Solid State or Tubes with your NX-series speakers?

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic. Read 25699 times.

KTS

Re: Solid State or Tubes with your NX-series speakers?
« Reply #220 on: 13 Oct 2024, 11:41 pm »
Nice build mkrawcz!

Jaytor

Re: Solid State or Tubes with your NX-series speakers?
« Reply #221 on: 14 Oct 2024, 03:32 pm »
Just got my Iron Pre balanced up and running. This thing is Mighty! The problem now is I have to finish wiring up all the inputs and that involves turning it off.  :D



Nice looking build! I've been tempted by the Iron Pre, particularly the balanced version. It looks like a nice clean design. But I've got too many other projects in the queue at this point.

mkrawcz

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 542
Re: Solid State or Tubes with your NX-series speakers?
« Reply #222 on: 14 Oct 2024, 06:21 pm »
Nice looking build! I've been tempted by the Iron Pre, particularly the balanced version. It looks like a nice clean design. But I've got too many other projects in the queue at this point.
Thanks! This thing is utterly quiet, transparent, and natural sounding with a wide and deep soundstage. I still want to figure out a remote controlled 4 gang volume solution for it soon. That would make it perfect.

BrandonB

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 375
Re: Solid State or Tubes with your NX-series speakers?
« Reply #223 on: 14 Oct 2024, 07:11 pm »
Just got my Iron Pre balanced up and running. This thing is Mighty! The problem now is I have to finish wiring up all the inputs and that involves turning it off.  :D


This is a nice looking pre.  How much was the total cost?

mkrawcz

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 542
Re: Solid State or Tubes with your NX-series speakers?
« Reply #224 on: 14 Oct 2024, 08:11 pm »
This is a nice looking pre.  How much was the total cost?
About $1000

BrandonB

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 375
Re: Solid State or Tubes with your NX-series speakers?
« Reply #225 on: 14 Oct 2024, 11:34 pm »
About $1000
I bet it would cost more than 5 times that much to get something like that retail.

mkrawcz

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 542
Re: Solid State or Tubes with your NX-series speakers?
« Reply #226 on: 15 Oct 2024, 12:02 am »
I bet it would cost more than 5 times that much to get something like that retail.
Well, it blows away my PS Audio BHK preamp and that currently goes for $7,000.

jmimac351

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 500
  • Chief Instructor - ChinTrackDays.com
Re: Solid State or Tubes with your NX-series speakers?
« Reply #227 on: 15 Oct 2024, 12:41 am »
Just got my Iron Pre balanced up and running. This thing is Mighty! The problem now is I have to finish wiring up all the inputs and that involves turning it off.  :D


Nice! - and a good problem to have because you have something you like!  Good for you!

jmimac351

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 500
  • Chief Instructor - ChinTrackDays.com
Re: Solid State or Tubes with your NX-series speakers?
« Reply #228 on: 15 Oct 2024, 12:56 am »
This is something special I got my hands on... a nice copper plate would look sweet on your new black preamp @mkrawcz !!


mkrawcz

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 542
Re: Solid State or Tubes with your NX-series speakers?
« Reply #229 on: 15 Oct 2024, 08:33 am »
This is something special I got my hands on... a nice copper plate would look sweet on your new black preamp @mkrawcz !!


Then I can have a fancy embroidery done on it and cut into the Dan D’Agostino market.  :D

jmimac351

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 500
  • Chief Instructor - ChinTrackDays.com
Re: Solid State or Tubes with your NX-series speakers?
« Reply #230 on: 18 Oct 2024, 12:38 pm »
Then I can have a fancy embroidery done on it and cut into the Dan D’Agostino market.  :D

Well, it sounds like you won't have Dartzeel as a competitor... at least not in the same way.  Interesting news from them, and the reason why.

mkrawcz

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 542
Re: Solid State or Tubes with your NX-series speakers?
« Reply #231 on: 30 Oct 2024, 10:47 pm »
On a whim, I ordered a Willsenton R8 KT88 push pull tube amp from Amazon. I have to say, this amp sounds really good for the money. I haven’t come across any solid state production amp that comes anywhere close to sounding as good as this amp in the $1500 price range. I will be doing some mods to it and that should take this thing to a really high level.




nlitworld

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 2223
  • Strange things are afoot at the Circle K
Re: Solid State or Tubes with your NX-series speakers?
« Reply #232 on: 31 Oct 2024, 05:47 pm »
The nice part of this Willsenton kit (or Jolida stuff too for that matter) is they are built to a decent performance/price level and respond to mods very well. Upgrade some signal path parts and better grounding scheme and you're a happy camper.

Early B.

Re: Solid State or Tubes with your NX-series speakers?
« Reply #233 on: 31 Oct 2024, 07:03 pm »
The nice part of this Willsenton kit (or Jolida stuff too for that matter) is they are built to a decent performance/price level and respond to mods very well. Upgrade some signal path parts and better grounding scheme and you're a happy camper.

Start by discarding all the stock tubes and replacing them.

mkrawcz

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 542
Re: Solid State or Tubes with your NX-series speakers?
« Reply #234 on: 31 Oct 2024, 07:24 pm »
Start by discarding all the stock tubes and replacing them.
Yup the stock tubes are junk. Just using them for break in. I have some Gold Lion KT88s and some EL34s to play around with. Going to be replacing the coupling caps, and at some point, replacing the transformers. Probably a few other mods as well.

mkrawcz

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 542
Re: Solid State or Tubes with your NX-series speakers?
« Reply #235 on: 31 Oct 2024, 07:54 pm »
Not bad for $1450 plus a 5% off coupon.  :D



BGA

Re: Solid State or Tubes with your NX-series speakers?
« Reply #236 on: 31 Oct 2024, 08:28 pm »
I used the R8 while I was building some ANK 300B monos, then sold it. It performs very very well for its price, my favorite output tubes were the Gold Lion kt77 with some NOS Sylvania output tubes. I didn't mod anything though, now I have some build knowledge it would be fun to play around with it more.

mkrawcz

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 542
Re: Solid State or Tubes with your NX-series speakers?
« Reply #237 on: 31 Oct 2024, 09:12 pm »
I used the R8 while I was building some ANK 300B monos, then sold it. It performs very very well for its price, my favorite output tubes were the Gold Lion kt77 with some NOS Sylvania output tubes. I didn't mod anything though, now I have some build knowledge it would be fun to play around with it more.
It’s certainly not the best tube amp I’ve heard, but i think it’s got some potential. I think replacing the transformers will bump it up a lot. But we will see.

Early B.

Re: Solid State or Tubes with your NX-series speakers?
« Reply #238 on: 31 Oct 2024, 10:43 pm »
I think replacing the transformers will bump it up a lot. But we will see.

If you replace the transformers, you'll have a completely different amp. Are you gonna remove/bypass the volume control? 

mkrawcz

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 542
Re: Solid State or Tubes with your NX-series speakers?
« Reply #239 on: 31 Oct 2024, 10:52 pm »
If you replace the transformers, you'll have a completely different amp. Are you gonna remove/bypass the volume control?
It has a preamp input that bypasses the volume
Control.