[lankester]

Hello,

I could not resist making this post.

I have had the pleasure of listening to my new TVC pre-amp for the last month or so.  I use a custom 2A3 tube amplifier with a wright phono stage and my speakers utilize the "all revealing" PM4A full range drivers from Lowther (104 db or something!).

This is, by far the finest piece of audio equipment I have owned.  The unit is dead quiet, transparent, intuitive to use, and makes listening to music that much more fun.

Above all, John is a first rate person and a joy to do business with. 

I cannot thank him enough.

[dspringham]

I also have John's new TVC with the Slagle autoformers which replaced a Modwright SWL 9.0 and Wyetech Labs Coral preamp in my system. I'm running ZU Audio Druid IV's with Wyetech Onyx SET monoblocks. With the tube active preamps I had way too much gain with Druids at 101 db sensitivity and Wyetech monos reaching full output at 0.4 volts. I normally listen nearfield at relatively subdued levels and the active preamps with 16 db (Modwright) and 4.5 db (low setting on Wyetech Coral) of gain had me operating the volume controls in the lower third of their range.

The Bent TVC works very well in my system without any compromise in sonics attributable to the highly regarded active preamps that it replaced. The optically encoded volume control (with remote) with relay switching of the autoformer windings is very precise with 1db increments (I really like the numerical channel level readouts that can be set to extinguish after the control has been inactive for a few seconds) - this implementation is very well designed and engineered and beats any of the mechanical volume switches often used with other TVC's.

During the time John was finalizing his design of this unit he provided me with one of his prototypes which I was able to audition in my system for several months. As soon as the very first production units where available the prototype went back to Bent in exchange for the "new" TAP and the tube preamps became expendable.

I think that the Bent offers one of the best TVC designs (as far as features go) and the engineering and implementation is first rate. I don't think you can do much better as far as TVC/AVC's go. John is one of the most honest and helpful manufacturers I have dealt with. Highly recommended!!!

Dave

[denjo]

Ditto comments about the excellent Bent TAP TVC and John's first rate advice and customer service! I am using John's TAP with the S & B transformers (silver) and although I replaced my amplifier to a Bryston integrated, the TAP is still very much part of my system. In fact, with the Bryston's 29 dB gain, this suits the TAP even more!

[indirstr8s]

 I am waiting to get hands on mine. Its under construction.

[John Chapman]

Hello!

Thanks guys for the kind words. I am really glad that they are working out well. Makes it all worthwhile! I just built a bunch of autoformer modules and pretty soon I'll have stock of the new pre-amp built and the web page updated.

Thanks!

John

[Sonny]

john,

it's Tuan here,
Another satisfied customer of the new Pre-AMP!
Amazin' speed, details and transparency never heard of by my ears in my system...

How's the manual coming along?

Tuan

[John Chapman]

Hello!

New manual for the TAP-X and for all the other stuff is mostly done. I want to run through and scale down pic sizes to get the file size down a bit - I created a bit of a monster when it came to file size. All the pdf's will be online when I finally do the web page update next week. Really......

Thansk!

John

[Ed Sawyer]

hi John -

Nice work on the site and the new products! Exciting stuff, to be sure. Cant' wait to use some of these in various projects.

Question on the Slagle autoformers - I see you mention 1db steps, indeed that's an uncommonly fine step for an auto/transformer vol control. Are these achieved by doing far more than the usual number of taps on the autoformer? (like 60-80 vs the usual 14 or 28) Or via some other method?

thanks!
-Ed

[John Chapman]

Hello Ed!

I hope all is well with you and your family.

It's basically the 28tap version and then we do a bit of tricky switch'n to get the 1db steps. Works very well and I could not be happier with it! We always wanted more steps but could never pull it off before. It's not practical to get more than a few beyond the 23 steps we used to use with extra wires brought out. We also used to put big steps (several db per step) in at the bottom (like most stepped attenuators do) expecting that zone not to be used often. That was an issue with folks using horns - since they be normally using those bottom few steps. Now at 1db step size throughout the range it's really a non issue and that 'Can we get smaller steps?' request that I kept getting is solved.....

Finished some TAP-X's off today and have them burning in now - finally getting all caught up and it feels very good.

Thanskj!

John