Promitheus TVC passive preamp anyone?

gooberdude · « **Reply #560 on:** 20 Dec 2006, 01:48 am »

You are spot on Rollo.

I posted a pic of my set-up about 5 pages back, it involves a pointed brass weight on top, pointed brass 2" diam footers and a suspended maple tonewood plinth. This set-up is bad-ass for this TVC.

The problem is the lack of alternatives that 1) transform the sound as much as MS products, 2) are less expensive & 3) don't require 8" of shelf height. The vibe draining system i'm using now is supposed to be under my tt

I agree 100% that the platform has to be suspended. I don't want to, but the proof is there!

There are others with a lot more time on their TVC's, i got mine sometime in late October. For the 1st month I burned in the TVC about 18hrs per day...and listened the other 6. i do think i've given it a good workout.

I need to get the Ayre CD. I degauss my system every so often and think its another undiscovered but highly effective stereo tweak. I use the Cardas Sweep Track...

GD

launche · « **Reply #561 on:** 20 Dec 2006, 04:25 am »

I only have infant hours on my TVC thus far but have read gooberdude's MS options, seems to make sense. I don't have that much space so I took my Symposium Rollerblocks from another component and put them under the TVC. Thus far I think the improvement is very good, more articulate bass, cleaner highs, more clarity. My next step will be some weight atop the TVC.

It is very funny that the isolation devices mentioned approach or cost more retail then the TVC itself.

mysticaldodo · « **Reply #562 on:** 20 Dec 2006, 05:21 am »

Quote from: GHM on 19 Dec 2006, 12:21 am

Well my and a friends TVCs finally arrived. The Energizer showed up also in good condition. I've not listened in my system,but did get a chance to listen in his. Very promising so far. Although I'm not as familiar with his system as my own. We also dropped in the Energizer. He'll play it in the system for a few days as the other components burn in and then remove it. I could be wrong but on first listen the images seem to become more defined ..maybe due to a blacker background? Not sure ..I will listen in my own system once I get everything back in order... probably in a week or so.

Oh forgot..Thanks Nick for the Christmas Cards and the Tri-braided Silver 12 gauge power cord.

I'm very interested in the energizer. The dealer says he doesn't put the energizer between the wall outlet and power distribution (or whatever thats suppose to come after the energizer). He actually plugs the energizer into a spare outlet of the power distributor connected directly to the wall outlet (think so, if there was a conditioner, I didn't see it). He demonstrated to me by plugging and unplugging the energizer while a piece of big band jazz is playing. With the energizer in, the music was notably louder. It was a short impression though and I couldn't determine other sonic merits.

brashgordon · « **Reply #563 on:** 20 Dec 2006, 05:23 am »

I received mine last Thursday... and after a scare ...

(thought I had a channel out....but an RCA was not completely seated) ...

ran Purist Audio design Rev-B enhancer... a couple of times through each of the two RCA in's and outs ...

Unit settled down a LOT .... sounded great out of the box ... but really nice now ...
haven't played through my entire collection ... but I have the rest of my life to do so ...

Well worth the price ... now on to Paradisea ???

Helps my 300B's sound .... taller .... not just wider ...

Using a lot of isolation products ... still playing around ...

Fell asleep last night ... and my SigOth...changed out the CD and left "West Side Story"
on repeat .... all night ....

Still don't care for .... musicals ...

but I feel .... prettier ... today .... than I have in quite some time ....

LMAO .... aa

BTW ... using a 3" // 18X24 Timbernation maple platform ... Mapleshade ISO blocks to isolate from the "rack"
playing with a few (3-4) brass Mapleshade heavy hat's on top ... (jury still out) and after treating Nicholas'
wooden "feet" for Colorado weather (oiled them up a bit) ... have a lot to fiddle with ...

but when the horsehair meets the cat-cut ... it's sweet to my old ears ....

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

analogmart · « **Reply #564 on:** 20 Dec 2006, 06:52 am »

Hi Everyone,
I'm really very new member but have been read most of topic in Audiocircle since six months ago.
I'm international student at Denver, Colorado. Nice to know all of you guy.....

I've sent order about two weeks ago, may be two-three more week to see my unit.
Keep exciting when see you guy reported the improvement.....

Brashgordon....where do you live?
May be we can compare our TVC when mine arrived aa
BTW, Sorry for any wrong Grammar....

GHM · « **Reply #565 on:** 20 Dec 2006, 08:17 am »

Quote from: mysticaldodo on 20 Dec 2006, 05:21 am

Quote from: GHM on 19 Dec 2006, 12:21 am
Well my and a friends TVCs finally arrived. The Energizer showed up also in good condition. I've not listened in my system,but did get a chance to listen in his. Very promising so far. Although I'm not as familiar with his system as my own. We also dropped in the Energizer. He'll play it in the system for a few days as the other components burn in and then remove it. I could be wrong but on first listen the images seem to become more defined ..maybe due to a blacker background? Not sure ..I will listen in my own system once I get everything back in order... probably in a week or so.

Oh forgot..Thanks Nick for the Christmas Cards and the Tri-braided Silver 12 gauge power cord.

I'm very interested in the energizer. The dealer says he doesn't put the energizer between the wall outlet and power distribution (or whatever thats suppose to come after the energizer). He actually plugs the energizer into a spare outlet of the power distributor connected directly to the wall outlet (think so, if there was a conditioner, I didn't see it). He demonstrated to me by plugging and unplugging the energizer while a piece of big band jazz is playing. With the energizer in, the music was notably louder. It was a short impression though and I couldn't determine other sonic merits.

Actually Nick instructed me to use a power strip. Plug the Energizer into the power strip(already plugged in wall) and then plug the rest of the components behind it.
By the way my friend uses all dedicated lines. He called yesterday to tell me it made his TV picture look better. I plan on buying just a heavy duty power strip this week, so I can use the Energizer in conjunction with my other powered gear.

Nick also informed me he was giving the 12 gauge Tri-Braid Solid core silver powercords away with the Energizers to the first ten Energizer customers. This cord uses a Oyaide IEC socket. Nick says it is of high quality. I don't know much about the power cord components

..so still learning the different makers.

By the way GB I bought some MS footers for the new preamp. Now to find some wood. I think I'll get a local cabinet shop to make me the wood platforms..not ready to pay $50 for a piece of wood.

JLM · « **Reply #566 on:** 20 Dec 2006, 11:42 am »

GHM,

I seriously doubt if a cabinet shop will sell you even a rough cut 2 inch thick block of maple for $50. (Maybe a countertop cut out from a sink for that price.) They just don't have it sitting around, even at specialty lumber yards, so it has to be special ordered. Try a web search, we found our solid cherry mantle that way.

gooberdude · « **Reply #567 on:** 20 Dec 2006, 03:03 pm »

Hey Brashgordon,

you might try just using a single small heavyhat weight from MS. I have a bunch of these weights: small flats, small w/points, large flats & large w/points. So far, no piece of gear i've ever owned has benefitted from more than 1 on the top. To my ears, 1 small pointed heavyhat brass weight sounds the best on top of this TVC.

Try using the other weights on top of your speakers, amp, cdp, etc also. There is a cumulative effect when multiple components are set up with weights, footers & tonewood platforms. HOWEVER, if the footers or suspended plat aren't top quality, the weights do very little. the pointed weight really is the 'cherry on top' of the design. For me, good footers and the suspended plat are the most crucial parts...the pointed weight on top just lets it all gel together.

Did you purchase the pointed footers also?? If not, a small 1cmx1cm piece of thin Grungebuster material placed in between a flat topped footer and the TVC bottom works...and costs about $2. The performance is nowhere near that of the pointed footers, but its a good stop-gap measure if you have budget limitations in the short run.

$50 for a suitable tonewood platform would be great you guys!! Nick's plat should be in that ballpark i think.

I'm going to spend about $130 to replace the plat & Isoblocks that the TVC stole from my TT. But i'm going with a 15" x 18" 3" thick chunk of timbernation's Tiger Maple. Its for my TT though...

A really important aspect of the tonewood plat is that its not end grain cut[/u], which is what most butcher block is. End Grain is too hard.

If you guys read an MS catalog, they swear up and down that air dried maple is the best. I prefer timbernation maple, and it is dehumidified in a kiln like most commercially avail wood.

all i really know is the quality of the wood makes a big difference...

NewBuyer · « **Reply #568 on:** 20 Dec 2006, 05:14 pm »

GHM I'm surprised you are getting so much communication from Nick. For over a month now I can't seem to get an email reply from him, at all...

Mike B. · « **Reply #569 on:** 20 Dec 2006, 06:13 pm »

I ordered mine October 6, and still no unit. I am beginning to think I should have invested in stocks instead

GHM · « **Reply #570 on:** 20 Dec 2006, 07:01 pm »

Quote from: JLM on 20 Dec 2006, 11:42 am

GHM,

I seriously doubt if a cabinet shop will sell you even a rough cut 2 inch thick block of maple for $50. (Maybe a countertop cut out from a sink for that price.) They just don't have it sitting around, even at specialty lumber yards, so it has to be special ordered. Try a web search, we found our solid cherry mantle that way.

I suppose I can only dream of this. I may have to just go with an alternative until funds allow something different. Only reason for trying it is because of a component rack change which uses all glass..no wood. I'll hunt around the net and see what I can find.

Thanks

Quote from: NewBuyer on 20 Dec 2006, 05:14 pm

GHM I'm surprised you are getting so much communication from Nick. For over a month now I can't seem to get an email reply from him, at all...

Hey Newbuyer,
The last communications with Nick were last week. I hope everything is OK with him.
I only emailed him then to find out where the packages were. I've had times when I couldn't catch him either..so I understand the frustration.

Quote from: Mike B. on 20 Dec 2006, 06:13 pm

I ordered mine October 6, and still no unit. I am beginning to think I should have invested in stocks instead

Bummer Mike ..yours must have gotten lost in the shuffle some how

. I hope Nick can rectify the situation.

brian t · « **Reply #571 on:** 20 Dec 2006, 08:54 pm »

mike B , i ordered mine on the 6th october as well looks like its going to be the new year now.

launche · « **Reply #572 on:** 20 Dec 2006, 09:18 pm »

Any thoughts/experiences on how a granite slab might work as isolation with the TVC instead of the wood block. I have an idea how how it might sound, any thoughts?

gooberdude · « **Reply #573 on:** 20 Dec 2006, 09:25 pm »

I tried a 2" thick marble slab, and various other slate & granite floor tiles...they all sucked. No
bass and shrill highs.

the key to this is how the platform vibrates, and i'd bet that tonewood vibes a lot differently than granite or any other stone.

PromitheusAudio · « **Reply #574 on:** 20 Dec 2006, 10:29 pm »

Brian T, newbuyer, mikey B

I have send out personell message to you guys via this forum's email. I tend to rectify and identify your missing TVC orders during the christmas break. So give me a shout out on your details

On the platfrom don't bother with carbon fibre and acrylic they sound positively bad.

gooberdude
what do you think of the oyaide stuff? considering your head lines are all oyaides ac parts

Some picture of the power cord. This are teflon insulated too.

THere is 8 pcs left for the power cord, as i made one for gymane and another for another audiocircle member who ordered the unit. I report via email good results with the unit.

tanchiro58 · « **Reply #575 on:** 20 Dec 2006, 10:58 pm »

Quote from: PromitheusAudio on 20 Dec 2006, 10:29 pm

Brian T, newbuyer, mikey B

I have send out personell message to you guys via this forum's email. I tend to rectify and identify your missing TVC orders during the christmas break. So give me a shout out on your details

On the platfrom don't bother with carbon fibre and acrylic they sound positively bad.

gooberdude
what do you think of the oyaide stuff? considering your head lines are all oyaides ac parts

Some picture of the power cord. This are teflon insulated too.

THere is 8 pcs left for the power cord, as i made one for gymane and another for another audiocircle member who ordered the unit. I report via email good results with the unit.

What components are used with this power cord? How does it sound? Thanks.

ryno · « **Reply #576 on:** 20 Dec 2006, 11:47 pm »

How thick does a suspended platform need to be? I dug through the shop last week and came out with a few 3/4" scraps. Maple for the TVC, white oak for the DAC, and painted MDF for the server. I used isopods from Brite Star, pretty cheap. I've done so much lately, I don't know what's responsible for any improvements.
Ryan

gooberdude · « **Reply #577 on:** 21 Dec 2006, 12:27 am »

Hey Nick, the power cord looks cool.

I think the Oyaide AC products are definitely worth the $, However i think
that any decent AC products can perform well IF they are used as a system (from the same mfgr).

By this i mean that by themselves, products from Oyaide or Furutech are very well made and sound MUCH better than normal wattgate or marinco or P&S (etc, etc) products. BUT, the beauty (or the magic) really occurs when you have a full AC delivery system.

EX: If you have nice gear but have $1 wall outlets and a Radio Shack power strip, then just adding Oyaide plugs to a power cord will reap benefits, but not huge benefits. If however, you have an Oyaide (or Furu or whomever) wall outlet & a power strip with the same or complimentary outlets...then adding expensive plugs will reap VERY large, extremely audible & pleasing results.

As with anything in this hobby, its a system. I'm only now realizing how all this stuff works together.

About a year ago I purchased a cryo'd SWO-XXX outlet from cryo-parts.com. The benefit was instantly noticeable versus the toxic sounding cryo'd P&S 5262 from chris venhaus that i had for 2 years. A few months later I purchased a Pure Power Center from Balanced Power Technologies w/3 SWO-XXX non cryo'd outlets...its a 3 outlet (6 receptacle) power strip with no filters, switches, fuses or nothing. Adding the PPC again ratcheted up the performance, imaging, bass, PRAT, yada, yada, etc. By this point it was easy to hear how well this stuff works.

Just over a month ago when i started having TT issues (open coil in cartr + no more footers OR plat due to TVC!) i began working to get a good digital source. I've posted about this on another forum, but i stuck an Oyaide P-079 male plug onto the stock pc from my XBOX (to use XBOX as my cdp). The change this imparted on the XBOX floored me, and still does. For comparison, I installed the same plug on my CDP, a Sony SCD-595, and did NOT experience the same results. From this I conclude that the XBOX's power supply is better made, and therefore more receptive to the Oyaide plug. I then listened to the XBOX with 3 types of plugs: P-079, wattgate 5266i & Furu FI-11cu. The change the P-079 made was unmistakable. Much more bass, sweeter sound and imaging similar to my TT....from a freakin' XBOX.

If I didn't have any Oyaide products in my system and then installed the P-079 plug on the XBOX, i probably would not be pimping the XBOX as anything but a decent CDP that can be used if your nice one is in the shop.

It is an expensive path to go down, but i feel its necessary to address the AC delivery for any audio set-up no matter if you go FIM, Furu, Wattgate or whoever comes along next. My computer is powered by a $40 Furu FI-15 cu outlet and my IPOD sounds better....oh, and the pc feeding my computer has Furu FI-11cu/ag plugs.

One conclusion i'm coming to is that a system of say Furutech outlets and plugs would benefit the same as i've described. I can only tout Oyaide since that's what I have the most of.

But, i have compared the P-079 plugs to Furu FI-11cu/FI-11AG & cryo'd wattgate 5266i plugs. In my system, nothing rocks like Oyaide gear. Its sweet sounding with lots of control - similar to this TVC.

In terms of construction quality, the Oyaide has Furutech beat...but again i'm comparing a $30 plug to a $90 one. The better Furu plugs might compete head-to-head with Oyaide.

If i were to start out in this hobby all over again, the first $350US i'd spend would be on a $100 cryo'd SWO-XXX outlet and a $250 Room Tunes acoustic treatment kit. of course, the next $350 would be on the Promitheus TVC! From that point, choosing speakers, amps and sources would be fun rather than a chore.

This stuff simply makes electronics work better - that much i'm certain of.

No cable mfgr will be wrong in installing Oyaide plugs. I just wish these were $50 a pop rather than $90.

Shameless plug: Chris Venhaus is now offering free cryo'ing on all Oyaide plugs...making his about $5 cheaper than most other suppliers. he is so convinced that cryo'ing Oyaide is a benefit he's offering it free of charge.

One story and i'll go: When i fist took the cryo'd SWO-XXX outlet out of the box it didn't seem like anything special. Its 2x as heavy as the P&S 5262 outlet it replaced, but nothing else seemed to warrant the extra $. Then, as I was flipping it around in my hand i was shocked to realize I could see my eyeball on the side where the screw termination is... Oyaide's plating and buffing is so good that it leaves a mirror finish. The weight, design & plating techniques of this gear surely sets it apart from the pack.

Because this TVC will reveal up stream deficiencies, its smart to look into getting at least a good wall outlet...and then addressing the power strip. From all I've read & experienced, the SWO-XXX outlets combined with the P-079 plugs are the bee's knee's.

GD

tanchiro58 · « **Reply #578 on:** 21 Dec 2006, 01:23 am »

Hi Nick,

Do you still have any abovementioned PC available? Please let me know. Thanks.

PromitheusAudio · « **Reply #579 on:** 21 Dec 2006, 03:33 pm »

Tanchiro
I have 8 sets left. The cord uses 3 individual gauge 12 teflon silver plated (deep plating as i scratch and check on the plating thickness)military wire and hand braided. After braiding 1 set you feel the pain in your hands as the cable is pretty stiff. 12 gauge is pretty thick and should be able to support 20A. How does it sound? i waiting on feedback from one of the guys who is going to compare it with other high end cables. I like it because it is a very quiet cable. So i get to hear more nuances and stuff. To my ears it sounds neutral and fast and finesse sounding.

Guys
I would like to ask you on whether this is something to explore on.
I was thinking like most guys like me, I have all single ended outputs(RCA) on my equipment. What if I would like to play with balanced? I go out and buy balanced output equipment. But what if, I launch a product that converts the RCA into TRUE Balanced XLR via the usage of a transformer? Would this type of product work well. You gain the advantage of balanced plus the advantage of a transformer