[Mariusz]

Hi to all,

few questions:

Can RWA Sig. 30 be configured as a mono amp?
If yes, can two of these drive my Vandersteen Quatro speakers?
Is upgrade to 30.2 worth it?
Can Vinnie from RWA design a battery supply for my Consonance Droplet CDP???
Will Vinnie's amp work with Dodd battery powered preamp??

Yes, I know........a lot of questions but please try the best you can to answer any of them.

Thanks to all and Vinnie for the help in advance

Mariusz

[low.pfile]

mariusz
the RWA monoblock version is the 70.2
http://www.redwineaudio.com/Signature_70.2.html

[Vinnie R.]

Hi to all,

few questions:

Can RWA Sig. 30 be configured as a mono amp?
If yes, can two of these drive my Vandersteen Quatro speakers?
Is upgrade to 30.2 worth it?
Can Vinnie from RWA design a battery supply for my Consonance Droplet CDP???
Will Vinnie's amp work with Dodd battery powered preamp??

Yes, I know........a lot of questions but please try the best you can to answer any of them.

Thanks to all and Vinnie for the help in advance

Mariusz

Hi Mariusz,

Welcome to the RWA forum!

The Signature 30 board cannot be easily converted to a monoblock... this requires extensive modifications to configure the output stage to "paralleled output mode," which is the way the Signature 70 and 70.2 units are configured.

The Sig 70/70.2 can drive the Vandy Quattros.  You should even be able to get away with using the Sig 30 with them and still achieve enough output (depending on your room, how loud you like to play, etc.). 

Regarding "Is the upgrade to the 30.2 worth it?" question, please read through all the posts here on the RWA forum and the reviews.  I have not had one upgrade customer who didn't believe the upgrade was well worth it!

Can Vinnie from RWA design a battery supply for my Consonance Droplet CDP???

This is something we do not have time to offer.  CDPs run on various voltages, so converting to battery would require an SLA battery as well as a custom board with various voltage regulators and other circuitry to make it work properly... along with mods to your Droplet.   Again, we don't have time to offer this custom modification.

Will Vinnie's amp work with Dodd battery powered preamp??

I'm sure it will work fine!

Best regards,

Vinnie

[Mariusz]

Hi Vinnie ,

First of all I want to thank you for the wonderful service which you are so kind to offer to audiophile community by your helpfull attitude, amazing products and your knowlodge. There is no denial that products which you offer .....in the way , revolutionized audio industry and introduced unique approach and open minded thinking that is shown in your designs. Eliminating negatives and nightmarish experiences with noisy power lines by introducing DC components that are not only innovative but overachievers sonically and all this in relatively affordable gamma of products.
Your products have been on my must audition/have gear list , which but away is very, very short. Few companies that I know of accomplished what you have and those that did, not necessarily made it or had a strength to keep going.
My virgin experience with your product began during 2008 CES in Vegas where I have walked into the room with some horns , Consonance cdp and ......                   yes - RWA 30.2. Since so many rooms sounded just awful I wasn't expecting much
(I have to admit, rooms at show are from Hell and it is very difficult to come up with great sounding room in such a short period of time but some rooms were just horrible and acoustics had nothing to do with it.).
What appeared to be a very simple setup with speakers and associated gear that was within the reach of average audiophile/music lover  did not impressed at first and my feelings didn't indicate the shock that was about to take place in just few very short seconds.  Few minutes latter I simply got up and walk over to a man in the room and shacked his hand congratulating him on great sound and flawless setup. Music in that room was ......in one word..........musical, and I don't think that more needs to be said. Of course I have noticed what others did before me.....black backgrounds, zero noise ( even with those very high sensitivity speakers ) sweet, very involving sound but at the end it is all about music and music it was at least to my ears.
From that point on I have decided to get one of those amps for myself and few months latter when another audiophile wanted to sell his (Omega version) RWA Sig.30 I jump right on it without hesitations.
Now it prove to be as wonderful as I remembered but few problems arise. Since I bought it with thought of using it in my second system ( possibly M&D Ruby speakers, which I also like very much ) however my choice of speakers turn out to be a pretty poor match for your amp. according to the posts that I got here on "AC". Rubys will be on my door steps probably by the end of next week so I am not sure if it is even worth it to try them with your amp.....it is a waist of time - according to some. Only then ,......another devilish idea was born in my tinny head... Why not try Vinnie's amp with my beloved Quatros and see what happends. The only problem is , what am I going to do if I fall in love with the combo but it would turn out to be just a bit under powering my Quatros???? Another dilemma arise if it works, can it be used with preamp that I have traded for and which uses similar philosophies like yours. That is Dodd preamp that I have already mentioned. Your new reference preamp was about to appere during the show in Canada and wasn't available when I have committed to Dodd. But it is what it is and I hope that everything will turn out OK.
To bad that you are so awfully busy and can't possibly take upon yourself  all the work that is necessary to do what I have mentioned in the original post. But hey...I absolutely understand and am happy that you have found time to answer my silly questions. So, ones again thanks and continue what you do best......
make people smile and go bananas over your products which are GREAT.

Cheers

Mariusz Stark


 

[Vinnie R.]

My virgin experience with your product began during 2008 CES in Vegas where I have walked into the room with some horns , Consonance cdp and ......                   yes - RWA 30.2. Since so many rooms sounded just awful I wasn't expecting much
(I have to admit, rooms at show are from Hell and it is very difficult to come up with great sounding room in such a short period of time but some rooms were just horrible and acoustics had nothing to do with it.).
What appeared to be a very simple setup with speakers and associated gear that was within the reach of average audiophile/music lover  did not impressed at first and my feelings didn't indicate the shock that was about to take place in just few very short seconds.  Few minutes latter I simply got up and walk over to a man in the room and shacked his hand congratulating him on great sound and flawless setup. Music in that room was ......in one word..........musical, and I don't think that more needs to be said. Of course I have noticed what others did before me.....black backgrounds, zero noise ( even with those very high sensitivity speakers ) sweet, very involving sound but at the end it is all about music and music it was at least to my ears.

Hi Mariusz,

At CES, that was the Rethem room (Lowther-based horns from India) that had our Signature 30.2 integrated.... thanks for your feedback!  Srajan Ebaen of 6moons.com also owns the same Rethem speaker model (the Saadhana) that you heard.  Most people would not call a Lowther-based speaker musical, but when properly designed and with the right amp, they actually can be (as you heard). 


Just to confirm, do you currently have a Signature 30 or is your version upgraded to 30.2 status?  There is quite a significant difference between these versions.

Rubys will be on my door steps probably by the end of next week so I am not sure if it is even worth it to try them with your amp.....it is a waist of time

It is NOT a waist of time.... however, because they are inefficient you *might* need more gain in your system to drive them to loud enough levels. 

That is Dodd preamp that I have already mentioned. Your new reference preamp was about to appere during the show in Canada and wasn't available when I have committed to Dodd. But it is what it is and I hope that everything will turn out OK.

I have a few 30.2 customers who use the Dodd and are getting good results.  Please let us know how you are finding this pairing.

So, ones again thanks and continue what you do best......
make people smile and go bananas over your products which are GREAT.

Cheers

Thank you, Mariusz!

Vinnie

[Mariusz]

Hi Vinnie,
You are absolutely right -  those Lowther horns must be matched with components that lets them  sing and with RWA 30.2 integrated they did. It was one of the very few rooms that caught my attention during 2008 CES Show. It seems like a perfect marriage for  horns or other high sensitivity speakers.


M&D - well, I have auditioned Rubys and Minis this past Friday among Omegas 5 and 3 models. M&D prove to be a very difficult load and they really sound best with amplifiers - 100wpc or more IMO. Omegas are very nice. I have always enjoyed their crisp , detailed and very open sound. However their lower extention wasn't the  best that I have heard and Super Hemps are to big and little over my budget.   I end up buying AAD 2001 monitors which sound great with your amp.

My amp is Sig 30 Omega version not 30.2. I am not sure how much the upgrade can improve its sound ......since I can not find any shortcomings in Sig. 30 as it is. But I am listening.

Another thing:
Sig. 70.2 is rated at 70wpc at 4 Oms, I thought it doubles the power of Sig.30.2 since it is a mono design. So I figured I might just add another Sig.30 or 30.2 to bi-amp my speakers if necessary. If I decided to do that how do I go about it if both amps have their own volume controls. Can I use the line out to connect the other amp???

Thanks

P.S
I will report on Dodd preamp and RWA amp working together. I want Dodd to fully break in before any meaningfull comparison can be made.

[ZLS]

    I had the Omega Sig 30.  I now have the Omega Sig 30.2.  The difference?



                                                A LOT!!!

                                                          ASTOUNDING!!!


                                               UNF*#$KING BELIEVABLE!!!    

[Vinnie R.]

Hi Mariusz,

My amp is Sig 30 Omega version not 30.2. I am not sure how much the upgrade can improve its sound ......since I can not find any shortcomings in Sig. 30 as it is. But I am listening.

There is a wealth of feedback here on the RWA forum from our customers who used the Sig 30 and upgraded to the 30.2.  The 6moons review of the 30.2 also mentions this (the editor, Srajan Ebaen, has reviewed both pieces). 

If you really like the Sig 30, you will really LOVE the 30.2 

So I figured I might just add another Sig.30 or 30.2 to bi-amp my speakers if necessary. If I decided to do that how do I go about it if both amps have their own volume controls. Can I use the line out to connect the other amp???

If you did add another 30 or 30.2, you should get the power amp version and connect it to the RCA outputs of your Sig 30 (these are volume controlled outputs).... this way, the Omega Sig 30 with volume control controls the volume of both amps equally.

Please let me know if you have any other questions....

Vinnie

[Mariusz]

Thanks Vinnie, I will think about the upgrade and if needed try to find the amp version used or get the new unite from you after the sell of my present amps.

[Afterimage]

Hi Vinnie ,

First of all I want to thank you for the wonderful service which you are so kind to offer to audiophile community by your helpfull attitude, amazing products and your knowlodge. There is no denial that products which you offer .....in the way , revolutionized audio industry and introduced unique approach and open minded thinking that is shown in your designs. Eliminating negatives and nightmarish experiences with noisy power lines by introducing DC components that are not only innovative but overachievers sonically and all this in relatively affordable gamma of products.
Your products have been on my must audition/have gear list , which but away is very, very short. Few companies that I know of accomplished what you have and those that did, not necessarily made it or had a strength to keep going.
My virgin experience with your product began during 2008 CES in Vegas where I have walked into the room with some horns , Consonance cdp and ......                   yes - RWA 30.2. Since so many rooms sounded just awful I wasn't expecting much
(I have to admit, rooms at show are from Hell and it is very difficult to come up with great sounding room in such a short period of time but some rooms were just horrible and acoustics had nothing to do with it.).
What appeared to be a very simple setup with speakers and associated gear that was within the reach of average audiophile/music lover  did not impressed at first and my feelings didn't indicate the shock that was about to take place in just few very short seconds.  Few minutes latter I simply got up and walk over to a man in the room and shacked his hand congratulating him on great sound and flawless setup. Music in that room was ......in one word..........musical, and I don't think that more needs to be said. Of course I have noticed what others did before me.....black backgrounds, zero noise ( even with those very high sensitivity speakers ) sweet, very involving sound but at the end it is all about music and music it was at least to my ears.
From that point on I have decided to get one of those amps for myself and few months latter when another audiophile wanted to sell his (Omega version) RWA Sig.30 I jump right on it without hesitations.
Now it prove to be as wonderful as I remembered but few problems arise. Since I bought it with thought of using it in my second system ( possibly M&D Ruby speakers, which I also like very much ) however my choice of speakers turn out to be a pretty poor match for your amp. according to the posts that I got here on "AC". Rubys will be on my door steps probably by the end of next week so I am not sure if it is even worth it to try them with your amp.....it is a waist of time - according to some. Only then ,......another devilish idea was born in my tinny head... Why not try Vinnie's amp with my beloved Quatros and see what happends. The only problem is , what am I going to do if I fall in love with the combo but it would turn out to be just a bit under powering my Quatros???? Another dilemma arise if it works, can it be used with preamp that I have traded for and which uses similar philosophies like yours. That is Dodd preamp that I have already mentioned. Your new reference preamp was about to appere during the show in Canada and wasn't available when I have committed to Dodd. But it is what it is and I hope that everything will turn out OK.
To bad that you are so awfully busy and can't possibly take upon yourself  all the work that is necessary to do what I have mentioned in the original post. But hey...I absolutely understand and am happy that you have found time to answer my silly questions. So, ones again thanks and continue what you do best......
make people smile and go bananas over your products which are GREAT.

Cheers

Mariusz Stark


 
I own the Rubys and use the 70.2 with them.  The 70.2s have no problem at all on the hard to drive Rubys.  I don't play loud to often becuase I don't have to as they sound good at lower volume levels.  However, when I do play loud there is no breakup at all.  I also use the 70.2s with the Monitor Audio GS60s which works great too. 

[Mariusz]

Aftterimage,

I am not doubting your findings since that is what I thought initially when auditioning monitors but when I paired Rubys or Minis with more powerful amps (100wpc) they opened up quite a bit. Keep it mind that I have audition them with RWA and no preamp. Preamp , like my own Dodd gives +16db gain so yes , it could probably drive Rubys or Minis to moderate sound levels. But , every now and then I like to Rock the house a little and I was afraid that they would choke from not enough current......I could be wrong. I love Rubys for what they do ......and they do a lot for what they are. However I like to keep my RWA as it is an awesome amp that I would hate to give up.

Cheers

Mariusz

[Afterimage]

Maybe Vinnie should jump in here if he gets a chance, but when I was on the phone with him discussing my speakers and the amp I was buying, I thought he said some one at Red Wine Audio actually uses the 30.2 with the Rubys.  Plus Sragen has tried it too.  And yes, I agree the Ruby's are amazing, especially at their price point.

[Vinnie R.]

Maybe Vinnie should jump in here if he gets a chance, but when I was on the phone with him discussing my speakers and the amp I was buying, I thought he said some one at Red Wine Audio actually uses the 30.2 with the Rubys.  Plus Sragen has tried it too.  And yes, I agree the Ruby's are amazing, especially at their price point.

Hi Afterimage,

There is nobody here using the Rubys, but we do have a customer who owns them and is quite happy with them using his 30.2 power amp and an active preamp (I forgot the brand of preamp ).  The 70.2s are the better amp for the Rubys, but you'll be surprised that the 30.2 can power them quite well - but you won't
be able to rock the house. 

Vinnie

[Mariusz]

Vinnie,
I am Happy to report that your "baby" amp sounds great with Dodd preamp.
AAD monitors also benefited from some extra gain. Now it sounds heavenly.

Let me tell you something Vin if your Isabella sounds as good or better then Dodd , you will have a winner.....big time. I only wished that I could compare the two head o head but it is quite unlikely. Anyway , just letting you know what my impressions were. It is a match made in heaven.

No noise...even at full volume..I mean non whatsoever. Great air, speed , articulation, transparency but at the same time characteristics of tubes is fading through. Really, really nice combo. I am satisfy and glad it turn the way it did. Next, I will try that same combo with my Quatros.

Cheers

Mariusz

[Afterimage]

What model AAD do you have?  I used to have the E-48s. The best sub 1000.00 dollar speaker I have heard.  I don't see to much press or anything on the boards about AAD, but based on my experience with the lower model, I bet the higher end stuff is great.

[Mariusz]

Hi Afterimage,
I bought AAD 2001 - I believe "Sound Stage" reviewed this particular pair back in 2002, very positive review I may add. Their MRSP. is $2500 , which is more then fair considering its finish, build quality and of course sound. The fact that I bought these as a store demo , got me opportunity to score a very good if not awesome deal ($1500). Another thing.......these were AAD reference speakers and were build to make the statement - performance wise as well as price wise.
If you like their lower line stuff......., you would absolutely love these.
They are a little easier to drive by RWA then M&Ds (no problem to rock the house when wife is out shopping)    but the benefit of having the extra gain from preamp like my own Dodd is obvious. Not that you would necessarily need it but......it helps. But, using anything less then on pare with Red Wine Audio amp wouldn't make much sense - just a word of caution. 

You should give them a shot.........or at least listen .......in your system they could prove to make quite a difference and possibly improvements over your (and my) favorite M&Ds.

        

[Afterimage]

I have bought two speakers in the last year, the Ruby''s and the Monitor Audio GS60s so I don't think I will be buying speakers anytime soon.  Plus, I bought the Sig 70.2 and hope to get the Isabella so there just will not be the funds anyway.   I had a very good experiece with the lower model AAD E-48s and you can bet the next time I speaker shop, AAD will be on the list.  Hopefully the will be at the CES or someting so I can hear their newer stuff.   Phil Jones, the designer has been around.