[OrJazzM]

Hi Vinnie, great to hear the Isabella can be ordered with and without the dac.  Just one question, how long would the battery last with a dacless Isabella?  Thanks.

[Vinnie R.]

Hi Vinnie, great to hear the Isabella can be ordered with and without the dac.  Just one question, how long would the battery last with a dacless Isabella?  Thanks.

Hi OrJazzM,

I still need to run tests to determine play time SLA battery power for the Isabella with and without the built-in DAC. 

More details will be posted as they become available.

Thanks,

Vinnie

[OrJazzM]

Hi Vinnie, great to hear the Isabella can be ordered with and without the dac.  Just one question, how long would the battery last with a dacless Isabella?  Thanks.

Hi OrJazzM,

I still need to run tests to determine play time SLA battery power for the Isabella with and without the built-in DAC. 

More details will be posted as they become available.

Thanks,

Vinnie

Vinnie, would it be possible to have the active pre portion installed into an existing Sig 30? 

[Vinnie R.]

Vinnie, would it be possible to have the active pre portion installed into an existing Sig 30? 

Hi OrJazzM,

Unfortunately, there is no way the Isabella preamp section will be able to fit in the Sig 30 or 30.2.  I also prefer to have these units in separate enclosures and powered via their own SLA batteries.  The good news is that these are not large components (approx. 12" wide x 9" deep x 3.5" tall), and they can be easily stacked.

Best regards,

Vinnie

[marchese]

Caro S. Rossi:
I discovered this interesting thread independently of my interest in RWA – I was actually doing a search for “SLA powered dac”. The Isabella concept brings up some thorny questions, but first a digression:
RWA appeals to my personal ‘less is more’ approach and I am contemplating being weaned off the perpetual pursuit of warm bottles in favor of the cool logic of tri-path. The 21st century has shown – through the likes of Bel-Canto, PS Audio, Nu-Force, Nelson Pass, et al., that music can be made with the intermediation of solid state – and you are certainly on the leading edge of these developments. (Likewise, Emission Labs and KR Audio have brought full range to SET.) As a musician, 2 main areas of concern for me, in reproduced music, are: dynamic range and bandwidth. And, while I love vinyl and tubes (and believe they have the edge in ultimate musicality) – if I may be so bold: digital trumps vinyl handily in these 2 parameters; while solid state (done right) wins over tubes to a rather lesser degree. So here I am, a collector of NOS dacs (4, and counting – of slightly varying flavor) with 125+ gigs of lossless music, and looking for only 2 things: the ideal single input amp for my 98 db speakers, and a battery powered (NOS, of course) dac with multiple digital inputs. So, while you will likely come up with a beautifully rendered tube circuit, the real question for me here is: might you consider offering the dac as an option inside the 30.2 (a supremely elegant solution and, I believe, true to the RWA spirit) – or, offering a stand alone SLA powered dac?
Thank you for your consideration of these ramblings. Saluti, David

[marchese]

addendum to above - I now notice on some other threads: you have made mention of a stand alone dac for 2008 - thanks

[Vinnie R.]

So, while you will likely come up with a beautifully rendered tube circuit, the real question for me here is: might you consider offering the dac as an option inside the 30.2 (a supremely elegant solution and, I believe, true to the RWA spirit) – or, offering a stand alone SLA powered dac?

Ciao David,

Welcome to AC and the RWA forum!

While I am still in the devolopment and testing stages, it is very clear to me that this NOS dac design that I plan to offer with the Isabella really shines with the tubed linestage that immediately follows it.  They are meant for each other and this is no surprise because they were designed as a system, as is the design of the Isabella to be the perfect match for the Signature 30.2 and 70.2. 

might you consider offering the dac as an option inside the 30.2 (a supremely elegant solution and, I believe, true to the RWA spirit) – or, offering a stand alone SLA powered dac?

I much rather power the dac from its own SLA battery supply and also isolate it in its own enclosure, as this will offer much improved sound quality. 

We'll see what happens in 2008, but my priority now is getting the Isabella into production as an SLA battery powered tubed preamp, followed by the Isabella with built-in NOS dac option.  A stand-alone dac unit based on this design may follow.

Thank you for your interest,

Vinnie

[mateo]

Vinnie,

Do you have a DAC chip picked out already (I recall you were testing a bunch), or could you maybe give some of the top contenders?

[Vinnie R.]

Vinnie,

Do you have a DAC chip picked out already (I recall you were testing a bunch), or could you maybe give some of the top contenders?

Hi Mateo,

I am not ready to disclose this info at this time.

Best regards,

Vinnie

[marchese]

Hi Vinnie:
Thanks for your response - and congratulations on your 2 new babies! The more I consider the Isabella, I see that you are shooting for something quite high indeed. So, rather than try to dissect it, I will instead wait peacefully and patiently for Isabella's second coming.
Auguri!

... Lunar Eclipse... uh oh - that can only mean one thing: if I don't order a 30.2 pronto...
 ....just ordered one!

[Vinnie R.]

Hi Vinnie:

... Lunar Eclipse... uh oh - that can only mean one thing: if I don't order a 30.2 pronto...
 ....just ordered one!

Hi David,

I received your order... thank you, and your are right... things are getting
very busy 

- and congratulations on your 2 new babies! The more I consider the Isabella, I see that you are shooting for something quite high indeed.
Auguri!

Yes, and besides being the ultimate match with the Signature 30.2 and 70.2, I am aiming for it to be a stellar preamp (with any system!).  This is taking a lot of time, but great things are coming... 

Thanks again,

Vinnie

[Afterimage]

I might I missed it, but how many inputs will be on the Isabella?  I would love for it to have 4, but could get by with 3.  Thanks

[Vinnie R.]

I might I missed it, but how many inputs will be on the Isabella?  I would love for it to have 4, but could get by with 3.  Thanks

Hi Afterimage,

The Isabella will have 3 analog inputs and 2 analog outputs.  The Isabella with optional dac will also have 3 digital inputs: USB, coax, and optical.

Best regards,

Vinnie

[Flashman]

Hey Vinnie,

For those of us with RWA-modified Olive music servers, do you have any recommendation on whether to go with the DAC of the Isabella?  My guess is there would be a higher level of refinement but I simply am guessing.

Flashman

[ZLS]

    I am purely speculating, but I find it hard to imagine that Vinnie would offer a DAC that wasn't better than what he has offered previously.  Besides just not being logical, it is not the way he has done business in my experience.   

[Vinnie R.]

Hey Vinnie,

For those of us with RWA-modified Olive music servers, do you have any recommendation on whether to go with the DAC of the Isabella?  My guess is there would be a higher level of refinement but I simply am guessing.

Flashman

Hi Flashman,

I *highly* recommend going with the dac option with the Isabella no matter what your source is!   The dac option for the Isabella is going the be the finest sounding source, and is being designed to match perfectly with the Isabella tubed preamp stage as well as the Signature 30.2 or 70.2! 

The dac option for the Isabella will accept 3 different digital inputs: 75-ohm BNC (perfect for using use with your RWA modded Olive's 75-ohm BNC digital output), optical (TOSLINK) and USB (perfect for using with a computer-based music server such as a Macbook or and PC).

I am purely speculating, but I find it hard to imagine that Vinnie would offer a DAC that wasn't better than what he has offered previously.  Besides just not being logical, it is not the way he has done business in my experience.   

ZLS is correct... the dac option for the Isabella will better everything that has been previously offered! 

Vinnie

 

[pardales]

Will Isabella be traveling to T.H.E show?   HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

[tutordennis]

Hi Folks,

What is the situation with the built in phono stage in the Isabella?  Are you still considering this?  Have you considered a standalone phono stage?

Analog junkies wanna know!

[Vinnie R.]

All,

I apologize for the delay in posting and I appreciate your patience... I've been extremely busy these days! 

Will Isabella be traveling to T.H.E show?   HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Hi Pardales,

I will not be at T.H.E. Show this year, and the Isabella will not be as it is not ready yet, but there will be a Signature 30.2 there! 

Please visit Rethm Speakers (in St. Tropez Room 1303): www.rethm.com

The Signature 30.2 will be paired with the Saadhana's:
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/rethm3/saadhana.html (page 3 discusses how they mate with the 30.2)

Hi Folks,

What is the situation with the built in phono stage in the Isabella?  Are you still considering this?  Have you considered a standalone phono stage?

Analog junkies wanna know!

Hi tutordennis,

Welcome to audiocircle and the Red Wine Audio forum!

We are planning to have the Isabella in production by the end of March 2008 (hopefully a little sooner!).  Our first priorities are releasing the Isabella and the Isabella with our optional built-in non-oversampling dac.  We are also thinking about a built-in phono stage option and this is something that we would very much like to offer, but realistically, I don't see this being available until the Fall 2008. 

A standalone phonostage is also something that we will definitely be considering as well and it would be based on the phonostage that would be built into the Isabella as an option.  Again, this is something for later this year.

Happy New Year!

Vinnie

[Wally King]

Vinnie,

Have you given any more thought to offering the Isabella's DAC as a stand-alone item?

If so, can you give some details?  Price?   

Thanks.