KLH 5 speakers are good speakers but even if you had $100,000 state of the art source and electronics connected to them, they would not get to anywhere near the sound of say MBL or Rockport speakers. Clint Eastwood was said to have once owned Rockport equipment. When someone hears a system with double or triple the sound quality of their system, they can hear it is better, but they don't realize just how much better it is. If they took it home and lived with it, and played all their favorite records, then they'd begin to realize how much better it is. So this should not be discouraging at all, but something to look forward to. Improvements are not going to stop because of reaching a ceiling limit of performance anytime soon. Linn's Ivor Tiefenbrun''s estimate that our best equipment is only 12% the sound quality of live, means that we would have to double the sound quality, then double iit again to around 50% and then double it again to reach the 100% of real music plateau. So don't ever worry about there being no room for further improvement. The question is, at what point will we have reached the limit of the source material be it cd, lp or whatever. That limit is whatever the microphones picked up at the original recording session and how much of it survived the subsequent steps including mastering. I can tell you that at about 6 grades above what would be considered entry level Class A sound, the improvements keep coming!
I know what you mean about the holgraphy. I use to have, back in the mid 80’s, a Carver amp, and a Carver Preamp. The preamp had the holographic circuit in it, when engaged wow. With the speakers set up right, the sound would expand beyond the speakers, some things would would like they were coming behind you, very freaky.
A nice amp, and I had considered the standard version like yours that isn't made anymore. But I am extremely happy with my Willsenton R8 (revised) that I got instead. It doesn't have auto bias but it's still very quick and easy to perform. The build quality is very good and I'm happy with the stock tubes, although I have bought a matched quad of Mullard EL34s to try some time in place of the KT88s. The fact that it costs $3,000 less than the TS120 special addition is just icing on the cake for me, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as a first tube amp. As an aside, I recently saw a video on a cool vacuum tube tester by Orange Amps called the Valve Tester Mk II. Although they are geared towards guitarists this thing is still handy for hifi. It's a bit spendy at $1,075 but might be worth it to a hardcore tube roller.
Hi Chris! The tube tester my father in law has was hand-built decades ago and works really well - but it can't test all tubes (limited pin slots). One of these days I want to find a new one that won't hurt my wallet.
Thanks for the video. My first problem is that I'm too energy conscious to own this amp. I know the environment, everything single thing we do relies on it and it's in trouble - big trouble. So I do everything I can not to leave any bigger a footprint on this planet than I need to. I also know electronics really well, it's been my life and career for over 60 years since I was a kid working in a radio/TV shop fixing the first transistor radios in the 60's. I have instruments that measure well above and below human hearing, thousands of times better than the human ear. I have never purchased a sophisticated electronic instrument where the manufacturer told me it has to run 100 hours before it worked right. So, exactly what is changing in 100 or 300 hours that this amp is recommended to run in. Can anyone give me that answer and can anyone measure it, because if you can't measure it, you can't hear it. The human ear, the cochlea simply is not that compliant and can not move that fast or that accurately. If break in actually occurred then it stands to reason that the it would continually change as it kept aging and you wouldn't reach a perfect point ad infinitum but would go past it to where the amp no longer sounded good! Basic common sense. Let's understand sound because audio equipment like any other electronic equipment is designed by engineers, they use the same Ohm's Law and the same Fourier Transforms as any other electronic equipment. The thing with sound is that we can make any sound we like, tubes, mosfets, etc. Nelson Pass sets up his second order harmonics with fets, personally I use tubes, they're fun to play with. The most accurate amplifier you can get today is class D, no other amp can compare with class D for accuracy, you get out what you put in. The reason this is good is because we can save tremendous energy by not running tubes that can double as room heaters or even the magonally efficient A/B. The audio equipment that creates all the sound manipulation is the preamp which uses very little energy, so if you have a class D amp fed by a preamp that modifies the signal you can save all the output tube expense and wasted energy AND you can do it without break in - it's not needed. So you might want to listen to some of the class D amps driven by tube preamps like the Billie Heaven 11 mkII and see if they fit your listening taste. I don't know they will, no one does but electronics is such a sophisticated field today that we can create any sound we like without ransoming the planet.
Rick, if your integrated amplifier is getting as hot as you described, on those super hot days, then I recommend that you direct a fan's breeze over it, while it is warming up and you are not there. You can turn the fan off when you are ready to listen (in case the fan makes too much noise). But even keeping a $12 portable fan, on the low setting, blowing on it will probably extend the life of the unit. You just want to dissipate the bubble of very hot air around it. Any little breeze will do that. Warming up is one thing, and it is essential. But cooking the integrated amplifier cannot be healthy for the unit. Heat kills.
Good afternoon ☕️ Listening …hoping to run into Thomas at the Toronto Audiofest in October. 1:07 ..if you liked it then …barring a radical change in your system ( speakers,room treatments , sources..ect) ..it’s probably pretty good now . Now, is there an upgrade path ..like a separate power supply..that you’ll have to talk to Thomas about. Have a great weekend.
Thanks for the long term review. Always good to hear thoughts about products after a significant time of ownership. How does the TS 120 stack up against the TS A75? Specifically in terms of the holographic sound?
You are spot on. Tube amps need to warm up. I own a chi-fi 300B and whatever others say- sounds good to me but…it sounds different (veiled?) at startup versus 45-60 mins later. Mine opens up- gets clear and more detailed. It is what it is. Nice video.
Thank you for a good video I have become wary of KT120 tubes after the experiences of 'Skunkie Designs' experiences with her 120 monobloc manufacture. The build went fine but she was very disappointed with the tube response from those available She is no slouch and, deservedly, has a considerable following. It put me off KT120s for the present It may help for you to comment
I am subscribed to Stephe's channel at Skunkie Designs and saw that video. I haven't personally used KT120s so can't honestly speak to the quality control issues she ran into. I have used KT88s and will be trying out KT150s in the near future. As far as KT88s go, I've had great experiences with both PSVane and Mullard versions of those.
I would say all the same things about my Black Ice Audio F22 amp. Two terms I often use to describe the sound are natural and organic. I also like how the notes decay in a natural sounding way when listening to acoustic music. If you strum a guitar or strike a note on a piano, the sound waves decay over a period of time. This is the kind of sound you get with a tube amp. Solid state amps really don't do that. So it sounds more lifelike and natural. There are trade offs between solid state and tubes. Right now, I'm enjoying the benefits of a tube amp that I didn't experience with a solid state amp. So, I'm willing to put up with the expense of tubes, the heat, the warmup time, etc. Tubes rule!! Cheers 🍻.
The heat is to make you really feel like you're at a live show. It's adds another dimension. Thomas as sneaky. Now if it would just emit "smoke" while you're listening to Metallica or Rainbow, you'd be all in.
I have 2 small integrated amps (a Fatman & a Woo Audio headphone amplifier) & a Primaluna power amp for my main stereo. None of those are class A, so they run cooler & the tubes last quite a while. The soundstage is easily larger than with my Cambridge Audio solid state amp. The only unit in that collection that has a lot of 2nd harmonic distortion (the famed "classic tube sound" that adds richness to middle frequencies) is the little 25w per channel Fatman, which isn't a champ at resolution & detail but can be fun!
I have heard of it! They've come out with a new version and it would be a great fit for my RB330 tonearm. I wish the cantilever was boron, but at the price point, I suppose aluminum makes sense.
Noob question. If we wanted 3D and holographic space - why not get 5 front speakers with DSP, like center, mains and side speakers - and soundstage is fixed. Apart from the issues of having too many speakers, it seems we are asking the impossible from gear. Akso, a ton of recordings were not recorded with dept and spacig but rather individual and mixed together.
Not a noob question at all. There was development of quadraphonic speakers back in the 70s using 4 speakers. With 2 speaker stereo you can still get that depth and spacing. There's a couple of Pink Floyd records that manage to put the sound behind you (maybe it's a Roger Waters record , I forget now). But you're right - with recordings that weren't mixed to take advantage of some of the possibilities there's not much that can be done with 2 speakers to improve upon it.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords I got their 5u4g for my Modwright PH9 and it made a world of difference. I went from “I need to sell this” to “wow I need to hear another album”…I bet it would make a difference in your TS-120 or even in your phono pre if it’s tube rectified.
One caan't desribe the sound of .....................BUT you did quite a good job trying to do so......and more experienced music lovers will understand and recognize what you were talking about. Class A RULES...........so dos SE..... What is generaly published an the mode of an amplifier...........Class A versus Class B is very missunderstood by most . ....Class AB is a mode in witch the amlifier switches from Class A into..... Class B.......this covers an endless variety of operation choices between almost a class B amplifier with a VERY small portion of Class A operation versus another Class AB ampligfier with an enriched bias into Class A that commutesd into class B only on the higher levels of amplification..........experienced audiophiles and listeners can detect when this happens as the loadlines change ( doubles impedance) . Modern speakers need by defcect and Class AB and ( UL) versus triode mode because of the speakers themselves ; Better loudpeaker adapted andesigned to be driven by tube technology will sound better with the better Class A and even better with real triode mode instead of the UL.........and ... Some speakers will sound better with full pentode mode ........... If ever you have the opportubity and the budgetto spend on nos tubes like the 6550 GE fat boys /the 6550 Tungsol/Winged C 6550C /KT88 GEC ( UK)..........GO for it , you won't regret it . I do not know if this amplifier can work with EL34 tubes or variants od the 6L6 tubes like the 6L6GC/7025A/7581A etc ( all nos ! )? Thank you for sharing your musical experiences .
I have Ohm micros, which sound good but not really as dramatic as some have heard. I wonder if it's because my room has window blinds instead of curtains and a tile floor?
All of the components Thomas has put out are well reviewed without exception Chinese tube amp wiring and design makes me real nervous Thomas may have cracked the Chinese Tube amp janky construction code For the price he is charging I would wait a couple years in the Decware queue and be certain of the build quality and wiring decisions For me nothing compares to low power SE tube amplifiers
I do get it. Really. I have a high opinion about the Galion and trust Thomas wholeheartedly when it comes to his ear and opinion. That being said I do wish they were made locally - that meaning North America. It’s a peace of mind thing.
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I am on a constant journey too, but not as eager to change things as I used to be. I am always learning new things as I experiment and one of the things I've learned lately is; once you reach a certain level of sound quality, you don't have the itch for better sound anymore. At lower levels of sound quality, improvements soon lose their novely and sooner than soon get taken for granted in an amazingly short time. It's like you're a spoiled brat and want more improvement right away. But once you reach a certain level, a certain high plains vista of sound quality. Any further improvements don't seem important anymore. When your sound lacks things, that's when further improvements are important. When every area lacks nothing, nothing at all; there DOES come a point where it's ...this IS the sound and experience I wanted. I could live with this forever! There is no one more surprised at this than myself.
The sound, especially in the middle, is on the ceiling. There is so much air volume that it has nowhere to go...so it goes UP. If there was even MORE air volume it would be a "So what." Enough at some point really IS delightfully enough!. Just like the fading myth that only analog can sound totally sweet, 3 dimensionality and big airy spaces between the instruments, front to back, is not the sole province of tubes after all. For people who don't have the kind of money to buy an amp like the Gallion, try a tube preamp with a good vintage solid state integrated amp. One where the amp has pre in and main out inputs on the back.The totl models usually had them. Connect your preamp to where you bypass the solid state preamp section and go straight into the power amp section of the integrated amp. I find now, that it's the solid state preamp section that destroys that 3D imaging, not so much the good solid state power amps. My system uses such a configuration with a tube preamp/solid state power amp section of a totl integrated. If I had any more depth, many of the instruments would sound just too far back and lack presence. If you hook things up that way, don't expect the integrated amps tone and balance controls to be operable. They are effectively out of the circuit. Some of the power amp sections of totl integrated amps from around 4 decades ago, are real sleepers!
There are many strange things about high end audio. One of things that I think is strange is that people are all striving toward something that is not known to them. There is no place you can go where someone will put on a recording and say "Ok this is it. This is the goal. This is what you work toward getting, or at least as close to THIS sound I'm gonna play, as you can get. This is the pinnacle, this isr just what recorded sound can be, at it's best. And this is recorded sound at its best. This is where we are at right now at the current state of the art." This is what you upgrade for, to try to achieve sound quality like this"... as he presses the play button or lowers the stylus.
So Audiophiles are spending tens of thousands of dollars and more to achieve a goal or some level that they have no idea what they're trying to achieve. They're spending all that money to achieve something which they don't even know what the goal or achievment is, or if they'll like it, or how it will sound or anything. They have been told by credible people that you cannot achieve the sound of live music; Not even close. There's a tendency when hearing real good sound reproduction to think; this perfectection, or near it. No, if you had the musicians in your room playing, you would realize that thought is way off. it's going to be something much less than that, even if you are a trillionaire. With most things in life, the goal is clear. A War General shows on a map, a bridge that has to be destroyed. The aim is clear. A builder of skyscrapers looks at the blueprints and clearly sees the goal. An athlete knows how high he has to jump to clear the bar. The goal is visible and a known entity or quantity. Even religious people who believe in heaven have seen pictures of it depicted in books and in The Bible. But audiophiles are going for something so vague that even they don't know what the end game is; what they are really going for, and spending tens of thousands to get.. What will it sound like? Will it be nirvana, or something so revealing that you will hate all but some of your recordings. Will it be a hell of sorts?
There is a lot of fantasy involved in audio. If you think you are going to achieve sound that is something convincingly as real as live music, you are in fantasyland. The late Ivor Tiefenbrun of Linn turntable fame, once said in a printed interview that our best equipment only achieves around 12% of the sound quality of real musical instruments being played. That might seem like a low estimate, but if you've ever sat at a piano and started playing it, and hear all the complex harmonics, the complex blending of notes and tones, you no doubt realized how simplified and primitive our audio reproductions are, compared to the infinite comlexity and numbers of sounds even one instrument can make. There is something else going on. Maybe people just need to have some goal in life to give them a reason to go on. Even if that goal is unattainable. Perhaps it's good that it is. What if you actually attained that goal? Then what then? What next?
This is spot on and I am going through this. I've added a couple things recently that made a huge difference. But before adding them I had no idea it could get better. It inevitably causes me to look at the rest of my equipment and wonder what else I could change. Maybe there's nothing further I could do, but it's the "Maybe" that pushes me forward. It would be wonderful to have an actual goal and know what the level is where it can't get any better. Impossible though...
Oh don't think that yet! You have some nice equipment but you might only be about 30% up the.sound quality mountain. Your best piece from what I gather is the Gallion Gallion.amp. With enough isolation and a good moving coil cartridge, you could get the TD 160 Super not that far from Class B, or borderline Class B. But I am finding that the improvements keep coming even after I subjectively subjectively easily reached Class A. I'm now sure that there is at least 6 performance grades gradesor levels above equipment in Stereophile magszines Class A. A. It takes serious modding though. With each grade representing about another 20 to 25% improvement. I say "at least" another 6 grades because with my mods the improvements show no signs of stopping, or even slowing yet. Your KLH 5 speakers are good speakers but even if you had $100,000 state of the art source and electronics connected to them, they would not get to anywhere near the sound of say MBL or Rockport speakers. Clint Eastwood was said to have once owned Rockport equipment. When someone hears a system with double or triple the sound quality of their system, they can hear it is better, but they don't realize just how much better it is. If they took it home and lived with it, and played all their favorite records, then they'd begin to realize how much better it is. So this should not be discouraging at all, but something to look forward to. Improvements are not going to stop because of reaching a ceiling limit of performance anytime soon.
Linn's Ivor Tiefenbrun''s estimate that our best equipment is only 12% the sound quality of live, means that we would have to double the sound quality, then double iit again to around 50% and then double it again to reach the 100% of real music plateau. So don't ever worry about there being no room for further improvement. The question is, at what point will we have reached the limit of the source material be it cd, lp or whatever. That limit is whatever the microphones picked up at the original recording session and how much of it survived the subsequent steps including mastering. I can tell you that at about 6 grades above what would be considered entry level Class A sound, the improvements keep coming!
I know what you mean about the holgraphy. I use to have, back in the mid 80’s, a Carver amp, and a Carver Preamp. The preamp had the holographic circuit in it, when engaged wow. With the speakers set up right, the sound would expand beyond the speakers, some things would would like they were coming behind you, very freaky.
It is freaky, Greg. That's happened with a couple albums - especially with Pink Floyd's "Animals".
A nice amp, and I had considered the standard version like yours that isn't made anymore. But I am extremely happy with my Willsenton R8 (revised) that I got instead. It doesn't have auto bias but it's still very quick and easy to perform. The build quality is very good and I'm happy with the stock tubes, although I have bought a matched quad of Mullard EL34s to try some time in place of the KT88s. The fact that it costs $3,000 less than the TS120 special addition is just icing on the cake for me, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as a first tube amp.
As an aside, I recently saw a video on a cool vacuum tube tester by Orange Amps called the Valve Tester Mk II. Although they are geared towards guitarists this thing is still handy for hifi. It's a bit spendy at $1,075 but might be worth it to a hardcore tube roller.
Hi Chris! The tube tester my father in law has was hand-built decades ago and works really well - but it can't test all tubes (limited pin slots). One of these days I want to find a new one that won't hurt my wallet.
Thanks for the video.
My first problem is that I'm too energy conscious to own this amp. I know the environment, everything single thing we do relies on it and it's in trouble - big trouble. So I do everything I can not to leave any bigger a footprint on this planet than I need to.
I also know electronics really well, it's been my life and career for over 60 years since I was a kid working in a radio/TV shop fixing the first transistor radios in the 60's. I have instruments that measure well above and below human hearing, thousands of times better than the human ear. I have never purchased a sophisticated electronic instrument where the manufacturer told me it has to run 100 hours before it worked right. So, exactly what is changing in 100 or 300 hours that this amp is recommended to run in. Can anyone give me that answer and can anyone measure it, because if you can't measure it, you can't hear it. The human ear, the cochlea simply is not that compliant and can not move that fast or that accurately. If break in actually occurred then it stands to reason that the it would continually change as it kept aging and you wouldn't reach a perfect point ad infinitum but would go past it to where the amp no longer sounded good! Basic common sense.
Let's understand sound because audio equipment like any other electronic equipment is designed by engineers, they use the same Ohm's Law and the same Fourier Transforms as any other electronic equipment. The thing with sound is that we can make any sound we like, tubes, mosfets, etc. Nelson Pass sets up his second order harmonics with fets, personally I use tubes, they're fun to play with.
The most accurate amplifier you can get today is class D, no other amp can compare with class D for accuracy, you get out what you put in. The reason this is good is because we can save tremendous energy by not running tubes that can double as room heaters or even the magonally efficient A/B. The audio equipment that creates all the sound manipulation is the preamp which uses very little energy, so if you have a class D amp fed by a preamp that modifies the signal you can save all the output tube expense and wasted energy AND you can do it without break in - it's not needed.
So you might want to listen to some of the class D amps driven by tube preamps like the Billie Heaven 11 mkII and see if they fit your listening taste. I don't know they will, no one does but electronics is such a sophisticated field today that we can create any sound we like without ransoming the planet.
Rick, if your integrated amplifier is getting as hot as you described, on those super hot days, then I recommend that you direct a fan's breeze over it, while it is warming up and you are not there.
You can turn the fan off when you are ready to listen (in case the fan makes too much noise). But even keeping a $12 portable fan, on the low setting, blowing on it will probably extend the life of the unit. You just want to dissipate the bubble of very hot air around it. Any little breeze will do that.
Warming up is one thing, and it is essential. But cooking the integrated amplifier cannot be healthy for the unit. Heat kills.
That's a good idea. I'm going to do that.
Good afternoon ☕️
Listening …hoping to run into Thomas at the Toronto Audiofest in October.
1:07 ..if you liked it then …barring a radical change in your system ( speakers,room treatments , sources..ect) ..it’s probably pretty good now .
Now, is there an upgrade path ..like a separate power supply..that you’ll have to talk to Thomas about.
Have a great weekend.
Have a good one. Carmine!
Thanks for the long term review. Always good to hear thoughts about products after a significant time of ownership.
How does the TS 120 stack up against the TS A75? Specifically in terms of the holographic sound?
In my humble opinion the TS120 presents a greater soundstage. I enjoyed the A75 and it is significantly less expensive than the TS120.
You are spot on. Tube amps need to warm up. I own a chi-fi 300B and whatever others say- sounds good to me but…it sounds different (veiled?) at startup versus 45-60 mins later. Mine opens up- gets clear and more detailed. It is what it is. Nice video.
Thanks, RC!
Thank you for a good video
I have become wary of KT120 tubes after the experiences of 'Skunkie Designs' experiences with her 120 monobloc manufacture.
The build went fine but she was very disappointed with the tube response from those available
She is no slouch and, deservedly, has a considerable following. It put me off KT120s for the present
It may help for you to comment
I am subscribed to Stephe's channel at Skunkie Designs and saw that video. I haven't personally used KT120s so can't honestly speak to the quality control issues she ran into. I have used KT88s and will be trying out KT150s in the near future. As far as KT88s go, I've had great experiences with both PSVane and Mullard versions of those.
I would say all the same things about my Black Ice Audio F22 amp. Two terms I often use to describe the sound are natural and organic. I also like how the notes decay in a natural sounding way when listening to acoustic music. If you strum a guitar or strike a note on a piano, the sound waves decay over a period of time. This is the kind of sound you get with a tube amp. Solid state amps really don't do that. So it sounds more lifelike and natural. There are trade offs between solid state and tubes. Right now, I'm enjoying the benefits of a tube amp that I didn't experience with a solid state amp. So, I'm willing to put up with the expense of tubes, the heat, the warmup time, etc. Tubes rule!! Cheers 🍻.
That should be a t-shirt design, Neil - "Tubes Rule!"
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords
Ha! You have my permission to use it if you want. 😊
The heat is to make you really feel like you're at a live show. It's adds another dimension. Thomas as sneaky. Now if it would just emit "smoke" while you're listening to Metallica or Rainbow, you'd be all in.
Now I'm going to buy a dry-ice machine. My wife will love it 😂😂
I’ve always wanted a tube amp. I think the warm glow of the tubes would be worth it. :)
There is definitely something to be said about that glow....
Pretty cool that some of the oldest technology is making it's presence known.
It thrills me to see it, Jay! 🍺
I have 2 small integrated amps (a Fatman & a Woo Audio headphone amplifier) & a Primaluna power amp for my main stereo. None of those are class A, so they run cooler & the tubes last quite a while. The soundstage is easily larger than with my Cambridge Audio solid state amp. The only unit in that collection that has a lot of 2nd harmonic distortion (the famed "classic tube sound" that adds richness to middle frequencies) is the little 25w per channel Fatman, which isn't a champ at resolution & detail but can be fun!
Which Cambridge Audio amp are you running Pat?
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords It's a 540R. My place is small so my home theatre is my main music player too.
on a serious note, have you heard of the Rega Nd5 MM cartridges and if so, do the specs sound intriguing?
I have heard of it! They've come out with a new version and it would be a great fit for my RB330 tonearm. I wish the cantilever was boron, but at the price point, I suppose aluminum makes sense.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords thank you! I will start saving up for it :)
Your Description is what we should all aim for Stereo was invented in England 1929 the original demonstrations were the intent of your current setup.
Thank you for that my friend 🍺
Noob question. If we wanted 3D and holographic space - why not get 5 front speakers with DSP, like center, mains and side speakers - and soundstage is fixed. Apart from the issues of having too many speakers, it seems we are asking the impossible from gear. Akso, a ton of recordings were not recorded with dept and spacig but rather individual and mixed together.
Not a noob question at all. There was development of quadraphonic speakers back in the 70s using 4 speakers. With 2 speaker stereo you can still get that depth and spacing. There's a couple of Pink Floyd records that manage to put the sound behind you (maybe it's a Roger Waters record , I forget now). But you're right - with recordings that weren't mixed to take advantage of some of the possibilities there's not much that can be done with 2 speakers to improve upon it.
Try Cryotone tubes. Especially the rectifier tube…
I've heard great things about Crytone
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords I got their 5u4g for my Modwright PH9 and it made a world of difference. I went from “I need to sell this” to “wow I need to hear another album”…I bet it would make a difference in your TS-120 or even in your phono pre if it’s tube rectified.
@@Staybrown11 My phono stage uses a 5u4g. I'll definitely check it out. Thanks!
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords looking forward to your video on the 5UG4
One caan't desribe the sound of .....................BUT you did quite a good job trying to do so......and more experienced music lovers will understand and recognize what you were talking about.
Class A RULES...........so dos SE.....
What is generaly published an the mode of an amplifier...........Class A versus Class B is very missunderstood by most . ....Class AB is a mode in witch the amlifier switches from Class A into..... Class B.......this covers an endless variety of operation choices between almost a class B amplifier with a VERY small portion of Class A operation versus another Class AB ampligfier with an enriched bias into Class A that commutesd into class B only on the higher levels of amplification..........experienced audiophiles and listeners can detect when this happens as the loadlines change ( doubles impedance) .
Modern speakers need by defcect and Class AB and ( UL) versus triode mode because of the speakers themselves ;
Better loudpeaker adapted andesigned to be driven by tube technology will sound better with the better Class A and even better with real triode mode instead of the UL.........and ...
Some speakers will sound better with full pentode mode ...........
If ever you have the opportubity and the budgetto spend on nos tubes like the 6550 GE fat boys /the 6550 Tungsol/Winged C 6550C /KT88 GEC ( UK)..........GO for it , you won't regret it .
I do not know if this amplifier can work with EL34 tubes or variants od the 6L6 tubes like the 6L6GC/7025A/7581A etc ( all nos ! )?
Thank you for sharing your musical experiences .
Hey Frank! It won’t take those tubes but I’m hoping to look at an amp soon that might. I’ll keep these in mind - and thank you!
Need to try some Ohm speakers for an explosion of holographic sound
I have Ohm micros, which sound good but not really as dramatic as some have heard. I wonder if it's because my room has window blinds instead of curtains and a tile floor?
Where is everyone..I guess at a real job ..me I’m grinding away at the lab …listening to RUclips videos.
😂😂😂
There’s tube amps that cost $100.000+
Turntables too!
All of the components Thomas has put out are well reviewed without exception
Chinese tube amp wiring and design makes me real nervous
Thomas may have cracked the Chinese Tube amp janky construction code
For the price he is charging I would wait a couple years in the Decware queue and be certain of the build quality and wiring decisions
For me nothing compares to low power SE tube amplifiers
I do get it. Really. I have a high opinion about the Galion and trust Thomas wholeheartedly when it comes to his ear and opinion. That being said I do wish they were made locally - that meaning North America. It’s a peace of mind thing.
Thomas TS A20 amp was designed and built in Canada. It's a great sounding amp.
sounds like a Maserati. A lot of fun but drains your wallet :)
😂 Good way to put it.