qguy wrote:Hi VD,
Having so many systems dont you get stressed
on what to use for the day ?
I noticed that most of the vintage amps that you have are tube based, Any vintage SS in the collection ?
actually, setting-up those systems is my idea of a "stress relief", a kind of therapy...i've always enjoyed the idea of being able to test tubes, clean the chassis a bit, check the circuits. 10 years ago, i was heavy on soldering too, but nowadays, sa expert na lang dapat (rene).
a few aha moments in the process is when i re-discover that certain gear sound their best matched with a particular component or tube. one such long-forgotten gear from the attic is a decware zen zsla-1 buffer stage with a 6n1p tube. it's a great sounding gear, so natural yet musical. replaced the tube with a nos amperex 6dj8 and am all smiles...bonus for me is that it just sounds great with any tube pp amp i plugged it with -- the cj mv60se and mv55, the eico amps, quad 2s and a dynaco st70.
another surprise gear from the attic is a dusty dynaco st35 amp but with dynaco potted transformers...i set it up with an ipod and it drove my old concertos to hip-hop (dynamic) levels
and early this year, the eico hf60 monoblocks with those massive acrosound transformers. rene replaced a few leaky caps and did some detailing (for a photo opt for a magazine)...with matched vintage tubes and right biasing, this was a winner.
i only have one ss amp which am very much in love with - the mcintosh mc2105...tube-like yet dynamic. paired with the valvel pre i coudn't wish for more...
ah, such is audio...