Some comparisons of the 550ex and the Parasound JC-1

Tyson · « **on:** 9 Jul 2003, 12:19 am »

It was a couple of weeks ago I did the comparison, but the link is below. It isn't as much of an A-B comparison as I would have liked, but hopefully Jerry and I can get together and do a more extensive comparison in the near future. I will say that the 550ex really held it's own against the 3 times as expensive JC-1's (which are considered a bargain by most reviews I've seen, even at their $6k price point)

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=3352&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Stampeder · « **Reply #1 on:** 9 Jul 2003, 04:11 am »

I just want to make sure I understand and am clear about what others are saying about the T7 preamp. I believe that you stated in the past that it reminds you of a preamp you once owned - the AI M3A. I also read in the recent thread you referred to that the T7 can sound 'clinical', depending on the tubes.

I have heard an AI M3A in my system, and I found that it was pretty coloured and changed many aspects of my system in a not nice way, compared to my normal passive (source direct to amp) system. The biggest difference was a rounding and coloration and an expected but quite obvious loss of transparency. I was hoping that the added boost in dynamics would be nice, but even that was unnatural sounding to me. So, if the T7 is like the M3A (assuming I am right about what I thought you wrote some time back), I have to be concerned about the T7.

And to compound the issue, it is said that the T7 can sound 'clinical' sounding using the AVA supplied tubes. That is scary bad, and I hope that isnt objectively true. If a preamp with the manufacturers stock tubes sounds like that, then why does the owner even keep the T7? I realize this is probably a system dependent thing.

Anyway, it seems that the T7 can manifest itself in different ways depending on the system (and the tubes.... sigh) and that seems pretty typical. What concerns me is that I have heard others say that it sounds like what to me is a coloured preamp, or it sounds clinical. Thats the two extremes. I am not hearing that it sounds natural/balanced/neutral other than one persons review posted on the Audio Asylum.

So, is this a classic case of someone misinterpreting a series of subjectively written posts over time, or is there some merit in the interpretation? Just what does the T7 sound like with stock tubes?

Thanks.

Tyson · « **Reply #2 on:** 9 Jul 2003, 04:17 am »

Actually, I don't think the T7 sounds like the AI. Below are my more or less "final" thoughts of the T7 w/the stock Electroharmonix tubes (I posted this in the critics circle a while ago):

Next, the preamp, the Transcendance 7. Many of you may know that I ordered this in the first place because I've not been able to get an "all-tubed" preamp to behave well in my system, specifically the AI modulus 3a, the Radii tubed pre, and the Symphonic Line "Erleuchtung" have all had problems picking up noise, either from RFI or the power lines, or who knows. . . So the T7 was my hope to get a touch of the tubed sound with a unit that would actually be quiet in my system. Is that what I got? Yes and no. It is quiet, very quiet. I can put my ear up to the speakers and hear only the very tiniest trace of noise. Does it sound like a tubed preamp? I'd have to say no. It does not sound like a tube amp at all. But it doesn't sound like any solid state preamp I've heard either. The closest thing it resembles in "sound" (or lack thereof) is the Bent transformer based passive preamp we had come through here a while back. Same sort of transparency and lack of added coloration. But bass and dynamics are noticably better with the T7. The preamp seems to have no "character" of its own, it's as close to "straight wire with gain" as I've heard outside of the Bent. But where the bent sounded a little uninvolving, the T7 still draws you in to the music. It's hard to explain exactly the sound of the unit unless you've heard it. One thing I will re-iterate is that it is smooootthhh sounding. Overall, there's not much else I can say because the unit really doesn't seem to have a "sound" at all.

Tyson · « **Reply #3 on:** 9 Jul 2003, 04:21 am »

Oh, let me add that I did a lot of comparisons between various tubes, and the Siemens tubes won out in my system in the end - they did give the sound a bit more warmth, and I didn't hear much loss in the dynamics and transparency departments. In fact, a few weeks ago I got a chance to insert it in a system that used "no" preamp (the CD player directly drove the amp), and didn't notice any loss of transparency there either. Neither did the owner of the system. The sound was a tad warmer, but that was with the warmer sounding siemens tubes in there.

In fact, here's the link to that listening session:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=2969

Stampeder · « **Reply #4 on:** 9 Jul 2003, 04:38 am »

Thanks for taking the time to articulate your impression of the T7. It is nice that you were able to add a comparison to the TX103 Bent preamp because that is a unit I recently had in my system for a month and liked very much. This comparison certainly removes all confusion, and even has an excellant reference point built in to it that I can relate to.

Stampeder · « **Reply #5 on:** 9 Jul 2003, 04:42 am »

Quote from: Tyson

Oh, let me add that I did a lot of comparisons between various tubes, and the Siemens tubes won out in my system in the end - they did give the sound a bit more warmth, and I didn't hear much loss in the dynamics and transparency departments. In fact, a few weeks ago I got a chance to insert it in a system that used "no" preamp (the CD player directly drove the amp), and didn't notice any loss of transparency there either. Neither did the owner of the system. The sound was a tad warmer, but that was with the warmer sounding siemens tubes in there.

I have Seimens 12AX7 and 12AU7 tubes (ECCXX) , but I don't actually have any 12AT7s at all, NOS or otherwise. Are the Siemens readily available or did you fluke out finding them?

Tyson · « **Reply #6 on:** 9 Jul 2003, 04:46 am »

Found mine at www.thetubestore.com - they were $25 each when I ordered them, looks like they're up to $29 now. Also, just edited my previous post and posted a link that you might be interested in (not sure if you saw it before you responded).

I also tried Mullards, cryo-treated mullards, Brimars, and Amperex tubes, my preference is still the Siemens. But if you really liked the Bent, you might be best off sticking w/the stock Electroharmonix tubes.