I'm watching this thread from time to time and amazingly it might grow past 75 pages. I guess if money is no object it can be good both ways and builds business. Say hello to Mr. fuse..
Fuse rolling is the same as tube rolling. Doing both can have a good impact on sound quality. Try it,you have nothing to lose. Of course it's a money management plan. It's still cheaper than buying new equipment.
Agree, just shuffling furniture a small amount, changes in temp/humidity, having one’s head not in the exact same position as before, more/less ear wax from a prior session, etc. can affect the audio when it reaches your ears.
If it wasn't for jokes the world would be in big trouble. For me it's all a joke. Only if you don't believe your now ears.
I guess some. I just bought a limited edition watch and they gave me 35% off and a $67.00 vinyl and I just got it for $27.00... Or maybe I shouldn't have told you guys so I would just gobble it all for myself..
What is OCC (Ohno Continuous Cast)? This confirms what I said in an earlier post (that there is a grain boundary about every 300-400 feet of wire which is what Mr. Lee of Harmonic Technology told me about 25 years ago before I bought Truthlink "single crystal" balanced interconnects to use as mic cables). "up to 125 meters in length. With only a single crystal in very long lengths, there is an unimpeded free path for the best possible signal" More "single crystal" wire (just a few of many offered) UniCrystal OCC Copper wire w/ AirLok - VH Audio https://audiosensibility.com/blog/ This amp uses it internally. PrimaLuna Evo 400 Tube Power Amplifier — PrimaLuna USA "POINT TO POINT WIRING W/ SWISS MADE WIRE You spend a lot of money on interconnects. So why have the signal go right from the RCA jacks or speaker terminals into circuit boards with copper traces so thin you can hardly see them? What’s high-end about that? PrimaLuna employs Point to Point Wiring on all products. The entire signal path, including resistors and capacitors, is painstakingly hand wired with heavy-gauge cable by craftsman. EVO 300 and EVO 400 models use Swiss-made, silver-plated, oxygen-free continuous crystal (OCC) copper with a Teflon dielectric in the critical signal path for superior signal speed and increased clarity."
While I like point-to-point wiring for different reasons, if it made such a huge difference audibly then that Prima Luna model would sound amazingly better than all other amps in its range. That doesn’t seem to be the case.
The Raven Blackhawk uses a board in their amp. There are lots of guys swear it beats the Prima Luna amps hands down. I have a super modified Jolida 502b amp. I wired it point to point. Then after a year I reinstalled the board. It really didn't make a big difference. So I left the board in.
Im just posting what is out there, not necessarily "agreeing" or "disagreeing". I think the vast majority of audiophiles wont be able to tell a difference bw single crystal wire and less pure wire with lots of metallurgical grains (and thus grain boundaries). But I think a very small % more than likely can on a resolving system (but no I dont think there is such thing as true single crystal wire in audio cables, and for the exact reasons Just Walking mentioned). But I could also easily see where some people (of the very small % who I feel can hear differences) might prefer non single crystal wire over single crystal. We all know that best specs dont necessarily equate to preferred sound. I also believe in system synergy and for the lucky few with "golden ears" and a killer/resolving system, they might possibly tweak their system with "copper vs. silver" and/or "single crystal" wire vs. less pure wire with many (more than likely >>trillions, I dont feel like doing research then doing a rough calculation) grain boundaries.
I haven't really seen the part that a printed board "yet" will smoke a point to point. I have experience with primaluna amps low to midrange. I can easily vouch they are in the top 5 tube amps world-wide when it comes to "overall performance". Even the lowest model "it has so much bandwidth" that you wont even feel or think about screw-drivering it anymore. I had several amps along the way that I heavily modified. But the primaluna and my present 300b, I don't even feel like installing a mundorf caps. Not at all. So far the only thing I modded is the RCA socket which is the position I hate the most (upwards). I replaced it with Neutrix and the a solid heavier gauge AC cord.
I haven't heard either one of those amps. It's just what I've read and seen on YouTube on them. If one day I replace my Jolida amp I will go with the Raven audio Blackhawk.
I been looking at the Raven a while back and it really looks like rock solid and its made in USA. How much for the Blackhawk?
The Blackhawk starts at $3,995.00. If you add some nos tubes the cost goes up. Similar cost of the PL amp. The Blackhawk is made in the USA. The PL is made in China.
I been dreaming about a 2-300B six pack monoblock and SP8 preamp. But I doubt that I can afford it. I hope I win the lotto today and speaking off, I should buy a ticket today. I'm tired of eating taco-bell....
printed ckt. Vs. point to point It all depends on design and construction. Luxman goes to great lengths with their PCB to ensure the shortest path. For line level, fine, for speaker level point to point may be better. http://www.luxman.com/asset/catalog/l-509x_catalog.pdf
i have read that some amp designer's school of thought is that circuit boards allow the shortest signal path possible which they say does improve the sound.
Re:single crystal wire CN102222624A - Preparation method of single crystal copper wire - Google Patents
I been looking at this company in UK and a lot of hi-fidelity enthusiast is really recommending them. I mostly concentrate on the exotic tubes. But the more power, the more money.... Unfortunately.. ICON AUDIO - Stereo 300 MkII Tube Integrated Amplifier Integrated Amp