6th Street Bridge

A quick note on Cardas Hexlink speaker wire

2011-12-19T08:14:00.001-05:00

Not a formal review, since I'm using this wire in a bi-amp system: As part of my recent bi-amp setup, I decided to finalize the wire selection. For the bass panel of the Magnepan 1.6QRs, I went with a pair of Kimber 8PR speaker wire. This classic can pass enough current to handle the big power of the Threshold amplifier. For the treble section, I went with a used pair of Cardas Hexlink 5-C

Bi-Amping the Magnepan 1.6QR speakers

2011-12-05T08:12:00.003-05:00

When I bought the Yaqin amplifier, I was impressed by the fidelity. But since it didn't have enough power to drive the Magnepans 1.6QRs, I considered selling it. Instead, a friend of mine suggested that I bi-amp. Since then this has been on my to-do list for the past couple of weeks, but I've been busy with some other pursuits. But I recently had some free time and finally gave this a spin.

Upgrading the Yaqin MC-10T tube amplifier

2011-12-04T18:42:00.002-05:00

In my more budget system, the stock Yaqin MC-10T has proved itself to be a great performer. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from this low-priced Chinese tube amplifier, and was shocked by the level of performance I was getting. But plugging the Yaqin into my main system, and I started to notice some minor problems. The first thing, of course, is that 50Ws of tube power just isn't enough

A Visit with the Yaqin MC-10T integrated amplifier

2011-11-02T07:54:00.010-04:00

I have a love/hate relationship with tube amplifiers. Though I've rarely heard one that I haven't liked, they can also be troublesome little beasts. Much of that has to do with modern tube quality - the stuff coming out of China, Russia, and Slovak just doesn't compare to the days of yore when tube electronics was the only game in town. Back when I first got into tube audio, it was easy to buy

A Visit with the Yaqin MS-22B phono preamplifier

2011-10-27T08:11:00.007-04:00

I first got into audio, way back in the mists of time, because of vacuum tubes. Thanks to hearing a friend's McIntosh MC240 and an old Dynaco PAS (both extensively modified), I heard music in such a way that forever changed the way I look at stereo equipment. Lately I've been dabbling in solid-state; trying to wring out whatever musicality I could from these silicon devices. And to a certain

Modifying the Denon DL-103R phono cartridge

2011-10-15T13:44:00.010-04:00

The Denon DL-103 is a popular low-output moving-coil phono cartridge that has seen a recent renaissance in the audiophile world. It's always been one heck of an audio bargain, so of course once the tweakers got a hold of it, things were bound to get a little crazy.I bought the more expensive DL-103R, which features high-purity copper coils and a lower output impedance, which makes it perfect

A review of the JJ ECC803S vacuum tube

2011-09-21T21:54:00.004-04:00

This is the other 12AX7 tube made by JJ and it is very different both in sound quality and construction from the previously reviewed JJ ECC83 S tube, with its’ frame-grid construction and compact, 6DJ8-style plate structure. This ECC 803 S long-plate 12AX7 variant is a recreation of one of the finest vintage 12AX7 tubes, the Czechoslovakian-made Tesla ECC803S. It is rumored that Tesla actually

A review of the JJ ECC83S vacuum tube

2011-09-21T21:51:00.005-04:00

The JJ ECC83 S is substantially different in construction from the other 12AX7 types considered here. The JJ tube is made with an advanced technique known as “frame-grid construction” first pioneered by Telefunken. Frame grid construction is most commonly associated with tubes such as the 6922 and 6DJ8, but is also employed by JJ with this tube.Technical details aside, this Slovakian 12AX7 tube

A review of the Tungsol 12AX7 vacuum tube

2011-09-21T21:47:00.006-04:00

This 12AX7 tube, also made in Russia, features a much shorter plate structure than the Sovtek LPS 12AX7 made by the same manufacturer. It closely resembles current Electro-Harmonix 12AX7 tubes, but we are told by the distributor that it is made from premium materials and undergoes additional factory selection as compared to the Electrio-Harmonix to weed out any inferior examples.We installed a

A review of the Sovtek 12AX7LPS vacuum tube

2011-09-21T21:40:00.006-04:00

The Sovtek LPS is well known to audiophiles as a capable, sonically balanced modern production 12AX7. The Sovtek LPS is very different from the Shuguang 12AX7B; almost immediately into the listening evaluation for the Sovtek LPS, a notation was made that “this is a tube that can really deliver extended treble.” While playing select Charles Mingus pieces from a Mosiac Records box set compiling

A review of the Shuguang 12AX7B vacuum tube

2011-09-21T14:12:00.005-04:00