It's been a little less than two weeks since I received my modded 70.2s and Isabella w/DAC back from Vinnie, and now I am ready to share my impressions of the changes that have taken place in my system. I stuck with eight familiar CDs of varying genres in order to fairly evaluate what I was hearing. I also decided to discipline myself and not listen for extended periods in battery mode until I had accumulated close to 100 hours of burn-in time (more about that later). OK, here goes...
OUT OF THE BOXFrom the beginning solo lines sounded more full-bodied than I had remembered them when listening to my pre-modded gear. That made sense, given the new tube stage. Placement of individual instruments seemed more precise than before.
On the critical side bass frequencies seemed both recessed and congested, and perhaps more evidently, the highs were fatiguing. After an hour I left the room and kept the components running in AC mode.
12 HOURS ON THE GRIDUnfortunately the highs were still a bit grating but I heard some positive changes as well. Complex musical lines in movie soundtracks were becoming clearer and subtle breathing of vocalists was becoming more noticeable. Color changes of instruments, particularly guitar, were found in more abundance.
18 HOURS ON THE GRIDI began to hear detail in articulation, particularly high-frequency percussion instruments such as triangle and celesta. Bass definition was improving. Highs were still not to my liking so I decided to let the burn-in process continue for the better part of a day before I continued to assess any more changes.
36 HOURS ON THE GRIDHallelujah! All traces of the objectionable highs were now gone. I was starting to hear subtle improvements in soundstage depth and width. The clarity of lines was on the increase and I could hear more air around both instruments and voices. Bass presence and impact were more apparent. To sum it up this was the first time I felt the sound of the LFP-Vs running in AC mode was noticeably better than the pre-modded components in SLA battery mode.
60 HOURS IN AND OFF THE GRID FOR A SHORT LISTENING SESSIONMuch more interior detail that had up to now had escaped me was now quite present. On certain recordings I was getting a better picture of the acoustics of the performance venue. Voices in particular seemed more lifelike than before. Now that I had a peek
it was back to AC.
72 HOURS IN ON THE GRIDContinued improvements in the soundstage were evident, as well as frequency extension of both highs and lows. Spatial relationships between soloists and accompaniment were better defined. Another plus was that the soundstage did not appreciably collapse at softer listening levels.
96 HOURS IN, AND OFF THE GRID FOR GOODEnough was enough and now was the time to see what the new batteries could bring to the table. After a little more than an hour I was aware of something I had not expected would occur this deep into the process: the highs became a bit strident again
! After coming back a couple of hours later that condition settled down for good. It seemed as though there might have been a secondary break-in period for the batteries themselves, not just the tubes or caps. I would have enjoyed the ride more if I had taken more time to reach the 100-hour mark and relied on battery power.
Once I came back to listen it confirmed my decision to have Vinnie do what he does so well, and like red wine
the gear is getting better with age. The background is drop-dead quiet and the presentation has body and impact. The most complex musical material in revealed in a cohesive fashion. If there is one aspect of the improvement that has floored me the most it is the depth of the soundstage. I did not realize the mods could allow for that type of expansion.
I do have to offer an observation regarding the sound of the LFP-Vs running in battery mode vs. AC, and my opinion runs counter to what has been posted in this forum. I hear a difference that is akin to playing a piano using a bit of the sustaining pedal as opposed to doing so without it. There is a definite increase in the resonance and decay of notes when going off the grid. I also believe the highs are more pristine when in battery mode. YRMV but in my system the differences are not subtle.
If your budget will allow for it going with the LFP-Vs will provide you with a VERY rich listening experience. Congratulations on your handiwork, Vinnie!
