[aod]

Jos
How are you?
We always end up meeting eventually huh?

You can.

I use a Denon 103R (gave up on the MC1B) with the Whest and feed the TVC to my active monitors direct.
Absolutely lovely organic sound. lacks a bit of drive... so, i'm getting the Promitheus Buffer with 6 dB of gain to add to the TVC.

Nice TAD horn, My friend has a similar set up with a TAD compression driver, TAD horn and Lambda drivers in a Lambda box. Awesome !

Jag

[Jos]

Hi Jag,

It's a small ....

Nick tells me to put the Promi in front of the pre but then I would just lower the gain of the phono according to me. So I wonder if I could put the Promi between the pre and the power amp if necessary at all. Maybe that would give too high a voltage to the Promi. We'll see.

Shame on you giving up on the Allaerts, why?

Sorry it didn't work out with the Tannoy DMT's but it turned out to be too expensive to ship them to Singapore.

Still using the Living Voice?

Cheers,

Jos

ps. What on earth is Tad?

[aod]

Jos
You've got PM
Jag

[anubisgrau]

         That is one hell of a preamp. I am back to using my active I miss the clarity of the Dual Mono dual box TVC but the weight, authority, depth and scale is now back in my system. I will give the TVC a fair shake and compare one more time. Both have their advantages and disadvantages as you will find out.
  rollo

hi rollo, i'm wondering what happened so you've brought the active preamp back and changed your stance - the same with me, i sold my promi as on a long run EAR 864 does so much more for me, although the clarity of TVC remains an ultimate goal. i still feel there is a long road for TVCs yet to be explored and the best is yet to come.
cheers gordan

[Say]

Trial and error.
Looks like a few have jumped off the band wagon.

Since I already like what TVC does I tweaked other areas for improvement. A fullness of sound can be missing at certain at times. Dependant on music and ancilliaries.

The biggest improvement was brought by getting my Highwires out of the lineup. They are good in the detail department but typically hifi boring in the bass region. So I got around to some cheap and thick Signal Cables. This did the trick. Soundstage and bass improvements. Even froze them in the fridge for a few days (cheap mans cryo treatment). For an extra kick try the Signal Cable power cords. However, I did one better. Nothing beat my old TG Audio pc's in the detail department. They are not shabby in the lower registers either. For the added umph I changed the connectors with deep cryo'd Oyaides (On both ends - P037, C037). Snug connections, better everything. I really wouldn't want to go back to actives, especially with the accompanying sonic degradation.

[dgotlse]

         That is one hell of a preamp. I am back to using my active I miss the clarity of the Dual Mono dual box TVC but the weight, authority, depth and scale is now back in my system. I will give the TVC a fair shake and compare one more time. Both have their advantages and disadvantages as you will find out.
  rollo

hi rollo, i'm wondering what happened so you've brought the active preamp back and changed your stance - the same with me, i sold my promi as on a long run EAR 864 does so much more for me, although the clarity of TVC remains an ultimate goal. i still feel there is a long road for TVCs yet to be explored and the best is yet to come.
cheers gordan

Funny, because I have sold my 864P at last. I made my decison after hearing it in  a friend's set (Metronome Technology Cd player, Theta amplifiers and Tannoy Westminster) : there were veils and it lacked clarity and details (tube rolling did not impact the result).
To some extent, everything sounded more or less the same with less dynamics than I wished to have.

[guest1632]

         That is one hell of a preamp. I am back to using my active I miss the clarity of the Dual Mono dual box TVC but the weight, authority, depth and scale is now back in my system. I will give the TVC a fair shake and compare one more time. Both have their advantages and disadvantages as you will find out.
  rollo

hi rollo, i'm wondering what happened so you've brought the active preamp back and changed your stance - the same with me, i sold my promi as on a long run EAR 864 does so much more for me, although the clarity of TVC remains an ultimate goal. i still feel there is a long road for TVCs yet to be explored and the best is yet to come.
cheers gordan

Hi All,

Don't know how much that preamp is, but I'll give you an example. I had a IRDA "purist." no slouch for a preamp, especially for the $665 asking price. Now, I got my TVC  and it would be worth about what $450 something like that. The Purist was warmer sounding, but I felt overall that the TVC was much! more dynamic, and was more open, with a richer detailed sound. It also seemed to be more extended too.  A lot of us in this crowd don't have thousands of bucks to put out for a good preamp.

I think that the TVC still hasn't reached its Zenith yet. Maybe, with the new double C core then we'll see what happens. The BHP is probably the best thing that Nicholas should be doing with the TVC's. I want to put some underneath each transformer. That should make for some good sonics too. I don't regret getting my TVC at all. Yeah, it would be nice to have a bit more gain, especially on playing movies. But! that is one of the things you give up when going with a passive unit. I suggest that before you jump ship, go back and read these pages. The excitement is there. The TVC is still a bang for the buck product. Can't overlook that. It will outdo many preamps twice its asking price. At least, I believe so.

 Regards,
Ray

[Gpj]

The performance of the system employing a TVC will depend on the quality and dynamics of the signal driver. Lacking an active amplification source, it is up to the output stage of the signal source to provide sufficient bass response and overall dynamics. Since we all know this it seems off target to point at the TVC for this type of deficiency. In my case the output drivers of my Levinson 30.5 are robust and I find no fault with the quality of the sound reproduction in areas that could be traced to the TVC. It is in the matching of system components that the audiophile has control over the direction his system will take. If you seek "tube sound" and you have a tubed amplifier you like, you should not require an active preamp if you properly tailor the signal to the TVC. A signal processor or different DAC may serve you better than an additional tube circuit. Alternatively you might want to consider a tubed preamp and a solidstate amplifier.

[guest1632]

The performance of the system employing a TVC will depend on the quality and dynamics of the signal driver. Lacking an active amplification source, it is up to the output stage of the signal source to provide sufficient bass response and overall dynamics. Since we all know this it seems off target to point at the TVC for this type of deficiency. In my case the output drivers of my Levinson 30.5 are robust and I find no fault with the quality of the sound reproduction in areas that could be traced to the TVC. It is in the matching of system components that the audiophile has control over the direction his system will take. If you seek "tube sound" and you have a tubed amplifier you like, you should not require an active preamp if you properly tailor the signal to the TVC. A signal processor or different DAC may serve you better than an additional tube circuit. Alternatively you might want to consider a tubed preamp and a solidstate amplifier.

Hi Gpj,

Well, to some extent I will agree with you. But! I heartily suggest you go back and read these pages, and I think you will find that there are things you can do such as the biggest one.

Open up your unit, and put Black Hole padding on at least three sides of each transformer. It is consistently that good. Now if you want to go a bit further, this requires a bit of mechanical knowhow. This is the reason for this post.

I removed the trafos, and using a flathead screwdriver, removed the padding under each trafo. I next took a 3 by 1 inch piece of BHP, and put it on the bottom of the trafo.

Well, now, what it did, was to tighten up the base, and smooth out the mids, and if the character of a "tube sound" can be applied here that's it. While I was at it, I also tighten up the tabs that hold the frame of each trafo together. A couple of mine were not pressed down real well against the bobbin.

The bass, well, what it did was to further delenniate the bass. So if you have good bass, it shows. If it is flabby, oh well.  At least I think so. The rest is good. It did unfortunately bring out a bit more of the sizzle of this cheap DVD player.I can only hope what it would sound like with a real HIFI player, instead of one costing $40.

So Gpj, even your TVC can be improved. By the way, I did put a strip in between the two transformers. It pulled the mids to forward. I'll leave the one strip I have on the top alone.

So you can take this for what it's worth. I was not a believer either. Then some kind soul sent me some BHP. The rest is history.

Regards,
Ray


Hi Again,

Well, I couldn't resist it. I went back in there and cut back the strip on each trafo from 3 inches to 2.5 inches. Plus, I put a 6.5 strip going from the front to back of the TVC back in there. The mids are pulled back just a little, but that body is still there. The bass is now back. If someone wants to be adventureous, you might lift up the tabs, put the BHP under the tabs and close them back down. Then remout the trafos. I didn't do that. I just put the BHP over the bottom of the core, and screwed it all back in to place. So that's my story, and I'm stuck with it.

Happy listening to all,
Ray Bronk

[Gpj]

 Hello Ray. Once you find that the TVC is an asset in your system I am sure there are ways to improve it's sound to your taste. I was more thinking about the guys that take a 102 db horn, add a 90 watt push/pull amp and then spend the rest of their lives blaming their ancillaries for their problems. Harmony is the key. I like the TVC and will try your suggestions. Right now I am playing with different tubes in my SE amp. I enjoy the element of danger ie:  how long will it be before I really burn my fingers   Let me know what  setup you end up with  Gerry

[guest1632]

Hello Ray. Once you find that the TVC is an asset in your system I am sure there are ways to improve it's sound to your taste. I was more thinking about the guys that take a 102 db horn, add a 90 watt push/pull amp and then spend the rest of their lives blaming their ancillaries for their problems. Harmony is the key. I like the TVC and will try your suggestions. Right now I am playing with different tubes in my SE amp. I enjoy the element of danger ie:  how long will it be before I really burn my fingers   Let me know what  setup you end up with  Gerry

Hi Gerry,

Get some black hole padding, and first cover the three sides of each trafo. Then carefully remove the trafo, and remove the padding that Nicholas has on the bottom of the trafo. You will have to use a flathead screwdriver. Once that is removed, place a 2.5 by 1 piece of black hole pad on the bottom of each trafo. Put it together. Then take a 6-1/4 by 2 inch strip of bhp, and put them both on (underneath)the top lid and bottom plate, in between the two trafos.

That's it. One thing I didn't mention is that it also seems to have opened up the TVC off to the sides.

Which preamp are you using other than the TVC?

Ray

[Gpj]

Ray, I replaced an Electronic Visionary Systems PB2SA that I had been using for over a decade. This is a dual mono stepped attenuator with 36 hand matched resistors/channel and star grounding. State of the art way back then. TVC blew it away for keeps. Putting it back in now makes me wish I had gone for the transformer setup a long time ago. There is a mechanical quality to the sound that, once I have heard it, I cannot overlook. Funny how that works. Like that tiny dent in your car: your eye goes right to it every time you walk past.TVC is like paintless dent removal for me Thanks again for the summary of your tweaking. Going into the hospital for knee replacement fri. Will have lots of time for tinkering during recovery.  Gerry

[guest1632]

Ray, I replaced an Electronic Visionary Systems PB2SA that I had been using for over a decade. This is a dual mono stepped attenuator with 36 hand matched resistors/channel and star grounding. State of the art way back then. TVC blew it away for keeps. Putting it back in now makes me wish I had gone for the transformer setup a long time ago. There is a mechanical quality to the sound that, once I have heard it, I cannot overlook. Funny how that works. Like that tiny dent in your car: your eye goes right to it every time you walk past.TVC is like paintless dent removal for me Thanks again for the summary of your tweaking. Going into the hospital for knee replacement fri. Will have lots of time for tinkering during recovery.  Gerry

Hi Gerry,

I sure wish you the best in that knee replacement. Hope all goes well, with no complications at all.

Ray

[Gpj]

Thanks Ray

[avphile]

Hi Everybody,

I just got my Promitheus TVC passive preamp and I am now burning it using FM tuner for about 20 hours. Hope to feel the magic power from this little lovely box soon!

BTW, I am from Macao, in China, it is a very small city and can find a few Audio Shops here, too bad.


Enjoy music, enjoy life.

[Gpj]

Hi Everybody,

I just got my Promitheus TVC passive preamp and I am now burning it using FM tuner for about 20 hours. Hope to feel the magic power from this little lovely box soon!

BTW, I am from Macao, in China, it is a very small city and can find a few Audio Shops here, too bad.

Quote:
"Enjoy music, enjoy life".  Welcome avphile and well said. As you can see, this is one big happy family. There is presently a vacuum in the rank and file and as you know, nature abhors a vacuum...Unless it is in a WE 242C that is. I hope you enjoy your TVC as much as I do mine. Post your experiences when you take a break from listening  Gerry

[aod]

Gentlemen
I am fairly new to this forum
And I want all the advise and built up experience for you all to tweak the crap out of my TVC.
No more 'heavy' unthreadworthy discussions please.

I will be getting a 5687 based 6db preamp to match with my TVC.
Besides the BHP, what other tweaks have been done?

My TVC is set up such that i can place ebony/mpingo blocks under the transformers directly.
The transformers are damped with car sound damping material, the icky tar like stuff.

The top plate of the TVC is damped by the same icky tar substance and much of the base plate is too.
The TVC sits on a damped granite slab.

Anyone else tweaked their TVC this much or have you guys gone further

The ebony cone treatment will be next.


my tweaks are
damped transformers
damped top plate
damped bottom plate
transformers sitting on 6mm ebony plate (to be done soon)
Rubber feet stuck on TVC
TVC on damped granite slab

pls cut and paste and add more tweaks that have been tried, then, we will have a tweak database
cheers
Jag

[guest1632]

Gentlemen
I am fairly new to this forum
And I want all the advise and built up experience for you all to tweak the crap out of my TVC.
No more 'heavy' unthreadworthy discussions please.

I will be getting a 5687 based 6db preamp to match with my TVC.
Besides the BHP, what other tweaks have been done?

My TVC is set up such that i can place ebony/mpingo blocks under the transformers directly.
The transformers are damped with car sound damping material, the icky tar like stuff.

The top plate of the TVC is damped by the same icky tar substance and much of the base plate is too.
The TVC sits on a damped granite slab.

Anyone else tweaked their TVC this much or have you guys gone further

The ebony cone treatment will be next.


my tweaks are
damped transformers
damped top plate
damped bottom plate
transformers sitting on 6mm ebony plate (to be done soon)
Rubber feet stuck on TVC
TVC on damped granite slab

pls cut and paste and add more tweaks that have been tried, then, we will have a tweak database
cheers
Jag

Hi Jag,

You already done a lot for your TVC. I'd use BHP on all four sides of each trafo. Take the knobs off and make sure the nuts are tightened. That made a big difference. Some have tried it with the top on and/or off. nine is on. It seemed to work better for me that way.

Ray

[aod]

Hey ... good idea Ray

I'll tighten the nuts.
I did find an RA nut that was loose the other day but did not think
of tightening the rest.

Cheers mate
Jag

[aod]

errr i meant RCA nut ...