Congrats on the Blue Moon

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic. Read 4053 times.

tommg

  • Jr. Member
  • Posts: 8
Congrats on the Blue Moon
« on: 11 Feb 2007, 03:33 pm »
John,
 Glad to see you are getting some kudos for all your hard work.
Tom
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/musicfirst2/tap.html

denjo

Re: Congrats on the Blue Moon
« Reply #1 on: 11 Feb 2007, 03:45 pm »
Hi John
Congratulations! I knew you had a winner in the TAP! Now the accolades are tapping on your door, one by one!
 :D
Best regards
Dennis

ted_b

  • Volunteer
  • Posts: 6345
  • "we're all bozos on this bus" F.T.
Re: Congrats on the Blue Moon
« Reply #2 on: 11 Feb 2007, 04:26 pm »
Wow, great award.  I guess I just wish someone else had written the review.....Srajan did his normally fine job of explaining his position, but was obviously in a different camp.  It's a great tribute, through all those comparisons, to come out with a clear top-of-the-heap Award for passive pre's.  Congrats!!  :thumb: :thumb:

I'd love to hear Les's comments in detail.  He replaced a classic ARC pre with it.

Srajan Ebaen

  • Industry Participant
  • Posts: 260
Re: Congrats on the Blue Moon
« Reply #3 on: 12 Feb 2007, 10:45 am »
You might pop Les an e-mail: les @ 6moons.com.

Mondie

  • Jr. Member
  • Posts: 50
Re: Congrats on the Blue Moon
« Reply #4 on: 12 Feb 2007, 12:23 pm »
Well done John.

l have just replaced my NOH with a silver TAP and was blown away by the improvements. l was mainly upgrading for the extra functionality, remote and more steps down low but the sonic improvement alone made it worth the cost. More dimensionality, sweeter and more realisim sums it up.

Congratulations on the recognition  :icon_lol:

ted_b

  • Volunteer
  • Posts: 6345
  • "we're all bozos on this bus" F.T.
Re: Congrats on the Blue Moon
« Reply #5 on: 12 Feb 2007, 12:51 pm »
You might pop Les an e-mail: les @ 6moons.com.

Done.  Thanks.  I'll post his comments here if he says it's ok to do so.

John Chapman

  • Facilitator
  • Posts: 825
    • http://www.bentaudio.com
Re: Congrats on the Blue Moon
« Reply #6 on: 12 Feb 2007, 03:59 pm »
Hello!

Thanks guys for all the kind words! Sragan was great to deal with - we took quite some time to get him the review unit and his patience was appreciated! He'd had experience with most of the TVC's out there so it was nice to see the TAP stands up well. Les had one of the first round of TAP shipments and he was also a great guy - I hope he is still having fun with his TAP! I'd better get back to work now.....

Thansk!

John

ted_b

  • Volunteer
  • Posts: 6345
  • "we're all bozos on this bus" F.T.
Re: Congrats on the Blue Moon
« Reply #7 on: 13 Feb 2007, 02:26 pm »
I emailed Les at 6moons.  Here are his comments regarding the TAP, reprinted by permission:

"Hello Ted:

I appreciate hearing from you and will try to address some of the concerns you have raised about the Bent Audio TAP, which is now badged as the Music First TAP. It remains front and center in my system, and joyfully so.

The information I provided in my TAP comments in the December 2006 "Best Of" pages on 6moons
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/bo06/les.html
certainly continues to hold true. Regarding the sonics of the unit, there is little more I can say that was not already noted in those observations. However, one bit of additional information which might serve a purpose has to do with recent extended listening sessions here utilizing several original 24bit/96 KHz master recordings I generated in the fall and early winter of 2006. While I could hear the benefits of the 24/96 format through my various headphones [AKG, Sennheiser, Audio Technica, Sony, Etymotics, etc.] when connected directly to my Sound Devices 744T hard disc recorder, it has only been lately that I could audition this playback on my big rig through the TAP and the rest of my Zu-based system. This new
opportunity has resulted from getting the Zuists to fashion a pair of unique interconnects which allow me to connect the 744T to the TAP effectively. I do consider standard 16/44 CD playback through my normal equipment to be at a very decent level, as do visitors and friends who come by to enjoy music in my home. However, hearing the 24/96 master captures of concert performances directly from the recorder outputs, fed into the TAP and the rest of the equipment chain, has been a winning and insightful experience. The naturalness and ease of the playback is a full step above how that same music sounds from the 16/44 CDRs I generate employing fastidious attention to detail during the transfer process. I attribute these sonic improvements to the TAP and think it is a major player in helping me to get the best, most engaging sound reproduction I have yet to witness in my own environment.

Incidentally, when I record these live un-amplified concerts, which are mainly classical music performances, I sit in the audience next to my microphone stand(s) because I want to perceive the music as it occurs in the reality of that space and time. I take up and put down my monitoring headphones often, and really aim to witness 90-95% of the concert in the way one naturally would as an audience member. This allows me to hear, see, smell and feel the event the way live music should be appreciated. When I get home and listen to the recording, my intent is to see how close the capture and playback approximates my memory of the live event. Naturally there is a sonic gap, but I can find much to appreciate and enjoy in that recreation, especially with serious, carefully configured and arranged gear. This approach is, btw, always both a learning experience as well as very motivating in the sense that I typically find ways to improve my recording methodology. I think all this is easier to do now since the TAP is in my system. It offers an even clearer view into the music and the musicians' intent. [By the way, those concerts cover a broad range of musical genres and configurations, including small vocal ensembles, pipe organs, string quartets, large choruses, symphony orchestras and solo instruments.]

One question that may linger in your mind pertains to why I shifted from a tubed line stage to a TVC.  Let me note that I was quite happy with my Audio Research Ref 1 for a very long time. It served me well with a previous system configuration that included Nestorovic System 12 speakers and Nestorovic tubed NA-1 monoblock amps. The Ref 1 was, and is, a fine piece of gear, which helped me to understand what good tube designs can do in high end sound reproduction, plus it mated beautifully to the Nestorovic amps.
When I moved away from the Nestorovic products, the Ref 1 remained and fronted a variety of other components over a two year exploration during which I aimed to create a newer sound system. My current gear, which involves both analog and digital elements, is described in several recent reviews on the 6moons site and it is now a stable package. In particular, my August 2006 review of the Opera Audio Ref 1.3 TVC explains some of the ways in which I came to prefer the TVC approach to active, tubed approaches. One
specific parameter which has real importance is that the TAP gets along with my McCormack DNA500 amp especially well, notably in terms of impedance matching. The freedom from tube noise, especially as perceived through a highly efficient speaker like my Zu Definition Pros, is another bonus.

It is very important to note that sensory perception is a difficult, elusive phenomenon to pin down in highly objective terms. My interest in music and sound reproduction goes back over four decades and I believe one of the early dictums related to audio equipment, and the published reviews of such gear, holds as true now as it did years ago. Namely, audio equipment reviews should be seen as guidelines to a very subjective domain of sonic interpretation. The sharpest, most adept wordsmiths and "golden eared" evaluators will never be able to fully represent the direct experience of personal auditioning of gear. I think of this each time I write a review and I believe most of my colleagues do so as well. When it comes to describing
the sound of a piece of equipment one cannot gloss over the context within which that equipment is used. In addition to combining various components with commensurately meaningful products, the nature of the listening room, the mood of the moment, the kind and styles of music, and above all, the biases and taste preferences of the evaluator all are part of the final equation. With regard to the subjectivity of things, think of how long the debate over solid state versus tube components has been on the table. Likewise for analog versus digital. Context and taste may be as important as any single device in the listening experience. I am fortunate to be able to hear a great deal of live, acoustic, competently performed music in good venues. This is a constant sonic reality check for me, as well as being a reminder of what makes sense in a world so often encumbered with lots of distractions. I hope and trust that what I experience and learn from these activities helps me to translate my listening biases and prejudices in my reviews sensibly and with some degree of clarity. Nothing can substitute for direct, personal experience.

It must be also said, that in the happier days of audio when there were good equipment demos available in well-run shops and businesses, a listener could at least narrow the field among certain potential acquisitions and gear choices. Those were only rarely definitive events, but they were informative and frequently allowed customers to establish meaningful relationships with many of those proprietors. I know that happened for me over many years. Sadly, as audio shops are disappearing all too quickly, this is not so
common an occurrence today. It is easy to see why more folks turn to published reviews for information and reviewers' perceptions about products, but, the operative word here is "perceptions".

I hope these sidebar comments make sense and give you a better feel for how I see things in sound reproduction and music enjoyment. My suspicion is that you were looking for more details about the TAP itself, but I think the full 6moons review which Srajan provided, coupled to my own comments, may be
enough subjectivism for the moment. I concede that there are many ways to perceive the world, but right now, in my world of music and audio, the TAP satisfies me for sonic performance, convenience, value and endurance.  I hope you can add your observations after you've had your own TAP experience.


John Chapman and his collaborators deserve a hearty round of applause.

Best regards,
Les"

Kevin Haskins

Re: Congrats on the Blue Moon
« Reply #8 on: 13 Feb 2007, 04:35 pm »
Wow... that was a lot of reading.    I don't forsee anyone overtaking you in the functionality award.  ;-)

One thing that resonated with me is the genuine thought that went into the design.   It is clear from looking at your layout, and construction that a tremendous amount of time went into thinking out the design choices and how to implement various features.    The more you study the way you have designed the TAP the more you appreciate the amount of work you have done.   This is especially true for other people who do design work and usability studies.   The TAP functions just like all technology should function.  It is easy to understand, operate and use on a day-to-day basis.   

Bravo John!

dlvair

  • Newbie
  • Posts: 2
Re: Congrats on the Blue Moon
« Reply #9 on: 13 Feb 2007, 07:26 pm »

I bought and built my Bent Audio TX102 passive-pre over three years ago. The transformers utilized in the unit are the second generation (the current TX102 is in its third iteration). The current series of TX102 are superior to mine, and the silver version even more refined. However, this has in no way hindered me from delighting in the performance of music in my playback system. The TX102, whether or not one is hearing the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd generation, silver or copper, etc. is a superb passive pre overall. To this day, there are those who swear that only the 1st generation of TX102 is the one to have; likewise for the 2nd generation and the third. In other words, each model has its fans. Who is right? Answer: all of them; one cannot argue against taste.

The TX102 is so good, regardless of model, that it competes sonically with active preamps costing $5,000, $10,000, $13,000, and even over $20,000 (I am not mentioning the brand names of these preamps in the market place on purpose, but these are indeed real preamps that it has been compared to). The  point here is this, once one gets to a certain level of performance other issues dominate such as functionality, sonic preference, aesthetics, etc. We who enjoy this hobby of hi-end audio often succumb to the desire to have the "right" product, the "absolute truth" or "answer", as if this were something akin to religion, science or philosophy. Audio is not about absolute truth, but about enjoying an aesthetic experience, like wine, food, and art. That Srajan prefers the active tube Supratek preamp now is not something that should dissuade anyone who is considering a TVC for their preamp. He loved the TVC approach for a couple of years now, and has discovered something else that in his current system, musical interests and lifestyle serves him better. His comments should not be taken as "gospel", but more like a man who for some time loved Bordeaux and now has discovered the joys of Zinfandel or Shiraz. In a couple of years he may be smitten with digital preamps, who knows?

One of the most difficult things in this hobby is to learn to trust our ears and not someone else's. The TX102 as a passive pre is one of the best methods in the world for hi-fidelity attenuation. However, it is not the only one, and there are others just as valid. The current package from Bent Audio/S&B is IMHO the best value and one of the very best conceived for this approach. I can't think of anyone in audio who is more a gentleman than John Chapman, and that alone would lean me heavily in favor of any product he was offering.

Regards,
David Vair


melville

Re: Congrats on the Blue Moon
« Reply #10 on: 15 Feb 2007, 11:27 pm »
It is very gratifying to see a true audio gentleman receive accolades for his efforts.

Hearty congratulations, John!


dnd

Re: Congrats on the Blue Moon
« Reply #11 on: 18 Feb 2007, 10:23 pm »
Well done John.

l have just replaced my NOH with a silver TAP and was blown away by the improvements. l was mainly upgrading for the extra functionality, remote and more steps down low but the sonic improvement alone made it worth the cost. More dimensionality, sweeter and more realisim sums it up.

Congratulations on the recognition  :icon_lol:

Mondie – Do you credit your improvement to the silver transformers or the TAP over the NOH?  I was under the impression that the main difference between the TAP and the NOH was in the greatly improved feature set of the TAP, not necessarily the audio performance.

Mondie

  • Jr. Member
  • Posts: 50
Re: Congrats on the Blue Moon
« Reply #12 on: 20 Feb 2007, 03:36 am »
dnd,

l believe the improvements are attributable to the silver but as l have not heard a copper version to compare l am only assuming this to be the case. l bought the TAP mainly for the additional functionality and especially the remote and addditional seps down low. The sonic benefits over my NOH were a bonus. l believe the benfits of silver are very system dependant, you need a system that can really take advantage of the step up in performance to make it worthwhile but at only around 10% extra over a standard TAP its an economical option.

Cheers