livestrong
Well-Known Member
@ airplanedriv - this has been a cool thread. Thanks so much for sharing/detailing your experiences! Sounds like you've got a great piece on your hands - and most importantly, you're enjoying the heck out of it
no need, I'm tossing this into my basement...
glad your happy with it, my experience has been the old adage "if it sounds too good to be true, it is..."
@ airplanedriv - this has been a cool thread. Thanks so much for sharing/detailing your experiences! Sounds like you've got a great piece on your hands - and most importantly, you're enjoying the heck out of it
for the DAC01 high/low is the SS/tube outputs.
yes, I use the tube output for the preamp following, and the SS for headphone amp
(I prefer this to using the built-in amp) and from there I can plug in headphones or
switch to electrostatics. the volume is then set from the headphone amp
rather than by running to the XS.
It is a pretty easy job to short out an LED under a tube that the Chinese makers love so much. I got a Bravo Audio V2 headphone amp that had one of those obnoxious under-tube LEDs. Simply soldering a very thin lead across the two LED pads shuts it off and if you ever want the LED back, just snip the shorting lead. I used a lead that I cut off a 1/4-watt resistor. It also had a very bright red LED to indicate power on. I replaced that with a much tamer green LED. As a general rule of thumb, I hate those incredibly bright blue LED's.
So the same goes for the 728a? The tube in the window is ornamental? Wish they didn't do that!BTW the XS headphone has a circular window showing a tube - its a dummy - not in the circuit.
thanks for reminding me about LEDs, and how they are like wood panels, good or bad to look
at and does nothing for the sound.
I just got one to feed my Prima Luna. Sounds pretty darn nice to me for sure. I too wish they didn't add the ornamental 'tube' in the window but I guess it's a poor man's substitute for an 'open' tube preamp. I like the solenoid-like input switch and the smooth acting tone and volume controls. I noticed some Wima PIO's in there plus a one rectifier per channel. It's a nice sized unit with some heft due to the transformers under the hood. I'd say for the price and what you get, this is a steal for a pure tube preamp. I still use a Schiit Loki in between them for a little extra sound shaping capabilities when required.
I'm quite smitten with this new setup.