De Cappo Reviewer turned De Capp owner...

OwenMeany · « **on:** 5 Jan 2005, 09:46 pm »

Hello,

I just found this site and I dig it. I am a reviewer for Positive-Feedback, about 10 months ago I reviewed and loved the Dulcets. I was so impressed that I requested a pair of the De Cappos. I reviewed the them and could not let them go....I purchased the review pair!

I will be seached for a good amp (itergrated ?) now. I am currently reviewing the Brendensen IPO 80 which is nice but not right for these speakers. Next I will be getting the EAR V20 intergrated...I am reallly looking forward to that..

I am looking forward to hanging out here.

jtb

mcrespo71 · « **Reply #1 on:** 5 Jan 2005, 09:56 pm »

Put some nice tubes on it. An EAR is probably a step in the right direction. Maybe a CARY SET or some other SET integrated would work well. Enjoy- I love them as well.

Michael

Mad DOg · « **Reply #2 on:** 5 Jan 2005, 10:44 pm »

welcome, jtb! glad to have you aboard...

rgordon also hangs out here!

Paul L · « **Reply #3 on:** 14 Jan 2005, 06:29 pm »

Also consider the 47Lab Gaincard

Vikram · « **Reply #4 on:** 15 Jan 2005, 06:17 pm »

I'm particularly fond of Audio Note amps. I'm running a AN P3 silver which technically isn't listed an an integrated, has a volume control. It uses 2 300b tubes and gives you 9 watts. Way more than enough.

The Cary SEI is also fun but gets "lost" when complex music plays (orchestra or even rock). For girl with a guitar stuff or some jazz it's remarkable.

I've heard it with a 2a3 tube amp kit as well (the Paramour I think from Bottlehead). It was very different from the 300b amp I have and I think, overall I may have prefered its sound. It was more detailed but still natural, though not as "colorful" as the 300b and to me, music IS flavored and colorful. The 2a3 may have been more right, but I prefer the 300b. It's a matter of taste I suppose.

For a push pull amp I was also very impressed with the CJ CAV-50!

Never heard the EAR stuff but I'd love for you to get it so you can share your thought!

Vik

melville · « **Reply #5 on:** 15 Jan 2005, 10:28 pm »

No offence, Paul, but I had the Gaincard with my Virtuosos, and it didn't work all that well. I find my Carissa a very good match. I imagine that the EAR amp would sound very nice. Their amps are very well-reviewed.

Irish · « **Reply #6 on:** 17 Jan 2005, 05:12 pm »

I also have Audio Note Electronics, Vikram. M2Phono, P2SE amp, CD 3.1X and am waiting for a TT2/Arm 2/ IQ-2 to replace my existing VPI HW19 Jr./Audioquest PT6/Dynavector set-up. The P2SE is a single ended pentode 18wpc using the 6L6 tube. I would like to try a 300B, PX25, or 2A3 amp at some point. Wondering if the 2A3 is enough to drive the De Cappo "i" In any case the Audio Note equipment sounds great with the the De Cappo speakers.

Irish · « **Reply #7 on:** 17 Jan 2005, 05:13 pm »

I also have Audio Note Electronics, Vikram. M2Phono, P2SE amp, CD 3.1X and am waiting for a TT2/Arm 2/ IQ-2 to replace my existing VPI HW19 Jr./Audioquest PT6/Dynavector set-up. The P2SE is a single ended pentode 18wpc using the 6L6 tube. I would like to try a 300B, PX25, or 2A3 amp at some point. Wondering if the 2A3 is enough to drive the De Cappo "i" In any case the Audio Note equipment sounds great with the the De Cappo speakers.

Irish · « **Reply #8 on:** 17 Jan 2005, 05:13 pm »

I also have Audio Note Electronics, Vikram. M2Phono, P2SE amp, CD 3.1X and am waiting for a TT2/Arm 2/ IQ-2 to replace my existing VPI HW19 Jr./Audioquest PT6/Dynavector set-up. The P2SE is a single ended pentode 18wpc using the 6L6 tube. I would like to try a 300B, PX25, or 2A3 amp at some point. Wondering if the 2A3 is enough to drive the De Cappo "i" In any case the Audio Note equipment sounds great with the the De Cappo speakers.

Irish · « **Reply #9 on:** 17 Jan 2005, 05:14 pm »

I also have Audio Note Electronics, Vikram. M2Phono, P2SE amp, CD 3.1X and am waiting for a TT2/Arm 2/ IQ-2 to replace my existing VPI HW19 Jr./Audioquest PT6/Dynavector set-up. The P2SE is a single ended pentode 18wpc using the 6L6 tube. I would like to try a 300B, PX25, or 2A3 amp at some point. Wondering if the 2A3 is enough to drive the De Cappo "i" In any case the Audio Note equipment sounds great with the the De Cappo speakers.

Paul L · « **Reply #10 on:** 17 Jan 2005, 06:43 pm »

Meville,

That is very interesting. I have been demoing the LW1/Gaincard/De Capos and the combo is one of the most transparent and direct sounding combo. The interesting part is that when I got the Gaincard, I am looking for speaker to partner it and I was pointed the the Reference 3a by one of our customers in Japan. He was using the Gaincard to drive Reference 3a Royal Master.

The combo is not easy to setup. What cables you are using? I took me 3 months to set it up properly. It included cable change, and positioning. Once it setup, the system completely disappear in the living room.

melville · « **Reply #11 on:** 17 Jan 2005, 08:17 pm »

Hi Paul:

I tried the Gaincard with both a Sonic Frontiers Line-2, and a Bent Audio Noh, into the Royal Virtuosos. With both setups, there were many things that I liked about the Gaincard sound, but its' SS nature peeked through too often (though it was subtle).

At the time that I used those setups, I was using AP Oval 8 speaker wire and ICs. My CD player is a modified Sonic Frontiers SFCD-1, and my Universal player is a very modified Pioneer 47Ai. Also, I had an Oracle MkV TT/Rega 900/Goldring Excel VX combo.

Brian

Paul L · « **Reply #12 on:** 17 Jan 2005, 09:53 pm »

Brian,

I think I will be detouring here a bit about what is tube nature and what is SS nature. If you have read some comment about OTL in audio asylum's OTL forum, some people said OTL sounds like SS, hahaha, that is the point. I have been telling people that what they heard about tube sound is more the sound of the output transformer more than the tube. We may bring back some of the transformer coupled SS from old Macintosh and has a listen. I think a resistor passive /OTL is the most direct sounding amp combo.

We are in the finishing off the development of a OTL poweramp to go with the LW1, Fred my buddy said the bass of the OTL is as good as his Krell KSA200.

Actually the former Canadian distributor of 47Lab was also distributor of Atma-sphere. He said the Gaincard and the Atma-sphere sound very much a like. Both of them are in the middle ground of SS and tube.

About cables, Gaincard does not like complex cable. It likes solid core more. I use Select 1021 as I/C. I use the Kimber solid core silver that use in the Select I/C as speaker cable. I am not sure what speaker cable is inside the Vir. but the De Capos's internal wiring is 18AWG silver vDH. No thick wire in this system.

catholic taste · « **Reply #13 on:** 21 Jan 2005, 04:43 am »

I use the Arcam FMJ A22 amp to great effect. It is warm, but a little slow (cancelled by the speed of the Decapo’s) and very fluid.