My experience is that the sound is vastly improved with the Clarinet in the signal path. Why is this? Common wisdom is that it should sound better without anything else. Anyway, to my ears and brain, this provides evidence for the musicality of the Clarinet.
Analog97 makes some points that I have commented about on this forum. I have been running passive buffered and pure passive line stages for over 10 years. My feeling was that if the source was good, then all I really needed was a passive attenuation to achieve volume.
I built the Hagerman Clarinet because on my trips around the west coast to demonstrate the Cornet 2 and my idler project turntables I came to realize that many of my friend's systems were more dynamic and had a certain natural quality to the sound that let you believe you were right there with the performers.
So I decided to build a Clarinet to test the component parts and pieces that might sound better on my Cornet 2 and to see if the overall sound of my system would improve.
What I discovered was a whole new level of dynamics, ease and presentation.
The SRPP circuit Jim employs is actually two single ended triodes connected by a series resitor to accomplish push pull operation.
You get the magic of the SET sound, and you get the distortion figures and performance of a world class solid state line stage.
I was unhappy with my Clarinet at first, because I could hear the sound stage collapse when the goings got tough. Even with the Dynamicaps in place of the Auricaps. I wanted to try these silly looking teflon caps because Vcaps and other USA made teflon caps were 100.00 each. I figured, why not try a teflon that cost me 8.00.
Well the teflon and the Mundorf SIO have redefined my thinking about the value of an active line stage. I doubt I could live without it now.
The dynamics are much better, the sound field is rich with details, and bass / mid-bass sounds so natural that I have to pinch myself to make sure I am not dreaming.
Like Ronpod, I play instruments. Piano and guitar are amoung the hardest instruments to get right for any electronics. The delivery must have both muscle and bones and have speed and clarity. The teflons and SIO caps are a marriage made in heaven.
I still own a very high quality purely passive Dale Vishay stepped attenuator. I am using Vampire direct gold plated oxygen free copper RCA's and 4 nines pure solid core silver for the internal wiring. I love the sound but it is anemic sounding vs the C2 through the Clarinet.
In you are on the fence about building a line stage. Jump in. If you own head phones build the Castinet, but put it in a larger box so you can fit in a source selector switch for the high output section.
If you do not have headphones build the Clarinet. You will not be disappointed that you did. And if you use Mundorf SIO 0.82uf caps paralleled with 0.22uf teflon caps then your sound stage is going to display more than a bit of high end magic. You will need to spend more than 7,000 dollars to get better performance.
I love my Clarinet! Everything sounds better on this. CD, SACD, DVD-A, LP's and even concerts recorded to Dolby and Dolby Digital.
Cheers!
