Making baby steps into Hi-fi

[magma]

I spent some time on the cable mess behind and around the rack and I've managed to sort it out reasonably. It still needs some improvement, but for that, I think I'll wait till I get a new rack and a good power distribution box.

It has now been more than a week since I set up the Lyrita DHT Pre. I've put in about 35-40 hours on it now, and I thought I'd write a bit about what I think about it.

Overall, I'm very happy with the DHT Pre. It has taken my enjoyment of music up a huge step. The last time that I had such an improvement was when I introduced the Rega DAC into the setup.

The improvements it has made mostly has to do with three things:

1) The music sounds very open. There's a lot more detail and air, there's a special ease to the way the music flows, and the room feels bigger in terms of width and height. (I'll be contradicting this somewhat in a bit, but I still feel this). To use what's perhaps a clichd phrase, in the context of NADs, a veil has been lifted, and how!

2) The PSB Image B6 + NAD combination typically has a sound that more bass-heavy than necessary, or natural. I'd managed to tame it somewhat, by keeping the speakers as far away from the wall behind them as I could in my room. But once the Lyrita DHT Pre was introduced into the chain, the bass-heaviness has disappeared. Particularly, the midbass region has now been toned down into what I'd think is a more natural level, without any loss of impact. (In fact I feel there's quite a bit more visceral impact now, particularly in drum sections.) And in terms of the lower bass, it's just there, without making itself known overtly, or drawing specific attention to it. I love this!

3) The kind of improvement the Rega DAC had made earlier, in terms of pace and rhythm, seems to have been taken up a notch, once the DHT Pre was brought in. I don't know if it's just the honeymoon thing, but I seem to feel a lot more drawn into the music than before. And the uh, "foot-tappingness" quotient seems to have gone up a LOT!

I did mention in my earlier post that I felt that there were a couple of things that have taken a step back. Perhaps the second thing is a non-issue, as I don't quite feel it now:

1) There is a very very slight hum from the speakers (when the power amp/NAD is on, and there's nothing playing) that can be heard only when I'm standing with my ear right next to them. I guess this cannot be avoided with tubes in the amplification chain. I initially thought it had to do with the rat's nest of wires behind the rack, but it was not so. (I put the pre-power cable jumpers back into the NAD to test). This is nothing that's bad, really, and probably something that needs to be lived with, to enjoy tubes.

2) On the day I set up the DHT Pre and listened to it for the first time, I felt that the soundstage had narrowed down slightly from before. I do know this is in direct contradiction to what I said above, about how the room feels bigger. The room does feel bigger, as though the music is playing in a far bigger space -- width wise & height wise. But to me, the instruments did feel a little less spaced out (or closer together than before), at least during the initial couple of days. Now, this does not feel as apparent, or this problem has ceased to exist: Either I'm getting used to it, or the Pre and the tubes are breaking in and fixing this themselves.

Summary: A great addition to the kit, that's letting me enjoy music much better than before.

A side note: This is somewhat crazy and goes against convention. Since the DHT Pre came in, I find that the same music sounds significantly better from the CDP now, than from the Music PC. Before, it used to vary between the two, and I wasn't quite sure which was "better". Now, The difference between them seems far more, in the sense that music from the CDP (as a transport) is far more involving, than music from the Music PC (as a transport). I know this is a very subjective statement, but I do feel this.

things will always change one way or another when you change something in the chain
that is synergy

 

[ghatgepatil]

Your experimentation has yet again proved that the NAD pre is the weak link in their integrated amplifiers. The too-much 'rounded-off' or muddy sound is the result which smothers the overall resolution in a big way.

 

[hydra]

On order. Should be home in a month. A BIG step this time!

 

[ranjeetrain]

Congrats on Trishna!

Anxiously waiting to hear your impressions in your own setup.

 

[Santy]

Congrats Hydra.. That is quite an upgrade!

 

[reignofchaos]

Time to get rid of the nad and get a good SET.

 

[hydra]

Thank you, folks!

Ranjeet, I can't quite wait myself!

Santy, yup. Big upgrade for me, all right! I'd been putting off the speaker upgrade for quite a while, so I could get something I'd be happy with for a long time. I listen to the Maargas quite often at a friend's place, and I have been sold on the Rethm sound for quite some time now. It was a matter of waiting for the funds to come together.

RoC, yup. That's definitely the next step, as soon as I recover from this upgrade. I'll be able to take a long break from any more upgrades after that point.

 

[prem]

Welcome to the Rethm club, Hydra

 

[arj]

On order. Should be home in a month. A BIG step this time!

Great upgrade ! Congratulations

Adding on to ROCs comments , please do not make any assessment based on the NAD..it will not sound good as you need only the first few watts and NAD will start performing good only at higher current draw

Do get into any SET or low power amp (preferably tube) at the soonest you can

 

[hydra]

Thank you, Prem!

Thank you, arj! Yes, the NAD is not going to even begin to let the Trishnas show what they're capable of. I've already started window shopping for the SET power amp. 2 good watts will be plenty for the Trishna. I'll just need to be really patient till I can save up enough. That buy will also be a sort of endgame buy, so I do want to get it right, even if it takes a bit of saving & waiting.

I've had quite some time with the Trishna at the Rethm studio, so I'll definitely look forward to the final piece falling into place, finally bringing ALL of that special magic home

 

[arj]

i can well imagine the sound with a rega Dac/LP and a DHT pre with your speakers once you get a SET amp :clapping:

 

[mpw]

One small step for man..
One giant leap for hydra !!

)


PS : Congratulations !!
========================================

 

[musicbee]

Wow congrats mate.

Big step indeed!

 

[Nikhil]

Sweet upgrade Hydra!! Congratulations on the new setup.

Since you mentioned 2 watts being enough ... will something like a Tripath amp work?
Might be a cost effective solution till you get something down the line?

Speakerwise you are set ... enjoy!

 

[Santy]

Since you mentioned 2 watts being enough ... will something like a Tripath amp work?
Might be a cost effective solution till you get something down the line?

I think we are talking about tube amps. 2W is a lot of power.
And Tripath for Rethm?
A $4500 speaker with a $45 amp?

 

[manoj.p]

A $4500 speaker with a $45 amp?

You never know....

On another note, I think its better to have more reserve power than the speaker's continuous rating. Just for that increased dynamics when needed by the speaker.

 

[Nikhil]

I think we are talking about tube amps. 2W is a lot of power.
And Tripath for Rethm?
A $4500 speaker with a $45 amp?

Not all Tripath implementations are the same.
However some of the better implemented ones are pretty good.

Rethms don't need a lot of power and the Tripaths are around 20W per channel.
Its an interesting thought ... budget friendly as well.

 

[prem]

Tripaths sound decent with the Rethms. Have heard them. A good low cost stop gap option

 

[rikhav]

Hi hydra
Congrats on your new speakers

If you want , you can try out my TBI maki amp with your rethms

Prem was not satisfied with the last avatar. Atleast it did not do what company says it will

For one last try, I have send it to USA for maki upgrade. Jls001 is also keen to listen to the amp in his setup. If has some positive reviews , I will be more then happy to send you the amp for a listen

Some say it works with electricity, some say with single 12 volt and some with double 12 volt

You can try all the three ways

 

[hydra]

Thank you. Nikhil! And thanks for the tips, folks!

I might be able to get a loaner SET amp from a friend here for a bit, once the speakers arrive. If that works out, I'll be set (pun not intended, heh heh) for a few months, by which time I will be able to arrange for my SET amp purchase. I really don't want to spend any money on an in-between solution: I'm really strapped for cash right now

I'd visited Rethm and picked out the finish I wanted for the speakers today afternoon. I picked out a Southern Oak + Silver combination.