I visited Roger Modjeski's house/laboratory on Monday...
I brought down my Silver Iris Coaxial's in my Open Baffles and Roger hooked
them up to his new revolutionary RM 245.1 Single Ended Triode amplifier...
Srajan wrote a nice introduction and overview of this amazing amp on 6 moons:
http://www.6moons.com/industryfeatures/ram/ram.htmlRoger, being forever the curious and intrepid scientist that he is, did not hesitate
to measure the SI's responses while we played them...conclusion?
Roger was impressed...The Silver Iris Coaxial's really are measurably 96db
sensitive! Also he was very impressed with their reasonably flat response...
he admitted that he has not seen many drivers that were that consistent
across the spectrum...a further confirmation of what I have been hearing...
The bass response of the SI's was at least comparable to Roger's own
sub-woofer which he uses to flesh out his reference electrostatic speakers
which he designed himself...more about Roger's electrostatic's later...
We listened to music for a few hours swapping 45 tubes...from New Old Stock
45's that go back to the early 1930's to the new aristocratic KR tubes,
to the wondrous king of the new tubes, the Emission Labs Mesh Plate 45's...
Roger is the dealer for the new Emission Labs and KR tubes under the
Ram Tube division of his company...
All the while we watched what we were hearing on his oscilloscope...which among
other things allowed us to see how many actual watts were being used to generate
the powerfully penetrating sound levels that we were listened to...less than 1 watt!!!!!
I left with Roger's 245.1 and several tubes to explore further with my SIC OB's at
home...my listening impressions then are based on what Deb and I are hearing
at home over the last 5 days...
First a quick look at Roger's new amp...This is the most elegant design I have
ever seen for any SET 45 amp (take a look at the pictures in the above link)...
Notice there are no transformers in sight! Roger hand-winds his own transformers
in his laboratory and he has found a way to circumvent the heavier-the-metal-the-
better-the-sound misconception...heavy transformers absorb and trap current
which results in power loss and distortion on already low powered SET's...
as Roger says: "Power Is Precious"...the transformers are placed inside the case...
which Roger designed to reflect his love for the Classic Black Steinway pianos
which he played when he was the head recording technician for live performances
while he was still a student at the University of Virginia...an overlapping black
Bakelite-looking material on top and bottom sandwiches a beautifully hand-rubbed
Walnut wood finish...this amp simply reeks with class!!!!!!
The top front of Roger's 245.1 SET begins with a Feedback Knob that begins at
ABSOLUTE ZERO FEEDBACK...the feedback loop is entirely disconnected in
the zero position...then feedback can be dialed in 3db increments to 15db's of
feedback for anyone interested in experimenting with feedback options...
behind the feedback dial there are 3 small LED water clear plastic lenses...
when the amp is turned on the center lens, which Roger calls the Pilot Light, glows
red...the other 2 LED lenses which are positioned on the same horizontal line
as the Pilot Light are each in front of the two 45 output tubes...
You use these 2 LED lenses to control biasing...and it couldn't be simpler...
in the back of the amp, but easily accessible, are 2 thin knobs that you turn to
introduce or take away biasing voltage from the tubes...the lenses are tightly focused
making it easy to judge the brightness-matching to the Pilot Light LED lens...
you simply dial the biasing in until both lenses glow like the center Pilot Light...
the subtle nuanced control of the red glowing light is remarkable and it really works...
what I wound up doing is to dial in more negative bias which lowers the idling
current in the 45 and will add years to the life of any 45 tubes I am using!!!
While most 45 amps are cathode biased, Roger uses an adjustable negative grid
voltage thus avoiding the power-wasting, chassis-heating cathode resistor that
usually consumes 20% of the power supply energy and converts it into heat in
the chassis. The amp runs amazingly cool to the touch and Roger notes that
reducing the interior temperature by just 15 degrees doubles the life of
the capacitors...Roger promises to share more details of his revolutionary
design when he writes the amplifier notes that will go on his website...
There are also 2 "Humpot" knobs in the same back area that you use to dial out
any hum that might appear because of variations in tubes...just as easy to use as
the biasing knobs...you dial each knob until any residual hum disappears...
The feel of this amp is like an exquisite musical instrument that allows you to fine
tune all of the fundamental variables that everyone is concerned about when they
enter the world of SET amplification: Feedback, biasing and hum control...
in the most simple and elegantly functional easy-to-use controls...
The sound of Roger's 245.1 SET 45 tube amp playing Darrel's Silver Iris Coaxial's
is pure magic...it is all about TONE, TONE, TONE...this combination projects the
richest harmonic presentation I have ever heard...voices are palpable, intimate
and richly textured...instruments sing with their natural timbre intact...
The all-over effect is tremendous space and a sonic penetration that must be
heard to be believed...more real than real!!! Meaning that this combination makes
an instant connection to your emotional fibers...goose bumps appear all over your
body...you melt into the music's inner liquidity...
I am referring to Roger Modjeski's new 245.1 SET 45 tube amp as revolutionary...
that is because Roger doubles the power output of the 45 tube to a full 4 watts...
not the 2 watts, and in many cases far less than 2 watts, that every other 45 amp
is only able to achieve...and Roger achieves this doubling of power without any
stress on the tube...it is a matter of circuitry design...Roger went back to the
RCA Radiotrone manuals published in1922 with the title "Radio Enters The Home,"
and studied the original schematics that every SET tube amplifier is based on...
the result of his years of study and experimentation is the RM 245.1 SET amplifier
with its doubling of the power of the 45 tube...
So what does 4 watts sound like on the Silver Iris Coaxials? Well...we never
measured more than 1 watt at voluptuous sound levels...which is a tremendous
achievement of both the SIC's and the RM 245.1 amp...
I made a brief earlier reference to Roger's own electrostatic reference speakers
which he designed himself...Roger A/B'd them with the SIC's for comparison...
Roger's electrostatics achieves noticeably higher frequency levels with more
HF detail, transparency and resolution...however the SIC's have that midrange
magic and low frequency extension that I find so addictive...I thought the SIC's
sounded more organic in our all too brief listening session...however each speaker
does very magical things in their own right...
I was brought up listening to recorded music on British speakers from the age of 10...
the British tune their speakers for the voice...for all their apparent reserve they
love the opera and every other musical form that serves the intimacy and rich
presentation of the voice...Darrel's Silver Iris Coaxial's have that in common with
British speakers...but unlike British speakers, the Silver Iris Coaxials refuse to
act well behaved...at least in terms of the emotional side of their nature...
emotion simply pours out of them...and this is were the RM 245.1 joins them in
perfect synergy...
The RM 245.1 SET amplifier brings out the potential emotion of the SIC's with
extraordinary detail, a super rich harmonic palette of sonic colors, ultra-
saturated instrumental timbre and textures...and that incredible spatial 3-D
presentation that is supported by the Open Baffle paradigm...
Roger sells the RM 245.1 for $1850.00 which includes the driver tubes...and Roger
has a selection of output tubes starting at $150 for the pair, hand tested, selected for
low noise and matched for gain....so for less than the price of some kit amplifiers you
get a 45 amp THAT DOUBLES THE POWER OF THE 45 TUBE...TO 4 GIGANTIC
WATTS...INCREDIBLE CONTROL THAT IS FUNCTIONALLY ELEGANT...
AND A BEAUTIFUL ALL-OVER DESIGN...Deb loves it!!!! Deb is a designer,
so the classy design of the amp is an important consideration for her...
I am the first person to purchase Roger's RM 245.1 SET 45 tube amplifier...
and I am thrilled with it...Deb is thrilled with it...and in combination with
Darrel Hawthorne's Silver Iris Coaxial’s, it creates a sumptuous, throbbing,
emotionally potent musical presentation...
What it is then that the RM 245.1 does that I have never heard before...from any amp...
is that it puts an inner light into the music...an inner fire erupts that sets the music
on fire...it is a dynamic energy that persists and infuses itself into the voice
and every instrument that is played...and it works it’s magic with every
type of music we play...
Roger has thrown down the gauntlet and pushed the potential for the Single Ended
Triode revolution to a new level of power, elegance and rich harmonic presentation...
And Darrel has done the same with his Open Baffle driver design. Together they
put the thrill back into listening to music...and justifies my years of searching for
the magic I knew was potentially there, but up until now only dreamed about...
You owe it to yourselves to purchase Roger's exquisite new powerful RM 245.1 SET
amp and Darrel's Single Iris Coaxial's and join the revolution in audio!!!!
Thanks Roger, thanks Darrel...this is really fun!!!!!!!!!
Warm Regards -Richard-