[keepingtime]

Just got my Isabella and 30.2 LFP-V Edition upgrades back from Vinnie. From the very first note I heard more detail then ever. As Vinnie has said; this is no small upgrade. This is a HUGE upgrade. Every area of sound has been dramatically improved. Everything! The background is even quieter then before and it was already the quietest I'd ever heard, but this LFP-V brings new meaning to 'quiet background'. The PRAT (pace, rhythm and timing) is very much so improved as well.

Unfortunately I've no time to listen more then the 45 minutes I just did and I've got to get going, so I'll post more after I've had more time with them. But for now I can say that Vinnie has hit a Grand Slam Home Run!!! Bigtime!!!!! The sound is absolutely amazingly mindblowingly great!!!!!

Congratulations Vinnie!!!!!!!!! You are an audio genius and superstar

[keepingtime]

I've been listening for a few hours now to my LFP-V Isabella(with dac) and LFP-V 30.2. Normally I'd wait until things broke in fully before commenting but things already sound great so.......as was my first impression, every area is improved. Bass is much more articulate, powerful, present, tight, right. Mids on up, sound perfect to my ears. Tone, as good as it was before, is even better now. Background silent. Depth? Deeper. Height? Higher. But not wrong or bigger then life. Very accurate. Things are more 3D now. Lifelike real sounding sound. Every player is clear and distinct and are where they should be seeming to be coming from. Basically, everything just sounds right and like music. Like the music is being played live in the room. Things are also sounding much more detailed now, while having lost none of the warmth and vinyl'ish RWA sound as before. I am hearing things on very familiar stuff that I've never known was there. I know that sounds like a cliche but it's really happening. And the way the prat has dramatically improved, this stuff swings now! Bouncy toe tapping music. Really sounds like music. Haven't ever had this much fun and enjoyment listening to my system. And to think things are only around 5% burnt in at this point.

These LFP-V versions truly are a huge upgrade, major improvement all around on every level. And the most important of all my wantings from my system are being met: Am I being drawn into my music more? Am I enjoying listening to music more? Am I losing myself in the music and forgetting about the system? A big YES to all those questions.

Thanks Vinnie and Red Wine Audio!

[Alwayswantmore]

Just got back from Charlotte CanFEST (headfi meet). Had a chance to put an SLA HPA directly against my HPA LFP-V. Same source (Macbook via USB), same USB cable (stock RWA), same headphones (Audeze lcd2 planer phone [$1,000]) with ALO recable (price unknown).

For reference, I’m more of a 2ch guy than headphones, but the meets are fun. Also for reference, I currently own the following DACs in order of preference:

HPA LFP-V, fixed outputs - Amperex 7308
Wavelength Cosecant V3 Async USB – a few NOS tubes - Numerator 24/96 DAC Module
Isabellina (in SLA Isabella) - Amperex 7308s

I used Diana Krall’s Live In Paris, I've Got You Under My Skin. I know this cut inside and out and find it great for evaluating equipment. Starts with clarinet and flute, then layers in percussion, bass, strings, vocals, piano, etc. Good sense of hall ambience.

What I Heard

Bear in mind, this is a fairly brief listen in less than ideal environment. But two things jumped out:
The flute and clarinet were significantly more organic, with greater dimension and just plain old more realistic overtones / timbre. The room got larger, especially in terms of bass, and the bass was more natural with the LFP-V.

This was not like comparing two $500 ICs where I usually need to A/B a few times to begin to figure out which is better and why (...and even then I sometimes scratch my head  ). The delta was along the lines of what I experienced when I first added the Isabella as a front end to my Signature 30.2.

Now I can’t wait to get my 30.2 upgraded and hear it all on the 2 channel rig.

[Vinnie R.]

Hi keepingtime and Alwayswantmore,

Thanks for posting your detailed initial impressions of your LFP-V Edition upgrades.

This will be a great thread for others to post their LFP-V Edition impressions, and as always,
I greatly appreciate your feedback. 

The LFP-V Edition a big revolution for Red Wine Audio - and next month I'll have all the parts to work on LOTS of upgrades and new orders (the list has grown quite long ), so I hope to see a lot of posts added to this thread soon enough 

I thank you all for your patience and support during this very busy time for me.

Happy Listening!

Vinnie

[Vinnie R.]

All,

Here is some feedback from headfi on an upgraded Isabella (with dac and headphone stage):

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/507245/review-red-wine-audio-isabella-lfp-v-edition#post_6853877

There is also a pic, and you'll spy the first Black Lightning LFP Edition powering a NuForce CDP-8.
Now that is one good sounding CD transport when you ditch the external switching supply and feed it from the Black Lightning LiFePO4 and use its 75-ohm BNC output... probably one of the best transports I've heard feed the Isabellina dac!

decu22 will be sending me his Isabellina HPA and 30.2 early next month for upgrades as well (he uses his 30.2 with his Harbeths, so they'll more more pics and impressions).

I'll have all the parts to continue modding in early September, so there will be A LOT of LFP-V Edition mods being done in the next few months 

Also, my wife and I are due to have our 2nd daughter at the end of the month / or very early September - so these are very exciting times! 

Cheers!

Vinnie

[keepingtime]

Those of you waiting for your LFP-V version upgrades are in for a real happy experience. These things swing. I am listening to "Baby Face" Willette's 'Stop And Listen' and it has never sounded this good. Yesterday I listened to 'Mulligan Meets Monk' and again, simply incredible.

Your wait will have been well worth it. Prepare to be blown away by these upgrades.

[Vinnie R.]

Those of you waiting for your LFP-V version upgrades are in for a real happy experience. These things swing. I am listening to "Baby Face" Willette's 'Stop And Listen' and it has never sounded this good. Yesterday I listened to 'Mulligan Meets Monk' and again, simply incredible.

Your wait will have been well worth it. Prepare to be blown away by these upgrades.

Hi keepingtime,

Thanks for your post!

All - I'll be shipping quite a few new and upgraded LFP-V Edition units, starting next week.  Everything is going very well and I'll be contacting all of you on the wait list when I'm getting close to have you ship in your unit for upgrade.  This way, you won't have to be without it for long.  Minimal withdrawal is a good thing 

Thanks again for all your patience - it will be rewarded! 

Enjoy your weekend,

Vinnie

[AudioAddiction]

Well my units have left Vinnie to come to Australia 

Once they arrive and have been run in I will be writing up a very thorough review and I will be making comparisons to the older units to highlight where the differences sit.

Vinnie you have been talking it up so my expectations are now set to very high 

[Vinnie R.]

Vinnie you have been talking it up so my expectations are now set to very high 

They should be! 

Thanks for keeping us posted,

Vinnie

[Vinnie R.]

Your wait will have been well worth it. Prepare to be blown away by these upgrades.

This week I shipped out quite a few of them - as I will be every week for quite a while now.  I'm looking forward to (and greatly appreciate) all your feedback once you receive them and give 'em a good listen!  Once you start listening to LFP-V, you'll find it hard to stop 

Cheers!

Vinnie

[Earman]

Once you start listening to LFP-V, you'll find it hard to stop

No kidding. I received my LFP-V upgraded Isabella a few days ago. I was quite busy at the time, having just returned from a business trip, so figured I’d take the unit out of the box just to plug it in to charge it up before listening to it later. Then I figured I’d just listen to one tune, to make sure it was functioning properly... You probably know where this is headed. Two and a half hours later, after cherry-picking my way through a lengthy playlist of favorite tunes in FLAC format, I picked my jaw up off the floor and uttered two words: Holy crap!

My SLA powered Isabella had always sounded quite nice (using vintage Amperex Holland white label Bugle Boy tubes), but the LiFePO4 upgrade has taken it to a whole new level. I never imagined that just changing the power source would have such a substantial audio impact. The change that was most immediately noticeable was an increase in treble clarity. The Isabella sound now has oodles of detail, but it’s all natural sounding, not the hyper-sharp detail sometimes exhibited by high end solid state gear. And the bass has tightened up, improving articulation while retaining full depth.

Then there’s the nearly holographic imaging. The upgraded Isabella imparts a dimensionality to each instrument and voice, reminding me of my dearly departed Magnepan speakers. And room acoustics of the recording venue become more apparent without being overemphasized. The best word to sum up this aspect of the sound is presence.

I have plenty of technically less-than-perfect older recordings that sound unsatisfactory on ultra-neutral gear, such as the Benchmark DAC1 Pre I used to own. (The Benchmark would still be my DAC/Pre of choice if I were a recording engineer, but in terms of listening for pure musical enjoyment, it wasn’t to my taste.) On the upgraded Isabella, even flawed recordings come across as great sounding music without seeming obviously colored.

And the Isabella is now bursting with PRaT. Where some systems are excellent at precisely reproducing music as a collection of individual instruments, the overall Isabella sound gels into a whole like the musicians really are playing together, and it somehow does so without sacrificing individual detail.

The LFP-V upgrade is like a magic trick. I don’t know how Vinnie pulled it off, but the effect is stunning. Bravo, Vinnie!

[imassarano]

Vinnie,

I knew you had it in you 

[Vinnie R.]

Hi Earman,

Thank you for posting your initial impressions of your Isabella LFP-V Edition!

the LiFePO4 upgrade has taken it to a whole new level. I never imagined that just changing the power source would have such a substantial audio impact. The change that was most immediately noticeable was an increase in treble clarity. The Isabella sound now has oodles of detail, but it’s all natural sounding, not the hyper-chiseled detail sometimes exhibited by high end solid state gear. And the bass has tightened up, improving articulation while retaining full depth.

Then there’s the nearly holographic imaging. The upgraded Isabella imparts a dimensionality to each instrument and voice, reminding me of my dearly departed Magnepan speakers. And room acoustics of the recording venue become more apparent without being overemphasized. The best word to sum up this aspect of the sound is presence.

The power source has a HUGE impact on what you hear - and I'm glad you immediately noticed what the new Red Wine Audio LiFePO4 packs offer compared to SLA.  I even hear more differences with tube rolling than before with the new LFP-V Edition of the Isabella (and of course with the other RWA components, because they never had tubes before  ).

Hi imassarano,

Thanks! 

Cheers!

Vinnie

[sporter]

Hello,

Today I received my upgraded Isabella + 70.2's.   I have them connected to a pair of Zu Def's.  I am also using Miniwatt Dario 7308 tubes all around, including the 70.2's.

Initial impression:   Wow!   +10 for all of the "audiophile adjectives".  This sounds very, very good.  I didn't think the RWA stuff could get any better, but it does.   I feel like I am "in" the music.   Far better depth + detail and what I feel is, "solid" -- across all the frequencies that my ears can hear.  I wish you all could hear this....

One example was playing some vocal tracks that I am very familiar with, I noticed new things I never heard before -- the subtle sound of the singer taking breaths, etc.

Everything just sounds awesome. 

                


One new capability I like but haven't used yet, is the "Continuous Play" feature on AC and playing while charging.  That will be very useful in the future.

[coldfogey]

Yes, the LFP-V Isabella is all that you say it is and more.  I still have the stock  JJ's but I have a pair of Amperex 7308, white label, PQ and large halo from Holland coming in a few days.  After some burn in I will  have more to say I am sure.  The reason for this post is the AC position on the AC/Batt switch.  I had my unit a few days and kept  switching between AC and Batt.    I heard no difference at all. It was like I wasnt switching at all.  I called Vinnie and asked if I had a problem.  He said there was no problem, if you dont hear a difference than you are fortunate and can keep it there all the time.  He threw me a curve  with his next comment.  " when you are in the AC position you are not connected to AC"  you are connected to the battery in both  positions.  So that is how I am using my Isabella now. I keep   it in AC all the time.  When I turn it off, the green light comes on and I  am fully charged. You cant beat that.Its like being plugged into the wall.      All  the time.  No worry about running the battery down.

I must admit, this is the best audio purchase I have ever made. I love it, every thing works flawlessly.  I also hear stuff in the soundstage I didnt know was there.  I am also impressed with how tight the bass is with the stock JJ's.

[6rs]

I concur, the sound of the upgraded 30.2 is much better.
Heaven opened when a Siemens CCa was swapped in... wow... pure bliss.

[adamaley]

6rs, could you kindly reveal your source for the Siemens. Thanks in advance. Fingers crossed it's not eBay.

[low.pfile]

another @ 6rs....
What is your music source? TT or digital? details please.

[6rs]

6rs, could you kindly reveal your source for the Siemens. Thanks in advance. Fingers crossed it's not eBay.

It was ebay (musculitohifi), from Germany. Maybe I was lucky;)
I like them better compared to the Siemens ECC88 (from 60s), Amperex 7308 USP (?), way better compared to Tungsram and Tesla NOS.

[6rs]

another @ 6rs....
What is your music source? TT or digital? details please.

Weiss Dac2