Hey, a bit of an update on my listening observations on the EA TurboMods....DAMN, THOSE BLACKGATES TAKE A LONG TIME TO BREAK IN.
I have to admit, when I first hooked everything back up, with all the system components I know well and for a long time, I didn't think the difference was as substantial as $1800 should have made it.
I only could listen to it for an hour or so the day it came back via UPS (safe and sound, btw), and them I was away for 5 of the next 7 days traveling. I read somewhere that the fastest way to burn out your transport is to put it on continual 24 hr. play, so I play each CD thru to burn a component in. I know my 70 minute CD's from my 40 minute one's now

With $1500 sunk into a transport, I wasn't going to burn that baby out now

Breaking in CDP components take a long time for me.
Steve kept 'jones'ing' about the rock crushing dynamics; but I wasn't hearing it on first listen. He said it was mostly broken in, so I would hear it immediately. Well, I didn't. I wanted to, believe me, but I didn't.
What I noticed immediately was the easy, non-fatiguing listening - effortless, all day long, no teeth gritting experience. That was a first for CD playback in my life. But, I felt there was a veil between me and the music and the dynamics were so-so.
I blamed it all on the cheapie AudioSource I am using for an amp right now. Not exactly up to the standards of the rest of the system.
Well, now I probably have about 150 hours in on the system, and it's all coming together. The music is full, dynamic and the bass is whompingly nice. The veils have lifted (to the extent that the AudioSource will let it) and it flows unimpeeded. The soundstage seems a little wider, too (tho, I admit, I'm not one to usually hear 'soundstage' issues much).
It's really nice now, due to get better with an amp that can control the 8" Vandy woofers better.
So, it's either the BlackGates, the Jensen's or the mound of perfect crystal silver wire Steve uses, but something took a long time to break in. Wow, it's really nice sounding stuff now. In my very listeing room, it sounds like the better sound rooms I've been to, and drooled in, over the past couple years.
I haven't checked the headphone outs, but I have only broken them in for 3 hours, so they, too, may be a little tight.
When I wrote the review a few days ago, the sound was coming around and it is even better still today. The amp ain't sooo bad; it does a yoeman's job of creating music on the cheap...but things are sure gonna' get better soon with some a stonkin' watt and current generator in here.
Here's to hoping

Oh, and
Happy Father's Day to all that are.