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In the Forum: Melquiades Amplifier
In the Thread: Valve Preamplifier for Macondo/DSET
Post Subject: Listening to the 10yPosted by anthony on: 8/7/2020
Last night and this morning I have been comparing my favourite SS preamp with gain and the breadboarded 10y.  I've been using my dac with its low 1.125Vrms voltage output as the source because I know what it is capable of and know its (lack of) sound well.  Early on in my Macondo/Melquiades journey I measured listening SPLs and was surprised how much louder things were with the loudspeakers that sidestep sounding compressed.  This listening had peaks circa 105dBa with crescendos sitting a consistent 100dBa+ at the listening chair.   This is 10dB louder than with previous speakers.  Calms were still registering 70dBa.

The 10y plays in another league.   Imaging and layering were almost like comparing a finger painting to a Monet.  Both were good,  but the 10y brings such clarity to Macondo, separation between notes,  guitar strings almost rendered individually with their own attack/ sustain/ decay.  Sound was neither darker nor brighter,  just more clear,  revealing,  rich. 

Plus there is loads of gain.   Even at those listening levels with my quietest source attenuation was 10dB. This equates to a Zout of 12r.  At the lower end of my listening windowwith 20dB attenuation Zout is about 1r.  I should measure this to confirm,  but both those numbers are lower than the Placette.

Speaking of the Placette, I will have to pull it out of the cupboard to compare it to the 10y with matched volumes.   I also have another SS pre just arrived with has been measurebated into existence with measured spec's difficult to confirm with the best measuring equipment getting about.

Also,  I plan to reconfigure things a little and put YO186 into the preamp.   It will be interesting to hear.  

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