Yes, these are very nice amps. I first heard them about 14 years ago at the German importer that was also selling Kondo...they were surprisingly competitive...
Mastersound PF100 PSET Amplifier
- Thread starter Ron Resnick
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Yes, these are very nice amps. I first heard them about 14 years ago at the German importer that was also selling Kondo...they were surprisingly competitive...
Please report back! I have about 5 Dueventi in stock and I have been extremely impressed. I expect them to be my best seller once I get more exposure to my clients. It is an entry-level amplifier for their line, but its sound is anything but (given that 20 WPC is 'enough' for the system). Unfortunately, I have not had a chance to hear the Dueundici yet.
Thank you, Evan, for thinking of this amp. But at only 50w I am more comfortable with the > 100w of the Mastersound.
I need Justin to buy the Triode Reference M212 so we can compare that amp to PF100!
Ron, when will you receive your new speakers? I can fully understand you regarding which amp to buy, there are so many great products out there.
JP
Agreed, the only way this could be true is if they held a patent on their design. Proprietary is just another word for secret and if someone figures out your secret then its tough luck for you.
The Dueventi was a really nice amp for the $. Particularly with NOS Siemens EL34s (readily accessible from Mesa)
btw, 8 845s in the PF100 monoblocks can probably heat an army barracks.
Mastersound 845 bases amps
Ron hi,
Been a long time reader of this forum....Since the mid 2000I have had an extensive experience with the PFF100, as "mine" dealer in NY/NJ area has sold quite few of those , and let me to listen to them at his customers systems with wide variety of speakers.. I also own the Evo 845 integrated (the most recent version) .. I d say that aside from Tube Research Labs 400 outfitted with very rare NOS BRIMAR EL 34 (have not heard the 800 with tube power supply as those are EXTREMELY rare) these are the best currently produced modern tube amps that I ve heard, and I ve heard ALOT to say the least .... I know you ve received the Pendragon speakers and I think the PFF 100 will be a great match with your speakers... I am basing this on hearing the PFF 100 with the Eminent Technologies 6s (those are long discontinued, although Bruce Thigpen occasionally produces a custom pair for an enthusiast)... Now the ET 6s are unique in the way that they are push-pull designs and in my (non) humble opinion are the best ever when it comes to portraying the true dimensional presence of the orchestra …They are also quite inefficient at around 83db, or so, and I ve used mine EVO 845 (55 watts per channel, used via direct input mode) with Chario Sovrans and ET8bs and with Charios I was able to hit steady 106 db, listening 8-9 ft away in 25x14x10 non treated room in a NYC prewar apartment ... Now the PFF 100 have lot more grunt and driving capacity, as I have heard them to drive Chario Serendipity (these are one of a rare dynamic designs in that they capable of providing true life size depth perspective with both upfront and in the back pane and are somewhat comparable to the true full ribbon designs Apogee Full Range&Diva& ET6) in my musician friends house amazingly well in St. Petersburg, Russia (where I had gone on a business trip). Amazing dynamics and proper depth, and dimensional body plus that texture of musical instrument and frequently sought by all, but seldom attained the je ne se qui feeling.....As your Pendragons have 93 db (i think) sensitivity and have powered woofer columns I think for most intents and purposes the PFF should produce enough of sound pressure to satisfy the most demanding a listener, lest one wants to go deaf... Now, my dealer (who has introduced me to the brand) has done some amazing mods with the stock PFF 100 ( the unit you could see for sale on the Audiogon recently is one of them, and not the most elaborate one at that), such as constructing a unique cascading cap (Duelund, or Cardas caps) power filter add on unit which in effect made them what I think are the best amps in the world (even surpassing the aforementioned Tube Research Labs me thinks). Problem is the cost, which was I think around $30k or so, with another 100 pound Delrin made chassis added to the amp. I ve heard those in NYC with modified Nestorovic 5s and the only way I can describe the sound is that the amps were effectively NOT there (a holy grail if I ever heard one)! Of course that gentleman's system had top notch ancillary equipment with Rockport TT and Klyne 7 phono preamp with custom passive volume control.... As far as some people commenting on the WTB forum that some other 845 based amps being superior, not to sound arrogant, but leather cover does not contribute a zilch to the sound and those other amps can't hold a candle to the Mastersound brand ( and yes I ve listened to those brands extensively as well)... The only ones that can be talked about being in the same class, but are in my opinion a step below are perhaps the New Audio Frontiers 845 (never heard the 211 based monoblocks by NAF thou), but they only produce the monoblocks that would not be able to drive your ribbon Pendradon mid-hi panels sufficiently loud/dynamic range would be too restricted compared to the woofer panels, at 50 watts per channel.. I have heard the NAF monoblocks with the Danish Peak Consult Diablos, also in Russia, and the sound while most excellent (the owner had used the Air Tight large EL 34 mono blocks prior to switching to 845 based SE design) in my opinion would have been even more dynamic and and true 3D with the PFF 100s. ....And the NAF get really HOT... Paul at the USATube Audio has done some temperature measurement using a laser thermometer and boy those NAF got hotter than the Masterosund by about 100 C (that is tremendous amount of heat)... I also heard NAF were using Mastersound-built transformers. All of the new gen Mastersound amps have silent running fans in them that cool the innards/circuitry of the amps pretty nicely, effectively extending the life of tubes and other components, making the amps even more reliable. I only have heard of failed Mastersound once, (out of 10 or so units that that my dealer has sold in NY/NJ area and that was because the owner had not had them biased for 3 years! The bias needs to be checked and adjusted once a year. Paul of the USATUBE AUDIO who personally owns the EVO 845 integrated also has told me that the ones that that had come in for repairs were the units that that used some crazy old tubes of unknown vintage and quality). Now my dealer claims that the old gen amps without the fan sound better, but that is the subject of another debate ... Once again I am sure the PFF 100 will provide the most refined and realistic (i.e. reconstructs the actual microphone-captured event type of sound) 110 watts of power to your Pendragons…. They might not wow you at first, but then you will realize that how pure, and sonically "neutral”, and proportionally "proper" their musical signature is… I have not been able yet to properly evaluate the Pendragon's ability to reconstruct the proper outline of the orchestra both in the front and in the back, similar to that of the Eminent Tech 6s and 8bs are capable of when properly set up, but I am sure that while the most modern amps (regardless of price) will be limiting the full potential performance of your Pendragons , the PFF 100 will not be, and in fact the opposite may be true ... Anyways, hope this helps and if you have any comments regarding 845&input tube variations (which make tremendous differences to the PFFs sound), and other questions, do let me know, would be happy to help&share experiences with fellow audiophile&music lover….
Regards, Ellie
Ron hi,
Been a long time reader of this forum....Since the mid 2000I have had an extensive experience with the PFF100, as "mine" dealer in NY/NJ area has sold quite few of those , and let me to listen to them at his customers systems with wide variety of speakers.. I also own the Evo 845 integrated (the most recent version) .. I d say that aside from Tube Research Labs 400 outfitted with very rare NOS BRIMAR EL 34 (have not heard the 800 with tube power supply as those are EXTREMELY rare) these are the best currently produced modern tube amps that I ve heard, and I ve heard ALOT to say the least .... I know you ve received the Pendragon speakers and I think the PFF 100 will be a great match with your speakers... I am basing this on hearing the PFF 100 with the Eminent Technologies 6s (those are long discontinued, although Bruce Thigpen occasionally produces a custom pair for an enthusiast)... Now the ET 6s are unique in the way that they are push-pull designs and in my (non) humble opinion are the best ever when it comes to portraying the true dimensional presence of the orchestra …They are also quite inefficient at around 83db, or so, and I ve used mine EVO 845 (55 watts per channel, used via direct input mode) with Chario Sovrans and ET8bs and with Charios I was able to hit steady 106 db, listening 8-9 ft away in 25x14x10 non treated room in a NYC prewar apartment ... Now the PFF 100 have lot more grunt and driving capacity, as I have heard them to drive Chario Serendipity (these are one of a rare dynamic designs in that they capable of providing true life size depth perspective with both upfront and in the back pane and are somewhat comparable to the true full ribbon designs Apogee Full Range&Diva& ET6) in my musician friends house amazingly well in St. Petersburg, Russia (where I had gone on a business trip). Amazing dynamics and proper depth, and dimensional body plus that texture of musical instrument and frequently sought by all, but seldom attained the je ne se qui feeling.....As your Pendragons have 93 db (i think) sensitivity and have powered woofer columns I think for most intents and purposes the PFF should produce enough of sound pressure to satisfy the most demanding a listener, lest one wants to go deaf... Now, my dealer (who has introduced me to the brand) has done some amazing mods with the stock PFF 100 ( the unit you could see for sale on the Audiogon recently is one of them, and not the most elaborate one at that), such as constructing a unique cascading cap (Duelund, or Cardas caps) power filter add on unit which in effect made them what I think are the best amps in the world (even surpassing the aforementioned Tube Research Labs me thinks). Problem is the cost, which was I think around $30k or so, with another 100 pound Delrin made chassis added to the amp. I ve heard those in NYC with modified Nestorovic 5s and the only way I can describe the sound is that the amps were effectively NOT there (a holy grail if I ever heard one)! Of course that gentleman's system had top notch ancillary equipment with Rockport TT and Klyne 7 phono preamp with custom passive volume control.... As far as some people commenting on the WTB forum that some other 845 based amps being superior, not to sound arrogant, but leather cover does not contribute a zilch to the sound and those other amps can't hold a candle to the Mastersound brand ( and yes I ve listened to those brands extensively as well)... The only ones that can be talked about being in the same class, but are in my opinion a step below are perhaps the New Audio Frontiers 845 (never heard the 211 based monoblocks by NAF thou), but they only produce the monoblocks that would not be able to drive your ribbon Pendradon mid-hi panels sufficiently loud/dynamic range would be too restricted compared to the woofer panels, at 50 watts per channel.. I have heard the NAF monoblocks with the Danish Peak Consult Diablos, also in Russia, and the sound while most excellent (the owner had used the Air Tight large EL 34 mono blocks prior to switching to 845 based SE design) in my opinion would have been even more dynamic and and true 3D with the PFF 100s. ....And the NAF get really HOT... Paul at the USATube Audio has done some temperature measurement using a laser thermometer and boy those NAF got hotter than the Masterosund by about 100 C (that is tremendous amount of heat)... I also heard NAF were using Mastersound-built transformers. All of the new gen Mastersound amps have silent running fans in them that cool the innards/circuitry of the amps pretty nicely, effectively extending the life of tubes and other components, making the amps even more reliable. I only have heard of failed Mastersound once, (out of 10 or so units that that my dealer has sold in NY/NJ area and that was because the owner had not had them biased for 3 years! The bias needs to be checked and adjusted once a year. Paul of the USATUBE AUDIO who personally owns the EVO 845 integrated also has told me that the ones that that had come in for repairs were the units that that used some crazy old tubes of unknown vintage and quality). Now my dealer claims that the old gen amps without the fan sound better, but that is the subject of another debate ... Once again I am sure the PFF 100 will provide the most refined and realistic (i.e. reconstructs the actual microphone-captured event type of sound) 110 watts of power to your Pendragons…. They might not wow you at first, but then you will realize that how pure, and sonically "neutral”, and proportionally "proper" their musical signature is… I have not been able yet to properly evaluate the Pendragon's ability to reconstruct the proper outline of the orchestra both in the front and in the back, similar to that of the Eminent Tech 6s and 8bs are capable of when properly set up, but I am sure that while the most modern amps (regardless of price) will be limiting the full potential performance of your Pendragons , the PFF 100 will not be, and in fact the opposite may be true ... Anyways, hope this helps and if you have any comments regarding 845&input tube variations (which make tremendous differences to the PFFs sound), and other questions, do let me know, would be happy to help&share experiences with fellow audiophile&music lover….
Regards, Ellie
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Dear Ellie,
As a long-time follower of WBF I am glad you finally posted here!
Thank you very much for posting here, and for telling me of your long experience with the Mastersound PF100. I appreciate this report!
I spoke with Fernando Zorilla, the dealer in New Jersey (I think) who has listed the modified PF100s on Audiogon for a customer of his.
The modifications to those amps on Audiogon were made by an audio electronics technician in New York City -- by a guy named "Blackie" I think. He replaced the capacitors and he re-did all of the internal point-to-point wiring and he replaced the tube sockets, among other mods.
Blackie used custom-made deeper box cabinets for the amps to contain the various high-quality capacitors with which he replaced the stock capacitors in the PF100. The modifications looked very professional from what I could see in the photos on Audiogon.
Four 845 tubes in parallel produce more SET output power but SET purists prefer a single power tube to a quartet of paralleled tubes. So I am wondering if you have ever compared a stock PF100 or a modded PF100 to a high-power single tube SET such as the NAT Audio Magma New (170 wpc) or a Wavac 833 (150 wpc, but with high measured distortion above 10 watts or so).
The sensitivity of the Pendragon is 89dB, so it is quite a bit less sensitive than 93dB. The output of the PF100 is claimed to be 117 watts, I think. I have been thinking that about 150 watts should be the (relatively arbitrary) minimum output I should consider for the Pendragon ribbon panels.
Have you compared directly in your system the Absolute SET or the Absolare Push-Pull 85 to the PF100.
Is there any reason to think the sound quality of he PF100 would be better than the sound quality of a single-tube SET such as any of the Wavac 833 models?
Have you ever heard of the Amplifon 140 SET amplifier from Poland (I believe). This amp also uses the 833 tube (I think),
MasterSound I think is coming out soon with an updated version of the PF100 which will, I believe, use a better transformer and better capacitors.
Beyond the mods Blackie made to the amps listed on Audiogon what other modifications can possibly be made to the PF100?
What are the mods and details made to other PF100s of which you are aware,
Have you ever heard (or even heard of) the Alieno Ltd. 250 OTL an Italian amplifier which uses a big solid-state power supply and, in a separate chassis, one small input tube and one KT-150 and one 300B per channel to generate 250 wpc (somehow)?
Have you ever compared directly to the PF100 any output-transformer less (OTL) amplifier. (No matter how high is the quality of an output transformer I tend to be of the view that the best output transformer is no output transformer).
Are there other technicians who make significant parts upgrades and others modifications to the PF100 you are aware of, or is it only Blackie who does this work on PF100s?
Thank you, again, for your very informative and detailed post!
Best wishes,
Ron
As a long-time follower of WBF I am glad you finally posted here!
Thank you very much for posting here, and for telling me of your long experience with the Mastersound PF100. I appreciate this report!
I spoke with Fernando Zorilla, the dealer in New Jersey (I think) who has listed the modified PF100s on Audiogon for a customer of his.
The modifications to those amps on Audiogon were made by an audio electronics technician in New York City -- by a guy named "Blackie" I think. He replaced the capacitors and he re-did all of the internal point-to-point wiring and he replaced the tube sockets, among other mods.
Blackie used custom-made deeper box cabinets for the amps to contain the various high-quality capacitors with which he replaced the stock capacitors in the PF100. The modifications looked very professional from what I could see in the photos on Audiogon.
Four 845 tubes in parallel produce more SET output power but SET purists prefer a single power tube to a quartet of paralleled tubes. So I am wondering if you have ever compared a stock PF100 or a modded PF100 to a high-power single tube SET such as the NAT Audio Magma New (170 wpc) or a Wavac 833 (150 wpc, but with high measured distortion above 10 watts or so).
The sensitivity of the Pendragon is 89dB, so it is quite a bit less sensitive than 93dB. The output of the PF100 is claimed to be 117 watts, I think. I have been thinking that about 150 watts should be the (relatively arbitrary) minimum output I should consider for the Pendragon ribbon panels.
Have you compared directly in your system the Absolute SET or the Absolare Push-Pull 85 to the PF100.
Is there any reason to think the sound quality of he PF100 would be better than the sound quality of a single-tube SET such as any of the Wavac 833 models?
Have you ever heard of the Amplifon 140 SET amplifier from Poland (I believe). This amp also uses the 833 tube (I think),
MasterSound I think is coming out soon with an updated version of the PF100 which will, I believe, use a better transformer and better capacitors.
Beyond the mods Blackie made to the amps listed on Audiogon what other modifications can possibly be made to the PF100?
What are the mods and details made to other PF100s of which you are aware,
Have you ever heard (or even heard of) the Alieno Ltd. 250 OTL an Italian amplifier which uses a big solid-state power supply and, in a separate chassis, one small input tube and one KT-150 and one 300B per channel to generate 250 wpc (somehow)?
Have you ever compared directly to the PF100 any output-transformer less (OTL) amplifier. (No matter how high is the quality of an output transformer I tend to be of the view that the best output transformer is no output transformer).
Are there other technicians who make significant parts upgrades and others modifications to the PF100 you are aware of, or is it only Blackie who does this work on PF100s?
Thank you, again, for your very informative and detailed post!
Best wishes,
Ron
Ron,
our 845 tubes in parallel produce more SET output power but SET purists prefer a single power tube to a quartet of paralleled tubes. So I am wondering if you have ever compared a stock PF100 or a modded PF100 to a high-power single tube SET such as the NAT Audio Magma New (170 wpc) or a Wavac 833 (150 wpc, but with high measured distortion above 10 watts or so).
I ve heard systems with the Wavac 833 and with big NAT, albeit not with my speakers, and not under the ideal conditions, and while those are good amps, in my opinion their sound is more in line with Line Magnetic 845 based amps level, so I would still take the Mastersound PFF100, over both, plus I am certain of successful PFF design, the quality of its transformers, and the brand's reliability record ...(not unimportant when exploring SET sound me thinks). So, the stock PFF 100 in my opinion would be superior to any of the above amps, the modded amp by Joshua would be on another, much higher level altogether with better transparency, resolution, truth of timbre, proper instrument separation and the actual illusion of the musical event, to use all the "required" audiophile cliches. ....If you have an itch to explore every possible SET amp, (and I understand that) then look into the British Icon Audio's MB81 SE monoblocks as well ... They are also more sanely priced as well, albeit I think they are made in China, but not 100% sure about that part....100 watts per channel and using a very same rugged Russian military (no jokes please
) GU type of tube as Wavac, Nat, et al. The Icon Audio also markets MB81 Push Pull Mono Blocks with 2 those GU tubes per channel for 250 watts of GU power.... How they sound I have NO idea thou, but worth keeping in mind. As far as 150 watts of Wavac vs 110 watts of 845, I don't think the difference in db would be that significant....
As far as the modified versions of the PFF 100 selling on the audiogon, initially it looked like done by my dealer, who has done several mods like that , not sure about what is the exact topology in this case thou... , althou it does indeed looks a professionally done copy of my dealer's work indeed.. My dealer is Joshua Cintron of scienceofsightandsound.com.. He is probably the best person in the whole world to talk to about modifying the PFF 100s to their fullest potential, (or any amp in general, as he has constructed for me a reference level solid state amp for summer listening, that is quite extraordinary, as I ve compared and preferred it to my then current references in the ss design: the Goldmund 3 (updated), Symphonic Line RG4&7s, Classe DR3-VHC, and Cello 50 monoblocks, just to give you a point of reference), as he has done the modded PFF100s with massive Delrin chassis add-on with a unique cascading cap power filters of his own design and other mods, for several audiophiles in NY and around the US. He also uses his own , much better internal wiring throughout than the stock PFF. Joshua also employs quite an unusual and novel engineering expertise and materials from military and NASA applications (although it makes the mods quite pricey for my own wallet, but compared to the daylight robbery type of pricing prevalent these days for hi fi, I d say its quite reasonable if you looking for the BEST, no pun intended
) and I ve heard his mods on the Tube Research Labs amps that made them reliable (a feat onto itself as anyone who has owned TRL can attest, with stamp of approval from Paul Weitzel himself) and even better sounding.... He will probably give you great tips on whats the best possible speaker cables for the amp/Pendragon system (he used to be a dealer for Gryphon I think, back in the 90s if memory serves me right), and he is extremely knowledgeable in all aspects of the ultimate system & room acoustics building in your category (as I can attest personally). I may not agree with him on everything audio, and video related, but its usually a matter of listener's & watcher's perspective…. Paul of the USA tube audio is also very knowledgeable about the "stock" amps of many brands, as they have carried many brands and although they are now actively promoting their own Ayon line of amps (which in IMHO still not as good as the Masterdound), Paul is very, very accommodating and patient....
MasterSound I think is coming out soon with an updated version of the PF100 which will, I believe, use a better transformer and better capacitors.
If you decide to go the ultimate with the PFF 100s , Joshua's modded amps will still be much better sounding amps than any by the factory. I guess the Mastersound will implement the version that they ve used with their anniversary model last year and used carbon sides instead of the wood planks and lots more chrome, and an "updated" version of wire in the transformers.... From people that have listened to that anniversary version I heard there was very little difference if any at all, compared to the "regular" one....
Have you compared directly in your system the Absolute SET or the Absolare Push-Pull 85 to the PF100?
Not in my own system, ... I only heard the aforementioned amps during the various shows, but I can tell when I hear something extraordinary, even during the show conditions, and while pleasant there was nothing of the kind .. Same with Viva... Once again : a pretty design does not make an amplifier great .... Lots of gear sounds lovely and spacey, and "3d" with perfectly recorded audiophile crap, but when the going gets rough with the "real" music, then how does the component perform?! The Mastersound amp in my system makes even compressed web stream of some of mine favorite radio stations (France musique la contemporaine at 192kbs, St Petersburg Marinsky's direct feed at 256 kps, and Amsterdams Royal Concertgebouw at 256 kps, and WQXRs Carnegi Hall live feeds) as thou I am present where the microphones are. They also make Sonic Youth sound like you are with them in the studio (before only the best EL 34 based amps have given me me such an illusion). Now that to me is the ultimate test: feed Sonic Youth or the Sex Pistols or Glenn Branca, et al, to other SET amps (with non horns naturally), crank the volume and see what you get!!!!! (n I still recall what happened when the highly touted British Olympian horn tried to play hip hop, and utterly crapped out!!!!!) The only SET amps that could be competitive with the Mastersounds IMHO are the JAdis NEC 845 and those are only 40 watts per channel. Also, I think the PFFs 117 watt is a bit optimistic, despite their designer telling me that to be the case, I ve yet to see them measured, as the Italians are not the Swiss yet.....
Have you ever heard of the Amplifon 140 SET amplifier from Poland (I believe). This amp also uses the 833 tube (I think)
No, I have not. Not to take anything away from them, and they very well could be of superb quality indeed, but there is a mushrooms-after- the-rain like wave of 833 tube designs of questionable reliability and pedigree coming out of the Eastern Europe these days. There is also a Russian version using those tubes as well don’t recall its name, , as well as the one made with pride in my own neighboring Brooklyn, by (also a Russian emigre naturally, hehe) an ex Sound by Singer tech Alex Chorin, AlexusAudio.com I think.... They have exhibited during NY shows few times, and sound was very, very refined…
Have you ever heard (or even heard of) the Alieno Ltd. 250 OTL an Italian amplifier which uses a big solid-state power supply and, in a separate chassis, one small input tube and one KT-150 and one 300B per channel to generate 250 wpc (somehow)?
No I have not , although to be frank, I seldom take seriously designs using tubes other than KT-66, EL-34, and 845/211..... Not that that particular amp cant be great sounding with your speakers of course,
Have you ever compared directly to the PF100 any output-transformer less (OTL) amplifier. (No matter how high is the quality of an output transformer I tend to be of the view that the best output transformer is no output transformer).
The best OTL amps that I ve heard were the Sans Pareil amps in the 90s, and the designs by Harvey Rosenberg (his amps and premps actually made original musical event better by somehow adding those distortions and/or harmonics that constructed the musical event with such an ambient presence that I doubt was even there to begin with! But it sounded wicked awesome!). I am sure you know that OTL amps are so speaker/impedance specific that its very difficult to compare those two... I guess each can sound glorious with its matched speakers, but the PFF 100s can be considered as do it all amp, while OTL will highly unlikely to reveal the full potential of your Pendragons. However the PFF 100 , Tube Research Labs Gt-200&400&800 and the sadly long out of production Swiss Ensemble Corifeo amp have been the only amps I ve heard, that have managed to portray similar dimensional presence of the Futterman design into non horn speaker designs . NYAL preamp designs are still the ultimate in that regards thou... If you seek the OTL holy grail, seek the Jadis Eurythmie of the 2000s ( the most coherent horn designs I ve ever heard, and Sans Pareil amps). Of the modern OTLs I ve heard have been the italian Graaf and the Einstein ( prefer the PFF 100 to both of those by a wide margin).
Before I decided to settle on my Mastersound, I considered and auditioned these extensively: Red Rose Model Ref 1 monoblocks, Air Tight ATM-3 monoblocks, Nestorovic NA-1 monoblocks, and Tube Research Labs GT-100&200 just to give you my point of reference.... PFF 100 were out of my price range at that point of time...
I think this is all, sorry could not be more specific regarding some amps of your interest vs pff100. Let me know if have further comments and questions. Hope this helps…..
Regards,
Ellie
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Hello Ellie and thank you for your posts here at WBF. My name is Skip and I am the new US distributor for MastersounD. Currently, I only have one authorized dealer in the network - SoundApproach. I am working on building the network and your information about your dealer has been helpful thus far. I will be contacting him shortly.
I will humbly admit that your experience with the brand currently surpasses mine. I have thus far imported several of the Dueventi, Compact 845, and Evolution 845, but have not experienced the others yet. The Evolution 845 is one of the finest amplifiers I've heard to date and does an excellent job at powering most speaker designs more than adequately. I have been selective thus far with what I have brought in as I need gear to appropriately match the speakers I can demo them with.
USA Tube Audio is no longer affiliated with MastersounD in any capacity, though they continue to list them on their website. I would advise caution when approaching them regarding anything MastersounD - in fact, I would advise avoiding it altogether.
I don't have the experience of Ellie, but I can speak on the Evolution 845 and say that the fact that the tubes are run in parallel seems to have no degradation in overall sound quality vs. a single-tube SE amp. It just gives you more of the goodness.
Ellie, if at all possible, I would love to hear more about your experiences with MastersounD and audio in general. If at any time you would be willing to have a conversation, please feel free to give me a call or text. My contact information can be found here: https://www.audiothesis.com/contact
I will humbly admit that your experience with the brand currently surpasses mine. I have thus far imported several of the Dueventi, Compact 845, and Evolution 845, but have not experienced the others yet. The Evolution 845 is one of the finest amplifiers I've heard to date and does an excellent job at powering most speaker designs more than adequately. I have been selective thus far with what I have brought in as I need gear to appropriately match the speakers I can demo them with.
USA Tube Audio is no longer affiliated with MastersounD in any capacity, though they continue to list them on their website. I would advise caution when approaching them regarding anything MastersounD - in fact, I would advise avoiding it altogether.
I don't have the experience of Ellie, but I can speak on the Evolution 845 and say that the fact that the tubes are run in parallel seems to have no degradation in overall sound quality vs. a single-tube SE amp. It just gives you more of the goodness.
Ellie, if at all possible, I would love to hear more about your experiences with MastersounD and audio in general. If at any time you would be willing to have a conversation, please feel free to give me a call or text. My contact information can be found here: https://www.audiothesis.com/contact
Hi Skip .... Thanks for reaching out ....
Sure, will get in touch.. I know Sound Approach, very pleasant folks in the DC area .. I believe they even have a tech who can work on any Mastersound amp.... I have the EVO 845 and love it, and used an older version of the PFF 100 (without fans) in my system for a while on few occasions, although wish I had bought the PFF100 instead, but domestic situation/physical space that is required for those did not allow for the pair of Pff100... The Dueventi is perhaps one of the two best EL-34 amps currently produced, the other one being VTL MB-185.... Pity that the Mastersound does not produce a more powerful version of that amp, but I knew someone who has two Dueventi units running in vertically biamped set up and felt they were great.... As far as the USA Tube Audio, these are fine folks that have been most gracious to me and other fellow audiophile friends, and provided great customer service and care in my dealings with them, so I can comment only on that.... The Sanavio brothers are nice as well ( I don't know which brother I have spoken with on the phone thou, with mine now sadly pretty broken Italian)... Hope you will have a great success with their line of amps that it duly deserves! Regards
Sure, will get in touch.. I know Sound Approach, very pleasant folks in the DC area .. I believe they even have a tech who can work on any Mastersound amp.... I have the EVO 845 and love it, and used an older version of the PFF 100 (without fans) in my system for a while on few occasions, although wish I had bought the PFF100 instead, but domestic situation/physical space that is required for those did not allow for the pair of Pff100... The Dueventi is perhaps one of the two best EL-34 amps currently produced, the other one being VTL MB-185.... Pity that the Mastersound does not produce a more powerful version of that amp, but I knew someone who has two Dueventi units running in vertically biamped set up and felt they were great.... As far as the USA Tube Audio, these are fine folks that have been most gracious to me and other fellow audiophile friends, and provided great customer service and care in my dealings with them, so I can comment only on that.... The Sanavio brothers are nice as well ( I don't know which brother I have spoken with on the phone thou, with mine now sadly pretty broken Italian)... Hope you will have a great success with their line of amps that it duly deserves! Regards
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I agree - the Dueventi is incredible. On that note, there is a new model coming out unlike anything MastersounD has done and at a price that is unlike anything MastersounD has sold. It's called the BoX:http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showt...5-watts-of-single-ended-power-for-1-490-00%80
The model I will be importing will include remote and some other minor upgrades and retail around $3,000 US.
Wow, looks great! 35 watts per channel should drive most 87-90 db speakers very well.... I wonder if its going to use the same transformers & schematics as the Dueventi? 1500 Euro minus Italian vat should be $1600
Why the 3 grand then? If it sounds anything like the Dueventi IMHO at $2000-2500 that amp should be a bestseller!
Wow, looks great! 35 watts per channel should drive most 87-90 db speakers very well.... I wonder if its going to use the same transformers & schematics as the Dueventi? 1500 Euro minus Italian vat should be $1600
There is much more to it than VAT and exchange rate. Shipping costs alone account for much of the difference. The 1500 Euro was an introductory price for a unit with no remote. The Euro price for the BoX with remote will be 2,350.
Ellie, thank you very, very much for your detailed answers to all of my various questions!
I, actually, I am interested in the VTL MB-185 Series III which, in triode mode, produces 140 watts. To what amplifiers have you compared this VTL EL-34 amplifier?
Oh, and the Pendragon is 89dB sensitive. Does that change your analysis in favor of the PF100 at all?
I, actually, I am interested in the VTL MB-185 Series III which, in triode mode, produces 140 watts. To what amplifiers have you compared this VTL EL-34 amplifier?
Oh, and the Pendragon is 89dB sensitive. Does that change your analysis in favor of the PF100 at all?
mastersound pff100 for the pendragons
Ron,
Frankly I would still take a stock PFF 100 over the stock MB-185 mk3 for its ultimate transparency and even better separation, darker background, and "wholeness". Having said that, there is something how shall I put it , very, very right with the MB-185s sonic signature, its hard to describe, shall I say authentic musical drive, very similar to the Tube Research Labs GT-200/400s, that you may find addictive.... I ve heard very good things about the new production Sofia Electric el-34 tubes, so the thought of the Mb-185 with those new Sofia Electric EL-34 is making me drool in all honesty..I think you should definitely try those MB-185s with your Pendragons no matter what amps you will settle with later, to get a perspective...Of course the true NOS Mullards will make MB-185 perform on even higher plank (and for the 16 El-34 required will cost almost as much as the amps themselves, but those would be very hard to get in quantities and you never know whether you ll be getting the genuine ones, as knock offs are plenty around, sadly).... I ve heard them in the tetrode mode only and they made the Eminent Tech 8bs sing (we were listening to the most recent version of the Le Nozze de Figaro with Yannick Nezen-Seguin conducting, on DG, an amazing rendition and recording of this work, and highly recommended for reference purposes) so much so that it was really spooky with its life size staging! You are not far from Luke Manley, I am sure he ll lend you a pair for evaluation. Now the stock PFF 100 also improve considerably when used with PSVANE 845, or WE 845 reissues, so there are plenty of variables. If you manage to find a stash of NOS Cetron 845 these will elevate the PFF 100 to the new heights....But those are VERY pricey as well... Also bear in mind that the PFF 100 need at least 400-500 hours to full break in, and the modded version even longer....
The PFF 100 with extensive mods done by my tech are still in my opinion the best tube production amps, lest you are willing to explore the Tube Research Labs Gt-400/800 with EL 34 tubes (with Paul Weitzel sadly passing) route... Then I would explore the stock PFF 100 with upgraded tubes, and then the stock MB-185 mk3 with Sofia Electric or NOS Mullards, with your Pendragons (the cap filter mods done to the MB 185 by my tech will elevate them higher still, of course if tech deems it worthy to do the mods in the first place, as the MB 185s circuitry is rather complex, compared to the PFF 100 or even their Manley cousins, so you will need to discuss it with the tech himself)...
The bottom line is as I am sure you know unless you try these ALL with your own Pendragons for a week or so, you could not tell which are better suited to your music and taste....
Hope this helps.. Let me know if you have any comments ...
Regards,
Ellie
Ron,
Frankly I would still take a stock PFF 100 over the stock MB-185 mk3 for its ultimate transparency and even better separation, darker background, and "wholeness". Having said that, there is something how shall I put it , very, very right with the MB-185s sonic signature, its hard to describe, shall I say authentic musical drive, very similar to the Tube Research Labs GT-200/400s, that you may find addictive.... I ve heard very good things about the new production Sofia Electric el-34 tubes, so the thought of the Mb-185 with those new Sofia Electric EL-34 is making me drool in all honesty..I think you should definitely try those MB-185s with your Pendragons no matter what amps you will settle with later, to get a perspective...Of course the true NOS Mullards will make MB-185 perform on even higher plank (and for the 16 El-34 required will cost almost as much as the amps themselves, but those would be very hard to get in quantities and you never know whether you ll be getting the genuine ones, as knock offs are plenty around, sadly).... I ve heard them in the tetrode mode only and they made the Eminent Tech 8bs sing (we were listening to the most recent version of the Le Nozze de Figaro with Yannick Nezen-Seguin conducting, on DG, an amazing rendition and recording of this work, and highly recommended for reference purposes) so much so that it was really spooky with its life size staging! You are not far from Luke Manley, I am sure he ll lend you a pair for evaluation. Now the stock PFF 100 also improve considerably when used with PSVANE 845, or WE 845 reissues, so there are plenty of variables. If you manage to find a stash of NOS Cetron 845 these will elevate the PFF 100 to the new heights....But those are VERY pricey as well... Also bear in mind that the PFF 100 need at least 400-500 hours to full break in, and the modded version even longer....
The PFF 100 with extensive mods done by my tech are still in my opinion the best tube production amps, lest you are willing to explore the Tube Research Labs Gt-400/800 with EL 34 tubes (with Paul Weitzel sadly passing) route... Then I would explore the stock PFF 100 with upgraded tubes, and then the stock MB-185 mk3 with Sofia Electric or NOS Mullards, with your Pendragons (the cap filter mods done to the MB 185 by my tech will elevate them higher still, of course if tech deems it worthy to do the mods in the first place, as the MB 185s circuitry is rather complex, compared to the PFF 100 or even their Manley cousins, so you will need to discuss it with the tech himself)...
The bottom line is as I am sure you know unless you try these ALL with your own Pendragons for a week or so, you could not tell which are better suited to your music and taste....
Hope this helps.. Let me know if you have any comments ...
Regards,
Ellie
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