[sugbob21]

do you need to short out 1 channel to take advantage running 2 amps ? if so how would u do that ? i have 2 Millenias i want to try  like this with a Dodd tube buffer in between .    I also have a King Rex power supply which i havnt tried yet.    Which is the best way to go with this combo.

[rodge827]

Just use one channel of the amp and short out the other channel.

Can this be done using a shorting plug?

[OzarkTom]

Can this be done using a shorting plug?

yes

[OzarkTom]

do you need to short out 1 channel to take advantage running 2 amps ? if so how would u do that ? i have 2 Millenias i want to try  like this with a Dodd tube buffer in between .    I also have a King Rex power supply which i havnt tried yet.    Which is the best way to go with this combo.

I would just try it all. You might like the battery the best, just use a large 12v car or boat battery if using two amps at the same time with the shorting plugs. I read somewhere that shorting plugs helps keep the EMI out of the circuit.

Two amps sounds better than one, it is fuller sounding with a bigger soundstage. I will get to hear what the King Rex will do in a couple of weeks. My buddy Rex said the King Rex PS was smoother, more detailed, and bigger soundstage than the stock wall wart is. I am taking a bunch of batteries with me, so we will also check which type of battery sounds the best.

I just heard from another friend who is using two TBI amps in monos with a large 12v trolling motor battery. He has not charged his battery for weeks and the battery reads 11.8v. And he uses his system every day. But his speakers are 98db efficiency, so that does play a part in this.

[sugbob21]

Once again ..I am not very mechanical or anything...are shorting plugs just something I insert in the unused RCA jack? There is no potential to damage the ampor anything ? If so ,where can I purchase these.  As for battery power would 1 battery handle both the amps and how is that connection made ? I am happy using the supplied power supply unless everyone agrees I will be blown away by any improvement.  I notice much better channel separation running 2 amps and I can tweak the volumes on the left and right to dial in soundstage. I have the volume set about 80 percent on both amps and using the Dodd tube buffer as a pre and main volume. I love it but always looking for suggestions on ways to improve .

[roscoeiii]

Once again ..I am not very mechanical or anything...are shorting plugs just something I insert in the unused RCA jack? There is no potential to damage the ampor anything ? If so ,where can I purchase these.  As for battery power would 1 battery handle both the amps and how is that connection made ? I am happy using the supplied power supply unless everyone agrees I will be blown away by any improvement.  I notice much better channel separation running 2 amps and I can tweak the volumes on the left and right to dial in soundstage. I have the volume set about 80 percent on both amps and using the Dodd tube buffer as a pre and main volume. I love it but always looking for suggestions on ways to improve .

No offense meant to any of the forum members, but this sort of question seems best addressed to the manufacturer or distributor, as opposed to folks on a forum.

[OzarkTom]

Once again ..I am not very mechanical or anything...are shorting plugs just something I insert in the unused RCA jack? There is no potential to damage the ampor anything ? If so ,where can I purchase these.  As for battery power would 1 battery handle both the amps and how is that connection made ? I am happy using the supplied power supply unless everyone agrees I will be blown away by any improvement.  I notice much better channel separation running 2 amps and I can tweak the volumes on the left and right to dial in soundstage. I have the volume set about 80 percent on both amps and using the Dodd tube buffer as a pre and main volume. I love it but always looking for suggestions on ways to improve .

Yes, just put in the two shorting plug into the unused input. Use too, many receivers that were sold back in the 80's and 90's came with a bunch of those shorting plugs. You might check with RAdio Shack or look on Ebay. This will not hurt your amps.

Here is how you can make your own.

http://www.takefiveaudio.com/mall/shopcontent.asp?type=RCA_Input_shorting_plugs

[rodge827]

I read somewhere that shorting plugs helps keep the EMI out of the circuit.

Yes they do, and they short the input to ground, so there are less active circuits working in the amp.
Shorting plugs can be used any piece of gear with unused inputs and it will sound better for it.
USE ON INPUTS ONLY!

[raysracing]

I wanted to put up here pre-MIllenia Tour comments. My set-up of electronics and Tekton Lore speakers has been less than enjoyable.  I am hoping to have a more musical and much less clinical sound. I also hope to finally get the solid imaging and sense that each instrument and voice has a place in front of my closed eyes. It has height, depth and that I can hear the artist come up to and back away from the mic sound. That is what I love. Currently I use my new Pioneer BS 22 LR's for that airy, each instrument sounds like it is being mic'd and mixed with perfection sound.  My lores have a right, left speaker and between sound. 

What i find curious is how much more tolerant my BS22LR's are to anything I throw at them. Sort of that shirt makes you look good. I feel my Lore's even though they are only $1000pr. want expensive electronics as I have lamented recently.

I cannot wait to see what the TBI does for my set-up (and all that that entails).

Ray

[raysracing]

So this is what I have been missing? I am very happy to try this amplifier. I am playing through some of my favorites albums and CD's and I really amazed at the improvement in soundstage and especially the realism of instruments, especially (or most obvious) cymbals. The brightness and decay are greatly improved. Maybe I am most happy that the speakers have started to be less obvious (not quite disappeared) and I hear more natural music presentation and a less clinical sound from the Lores. I dont mind the stark sound say fomr my Rokit active monitor for recordings of our band, but I guess I like a smoother sound for llistening pleasure with those wow moments like a bass line that sounds so real you swear you can hear the players fingers on this strings in your room or a ride cymbal played on the bell that sounds so real.

I did tweak my room before the TBI showed up and made improvements by moving my seat way back and other minor speaker position tweaks, but this takes the system to the next level. I have not tried it with batteries yet. I have a SLA 24v set-up from my collection of Tripath chip amps and optocoupler pre, but will pass this by Tom before using it. I will try the 12v set-up later tonight or tomorrow.

[raysracing]

Last night I added in a receiver with pure direct mode as a pre. I think it veiled up the details a Bir, but I was getting really tired. This morning I tried the 12v set up and liked it. Then I used my 24v set up and this is my current favorite set up. Things like Tom toms came through with more punch and synthesized bass had more resonance.


Maybe the next step is to remove the receiver and Grant tube buffer on the turntable set up.

[gregfisk]

Once again ..I am not very mechanical or anything...are shorting plugs just something I insert in the unused RCA jack? There is no potential to damage the amp or anything ? If so ,where can I purchase these. 

I purchased 10 RCA plugs from mouser and then went to radio shack and purchased 10 470 ohm 1/4 watt resisters. Made these up is just a few minutes with my butane fired soldering gun. If you haven't purchased these yet and want a couple you can have them, I won't ever use all 10 at once.

Greg

[raysracing]

Tom,

I have played a lot of great (to me of course) music on the Millennia this weekend. Packing it in-between the usual weekend activities, but nothing brought home how awesome this amp is more than Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man on Telarc CD (Louis Lane and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra CD-80078). I try so hard not to use the usual audiophile lingua franca because I dont want to come across as knowing any more than I do, but this amp does appear to bring out in my mind all of the glowing praise I read about; Shimmer, bass slam, decay. 

And compared to any amps/pre I have used my Tekton Lore speakers have finally disappeared.  I believe the Pioneers still have the edge on giving that amazing depth and height and placement of instruments and wide sound stage. It is eery how the $99 Pioneers project 3D sound. My Lore's still dont do that. Maybe that is room treatment? 

What a step forward though. Try it with 24v if you can.

Ray

[genjamon]

I don't think 3-dimensionality are the Lore's greatest strengths.  They do so adequately, and image well if set up well, but they excel most in their combination of sheer presence and dynamics combined with tone.  There's an energy to the sound that sounds like "live" music, which is harder to find in other more "audiophile" speakers.  I agree the TBI amp does an amazing job for the price.  I wish I had a chance to try out 24V when I had it in for a visit - might have addressed some of my reservations about it compared to my current setup.  I still might give it a shot in monoblock configuration on 24V.

[roscoeiii]

Sorry for the slow posting on this. But I wanted to give my TBI impressions (all running off battery power). I got lucky and the TBI tour overlapped with the Vapor Breeze tour. And this was the best combo that I heard the TBI in. You can see my impressions of the Vapor in that thread, but with my Rogue ST90 in ultralinear mode, I felt that the Breezes were a touch forward (in a system assembled to coax my Von Schweikerts to become more forward, a very important detail). With the ST90 in Triode mode, it was a better match with the Breezes. And the TBI was comparable to my ST90 in Triode mode. The Breezes and a TBI would be a fabulous 1-2 punch for a killer sounding and very compact system. Just killer.

With my Von Schweikert VR-4s, I found the TBI to be a bit too laid back for my taste. Sound stage moved back, and there wasn't quite the impact of notes being struck (on the tympani in the Fleet Foxes for example). As I said above, I find the Von Schweikerts a touch laid back for my taste, and have worked to bring them more forward with associated components. But the TBI off battery power has a different flavor that seems to accentuate this laid-back character. Sounded very nice, but not quite in line with my preferences on the Von Schweikerts.

Sadly, things were very crazy around here when the TBI was in the house, and so I didn't have a chance to run it using AC. I suspect that this might have changed the more laid back presentation I am writing about.

But main point being: wow is this a good amp with the Breezes. A great match with that super RAAL tweeter in those speakers. And it is so compact. I never expected such a great sound just looking at it or holding it in my hand (yes, hand singular). 

[OzarkTom]

I know you were busy, did you get time to try out your Hifiman Headphones on the TBI?
It appears the Head-fi crowd has taken a huge liking to the Millenia also.

If you ever try Bluetooth  with your hi res digital files for the fact that it is part of the modern lifestyle and its best to join in rather than resist. The HTC car A200 is a high end BT receiver featuring Apt x decoding. This encode/decode scheme is supposed to bring wire like results and Jan Plummer is using it without encode and Jan  can't stop listening to Pandora on his commissioned Blackberry. The Apt-x encode transmitter is available and some better devices are coming with it.

http://www.amazon.com/HTC-Bluetooth-Streaming-Stereo-Adapter/dp/B00CAW9EGC

[roscoeiii]

 

Totally spaced on trying it with my headphone adapter. For those not familiar, some HiFiMan headphones Sem to shine best from speaker outputs of an amp.

[sugbob21]

Without being redundant....can some one lead me through how to use the Millenia as a headphone amp. what adapter do i need? i own Grado SR80-i , AKG-701s and Hifiman HE-400  800 ohm cans.

[roscoeiii]

I use the HiFiMan HE-Adapter. But check that this is a good idea with your headphones. It was designed for hard to drive headphones like the HE-6 and HE-5LE (which I have).

[sugbob21]

OK. will do.   thanks.