[JeffV]

Hi, I'm new and about to begin my journey with Red Wine Audio.  I just placed an order for a Signature 15, which I think will pair nicely with my JohnBlue Audio JB3 speakers.  I'm using them as a desktop setup - extreme nearfield, if you will.  Recently I realized that as nice as my listening room is, I really don't spend much time there, so it would make more sense to put the system where I would actually hear it.  And I'm eager to see how RWA will fit into that.

Once I've got the Sig 15 in my hot little hands and appropriately broken in, I'll post my thoughts.  I will say that I've found this forum very helpful, and Vinnie has promptly answered the questions I've asked of him.

[Vinnie R.]

Hi Jeff,

Welcome to Audiocircle and the RWA forum!

The Sig 15 + JB3 should be a really nice desktop combo and thanks for
posting your impressions when you receive it.

It should be shipping next week! 

Best regards,

Vinnie

[JeffV]

Thanks, Vinnie!  I'm very much looking forward to the arrival of the Sig 15.  In moving to a desktop setup, I've pretty much replaced everything up to the speakers, so I'll need a bit to adjust to the various new components. Right now I'm breaking in my new Schiit Bifrost DAC -- good stuff!

[Vinnie R.]

Shipping today, Jeff! 

[JeffV]

   Alright!  Now I just need to rearrange the furniture like I've been planning to....

[JeffV]

And it's here!  My new speaker cables also arrived today, so I'll be breaking everything in for a while.  I would like to give Vinnie a big thumbs-up on the packing - plenty of thick foam, and a spacer of bubble wrap to protect the inputs and binding posts.  Nicely done!  The case is easy to access, which is a big plus for tube rolling.  Nice to find a piece of gear where the chassis screws haven't been torqued to hell and back.

Instant impressions: With my JohnBlue JB3s, the RWA 15 throws a much wider soundstage.  Imaging is solid, and the musical presentation is relaxed, nothing harsh.  The treble will need some time to settle in.  I expect to have a very favorable report after 100 hours or so, rather than ten minutes 

I'm particularly happy that the useful volume range is, quite frankly, huge.  On my old amp, the entire useful range was compressed between 9:00 and 11:00 on the dial.  I haven't pushed the Sig 15 past 2:00 yet, but the sound ramps up effortlessly.  One sign of a quality amp is that it creates volume in the sense of "more musical space," rather than "louder."  The Sig 15 passes with flying colors.

Looking for many hours of happiness, and I'll post a more detailed report once the unit has had time to settle in.

[Vinnie R.]

Hi JeffV,

Thanks for posting your initial impressions!

I'm particularly happy that the useful volume range is, quite frankly, huge.  On my old amp, the entire useful range was compressed between 9:00 and 11:00 on the dial.  I haven't pushed the Sig 15 past 2:00 yet, but the sound ramps up effortlessly.  One sign of a quality amp is that it creates volume in the sense of "more musical space," rather than "louder."  The Sig 15 passes with flying colors.

THANK YOU for noticing this - I despise volume controls that get too loud too early (e.g. 9:00), and even worse is when people equate this to being "more powerful" or a sign that "the amp does not strain as much to get loud."  You WANT a good, usable range from the volume control, and you are not straining the amp unless you reach clipping (distortion). 

For example, it is possible to have a 3wpc sound louder than a 3000wpc amp at a given volume position.  But at some point, the 3wpc amp will reach clipping well before the 3000wpc amp.  But this is another topic for another day 

Looking for many hours of happiness, and I'll post a more detailed report once the unit has had time to settle in.
Posted on: 15 Mar 2012, 10:02 PM Posted by: JeffV

Much appreciated!

Happy listening!

Vinnie

[JeffV]

Just posting a quick interim comment.  At 40-50 hours, the Sig 15 snapped into focus rather dramatically.  Kinda went from "good" to "Whoa!"  I'm eagerly listening for future developments.

[Vinnie R.]

Just posting a quick interim comment.  At 40-50 hours, the Sig 15 snapped into focus rather dramatically.  Kinda went from "good" to "Whoa!"  I'm eagerly listening for future developments.

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for posting your update! 

Vinnie

[JeffV]

Well, it's been a while, and I'm finally able to post my impressions of the RWA Sig 15.  The unit's been broken in for some time, but life intervened.  Now that I've cleared the decks, I can gather my thoughts and discuss how the Sig 15 sounds.

My setup is unusual.  I have a dedicated listening area, but I realized that I never really use it.  Instead I spend time in the living area, working on the computer and keeping an eye on my son.  So I took the plunge and reoriented my system into a new arrangement, centered around three pieces of gear which are all, oddly enough, 6Moons Blue Moon Award winners:

DAC - Schiit Bifrost
Amp - Red Wine Audio Signature 15
Speakers - JohnBlue Audio Art JB3

Interconnects are Straight Wire Silver (computer to DAC) and Zu OxyFuel (DAC to Sig 15), and the speaker cable is Speltz Anti-Cable.  I've ripped my CD collection to an external hard drive via JRiver Media Center.  Everything's in FLAC format, and I'm using Media Center's WASAPI mode to eliminate Windows from the signal path.  For other sources, an old Pioneer TX-710 tuner allows me to pull in a great local college radio station.

The JB3s are quite the little marvels.  They feature a single 3" full-range driver, they're front-ported, and each is about the size of a toaster.  A great deal of care and quality goes into their construction - check out the 6Moons review for the details - and they have a wonderfully sweet, open, and fast sound.  They're set up in the classic equilateral triangle pattern, with about a meter between both the speakers and the listening position.  I have them on Ultimate Audio monitor stands to get the drivers pointed at my ears.

For the first ten hours or so, I expected nothing more from the Sig 15 than for it to settle into the system.  I did notice some immediate improvements over my previous amp, such as a wider and slightly taller soundstage.  The noise floor was noticeably lower.  A few tracks started to hint at what was to come.  For example, the acoustic guitar work on "The Prince's Favorite Son" by Dog's Eye View came alive, conveying the sense of real musicians working in natural space.

Over the next forty hours, the Sig 15 gradually opened up.  Early on, it would take as much as twenty minutes for the system to warm up and reach full voice, but once that burn-in period passed the amp sounded fine right after a cold start.  I noticed that the Sig 15 gave a clear and relaxed presentation even to weak sources.  Frequently I listen to online radio, usually on a sonically subpar 96kbps feed  The Sig 15 made those sources much more palatable, and they held together better at higher volumes than with my old gear.  During this period, the real strength of the Sig 15 began to shine through - presence.  We're all aware of that elusive quality that distinguishes "music" from "sound coming out of a box."  Let me tell you, the Sig 15 has that quality of presence in spades.  When a band is really cooking, it becomes a complex and living creature.  With bands like Steely Dan and the Dave Matthews Band, the Sig 15 truly catches the life of the performance.

Around fifty hours the sense of presence became dramatically stronger - perhaps due to the cathode fully forming on the tube.  The Sig 15 displayed a natural sense of attack, and the sound became more stable and assured.  The amp handled even complex and murky passages with aplomb.  For example, self-proclaimed "nerd rockers" Kirby Krackle employ a distortion-heavy, garage-rock sound.  My previous amp would render them smeared or murky, but the Sig 15 makes them sound crunchy and alive.

After fifty hours, improvements became less dramatic.  Extension at both the top and bottom improved.  The JB3s have tremendous treble response, which can become glarey, but the glare eventually smoothed out and subsided.  The organic quality of the sound continued to impress.  While listening to jazz on the college radio station, I could easily switch gears between hearing the individual performers and hearing the group as a whole.

To sum up, for me the defining quality of the Sig 15 is presence.  Switching to pure battery mode makes that sense of presence a bit clearer, but it's always there.  One unexpected benefit of the Sig 15 has been its portability.  I'm rebuilding the speakers in my main rig, and it's great to be able to pick up the amp and carry it from room to room when it's needed.  (In fact, I may be able to do away with a second amp altogether once the rebuild is complete.)

I'm tremendously pleased with my RWA Signature 15.  I see that other audio manufacturers are jumping on the battery power bandwagon, which I take as a testimony to Vinnie's prowess.  I wish him and Red Wine Audio all the best going forward.

[boisty]

+1

I couldn't be happier with mine.  Its a marvelous little box and in the right setup it proves worthy of far more than its $1500 price.  Cheers.

LL

[CSI]

I too, have been very happy with my Signature 15. With about 75 hours of break in, it continues to mellow out a bit and become more relaxed and coherent than it was out of the box. I use a small spare bedroom for my music room. Room treatment is by GIK, speakers are ACI Sapphires, and all other components (except sources) are RWA. I prefer using my Sig 15 with my Isabella Preamp for a bit more dynamics and the ability to roll more tubes. So far, I've gotten the best results with Dario mini watts in the preamp and an Amperex pinched waist in my Isabellina. Only the Sig 15 retains the original JJ.

I've noted some reviewers mentioned a "brighter" presentation with the Signature 15 along with the caveat, "not in a bad way". I agree with this and would add that although the Sig 15 is notably clearer and a bit cleaner than other fine amps I've owned (including my Sig 30.2), "bright" isn't really the best description. More "presence" comes closer in my opinion. Brightness (to me anyway) implies that the recording engineer went around the studio adding more mics or turning up the gain and/or treble on the existing ones. Not necessarily a good thing. With the Signature 15 in the system it is more like the engineer went around the studio and turned on more lights. Particularly toward the rear where the back up singers and drum kit are located. To hear this, play any of the tracks on Diana Krall's "Live in Paris" album and listen to Jeff Hamilton's brush work and the sound of his cymbals. It seems like there is a new baby spot on the drummer that just wasn't there before. At least that's my analogy. Great amplifier.

[Vinnie R.]

Hi Jeff,

I'm tremendously pleased with my RWA Signature 15.  I see that other audio manufacturers are jumping on the battery power bandwagon, which I take as a testimony to Vinnie's prowess.  I wish him and Red Wine Audio all the best going forward.

Thank you for your detailed post, and I'm glad you ALL are enjoying your Signature 15's.  They will be around for a long time! 

Happy listening,

Vinnie

[JeffV]

Today I finished rebuilding a pair of vintage Spica TC-50s, and I'm breaking in the new crossovers with my Sig 15.  [Takei]Oh, my[/Takei].  The only thing is that they're begging for more power.  Perhaps a Sig 30.2 lies in the future.

[Vinnie R.]

Today I finished rebuilding a pair of vintage Spica TC-50s, and I'm breaking in the new crossovers with my Sig 15.  [Takei]Oh, my[/Takei].  The only thing is that they're begging for more power.  Perhaps a Sig 30.2 lies in the future.

Those are 84dB / 4-ohm?  I think a trade-in pair of 70.2 LFP-V Editions would be the way to go - or just go Liliana and never look back, ever! 

We have a trade-in policy - email/call me when the time comes...

All the best,

Vinnie

[JeffV]

Just a quick shot out to Vinnie for his excellent customer service.  The power adapter on my Sig 15 starting acting up and eventually failed entirely.  I emailed Vinnie, and he had a replacement on its way to me that day.  Now I'm back hearing the music again. Thanks, Vinnie!

[Alwayswantmore]

Hey Jeff V, this is Kent V (alwayswantmore). I have been with Vinnie through pretty much every iteration of his amps (short of the Clar-T / Sig 70 and Lilianas). If the power output for Sig 15 does the job -- and it does for me with Omega Super 6 and Deep Hemp -- this amp is by far my favorite. For those with relatively efficient speakers, this thing is beyond what you might imagine -- like based on my experience with Ayre modded V3, First Watt F1 and other RWA amps (mostly Sig 30.X), this thing is killer when it comes to sounding lifelike.

Now let me help you blow a few of those holiday dollars that may be in the mail... the tube is a huge factor in what you hear. There are a few threads on RWA AC regarding tuberolling. And Vinnie is always a good source of knowledge in this area, but personally I struggle to do a decent burn-in with stock JJs. So please know, the journey has just begun!

BTW: If you like the amp, RWA's dac is your next step to total addiction!

Kent