23 July 2021, the evening
Staring at the rather imposing and surprisingly heavy integrated that Francois wants me to review was just a little too much ? I had to connect her. First, measure the width of this beast, she is a lot wider than both my Italian Lady and the loan Japanese Geisha. Good news is that it will just fit, so without further ado, disconnect the Japanese Geisha and in she goes. Gee whiz, it really is a porky machine this one!
She is a single-ended-triode (SET), line-level integrated amplifier, based on the 845 triode tube. According to Stereophile ?...the 845 was designed?by RCA, in the early 1930s?to be a sturdy source of power in commercial and military radio transmitters like the ones in your local AM station or B-17 bomber. Each 845 anode requires over 1000V DC and is capable of dissipating about 100W...?.
The sun has just about dropped below the horizon and the 2 x 845 valves adorning this beast are not just huge, but they also glow a lot brighter than any of the valves of the machines previously listened to - a brightish white, similar to a dim incandescent bulb, as compared to a more muted red glow. Should be quite inviting tomorrow morning. It also emanates a lot more heat, thankfully it's going to be another extra-cold night. Feeling the side of my right speaker I'm alarmed at just how warm the surface is, it gets rapidly moved away from the heat source. Left speaker is moved a commensurate distance to maintain symmetry.
Well Stereophile accounts for the heat - ?Run in pure class-A, the 845 tubes' filaments operate at 3140?F (edit ? 1726?C), and their glass surfaces emit literally skin-searing heat. Beware! Never touch the big tubes while they're lit, or for quite a while after they've been turned off?and never poke around inside an (edit - name removed) just after you've turned it off. The former will send you to the emergency room. The latter could send you to your grave?or, worse still, maybe even void your warranty!? Funny man!
Currently Classic FM (UK) is playing from the Coral-based horns and nothing bad jumps out at me, that is always a positive start. Presenters voice is clear and the classic tunes are flowing.
Let me see if I can sneak a CD in before dinner.
Pop in Eve from the Alan Parsons Project into the CD80. As the relay in the CD80 makes contact, I hear a light electrical pop on the speakers, now that was weird.
Initial listening impressions leave me underwhelmed, it still sounds anorexic. However, I don't get the time to sit and dissect as my wife calls us to supper. Acts as background music for supper, even then I am missing the touch of warmth I have become used to; but, to be fair to this integrated, I will have to listen to Eve on either the Japanese Geisha, or Italian Lady; maybe this disc is skeletal beyond valve-fattening redemption.
24 July 2021, at about 05h15
Settle down with Classic FM(UK) on the tuner and a hot cup of tea in my hand. The big valves really emit a lot of light. It is quiet this morning, must be a combination of weekend and icy cold temperatures, most pleasant. Even Ruby my Ridgeback is curled up on the couch, a blanket is duly pulled over her.
As I relax and listen at very low volume levels, I become aware of a background noise, very slight, but audible when focussed on it. Strange. Get up, ear close to the speaker and sure enough, there is more noise compared to my Lady and the Geisha. Turn volume down and it is definitely present. Switch off, give the amp a minute or two to settle down and switch on and listen. No noise while she is going through her power-up routine, the second the relay clicks, the feint noise is back. Funny thing is that I didn't hear it at Francois' on the speakers that this integrated was connected to.
Oh well, nothing I can do at this time, so it's back to listening.
Mulling this over, I recall that last weekend Francois said that he had installed a Ground Defender in an effort to eliminate noise from one of the USB ports in the chain that this integrated was connected to, can't recall which machine in the chain the culprit was. But, the fact that a background noise is present, plus the pop when turning on the CD80, as well as the Ground Defender being deployed at Francois', makes me think that this amp is extremely susceptible to electromagnetic interference. I'm not an expert, so don't take my word as gospel.
Settling back with a second cup of tea and an early morning treat for Ruby, I also become aware of a different noise in the mix. Get up again, listen close to the machine; there it is, the middle transformer. Now, I was aware that the middle transformer was noisy from hearing it at chez Francois; was hoping that my seating position was far enough away for it not to be audible at these really low volume levels. Will test at more normal listening volumes as well and determine if these impact on listening pleasure.
Wife is still asleep, so slip Norah Jones' come away with me (not happening, I'm happily married) into the CD tray. This is the Deluxe Edition set that includes the Live in New Orleans DVD (the DVD is really good). With the volume turned down and knowing that there is background noise, the CD is not enjoyable, so there is no point in any commentary. Strange how one's mood changes when these nigglys pop out the casework.
Will spin her again one evening this weekend with the volume turned up. Just need to warn my wife that Norah is going to invade her listening space.
Pop into Francois later the afternoon to discuss my findings thusfar. Also help to unpack a set of Cambridge Audio EDGE devices ? an EDGE W amplifier and EDGE NQ. Stunning looking devices, must say I am impressed with the look and finish of the casework. Also unpack a set of latest generation B&W 804D3s, also amazingly finished, as close to a black mirror as I have seen. The B&Ws are being readied for demo as I leave, but don't get to listen.
I also took the valve cage home with me, those 845s are just too hot to leave unguarded. My wife really didn't like the looks of the cage when I installed it, I think it looks quite pretty.
25 July 2021, at about 04h00
Another early morning session listening to Classic FM (UK). Mind you, it is a little too relaxed as I eventually drift off...
Turn the volume up to below normal speech levels just before breakfast and I'm happy to report that none of the noise on the channels detract from the music and the transformer certainly isn't audible. That bodes well.
About 18h00
Knowing that my wife doesn't enjoy Norah, I removed the eponymous The Very Best Of Cat Stevens from the display case, popped it into the CD80 and settled in for some enjoyable music.
It didn't take too long to realise something wasn't right with the sound. I had listened to this CD on numerous occasions across multiple CD/DVD players, speakers and amps and as far as I was concerned, it was a beautiful recording with no nasty surprises lurking.
Round about track 3 'Morning Has Broken', my wife comes and sits on the couch next to me and promptly says: ?This bass is hurting my ears where I am sitting, but sounds really good in the kitchen.? There was indeed too much bass in the listening position and it was bloated and blooming.
Not what I had expected at all. Ensue head scratching.
However, there was more weirdness waiting to expose itself. During Track 6 'Lady D'Arbanville' my wife comes back and indicates in her own way that she feels Cat is shouting. I tell her that she has a point and that there is something really screwy between high-, mid- and low-frequency ranges.
Not sure I can properly convey what I am hearing, but let me try.
High frequency range was forward, biting a little. Bass was really forward and booming, as if the amplifier was losing control of the speaker. Midrange was recessed, it was being overshadowed by high and low frequencies.
Double weirdness because none of these maladies were present listening to Classic FM(UK).
Next step would be to interchange cables between the DAC and CD80, their basic designs follow the same approach, though there are differences in wire gauge with the CD80's interconnects effectively being 33% thicker and the helix-based ground has more coils per cm.
Can Of Worms Time - I know that the CD80 is picky when it comes to interconnects, whilst still connected to the Sansui AU-417, I had to remove a set of ?vanilla? analog interconnects because the sound was thin and tinny (here's where my audio lexicon leaves me in the lurch, I hope that you understand what I am trying to convey).
Now, I have heard this particular amp at Francois' before on a couple of occasions and none of these challenges were present. In fact, other hifi lovers who were present commented most positively as to the quality of sound reproduction.
I can only come to the following logical conclusion ? there appears to be a synergistic challenge with this particular integrated valve amp interfacing with my peripherals.
27 July 2021, at about 16h30
I sit at my desk and Classic FM(UK) is playing and I hear no anomalies. The problems with CD replay is really bugging me, quite perplexing; there should be a logical reason why CD replay is as screwy as it is, but that logic eludes me. Especially in light of the fact that the same Marantz CD80 and interconnects sounds simply sublime on both my Italian Lady and Japanese Geisha Girl.
I may interchange the interconnects between the DAC and CD80 as the first step to try and isolate the challenge. Seeing as I have the Marantz CD63 MKII KI languishing in storage, I may very well bring the Ken Ishiwata-touched player into action as the following step. I do have spare analog interconnects that are not quite as exotic as those installed, will need to try them as well.
