[HPDJ]

Doah! Thanks embz for clarifying about the power knob position....I partially blame the dealer for not understanding how to use the amp better and explain it to me. And also I was already enjoying the sound so much that I just assumed it was on battery power   

So nice to hear that you've enjoyed your upgrade embz....enjoy the music!

[brh]

After spending time with the headphones we switched to these little speakers from Audience called "The One"...and the Sig16 drove them excellently. (btw the little switch on the back of the amp for headphones/speakers is a very nice feature). The Audience speakers had some impressive bass for such small monitors and they imaged pretty well...I felt that there was maybe too much space b/t the speakers themselves...I think they are really intended to be used in a near-field setting (not exclusively) and I can imagine them doing very well in this regard. Vocals were nice and high-hats and cymbals were good. I wish I had time to try the Sig16's with the Harbeth P3ESR's...maybe next time! I have a weakness for over achieving small speakers

I'm speechless… I could not have asked for more — The Ones are the speakers I intend to get to replace my lowly AudioEngines, and in a hundred years I would not have imagined hearing an account of these two very new products together. Thanks so much!

Anyway, those are my quick and dirty impressions of the Sig16 as a headphone amp and a speaker amp...I AM curious about the tube stage being connected to the headphone output or not though....would be great if Vinnie could comment on that because if they ARE connected then it would provide a great way to tailor the sound not only for speakers but for headphones as well via tube-rolling. Either way, the way it sounded to me today was just great!

Hopefully Vinnie will give a definitive answer on this, but a few things… I've tried… eight or nine different tubes in the thing, and while I stopped trying to hear the tubes in the headphone stage (because I am fairly convinced they're separate), I've yet to see the differences in the speaker output mirrored in the HP stage. The HP stage sounded a bit more SS to me to begin with, which prompted me to think/investigate… Looking at the traces internally, I don't see it happening. Also, the mute relay for the tube only applies to the speakers (that is, headphones start playing as soon as you flip the power on). But again, final word on this from Vinnie would be appreciated. This is largely why I'm thinking of tacking on a compact SS head amp (the line outs are through the tube buffer).

Could someone (maybe brh) let me know what each position of the "On/Off" section of the amp does starting from LEFT to RIGHT?? Because the dealer had that particular power knob in the MIDDLE position the whole time and.......yeah, I'm not sure if I was even listening to the amp in full-on battery mode. I didn't realize till the end of the audition...

You were not! So, it only gets better Yeah, positions from left to right are off/charging; on/charging; on/pure battery. Pure battery is pretty hardcore - fully disconnected via relays. It makes me smile a little when I switch mine off - I swear I hear at least four relays clicking into place, it's like the little elves inside are springing into action

Edited after clarification from Vinnie: http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=116806.msg1231769#msg1231769

[Vinnie R.]

I AM curious about the tube stage being connected to the headphone output or not though....would be great if Vinnie could comment on that because if they ARE connected then it would provide a great way to tailor the sound not only for speakers but for headphones as well via tube-rolling.

Hi HPDJ,

I apologize for the delayed response - I've been catching up since the Newport Beach Show (I'll post more about that later..). 

YES - the tube stage is connected to the headphone output as well as the speaker output on the Signature 16.  Tube-rolling is what it's all about, and you can roll in tubes from the 6922 family as well as the 12AX7 family.  BRH - please contact me because it sounds like your headphone stage is connecting straight to the volume control, but it should first go though the tube stage.  I can take care of that ASAP for you. 

The Sig 16 owner's manual covers the switch setting (feel free to email me for a PDF copy if anyone is interested).  BRH is correct - the 2nd position is ON/CHARGING. THe 3rd (final) position is ON/Running pure Battery.  This is the very best way to hear it.  I'll be sure to explain that again to my dealer because pure LiFePO4 battery power is what it's all about for both headphone and speaker listening!

Hi embz and brh,

Thanks for your posts!  The Sig 16 takes the Sig 15 to another level.  On paper, it's not much more powerful.  But the new R.E. Tube Stage and the higher currently delivery to the FET output stage is what where the WOW factor that embz talks about comes from! 

BTW - I still have not yet had time to submit any of the new Renaissance Edition products for review (including the Sig 16).  I'm hoping to catch up this month and then will post when I send in a unit for review.  So you guys are my reviewers now, and I greatly appreciate your feedback! 

All the best,

Vinnie

[brh]

YES - the tube stage is connected to the headphone output as well as the speaker output on the Signature 16.  Tube-rolling is what it's all about, and you can roll in tubes from the 6922 family as well as the 12AX7 family.  BRH - please contact me because it sounds like your headphone stage is connecting straight to the volume control, but it should first go though the tube stage.  I can take care of that ASAP for you. 

I could very well be missing something both visually and aurally (I don't pretend to be the brightest, or have the most golden ears  ), so I could be completely mistaken. But I do know for sure that the headphone stage comes on immediately (that is, not after 45 sec w/ the tube relay). I'll shoot some pictures soon and send them off. I won't say any more about the headphone stage until I have a definitive answer.

Little side story here: I started on a quest to eventually build an all American-manufactured setup. The fact that it is incredibly doable is impressive; the fact that there are a number of options for many of the components is staggering. When I was looking at different amps, I inquired about a factory mod with another American amp manufacturer, one that I knew others had had done, but was not a standard option. Over two months later, I got a very short 'no, we don't do that' answer. By then I had already ordered my RWA and had gotten plenty of good info out of Vinnie here on the forums. I just hope people have noticed how responsive - both as far as timeliness and usefulness - Vinnie is. Goes a long way.

THe 3rd (final) position is ON/Running pure Battery.  This is the very best way to hear it.  I'll be sure to explain that again to my dealer because pure LiFePO4 battery power is what it's all about for both headphone and speaker listening!

Yeah, that's really a shame. It's actually probably rather overkill for me, as I'm not that obsessed about having the blackest background, but… My mains power is garbage, and there's really no way around keeping that garbage out of my audio. Except a battery. It's a killer feature.

[Vinnie R.]

Hi brh,

You shouldn't notice sound from the headphone output until the 45 sec. warm up is completed.  Please email me and I'll take care of this for you ASAP - at your convenience.

I just hope people have noticed how responsive - both as far as timeliness and usefulness - Vinnie is. Goes a long way.

Thank you for recognizing that - customer service and maintaining happy customers has always been and will always be a priority for me. 

All the best,

Vinnie

[brh]

Don't know if OP is still watching this space, but I've a few things to add now that some time has passed and some events have unfolded...

Anyone who has read through this knows by now that my Sig 16 came from MA with a little bit of an 'oops' attached, and that Vinnie offered to fix it ASAP. I waited until I was feeling up to a week or so without any loudspeaker action (I have no backup amps at the moment, the horror!) and shipped it out to Vinnie. He was not kidding when he said 'ASAP,' the unit was shipped back the day he received it, I believe. The only bottleneck in the process was the USPS, which decided to shut down countless offices and distribution centers in my area, making every parcel come to a grinding halt once it gets a whiff of the Chesapeake. But no matter, it's back to me now, and I must thank Vinnie again for the excellent customer service.

So, now I have a headphone stage that goes through the tube. One may, at this point, go back and read my review of how the Sig 16 sounds out of the speaker taps. Because what we have coming out of that headphone stage is a very convincing simulacrum of the full amp. The sound is meaty and full, but never slips into bloat. It handles the delicacy of the Chilingirian Quartet (with Iain Simcock on handbells) performing Tavener's 'Last Sleep of the Virgin' just as well as the noisy aggression of the Raveonettes' 'Whip It On.' Very capable and well-suited complement to the main/speaker amp stage in the Sig 16. If having an inbuilt headphone stage is useful to a potential buyer, definitely money well spent.

(For reference: Mac Pro 3,1/iTunes - Halide Design Bridge - Channel Islands VDA-2 - RWA Signature 16 - Sennheiser HD-650)

[HPDJ]

brh,

Thanks for updating us about your Sig 16, happy that the issue was addressed by Vinnie very quickly! I'm not surprised, he is an absolute CHAMP when it comes to making sure his customers are happy. Now that everything is A OK with your amp, once you've had a chance to try some of the tube rolling you initially did before the tube stage was connected to the headphone stage, let us know what your hearing

My Sig 16's headphone output is doing wonderfully in my rig with my LCD 2's thus far....this is with the stock tube. In a few weeks I'll mess with some NOS tubes. I'm really curious to hear how the 12AX7 family of tubes will sound in the unit

[brh]

Good call — I'll do more listening-in-the-name-of-research and post some thoughts. But, as I said, the headphone output seems very close to the speaker output now, and the winner before (based on an admittedly humble tube collection) was the Yugoslavian-made RCA 12AX7A. I was also pretty pleased with the sound of the Philips JAN 6922. Side note: when I sent Vinnie the picture of the internals initially, the response was along the lines of, 'Yes, that's wired incorrectly. Also what tube is that?' which, that sort of curiosity speaks miles about being a tinkerer and really being interested in the sound and not just a business, if you will.

Glad to hear it's performing well with the LCD-2s. I really like my HD-650s, but my original plan was to have an end-to-end system of American manufactured components. As you can see from my signal chain above… Getting there!

[Vinnie R.]

Hi HPDJ and brh,

Thanks for posts / feedback - much appreciated!

Glad to hear it's performing well with the LCD-2s. I really like my HD-650s, but my original plan was to have an end-to-end system of American manufactured components. As you can see from my signal chain above… Getting there!

Brh,

I have both the 650s and LCD-2s.  If you like the 650s, then you'll love the LCD-2s.  I find that they actually have 'similar' voicing.  The LCD-2s just takes everything up a notch in performance (more punchy bass, more seductive mids, more top-end extension).  The 650s are an amazing value $500 (sometimes you can find them for less!).  The LCD-2s is twice the price, but the laws of diminishing returns do not kick in yet - so IMO they are approx. 2x better.     

All the best,

Vinnie