Dodd battery pre

PaulFolbrecht · « **on:** 8 Aug 2007, 03:42 am »

Just ordered one after thinking about it off and on since last fall. Heard it at RMAF.

So, how many AC members are using one now, what did it replace/beat, and are you still thrilled?

S Clark · « **Reply #1 on:** 8 Aug 2007, 04:27 am »

Mine was a huge step up from a Sansui solid state controlling a vintage Knight KB-85 tube amp. My best sounding set up at the time had been a rebuilt Eico ST-70 integrated. With the Dodd pre in place powered by the Knight, the greatest improvement was in detail. Even my wife who doesn't share my passion for music agreed that this was a good purchase.
For me the choice was easy. Gary had brought his prototype out to my house and played it in my system, so I knew exactly what I was getting.

GregC · « **Reply #2 on:** 8 Aug 2007, 07:13 am »

I absolutely love mine (with 1965 Amperex 7308 USN-CEP USA tubes). It is driven by Bel Canto Ref 1000 amps with Level 2 mods from Underwood HiFi. In my primary system over the years I have had a Musical Fidelity A-308 Integrated, a Blue Circle BC 21.1, a Modwright 9.0 SE, and most recently a Bel Canto Pre2P preamp. The Dodd is my favorite preamp I have heard and I find it to be tonally balanced and harmonically rich, with a perfect blend of resolution and detail without any grain.

Marbles · « **Reply #3 on:** 8 Aug 2007, 11:48 am »

Mine replaced a Bent Transformer based passive pre...

The Dodd is a great.

machine · « **Reply #4 on:** 8 Aug 2007, 11:51 am »

Moved up from a DODD reference pre and GenII DODD mono blocks to Battery-Pre and GenIII DODD mono blocks.

The battery pre brought the last bit of 3-D sound I enjoy, and dropped the noise floor way down. Running 7308's from Gary.

The Gen III monos dropped the noise floor even further, and has a liitle more power. Sonicap and resistor upgraded, running JJ EL-34's and GE 7044's.

Don't plan on changing this combo for a long time...

IronLion · « **Reply #5 on:** 8 Aug 2007, 01:29 pm »

Where is everybody getting their NOS 7308's for the Dodd battery pre? I just got an ELP, certainly not the battery powered pre but it can use 7308's and thats what Gary suggested. I'm looking at Upscale Audio right now but am curious if there are any other sites that would guarantee the quality of their tubes like Upscale does?

KCI-JohnP · « **Reply #6 on:** 8 Aug 2007, 01:34 pm »

IronLion,

You could give this gentleman a call, he is great and highly recommended.

http://vintagetubeservices.com/

Hope this helps you.

John

PaulFolbrecht · « **Reply #7 on:** 8 Aug 2007, 02:34 pm »

I just picked up a pair of Amperex 7308s on eBay for $52. I hope they're good. If you don't want to fool around, buy from Upscale. You'll get the best tubes around, guaranteed, but you will also pay for it.

PaulFolbrecht · « **Reply #8 on:** 8 Aug 2007, 02:36 pm »

Quote from: GregC on 8 Aug 2007, 07:13 am

I absolutely love mine (with 1965 Amperex 7308 USN-CEP USA tubes). It is driven by Bel Canto Ref 1000 amps with Level 2 mods from Underwood HiFi.

Switch the order of your preamp/amps in the chain and you will see big improvements.

Danny Richie · « **Reply #9 on:** 8 Aug 2007, 04:30 pm »

I have had a lot of pre-amps through here. A lot of people bring their gear when they come to audition speakers. So that brings new stuff in from time to time. I have had both Copper and Silver based Bent passive pre-amps in here, an older Audio Research, Melos-333, some custom stuff, Squeeze Box direct to the amps, and I think I have had every pre-amp Dodd Audio has offered. The Superphon was a really good one. It was passive with an active buffer stage. Others I don't even remember. There have been too many to remember them all.

The new Dodd battery power tube pre-amp has been a level above everything else. The really low distortion and dead quiet noise floor really sets it apart. I am also running 7308's in mine. I got them from Gary. I love this thing, and can't recommend it enough.

Oh yea, and it's beautiful.

Captain Humble · « **Reply #10 on:** 9 Aug 2007, 01:56 pm »

Paul, IMHumbleO you made an excellent choice.

I purchased the Dodd Battery Powered Pre to replace an Odyssey Tempest.
I also auditioned the Modwright in my system for a couple of weeks. Excellent preamp!
The Usher P-307 did a great job as well but doesn't offer H/T Bypass. I still have it and will probably use it to upgrade my office system at some point.

Prior to putting the Dodd in service I replaced the stock tubes with Amperex 7308's.

After a couple of months of running the 7308's a review by 10 Audio prompted me to try the stock tubes.
Here's an excerpt:

Quote

The Dodd has a character, one which will contribute to your immersion in the music. There is a slight softening of the initial transient edge of most upper frequency sounds. No content is actually missing, however, just pushed a bit down in the mix. (Following the initial posting of this review, a Dodd owner reported that this is related to the choice of tubes. His favorite: 1965 USA Amperex 7308 tubes, which he says would eliminate this slight "softening" that I hear.) This is actually a benefit for some acoustic music, and for most electronic music as it lessens the sense of glare. The sound of every horn in the orchestra has a body and richness that I enjoyed immensely. It was easy to hear a horn’s metal signature as a clear and distinct entity that was not overwhelmed by the sound it produced. The body of stringed instruments, violin and cello especially, were wonderfully apparent in addition to the sounds of the individual strings. This highly detailed sound fully communicates the richness and body of any well recorded instrument. The sound of a mallet striking a tympani or bass drum is remarkably clear and distinct, as is the initial vibration of the drum head. That is low level detail!

Here's a link to the review: http://www.10audio.com/dodd_battery_pre.htm

The reviewer's observations mirror mine. I prefer the stock tubes in my system.
FWIW, I mentioned this to Gary Dodd and he told me he is now running the stock tubes in his system as well.

Anyone using anything other than the Stock or Amperex 7308's?
I'm ready to experiment with other tubes.

Jeff

Marbles · « **Reply #11 on:** 9 Aug 2007, 02:16 pm »

Captain Jeff, here is a link to some tubes I like the best:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=37800.msg338732#msg338732

Captain Humble · « **Reply #12 on:** 9 Aug 2007, 02:49 pm »

Quote from: Marbles on 9 Aug 2007, 02:16 pm

Captain Jeff, here is a link to some tubes I like the best:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=37800.msg338732#msg338732

I checked out the link:

Quote

I was at his house a month ago and we compared the tubes that I have (amperex Orange) with his favorite...Seiman Gold pins (9622?)from the 1950's

Thanks Marbles. They will be my first buy.
Can you please confirm 9622 as being correct before I go on a mission to find a pair?

Thanks,
Jeff

PaulFolbrecht · « **Reply #13 on:** 9 Aug 2007, 05:40 pm »

Quote from: Captain Humble on 9 Aug 2007, 02:49 pm

Can you please confirm 9622 as being correct before I go on a mission to find a pair?

Surely he meant 6922.

GregC · « **Reply #14 on:** 9 Aug 2007, 09:40 pm »

I have tried the stock tubes, 1959 D-getter Amperex 6922 tubes (Valvo Label), 1960 D-getter Amperex 6922 tubes (Philips Mini-watt label), and early 1960's Telefunken E88CC in addition to my 1965 USN-CEP Amperex 7308 tubes. My wife and I did listening tests with all the different tubes and this is the finish order based on our ears:

1 - 1965 Amperex 7308
2 - Telefunken
3 - Valvo
4 - Philips

All of them were fantastic but the 7308 tubes seemed to have the best full range sound and dynamics. I kept the Telefunken tubes as a backup since they are a very close second.

Paul - What do you mean I should change the order of my pre and amp in the chain?

doug s. · « **Reply #15 on:** 10 Aug 2007, 12:25 am »

Quote from: GregC on 9 Aug 2007, 09:40 pm

...Paul - What do you mean I should change the order of my pre and amp in the chain?

you said:

"...It is driven by Bel Canto Ref 1000 amps..." in fact, the amps are usually driven by a preamp.

paul was poking fun. in fact, s. clark made the same mistake when he said: "...With the Dodd pre in place powered by the Knight..."

doug s.

PaulFolbrecht · « **Reply #16 on:** 10 Aug 2007, 01:33 am »

Quote from: GregC on 9 Aug 2007, 09:40 pm

Paul - What do you mean I should change the order of my pre and amp in the chain?

Like doug said. Sorry for poking fun at your little gaffe - I can't resist a bad joke.

Thanks to all who replied. It's too bad there aren't more pro reviews of this piece if it's so good. The Supratek is a tough act to follow, I'll tell you that. So, we'll see!

MarkR7 · « **Reply #17 on:** 10 Aug 2007, 02:19 am »

I have been using the Dodd Battery Preamp since last fall, and still love it. It's an extremely musical piece of gear; it gets my toes tapping, and has a great soundstage and natural presence.

I have been through a bunch of tubes with this thing, and while the Amperex white label 7308 and Amperex white label 6922 have been my favorite tubes in this family, I finally settled on Amperex Bugle Boy 6DJ8s. I never liked that tube in past preamps because it seemed very tubey (i.e. rolled off, soft, unexciting, etc.), but in the Dodd preamp it sounds nothing at all like that. They are fast, extended, amazingly holographic, detailed, and what a great midrange.

You heard it here first folks...

rpf · « **Reply #18 on:** 10 Aug 2007, 04:37 am »

Quote from: PaulFolbrecht on 10 Aug 2007, 01:33 am

Like doug said. Sorry for poking fun at your little gaffe - I can't resist a bad joke.

Thanks to all who replied. It's too bad there aren't more pro reviews of this piece if it's so good. The Supratek is a tough act to follow, I'll tell you that. So, we'll see!

Paul,

Agree on the dearth of reviews. I've unfortunately not had a chance to hear any of the Supratek pieces or the Dodd yet although I recently bought a pair of Dodd Mono 50s (still breaking in). Would appreciate your posting your thoughts on the Sauvignon vs. the Dual vs. the Dodd when you have the chance.

PMing you with an off topic question.

Rob

GregC · « **Reply #19 on:** 10 Aug 2007, 05:02 am »

Ah, now I get what you mean regarding what is driving what.

Regardless, the Dodd is a quality preamp and Gary is a good guy who will look after you so you can own your preamp in confidence for years to come. The Bel Canto Pre2P is an exceptional preamp and is very neutral and transparent, but the Dodd has the same qualities in spades plus tube magic and a very believable musical presentation.

The Modwright 9.0 SE was also a very nice preamp, and I bet it would be even better with the tube rectified power supply and the new caps that are now available (but were not available when I sold it). I do however own the Modwright SWP 9.0 SE phono stage, and it is a giant killer for its price point.

I have some RCA 6DJ8 A-frame tubes that I never tried in the Dodd, but now I am curious how they would sound after the positive report on the 6DJ8 tubes.

Dodd battery pre

S Clark