Tube Shoot-out: Genalex and JJ Tesla. The Final Verdict

Now that the Genalex have resided in my system for a couple of weeks and have plenty of burn-in time, I decided to revisit their performance and sound vs. the JJ Tesla. The main set of tracks used for today's listening is from Bebe's album Y., with which I have spent considerable time in the last week or so, and in particular this morning as I prepared for my previous Playlist Update! post.

Reading back over my previous Tube Shoot-out posting, my impressions are still more or less on-target, but I have a few final observations. The Genalex does "unstick" the music from the speakers a bit more than the JJ Teslas, push the soundstage back by comparison, and also - unlike my last posting - I feel the Genalex does perhaps widen the soundstage a smidgen. Sticking the JJ tubes back in the circuit yields a more exciting, up-front presentation with much more coherent PRAT, which to this listener is of first importance.  By PRAT, I mean "Pacing, Rhythm, and Timing", and manifests as better bass timing, probably due to their faster, or more nimble, bass response. Dynamically, the JJ tubes shine head and shoulders above the Genalex in this system. Harmonic content with the JJ's is slightly leaner than with the Genalex's, but in retrospect I feel that the Genalex are on the lush side, so the net effect is that the JJ's restore harmonics to a better balance to my ears. To sum up - with the Genalex, I am listening attentively to the music and enjoying various audiophile aspects of the sound. With the JJ Tesla's, I am off the couch, dancing and smiling. Can you guess which one wins?

I can easily imagine how one audiophile, who values the nth-degree of detail from his or her system and/or a lusher, more laid-back presentation, would prefer the Genalex, which is a fine tube. My brand of audiophile might have a different opinion. To each, their own!

Playlist Update! Bebe, Y.

Bebe's latest album from 2009 is titled Y.. To my knowledge, this is only her second album - her first, Pafuera Telaranas, released in 2005 - has been one of my favorites for years now, and I mentioned it briefly in my inaugural Playlist Update last week. So, this second album had a lot to live up to in my mind... did it succeed?

Well, the answer is a resounding YES! In fact, to this music lover, the new album surpasses her previous effort. The songs on Y. continue to feature Bebe's electric, riveting vocals front and center, providing an anchor to each song. I cannot help but be drawn to her voice. For the most part, she controls it, keeping her voice under control. But occasionally, she really lets it fly and reveals an edgy, biting quality which helps propel a song to its apex. The compositions range from more relaxed, acoustic guitar-driven tracks (e.g., "Sinsentido" or "Nostare"), to harder electric guitar driven rock-style pieces like "Que Mimporta" , to others with a distinct pop'ish sound, such as "Se Fue", and everywhere in between (see "Pa Mi Casa"). All songs are of high musical quality, and all are a joy to listen to.

Other tracks of distinction include "Me Fui" and "Busco-Me", which features a cool out-of-phase nylon stringed guitar melody that opens the track and anchors it throughout. If it's possible to pick a favorite track, it might be "La Bicha", which has a compelling bass-heavy underpinning and a layered "chorus" of back-up vocals from Bebe herself.

I have mentioned eight of thirteen tracks by name! And it's not as if the other five tracks are slouches, either. In fact, there is a not a single track that I don't think is of high quality in the musical sense. The recording quality is also pretty good, devoid of muddy bass or rolled-off highs, with clear vocals, which all told serves to propel her excellent songs. Buy it, and enjoy!

Playlist Update! Inaugural Post

Welcome to the Playlist Update. This is where I will talk about new CDs that I've ordered, and discuss how I found them, which are my favorite tracks, what I think of the recording quality, and more. Here's my MO - I like to have CD quality, but it's unfortunately rare that a site will offer CD-quality downloads. So, I order physical CDs, rip them into iTunes, and then have the option to listen directly to the CD or thru wireless streaming. I also have the advantage of holding the CD case in my hands and reading the liner notes. Call me old fashioned!

I've recently ordered about 15 CDs from Six Degrees Records and CD Universe. However, I'm not yet ready to comment on any of those albums, so let me start with a recommendation of five titles that I've actually owned for a while and listen to fairly regularly...

Si*Se, More Shine. Carol C.'s voice has such an alluring, sexy quality. I enjoy every single track on this album, but of note are Mariposa En Havana and Sometimes.

Bebe, Pafuera Telaranas. Bebe is such an amazingly talented artist, and her voice is electric and edgy. Two of my more favorite tracks include Corre and Siempre Me Quedara.

Ceu, Vagarosa. I am new to Ceu, having discovered her on the great label called Six Degrees. She's Brazilian, and so is the music. Try it.

Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band, A Special Album. Cool. Cool. Cool. Great beats and some funny lyrics. Try Think Twice, a great track.

Supreme Beings of Leisure, 11i. The music is upbeat and, again, I love pretty much every track. The recording quality is decent, but overall it's a little bright sounding. But, that's ok - it's well worth it.

Enjoy!

Tube Shoot-out: Genalex vs. JJ Tesla

The Genalex tubes have arrived!!  Let the competition commence! In the blue corner, the Incumbent: JJ Tesla Gold Pin E88CC. In the red corner, the Challenger: Genalex Gold Lion E88CC.

First off, I am NOT a big-time tube roller. Years ago, I did a little tube rolling when I first got my BC21.1 preamp. It was a fun and instructive experience, comparing ElectroHarmonix, Philips, JAN-Philips, and JJ Tesla brand tubes. I chose the JJ Tesla's because they gave me the best bass performance - namely a solid, tuneful, punchy performance - without sacrificing detail or mid-range smoothness. I have since used this brand almost exclusively, and haven't given further tube rolling much thought.  But a recent post on the Blue Circle Forum got me back in the groove. So, an order for a pair of matched, high gain Genalex tubes went out to thetubestore, and a few days later they arrived via US Mail.

I used a handful of my long-time favorite songs that also often act as demo tracks since I know them well:

Si*Se, More Shine, "Mariposa En Havana"
Bossacucanova, Uma Batida Diferente, "Essa Moca Ta Diferente"
Tori Amos, The Beekeeper, "Sweet the Sting"
Feist, Let It Die, "One Evening"
Toy Division, Visage II, "Budapest Resonance"
CeU, Vagarosa, "Cangote"

A theme common to all of these tracks is fairly articulate, bass-heavy rhythms, with fairly wide soundstages. The artists Si*Se, Tori Amos, Feist, Toy Division, and CeU highlight female vocals. Bossacucanova highlights male vocals. I let the Genalex tubes burn in for about 24 hours before doing any serious listening.

In comparison to the JJ bottles, the more than twice as expensive Genalex tubes offer slightly more inner detail which was clearly evident in vocals, individual instruments such as horns, as well as in bass notes. You can only imagine how exciting this change is from the audiophile perspective. Also, the sounds seem to even further detach, or maybe a good word is "unstick", themselves from the speaker locations - i.e., letting the speakers disappear even more convincingly than before. I believe this also leads to a slightly more 3-dimensional soundstage, in that its depth has increased a little. The soundstage width does not seem to change, as far as I could determine.

The downside is that, in the time domain, the bass performance seems not quite as aligned with the upper frequency spectrum, as in the JJ's. The net effect is that I am not as driven to tap my toes with the Genalex in the system. Also, the bass amplitude comes across as ever so slightly shelved down with the Genalex, as if bass had been turned down by a dB or two.

Keep in mind that these observations are with the TacT calibrated when the JJ tubes were in the preamp and well burned in over several months. To even up the playing field, I re-measured the TacT with the Genalex tubes in the system, and then re-calibrated using the same response curve (see Fig. 2 in my TacT post from January 1). Looking at the measured frequency response between the JJ and Genalex, there is not an appreciable difference; yet, after the re-calibration of the TacT, the sound did change somewhat, with a slightly more open mid-range balance. The frequency extremes didn't seem to change significantly.

How does this all translate into whether I prefer the JJ or the Genalex? It's a coin toss at this point. I prefer the seeming inner detail and soundstage improvements offered by the Genalex, but prefer the bass performance of the JJ's. Since I'm a PRAT kinda guy, then I may end up transitioning back to the less expensive JJ's. But I am first going to let the Genalex burn in a few more weeks before making any final determination.

If you have any stories to share on your own tube rolling experiences, please add your comments!

New Photos in "In the Listening Room"

Check out newly-added photos of my system, in "In the Listening Room".

Cardas Neutral Reference Digital cable on its way!

The Cardas Neutral Reference Digital cable AES/EBU cable I ordered a couple of weeks ago was backordered from AudioAdvisor. Finally, it's on its way! The digital shoot-out will commence as soon as it arrives...

New Tubes On Order. Genalex

I ordered a matched pair of Genalex Gold Lion E88CC/6922 tubes from thetubestore.com today, after a positive nod from a member of the Blue Circle forum. I currently use Tesla JJ E88CC gold pins, which I feel are more rhythmically inclined than the stock Sovteks, with bass being a little punchier and better PRAT. They had better arrive soon!

Pangea AC9 and AC14 Power Cables

Yesterday my order of two each of these power cables arrived. Today, I worked from home, and so - of course - took a "break" and installed them in my system. One each AC9 for my mono blocks, one AC14 for the TacT, and one for the Bryston DAC. Actually, the power hookup setup is more complicated than that, but I will explain that in more detail another time. They replaced some old PSAudio Prelude cords, and one stock cord that came with the Bryston.

First impressions? Thanks for asking! Noise floor has dropped significantly. The speakers have disappeared a little more, by that I mean they are harder to locate as a sound source when I close the eyes. Bass is a touch more controlled, and I noticed inner detail on a bass line that had never struck me before. Yum.

Tone audio online magazine

I am looking thru Tone Audio online magazine for the first time. Its the issue with the Black Crowes on the cover. I've gotten only a little bit into it, but it has a fresh feel. I particularly like the photos of live music events from around the country plus the short accompanying articles about the concerts themselves.

It's available thru the Zinio iPad app too. I currently use Zinio for my Stereophile subscription... I love it and highly recommend it. Anyways, I want to take a closer look before shelling out a few $$ for the ezine subscription.

Blue Circle BC22 Monoblock Amplifier Review

Originally posted on the Blue Circle Forum on Dec 19, 2009

So here I am, on a sunny warm San Francisco morning, sitting inside listening to Portishead’s Dummy. I have collected notes on the sound of my new exciting new BC21.1 and BC22mk2 monoblocks, but it’s more natural for me to write as I listen to music because I’m reminded of what I hear and can more easily put it down on paper.

This journey started something like half a year ago – I could go back and look but don’t feel like it - when I started asking around on the BC forum about what part of my system I should upgrade next. At one point Gilbert chimed in to say he could make BC22mk2 monoblocks, and that there might be a member with one for sale. After negotiations and waiting (story of life), a second 22 was purchased. My 21.1 preamp (previously modded with an outboard power supply) and 22 amp soon joined it, and after an upgrade party, the trio was back in my dirty paws for a complete system make-over. The preamp was in for a check-up, but G offered to double its internal cap… what the heck – yes. The amps were in for POT/LOC upgrades and their transformation to mono. G offered to add 30,000uF more cap to each amp…. what the heck – yes. “By the way, G, can you upgrade to pretty LED’s all around and repaint the covers to matching black?” “Sure.” I’m greatly simplifying the story and every day felt like eternity while I waited, but now that the new gear is here, all of that seems so long ago. The preamp is being fed from the analog output of a TacT RCS2.0AAA DSP unit, which is fed a digital signal from an Arcam FMJ DV29. I enjoy the punchy, rhythmic house sound of Arcam DACs, but find the TacT to be an indispensable component in my system, where the shape of the room restricts setup options and domestic considerations must be, well, considered. Next step is an outboard DAC, but I digress. Enough about the TacT for now, but I will revisit its role later on.

The new gear seems to have undergone a short break-in period since I received them a week or so ago. The bass has firmed up a little, and music is presented in a more integrated manner now. I define not-integrated as meaning that the music was almost literally being thrown at me by the speakers. It was a wonderful but overwhelming experience that I had not previously had listening to any system – either mine or others. Now, the sound pours from the speakers in the most natural, captivating, integrated manner.

The beefed-up power supplies in the 22’s, and maybe also the 21.1, must be responsible for the absolute black hole that almost sucks you in before the music starts and also exists between notes. The extended trail of decaying notes is evidence of the quiet background. Subtle rhythmic changes are immediately apparent now, taking no effort to decipher. Each song’s unique mood is clearly presented; if a song has a more laid-back mood, or a faster more exciting pace, then either is equally obvious to the listener. Contrast this against the previous BC incarnation which, in retrospect, didn’t allow these subtleties to present themselves nearly as clearly. The beautiful part is that these changes are detectable even without specifically listening for them. Overall the notes are presented in a fresher, crisper, even cleaner manner. I mean cleaner almost in a literal sense, as if the notes have been carefully scrubbed to reveal their beauty and shininess, without robbing them of their soul or musical intent. Every instrument or voice is more distinctly placed in the soundstage and has a more obvious physical presence, seeming to hover in its own space within the whole. Each has its own life breathed into it. The soundstage has not necessarily increased in width – maybe a little - but its depth is very obviously redefined. The stage doesn’t extend too much further back (due, I am sure, to the fact that I have a TV about a foot behind my speakers, and a wall a couple of feet behind the TV), however it definitely extends more forward, resulting in an overall deeper stage.

The bass portion of the audio spectrum has been the most interesting and difficult to get a handle on. Several simultaneous changes have happened, and truthfully I’m still getting my mind around them. Here’s my current attempt to describe it. While waiting for the 21.1/22s to arrive, I was using another manufacturer’s integrated amp. Bass was fairly tight and authoritative but lacked qualitative substance and was harmonically lean. Today, the bass is harmonically richer (as I like it) and notes are clearly delineated and have good physical impact. “Is there more bass than before?” Yes and no, and there are a couple of ways I can attempt to explain this bipolar state of mind. Yes #1: Bass-heavy tracks (e.g., Massive Attack’s Angel, from Mezzanine) now push the speakers to their limit of bass extension and output of sound – literally windows can rattle. Those notes are tuneful, controlled, deep, powerful, coherent. Yes #2: Previously I had used the TacT to reduce room resonances with careful editing of the correction curves, even going so far as to “notch down” certain frequencies while “bumping up” others. The Tact curve I am now using passes more bass through than before and does not need any specific editing as before. This means that the bass being produced by the amps is more powerful and well controlled than before; room resonances are naturally attenuated by the amp’s seemingly more powerful grip on the woofers. I am a little bit of a bass junky, so overall this is a truly amazing, wonderful, and invigorating experience. No #1: On some songs, I find myself wanting to turn up the bass – “Where’d the bass go?”. I now believe this is because of better bass control as I mentioned above, resulting in a more accurate portrayal of the recording content.

In sum, I am enjoying the hell out of my new gear. My understanding of Gilbert’s audio vision is to reveal the soul of the music. True to that vision, every technical change I hear and enjoy – clearer bass, cleaner notes, deeper soundstage, distinct placement of voices and instruments, subtle rhythmic shifts, etc – seem to be steps in the direction of revealing the musical soul. I actually asked Gilbert in one email, what would be next for me – a new preamp, for instance? He replied that we can talk about it when I get there, and that as long as he’s alive, the sky’s the limit. I believe it.

Latest TacT RCS 2.0 Response Curve Tweaks

Ah, one of my audio joys - tweaking the TacT response curves. The goal? Perfect sound in my room, of course! Anyways, over the past few days, I've further tweaked the target response of my TacT. Of course, you - my new readers - don't have any reference for the TacT curves I've used in the past, so I'm first posting the curve I was using for the past couple months, and the second pic is of the curve I am using as of today.

Fig 1. Previous TacT curve (green). Right channel in yellow. Left channel in grey. Click on the picture for a larger version.

Fig 2. Current TacT curve (green). Right channel in yellow. Left channel in grey. Click on the picture for a larger version.

In each picture, the green curve is the target curve that I have asked TacT to match. The grey curves are the left channel speaker response without any room correction; the yellow curves are the right channel speaker response (again, without room correction applied). I don't have any measurements to show the result after the TacT room correction has been applied, but I will post them as soon as I have a few minutes to make those measurements with the help of REW software.

In the first figure, my goal was to produce a mostly "flat" response curve across the audible spectrum. We all know by now that a room response that is hotter in the bass and a little rolled-off in the highs produces a more natural sound to the human ear. So, when I say "flat", that's what I mean, and that's what this curve was designed to do. In the bass, notice that I tailored the target curve for a maximum boost at 27 Hz, with a boost of around 1dB still being applied at 20 Hz, and a fairly steep roll-off below 20 Hz.

In my most recent attempt (Fig 2), the goal is for TacT to do its correction only in the bass region (less than about 200 Hz), while maintaining the natural response of the speakers above 200 Hz. In previous experiments where I did not roll off the response curve below 20 Hz, I could literally see that the speakers were working very hard to reproduce the extreme low frequency information. So, I have been progressively attenuating the extreme low frequencies, so that the speakers aren't working so much beyond their natural abilities. Generally, this approach has resulted in faster and more tuneful bass, with less overhang or bloat. Correspondingly, the new response curve has a maximum boost at 39Hz, and by 20Hz I am applying a bass cut of 10dB (!).

My latest curve sounds amazing! The result is a more natural midrange and high frequency presentation - this is a quality that I loved about the Salk speakers to begin with, and now that quality is back in spades. Drums and vocals sound fairly more dynamic and powerful, with the vocals placed more forward in the soundstage than before. Overall, the presentation of the music is more exciting and energetic. In the low frequencies, the bass is ever so slightly more taut and tuneful than before, with even less bass note overhang, though the improvements in the bass are of a fairly subtle nature.

The TacT tweaks will continue, I am sure. Stay tuned!