[Mariusz]

Isabella preamp impressions and comparison

Vinnie's new creation is truly remarkable achievement in combining battery
powered preamp with NOS digital to analog convertor and high quality headphone amplifier.  Isabella is equipped with three inputs , two outputs , one headphone in, digital ins and USB for its build in Isabellina DAC as well as  Hi / Low * gain* selector switch on the back side of the Isabella to compensate for systems which could benefit  from this feature. This particular option prove  to be especially  useful in Rave system setup and Vinnie's Sig. 30.2 amplifier (30Wpc in stereo.) being used to drive my reference speakers - Vandersteens Quatro with build in powered woofers and its own EQ (which wasn't optimized at the time of the "Rave"). 
 
Another very thoughtful feature is the glass sliding window on the top of the unit  to provide easy and convenient access to stock JJ 6922 tubes (or any other tubes for  that  matter)  that Isabella came with and which are included  with the preamp.  Swapping tubes just couldn't be simpler.

 Stock JJ tubes are in Vinnie's opinion  one of the best , inexpensive and widely available tubes on the market today.  I agree with that statement and surly there are others who share that opinion.  It is a very nicely balanced tube, from top to bottom.
By replacing stock tubes with NOS Mullards   added more middle range presents , liquidity and more life like rendition of vocals and instruments with extra spaciousness and articulation. Piano was reproduced the best I have heard in my system with
attack transient that was accurately portray and consonant at least to my ear. It might however be my personal perception and/or preferences which doesn't necessarily have to mirror your own taste or ears. Describing my experiences with Isabella and Mullards are as positive and preferable as with Dodd and the same tubes. But one mustn't glorify Mullard tube alone for its magic……..its the component(s) and synergy of your system as well as your preferences towards this particular sound characteristics that will play the most important role in choosing the tubes that work and sound right to YOUR EAR - not mine.

Isabella (as everybody knows) runs on batteries and I am happy to report that beside the fact of being ultra quit when run in that mode, it was ( as Vinnie advertised ) performing almost identical when plugged into the wall outlet directly. For most its run time on batteries might be more then enough but if for whatever reason you will need or want to use Isabella for longer listening sessions, no worries it won't disappoint while in AC/DC mode.

Listening to Isabella's DAC with Vinnie's Mac as the source was very satisfying and I can see how someone might want to use  it in such a configuration. Quality of music reproduction and absents of the usual edginess and lifeless characteristics of digital music files was staggering. I could happily live with that setup and never look back. You might ask if it is as good or better the stand alone CD player. Well , yes and no. I believe that Isabella is definitely on par or better  then some very good players out there but not all. It is not exactly AMR CD-77 but it might (considering the quality of Isabellina DAC) be the perfect solution for those who can not afford the top of the line CDP but still want that (or close to it) great quality of reproduction without breaking the bank.

Playing music thru Consonance Droplet CDP 5.0 ($3200 retail) and using its analog as well as digital out made it possible to evaluate the quality of both DACs and come up with the results. Isabellina ($2000 DAC or $1500 option for Isabella) sounds fantastic and I must admit that it would be silly to add $2000 DAC to Droplet as it would rise the tag price of this combo to $5200. However it did improve the already great CD player yet to another level by adding realism and fluidness over Droplet's upsampling DAC. It wasn't day and night difference but was easily heard by all , including myself. Vinnie did the switching and Buddy as well as I could tell the difference every time. I must add that we both preferred  Isabellina DAC over Droplet's build in DAC. I think that Isabellina might be one of the best DACs within the reach of most serious audiophiles out there - highly recommended as a stand alone product and hat off to Vinnie for coming up with the wining formula.

To accurately  describe the sound of Isabella ($4000 Linestage only) and grasp how does it stuck-up to real competition we performed some comparison to already released and raved about by owners as well as press - Dodd battery powered preamp ($3300) , which I happened to own.  Dodd preamp selling for $700 less then Isabella gives you extra input, HT pass thru, longer run on the single charge and beautiful wood finish with chromed-cover and front controls. But does it automatically means that it is a better value or overshadows new kid on the block Isabella? Not quite.
Are these two, great products close in performance? I would say that they have more in common then what differs them …….to the point….. Sound wise, well this is one of the most difficult comparisons for me so far. Not that I couldn't hear the differences between these two but from other perspective as well. Let me explain.
Here are some (IMO) important factors to consider while choosing the preamp that works best for you:
(my case was no brainer. When I bought my Dodd, Isabella wasn't available. Gary was running a special ($2495) and I was able to trade my Granite Audio 770fp  preamp almost without  loss - money wise. I need HT pass-true & definitely could use the extra input.)


Things going for Dodd
• Price. I am not sure if the Dodd sells still at special price of $2495 but if he does , for many it will be the tie-breaker.
• Extra input and HT-pass-true. Those with HT setups might choose Dodd over Isabella for that feature alone.
• Those who are not looking to add more liquidity/warmness to their systems may opt. for more forward Dodd.
• Beautiful finishes, especially for wood lovers.

So what Isabella has to offer?
* Sound that is spellbinding, smooth and almost erotic. Highly recommended to sensible ears and overly bright systems.
* DAC, headphone amp of excellent quality on board. Simplifies the system. Guarantees perfect synergy and sound.
* Runs on AC for unlimited amount of time if needed.
* Small foot print
* High/Low gain switch for extra volume for demanding, more difficult speakers or low power SET amps.

As far as sound quality is concern, in my system I would have to give an edge to Isabella. It is more musical, resolving and has wider and more precise imaging and soundstage. This was however most noticed while A/B-ing two preamps side by side . Later that night I was still enjoying Dodd and loved it. If I had to choose between the two NOW, after hearing them both in my system and If I was on the market for new preamp & DAC, I would go with Isabella - if I had the money.
For those on the tighter budget Dodd is still above the competition and  has some features that some might find as very important and irresistible. Together with Isabella these two preamps are IMO one of the best values and performers on the market today and are worth its asking price and then some.

Congratulation to Vinnie for an excellent product and I should also add that Gary is not to far behind…..at least when it comes to linestage. Both great products.

Vinnie,
ones again, thank you for opportunity to audition your new Isabella preamp with Isabellina DAC as well as Sig.30.2 and new line of cables which are worthy of RWA approval stamp and match your gear sonically  as well as esthetically.

Sincerely

Mariusz

[Vinnie R.]

Hi Mariusz,

Wow... what a great write-up and I really appreciate all your time and effort in doing so, as well as your hospitality in inviting us over your home to listen to the Isabella and 30.2 in your system... THANK YOU! 

Your write-up above covers many topics in an honest and straight-forward fashion as you heard them in your system.  I cannot ask for more than this and I enjoyed reading this and I know others will appreicate your feedback as well!

The Isabella, 30.2 power amp, Macbook, and RWA cables that we used at Mariusz's place have all been carefully packed and shipped to the new 6moons headquarters in Switzerland.  Srajan of 6moons informed me that within a week or two, he should have his new listening room all set up and calibrated and will set up the RWA system and let the fun begin 

Congrats -- sounds like you have a couple more real winners here.  It is a long road from modding to manufacturing, but you have really pulled it off with both top-notch gear and customer service.  Definitely a guy who has followed his bliss.

Hi Jim,

Thank you!  I love what I do... while it can be very challenging, this is what I love and I have a lot of exciting ideas and plans for the future.

As always, thank you for all your continued interset and support!

Vinnie

[stevenkelby]

Nice write up Mariusz, and others too.

Sounds like you guys had a great time, wish I had been there! I'll be in NY for Christmas/new years if you are having another one!

Steve.

[jrebman]

Mariusz,

Excellent, thorough and balanced review -- thank you!  This is very helpful.

Vinnie, just love to see somebody doing what they love and loving what they do -- that's a recipe for a successful life, and we, the music lovers and audiophiles benefit as well.

-- Jim

[AliG]

Mariusz, great write-up  Definitely a much easier and better read than a typical 6moon review that "write a lot, say a lot, and yet say absolutely nothing!"

BTW, what kind of differences do you hear between the two preamp in the bass region?

[Mariusz]

 
Thank you all for compliments and taking time to read my somewhat long and poorly written comments.

(I really wanted to write it sooner but having such a small amount of time to work with while away made this impossible. Having some spare time now seems like a good idea to actually share with you guys some first impressions in regards to new Isabella preamp with NOS DAC)

Your write-up above covers many topics in an honest and straight-forward fashion as you heard them in your system.  I cannot ask for more than this and I enjoyed reading this and I know others will appreciate your feedback as well!

Thank you for the kind words Vinnie and I am glad that you found my comments as being honest. Some may hate me for this or other comments and some will appreciate uncolored and without any agenda fresh look at the product (your Isabella or any other component) that might be of interest to someone out there. If my feelings were different (negative) you would also found them in my write-up. Your new preamp is top notch, especially with all the other features like: NOS DAC - Isabellina and headphone amp , which we haven't had a chance to evaluate ........maybe at the next Rave.
I am not sure if you are going to offer the stand alone headphone amp which IMO would shake things up just a bit in the headphone-community.
However I realise that it might prove to become to expensive and time consuming to come up with reasonable price and production restrains.
Just a thought . Another product that I believe would make an impact on your company , would be battery powered phonostage ........That is something that all analog junkies would look forward to.

Ones again, thank you Vinnie for making all this happened.

BTW, what kind of differences do you hear between the two preamp in the bass region?

Well, that is a though one....here is why.
There was definitely a difference in bass reproduction between Isabella and Dodd , however how much of the effect was contributing by room's acoustics and Vandersteens behavior without dial-in bass EQ .......I am not exactly sure. I felt that Dodd in comparison to Isabella had a little better extension, dynamics. Isabella on the other hand was tuneful and balanced - meaning that bass was reflecting the quality of mids and high frequencies.
Dodd seemed to be more forward, live and busy. While Isabella was more refined, polite and forgiving but engaging in the same time. When Vinnie said that he try to tune Isabella to resemble the analog qualities with this preamp, he did just that. My system as well as room which still needs some work....(especially acoustic wise and speaker's placement/tuning) - is more on the live side and that made Isabella really shine. Let me also add that in my smallish room it also excelled in soundstage - it was wider with a bit better imaging then Dodd.
Keep in mind that those differences were small but noticeable. When Vinnie left I was listening to Dodd with my modded Cybers and never though that I was missing anything.
Some aspects of this comparison made me realise the direction I have to take while treating my room acoustically (diffusion on the sides and the ceiling will help recreate the soundstage that Isabella was trowing as well as careful speaker placement) and other important factors like speaker placement and tube selection for my other gear like amps, phono, dac etc.

It might be also interesting.......at least for some of you. Later that night I run my Droplet CDP true Paradisea (tube) DAC and it wasn't even close in performance to Isabellina. In fact , I liked Droplet on its own better. My buddy also agreed with my findings.

I hope it helps a little but please do not forget, YOUR EARS MIGHT HEAR DIFFERENT.

Thanks to all for warm comments

Mariusz

[Vinnie R.]

There was definitely a difference in bass reproduction between Isabella and Dodd , however how much of the effect was contributing by room's acoustics and Vandersteens behavior without dial-in bass EQ .......I am not exactly sure.

Hi Mariusz,

I found the bass of the Isabella was more "punchy" with the stock JJ tubes, and a little more relaxed (and yes, in very nice balance with the rest of the sonic spectrum) with the NOS tubes we installed.

I do agree that since the powered subs in your Vandy's were not dialed-in (and I was very surprised by how many adjustment options we available to fine-tune it to a room!), the bass region was probably the most difficult to evalute when doing comparisons (even when comparion the Isabellina dac vs. the Droplet CDP). 

Just a thought . Another product that I believe would make an impact on your company , would be battery powered phonostage ........That is something that all analog junkies would look forward to.

I have taken note of this and this is something that we are highly considering. 

and headphone amp , which we haven't had a chance to evaluate ........maybe at the next Rave.

I'll make sure we bring some high quality headphones with the fully-loaded Isabella to the next Rave... the headphone output is very special! 

I hope it helps a little but please do not forget, YOUR EARS MIGHT HEAR DIFFERENT.

EXACTLY.. and this is THE reason we offer a 30-day refund period (with no restocking fee nonsense) with all our equipment.  You need to hear RWA gear for yourself... in YOUR own system and YOUR own room to know for sure if it connects with you on an emotional level, and is something that you'll enjoy for a long, long time.  With RWA equipment in your system, it is my goal that you simply get pulled into the music and stop thinking about the equipment and start focusing on the music (and buying more music!).  You need to experience this for yourself and trust your own ears.  Just listen (and compare) and see where it takes you... 

Thanks again,

Vinnie

[Mariusz]

When I said that I preferred Droplet in the last paragraph of my post - I was referring to Paradisea DAC. Isabellina is completely different animal in its own right. Comparing these two DACs would be silly and unfair. They both are what they are - Paradisea: one of the best inexpensive DACs out there and
Isabellina:  as one of the best DACs  ...period. (IMO)

Bass controversy

Before I write something that I will regret later, let me explain my views (not rules by all means - just some notes from the past) on the subject of bass and its impact on the overall music reproduction as well as its devilish ways to screw up even the best systems by unpredicted interaction with the listening room and poorly design or treated space.

My room is work in progress and FAR from ideal. So, here is the deal -
To evaluate  any component fairly , one must provide the best listening space to make any valuable assessment and find component's *in question* true potentials, value and impact it made on the listener(s).
Without this basic *and wrongly assumed as easy* rule, evaluation and or professionally written reviews can be misleading and inaccurate. There are many examples of such and unfortunately it impacts us music lovers and companies that are wrongly represented or written about ( exaggerated reviews, poor reviews or just old plain advertisement that is beneficial for both parties - the true lays in the eye of the beholder)
.............well, you get the picture.

 Back to bass issues.
As we all know quality bass (low frequencies) is partially responsible for the best possible reproduction.................dynamics, impact, PRAT, explosive Chinese drums and realism that we seek.
However,  it is easier said then done.  Boomy, untreated, problematic room can store or swallow *like the Black hole*  energy. Peaks and dips are responsible for bass anomalies and are most difficult to correct or more like compensate with proper speaker placement and listening position. In some cases, room acoustic treatments are necessary to fix or reduce these  interactions and bring back the balance that was missing.

You may ask - what this has to do with comparison between Dodd and
Isabella?  Well, a lot. I simply do not want to draw the wrong conclusion and most definitely lead or be quoted on my first impressions with this preamp. I am far from being qualify to be used as the accurate source or someone who might help you to make that important decision. And most impotently, my system and room were to much of a quick temporary environment rather then fully optimize, tune and ready to draw most accurate conclusions - listening space.
Keep in mind that those were only my personal observations based on preferences and taste.

Vinnie
differences between the tubes were obvious and clear.
I am sure that JJ tubes play big part while voicing Isabella to sound its best and on par with the RWA family of products. So there should be little surprise with assumption that JJ is the tube of choice and the exact same tube that   *Six moons* will use while reviewing Isabella.  The only reason behind using Mullard tubes instead was my preference towards the middle range these tubes are capable of reproducing.....It is my fault not Vinnie's.
Fact is that Dodd is more forward and Isabella is more on the fluid, smooth side . That made the tube choice for comparison difficult. JJs complemented Isabella better , while warmer Mulards help Dodd to come down its aliveness.

I can only hope to have another opportunity in the future to audition Isabella in room and setup that would not only complement Vinnie's preamp but create the looking glass to fully grasp Isabella's full potentials and look into its hearth and soul.

When my room/setup will be finally finished , I am planning to give Isabella another shot..........and who knows........I might like it even better then this time.

Cheers and thank you for forcing yourself to read this long post.

Best
Mariusz

[kitten]

Hey Mariusz, it's really interesting reading your detailed views on the Isabella - thanks.

What type of music were you guys listening to?

[Mariusz]

What type of music were you guys listening to?

Hi Kitten
Almost everything except Metal, Classic and my favorite - Pink Floyd.
But mostly Rock, Jazz, female vocals, Vinnie's crap, Chris's crap and my crap. I am not sure if Buddy brought some of his own crap to the Rave ......maybe not.
Vinnie had huge library on his Mac and it was the main source for the better half of the Rave. Very nice selection I may add. He was kind enough to burn few discs for me as well as others.
Chris listen to few tunes that are part of the official NY RAVE selection. I also tried some Usher demo discs which I am very familiar with and use it to evaluate different gear.

Cheers
Mariusz