Wow! Talk about quick delivery - less than 3 weeks. Got my TVC Ref 1 last night and just got it hooked up this morning with Nick's silver IC's and ebony feet (and ebony knob

). Kudos to Nick and his people for wonderful and careful packaging! (Also a tip of the hat to DHL for placing a plastic bag I left for them on the package as it was raining out while I was at work)
First off, I am surprised at the heft, build quality, and solidity of the TVC. I was expecting something a lot lighter but it has some weight to it. The IC's are also well made and professional looking as are the ebony feet. One small nit is with the brass couplers - the edges just need to be deburred a bit more so as not to scratch the surface they are lying on - they are a bit sharp. I took a small file to mine to turn the edges down a bit. That's it for complaints though

Initial impressions are very positive. This unit is quiet - black quiet. Prior, I would hear a minor hum about 1-2 feet away from my speakers between amp & source. After adding the TVC, this has been reduced. I need to get within a few inches to hear it. Nice! I'm using the direct (front) inputs on my Decware Select amp and get wonderful volume at the 12:00 position. This is about my normal listening level. By 2:00, we were getting into party db levels so it's nice to know I have some more juice in there. I feel a bit of the emotion and air is pared down a bit - but am not worried

I know this needs to break-in. I do like what's coming out. I immediately noticed a greater spearation between instruments and hearing more detail emerge from the recordings. I was a bit taken aback upon listening to "Prologue" from Loreena McKennitt's - The Book of Secrets. There's a low drum part that really popped out that I really didn't notice was there before. Nice surprise!
Well, that's it for now. Only 1+ hours of burn-in and this thing is a keeper!
- Ray
