Cha-cha-cha-changes.... new adventures

fiddlefye

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Things have been quite happily stable in my "main" system here for quite some time now - same turntable, arms and carts, same Anthem Pre-1 pre-amp, Bottlehead Seduction phono pre for one arm, the internal stage in the Anthem for the other. Same power amp - Heybrook P-2, same CD/DAC, Magnum Dynalab tuner, de Capo speakers.

Along came a couple of items for sale here on the Haven and suddenly we're off on a new trip of sorts.

First was the Jelco TK-950L. That one is still in the box, waiting for a new arm board. I'm looking forward to getting that done up soon, not that the Audiocraft AC-400C hasn't been really quite marvellous. I picked up a micrometer base for it and I think it will look the part as well as sound super and be a relative doddle to set up, something I could never say for the Audiocraft.
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Then along came a lovely Redboy TVC. I've been curious about TVCs for years and after hearing JohnVF's a couple of years ago have wanted to try one in my own system. The Anthem Pre-1 tube set was getting noisy and in need of replacement so it seemed to me now is the time. After a long and curious voyage from Minnesota (including being held hostage for a week by CBSA) the TVC finally arrived here a couple of days ago. Here it is as installed in the system - you've seen pics of the unit itself in the thread about such things. The Redboy SUT and the DAC ended up having to be tucked in behind due to my still not having built my audio shelving. Another project...
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Upfront - everything has an upside and a downside. The downside with the change to the TVC is largely the loss of convenience. With the Anthem I had gobs of inputs and outputs and a really lovely inboard MM/MC phono stage to accommodate one of the arms on my table. All of the changes were easily done from the front - two arms, tuner, CD and tape. A new path will need to be found there!

I have one of these floating about in the closet so I think the tuner, tape and computer can run into one input through it and the second output can run into it as well.
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So, how does it sound, you ask? Well, I set myself a moving target,as usual. I started out with the Heybrook P-2 power amp which s really very nice and after a bit of playing in things sounded really quite lovely, but then I really had to see how the TVC worked out with the CJ MV-45 tube amp. It had spent the past 18 months in the closet and so I had two pieces to get up to speed. Still, I had to know...

End result after a day or so of considerable listening time? Glorious - spaciously open, balanced, incredible harmonic complexity and excellent resolution (though not of the glaring sort). The sound stage is bigger and more detailed than I've experienced before - in my little12 x 12 my speakers are 5' apart in one corner and I sit about 6' or 7' away. On one particular recording the apparent stage was about 10' across and up to the ceiling with an incredible amount of information outside the centre envelope. Pretty freaky.

On top of all of this the TVC solved issues I've had with the output from some things being too hot for the input sensitivity of others. Every preamp I've owned has been a bit too "hot" for the MV-45 and the TVC seems to be absolutely perfect. My DAC has been too hot for any preamp I've owned so I ran 12db attenuators inline. No more! Everything just plays and is happy!

So, a final answer I think. There will always be some things that can be improved upon, but I think perhaps not this one.
 
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congrats; that sounds like a lovely improvement
I'm really enjoying the TVC/tubes pairing. It gives me a sweet but really neutral and transparent pairing to tweak around. Once I get some shelves built and things moved to the other side of the room it will be time to start playing with cables at last. Just really enjoying what is happening. Ain't synergy lovely?
 
The quality and quantity of bass coming through the system when it is present in the recording is quite remarkable. Last evening I played Enya's 'Watermark' at rather late-night low level and even then the walls and floor were alive with the lowest frequencies.
 
Last evening I played Enya's 'Watermark' at rather late-night low level and even then the walls and floor were alive with the lowest frequencies.
That's always been a great full frequency content system burn-in disc (yes I do believe a system does need some settling in time after a component change).
 
Very nice! That TVC is definitely an interesting bit of gear.

I also dig that micrometer for the Jelco. I imagine it could be used with other ToneArm setups, yes?
 
Very nice! That TVC is definitely an interesting bit of gear.

I also dig that micrometer for the Jelco. I imagine it could be used with other ToneArm setups, yes?
Any arm with a pillar of the same diameter should work fine I'd think. So I'll have TVA on the fly for both arms. Whoohoo!
 
I’m thinking this might be good with the JVC arm here. I may bug you with some questions down the road…
The current Jelco pillars are 17mm so if the JVC is the same it would work. It completely replaces the original Jelco base. It also has a couple of alignment pins that keep the geometry really true, something I've always felt was a titch less than good with previous Jelco bases.
 
Okay, but where does one get that Charlie Brown tumbler?

Have you done any up grade on the 1520 CD player?
 
So, a final answer I think. There will always be some things that can be improved upon, but I think perhaps not this one.
Weeeeell.... :)

There's room for improvement, but not much. And it would be... costly improvement.

I'm very glad to hear that the TVC is settling in nicely! Inductive volume controls have found a forever home in my system, and it sounds like this one has too!
 
Okay, but where does one get that Charlie Brown tumbler?

Have you done any up grade on the 1520 CD player?
The Charlie Brown glass is the audiophile temporary plinth of choice, clearly. When my wife and I married she brought along a big collection of the little Welch's grape jam glasses - I think we have 8 or 10 of them?

The 1520 has had a full rebuild with some updates, but I am using it as a transport now with a Channel Island DAC. It makes a good transport as it is really quick and accurate plus has the nice option of shutting off the digital display if desired.
 
That tonearm is a great thing!

I think/hope Jelco will retun at some point. Too much tradition and a vast sea of owners for repairs and replacements.
 
Weeeeell.... :)

There's room for improvement, but not much. And it would be... costly improvement.

I'm very glad to hear that the TVC is settling in nicely! Inductive volume controls have found a forever home in my system, and it sounds like this one has too!
The TVC is definitely going nowhere. I am loving how it plays with the MV-45, just lovely and spacious.
 
I’d love to hear more about the TVC, and any pictures you’d be willing to share. Any nudies? Of the TVC. I mean, I picture you quite a striking fella but let’s stick to audio.
 
I’d love to hear more about the TVC, and any pictures you’d be willing to share. Any nudies? Of the TVC. I mean, I picture you quite a striking fella but let’s stick to audio.
I'm not @fiddlefye but I have the pics you wish to see... :)

...and more in this thread.

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I’d love to hear more about the TVC, and any pictures you’d be willing to share. Any nudies? Of the TVC. I mean, I picture you quite a striking fella but let’s stick to audio.
These are from Nate's thread wherein I was introduced to the little feller (lassie?). Nate's pics...
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Completely gratuitous pic of me with The Dear Lassie - clothed, so no worries...
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Completely gratuitous pic of me with The Dear Lassie - clothed, so no worries...
View attachment 41783


  • Well a Scotsman clad in kilt left the bar one evening fair
    One could tell by how he walked that he'd drunk more than his share
    He fumbled round until he could no longer keep his feet
    Then he stumbled off into the grass asleep beside the street

    Ring-ding-did-a-little-la-di-oh, Ring-di-diddly-eye-oh,
    He stumbled off into the grass asleep beside the street

    About that time two young n' lovely girls just happened by
    One says to the other with a twinkle in her eye
    "See yon sleeping Scotsman so strong and handsome built,
    I wonder if it's true what they don't wear beneath the kilt."

    Ring-ding-did-a-little-la-di-oh, Ring-di-diddly-eye-oh,
    I wonder if it's true what they don't wear beneath the kilt

    They crept up on that sleeping Scotsman quiet as could be
    Lifted up his kilt about an inch so they could see
    And there behold for them to view beneath his Scottish skirt
    Was nothing more than God had graced him with upon his birth

    Ring-ding-did-a-little-la-di-oh, Ring-di-diddly-eye-oh,
    Was nothing more than God had graced him with upon his birth

    They marveled for a moment then one said, "We must be gone.
    Let's leave a present for our friend before we move along."
    As a gift they left a blue silk ribbon tied into a bow
    Around the bonnie star the Scot's kilt did lift and show.
    Around the bonnie star the Scot's kilt did lift and show.

    Now the Scotsman woke to nature's call and stumbled towards the trees
    Behind a bush he lift his kilt and gawks at what he sees
    And in a startled voice he says to what's before his eyes
    "Ah, lad I don't know you've been but I see you won first prize."

    Ring-ding-did-a-little-la-di-oh, Ring-di-diddly-eye-oh,
    "Ah, lad I don't know you've been but I see you won first prize."
 
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