Hello Emile,
My ordered pair of xlr Totaldac Drivers will arrive this week.
I have to burn-in them before telling you reliably the performance of Bespoke Ultimate Silver + Totaldac Drivers + MSB Select DAC.
I talked about the performance of the Ultimate Silver version on #67 & #68, when I did a shootout of the various versions in the showroom of the dealer in HK.
I am most happy to say that my own Ultimate Silver exhibits the same merits after burn-in :
Quieter yet with more air & resolution.
The music is more effortless.
The soundsatge is bigger 3-dimensionally.
In simple words : only improvements and zero pitfall.
I whole-heartedly recommend all Bespoke preamp owners to consider this upgrade!
Thanks CK , I would be curious to hear the difference. Do they change only thé cowls ? Has your friend who did this upgrade but with a copper version the same perception.
and latest , what´s difference between silver and copper version ?
VPI Industries Voyager phono preamplifier Following my auditioning of Channel D's Lino 2C current-mode phono preamplifier, back in the world of voltage amplification, here's another phono preamp from another company based, like Channel D, in New Jersey. Probably not since Dynaco manufactured its...
www.stereophile.com
" ... I ran the Bespoke balanced into a pair of CH Precision M1 monoblock power amps, and later, for comparison, played the same high-resolution tracks with my dCS Vivaldi One's balanced outputs plugged directly into the amps. A comparison doesn't get more direct than that ...
... the same tracks played a second time directly from the dCS Vivaldi One sounded somewhat less coherent and more aggressive ...
... I really enjoyed The Bespoke Audio Company's passive preamplifier. If I had the money to keep one around for special times, I'd buy it. But I don't. ... "
I just bought an Allegri Reference and I am going to buy a Totaldac Driver. How is it best configured, DAC (Lampi TRP) to Allegri Ref to Totaldac Driver to amps (Merrill)? Where can I buy the Totaldac driver?
I just bought an Allegri Reference and I am going to buy a Totaldac Driver. How is it best configured, DAC (Lampi TRP) to Allegri Ref to Totaldac Driver to amps (Merrill)? Where can I buy the Totaldac driver?
Congrats!
Putting the Totaldac driver between the passive preamp and poweramp is the usual config.
But why not to try putting it proximal to the Allegri Ref? It's fun!
Congrats!
Putting the Totaldac driver between the frontend and poweramp is the usual config.
But why not to try putting it proximal to the Allegri Ref? It's fun!
Thank you. I apologize, probably our language differences, I didn't understand your response on where to put the driver in the chain. Are you saying after the Lampizator and from the D1 to the Allegri?
I love your Bespoke preamp. Then again all of your equipment looks and sounds beautiful.
Just got the Townshend Allegri Reference. My intital impression is that it's a little brighter than I prefer. That could be system synergy. I have many rectifiers for my Lampi I should try it see what I like best. With the NAT Magnetic my favorite recti was the Takatsuki 274 but I can see where that might be a touch airy.
I'm assuming there is no break-in or warmup time needed for the Townshend since it's a passive but maybe that's not true.
I loaned the original Allegri a decade ago, and despite loving the levels of resolution, couldn't live w the bloodless, dedicated tone on offer, emphasised by lack of heft in the bass.
I swapped out the Taki rectifier for a GZ and I like the tonal balance more. The one thing that is giving me difficulty though is integrating the RELs into my system with the Allegri. With the NAT once the RELs were set-up I could listen to the system at nearly any volume and have what sounded like the right amount of bottom for sound level. With the Allegri, it's pretty easy to set the RELs for the right volume when I am listening at a high level, but when I turn it down to background levels, it's like I lose all bass. Anyone have any experience using a really good passive in a full range 2 channel system with subs?
Spent a lot of the day trying to get the tonal balance just right. I can set the RELs so the system measures flat down to 25hz but the Allegri seems to lack the oomph of the active NAT preamp. Soundstaging is gorgeous and completely holographic. I nver heard something so pristine. However when it's called for it sounds like the system runs out of gas when the material pushes it (e.g. the drums on Fleetwood Mac's The Chain). Maybe it will involve some more tweaking like changing out the Audio Note silver cables (25 strand I think, an older version) running from the Lampi to the Allegri Ref. Maybe better power cords on the subs (Synergistic Foundations are on the way).
I am assuming this is the issue that the Totaldac driver is supposed to resolve, this last bit of dynamic range? For those that have the d1 driver, did you but it with 0b or 10db gain?
Was breaking in a pair of ICs this week. Set the system (Lampi TRP into Townshend into Merrill Element 116) to run a few days. On Thursday I shut everything down and didn't use it al all yesterday. When I was doin critical listening today it sounded like the system was down a few db in level. My guess is about 5db. Checked and replaced the Lampi tubes, rectifier and outputs. Nothing amiss there.Unplugged and plugged in again RCA from TRP to Townshend and XLR for Townshend to Merrill. No help. Unplugged Merrills, left them off for 5 minutes and plugged them in again. Again, no difference.
I am wondering if this could be a Roon issue. Roon forced an update on Tuesday that didn't install fully and crashed my LDMS server. Lucas had to log in remotely and fix everything, after which it was fine. I've already asked him if he thought Roon could be at fault. I'll see what he thinks tomorrow or Monday.
Check that the pre doesn't have a +6dB switch somewhere - quite a few of them do.
Re: other issues - you might just have to accept that in your system, active pre's are better than passive. The D1 Driver may help, but at the expense of system complexity etc.
I've spent plenty of time with passives and there is a lot to admire in what they can achieve, but in my system at least, adding the right pre brought a certain magic that I couldn't find with a passive, even when a D1 Driver was added.
