square_wave
Well-Known Member
Great to hear this. It echoes the experiences of many a fan of this great value for money TVC.
Promitheus Audio TVC - the best preamp!
- Thread starter sidvee
- Start date
Hi Sameer - not to mention the beautiful sound it created with your sym line rg7 and the emerald physics. Frequency extremes were rendered beautifully (usually considered weak points in tvc designs by some). I swear the speakers were easily reproducing low frequency down to 30 hz or even lower. Again it points to extreme VFM this humble component can add to a high end system like Sameer's. I also heard a beautiful layered soundstage well beyond the physical plane of the speakers and pinpoint imaging coupled with a smooth fatigue free sound.
Cheers
Sid
Yes Arj & square_wave - I was quite surprised by this pre - usually one reads a gushing review - in a print or an online magazine - and then takes it with a pinch of salt - but the promitheus easily bucks the trend and really walks the talk.
Cheers
Sid
Late for this thread.
But the Promitheus TVC is a great piece of audio gear. I have the Reference C-Core that is on a totally different league than the standard one. Been using this for almost a year now. Before I purchased the TVC I exchanged a few emails with some owners and most of them have been pretty happy with it. There is a person on audiogon who compared his Signature TVC version to darTZeel's $29K preamp and tole me that the TVC comes to within 90% of that the darTZeel can do. I have matched my TVC with Parasound A21 and have been very satisfied with the music it makes. I do not feel that it looses any frequency at either spectrum ends. The only gripe is the wait time.
But the Promitheus TVC is a great piece of audio gear. I have the Reference C-Core that is on a totally different league than the standard one. Been using this for almost a year now. Before I purchased the TVC I exchanged a few emails with some owners and most of them have been pretty happy with it. There is a person on audiogon who compared his Signature TVC version to darTZeel's $29K preamp and tole me that the TVC comes to within 90% of that the darTZeel can do. I have matched my TVC with Parasound A21 and have been very satisfied with the music it makes. I do not feel that it looses any frequency at either spectrum ends. The only gripe is the wait time.
anm
Well-Known Member
OT - Sridhar - exactly what I was thinking today. If dealers can include their commercial interest in the sig. Thanks for doing that.
I am not sure if anm is refering to me as a dealer :licklips: I wish I was a audio dealer and made my living out of it. I only wish I could have a job like that - my own hi-fi showroom - but alas!!
I am not a dealer. I go by the moniker "milpai" on Audiogon, Audio Asylum, Audio Circle, Ecoustics, and any other audio or photography forums. I have nothing to hide. I also post on Stereo - HIFI-FORUM, where I see other Indian folks. I have listed my stereo equipment on audiogon (with pic) and audio asylum (without pic).
sachi
Active Member
Have heard a lot of TVC type preamps..sadly haven't had the opportunity to listen to one yet.
By the way, has anyone heard an Akido High Voltage version Line stage amplifier?
By the way, has anyone heard an Akido High Voltage version Line stage amplifier?
grubyhalo
New Member
Sorry for the OT, but would be interested in this as well...
anm
Well-Known Member
Sridhar,
got you. Thanks
odyssey,
Yes AC is like a formal Promitheus forum. But of late Nicholas is getting a bad rap because of communication issues. I hope nothing but the best for Nicholas and all AC members. Hope that things start looking up soon. It is in the interest of audiophiles and Promitheus.
Enjoy your music.
got you. Thanks
odyssey,
Yes AC is like a formal Promitheus forum. But of late Nicholas is getting a bad rap because of communication issues. I hope nothing but the best for Nicholas and all AC members. Hope that things start looking up soon. It is in the interest of audiophiles and Promitheus.
Enjoy your music.
Unfortunately yes, communication remains his biggest issue. I think he works on the transformer himself and does not have enough time. Maybe he has some secrete about his transformers. If so, then he should apply for a patent and then try to produce them in batches. That way no one can steal his tech. I thin k he is loosing more business with all the bad rap, rather than some one getting hands on his technology.
BTW, check Cincy_Bob's system on audiogon where he has compared the Promitheus Signature TVC with his own darTZeel preamp. He is a very knowledgeable guy when it comes to audio. I learnt a lot of stuff from him.
BTW, check Cincy_Bob's system on audiogon where he has compared the Promitheus Signature TVC with his own darTZeel preamp. He is a very knowledgeable guy when it comes to audio. I learnt a lot of stuff from him.
gander
New Member
About the initial post, it sounds like he was talking about the out-of-the-box sound. If the Promitheus TVC preamp was sitting in his closet for a long time, I'm sure that what he experienced was not nearly as good as when the unit is fully broken in. It comes burned-in with about 10 hours on it, but I've read that it can take 400 hours or more before it really opens up, especially with regard to bass. If that is the case, that was nothing compared to the sound it can allow (not "make") when fully broken in.
I just ordered a TVC preamp and it should be delivered tomorrow, so that should really be something, eventually. But like I said, you can't really judge it until a LONG time after you start breaking it in.
And also, in general, the older an audio transformer gets, the better it sounds. That is why older gear with old transformers, if properly refurbished, can sound so good. With this being the case, it will only get better, and better, and better (I hope).
Happy listening!
I just ordered a TVC preamp and it should be delivered tomorrow, so that should really be something, eventually. But like I said, you can't really judge it until a LONG time after you start breaking it in.
And also, in general, the older an audio transformer gets, the better it sounds. That is why older gear with old transformers, if properly refurbished, can sound so good. With this being the case, it will only get better, and better, and better (I hope).
Happy listening!
soulforged
Well-Known Member
Which/what kind of power amp would you pair with the Promitheus TVC? Nick also makes 6C33 based amps so I guess they should match. Has anybody tried with any of Viren's amps? Asking coz I'm thinking of going down that path...
IMO decent powered solid state. My tubed quicksilver mid mono amps. struggled with this because of lack of gain. I also believe there is a gain adjustable pre. available - not sure, but that may be an option.
Cheers,
Sid
tirthankar
Active Member
A power amp with decent enough input sensitivity, preferably below 1v, better if near or below .5v, and a source with an output voltage above 2v, higher the better.
Transformer based volume controls are like a passive volume control.. unlike an active pre, they have no gain stage but only attenuate the volume. The transformer acts like an impedance buffer, reducing the impedance mismatch problems associated with resistor based passives, but driving the input stage of the power amp falls by and large on the source.
This reduces the circuit complexity which is associated with active preamps, but if the power amp has a low sensitivity then the lack of gain on the pre will cause problems.
The power of the amp has less of an effect than its sensitivity. Sensitivity is basically the amount of voltage needed in the input stage to achieve full power. A too low sensitivity means the amp needs a higher voltage to achieve its rated power, which a passive attenuator like a tvc may struggle to provide, especially if the source has a lowish output voltage as well.
A lower powered amp with high sensitivity will work well with passives. My quad 306 is rated at 50 watts with .375v of input sensitivity. I drive it beautifully with a passive.
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pratimbayal
Active Member
I recently purchased the Ref 4 version of TVC from Promitheus Audio. I compared it with a very high value Tube pre , and in my system the TVC presentation was detailed , extended , natural compared to the tube pre. Only the sound staging was little less which is not that big an issue . Actually Nicholas suggested the ref TVC over Appolo for my Kismet amp , according to him this is a popular and tested combo.
However I am getting better result with beraking in - but need to wait 400 hours to get the full result going by Nic's observation.
The best part is the pricing - affordable.
Thanks
However I am getting better result with beraking in - but need to wait 400 hours to get the full result going by Nic's observation.
The best part is the pricing - affordable.
Thanks
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