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Visiting my son in San Francisco, I located a Wilson Audio dealer and walked into the store and asked if I could listen to Wilson Audio Sabrina. I was in luck, as they were setting up the system for a prospective customer an hour away and agreed to give me a half hour demo.My daughter was with me and we both listened to about 6, 7 tracks. They had Audio Research tube amplification , and DCS source.Prior to my purchase of the Wilson Audio Sabrina I had a lot of misgivings and doubts whether any floor standers will work in my small room (overloading the room with mid-bass for instance or poor driver integration where the bass is slower/detached from the rest of the spectrum) and indeed all the speakers in this room for the past decade (built the room in 2009) have only been stand-mounters albeit some large ones. So I reached out to Jerron Marchant of Wilson. He stated very confidently that the speaker will work in my room. So with his assurance under my belt I made the tenuous move of buying these. All the while waiting for the speakers - I was quite concerned as these did cost a bit of both money and effort (at-least for me), and so I reached out to Sandeep Nair of Audire for some hand holding. Even he reassured me that with these will definitely work and I should consider using the Wilson audio setup method mentioned in their manual. Well after a few nailbiting weeks, these have worked out spectacularly in my room. I am hearing bass extension and textures that I have never heard before. To-day listening to Tsuyoshi Yamamoto's Midnight Sugar DSD rip - which is an excellent album and one my references- on the last track - Sweet Georgia Blues there is a drum solo toward the end. Now I have heard this a thousand times, but today for the first time I could clearly delineate the deep kick drum beat against the beats of the snares, ride cymbals, crash cymbals, hi-hats etc. and even better I could tell the position of the kick drum which was slightly lower in space and to the left of the rest of the drum kit. Normally what I heard previously was the whole drum kit occupied a small space in the soundstage and though there was deep bass from the kick drum impact it was part of a whole, not separate. This is a first for me where not only did the textures/frequency of the various components of the drum kit stand out but also their position in space and leads me to conclude that these are the best speakers I have ever had the pleasure of listening in my room - period. Forgive me for sounding so gushing and giddy as a teenager who had his first smooch or a feel (who can forget that), but in about 25 years of being a music/audio aficionado I haven't felt so excited. I think I may be in love with Sabrina
Cheers,
Sid
Initially I was taken aback at the neutrality ,openness and accurate tonality of the Sabrinas as I was coming from the Harbeth school of sound which is more rounded in comparision. I had still not adjusted to this stark neutrality by the time the tiny session ended.
However, I realised that in the long run if you get used to this kind of ultra accurate sound, many other established speaker -amplifier systems may sound a bit fuzzy in comparision.
I agree Himadri, the Sabrina's have very high resolution and transparency, and it is my preferred sound signature now. I have the spendor classic 3/5 in my 2nd system and while they sound very musical, there is definite loss/smearing of detail in their signature, when compared to the Wilsons, especially in micro dynamics and nuances within a recording. I found the same with Harbeth, Graham etc. Of-course in the end it boils down to personal preferences as to which sound one would prefer and I enjoy both types with my 2 systems.
Cheers,
Sid
Cheers,
Sid
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Recently I have been doing of bit of tube rolling in my Backert preamp. My favourite NOS 12au7 tube has always been the RCA cleartop, which replaced the stock mullard 12au7 new production ones that came with the backert. However I tried a pair of Raytheon 12au7 and Sylvania 5814A triple mica. Of all these, the Raytheons sound simply superb, and are now my favourite 12au7. I am planning to get a quintet for my Luxman pre. as well.
Cheers,
Sid
Cheers,
Sid
Decadent_Spectre
Well-Known Member
Hi sidvee, I just came across your thread, I was wondering what is the sound of the Rhumba 1.3 like? I haven't read the full thread just read your last post. Does it embody typical tube sound?
I will confess that I have a fetish for tube components where the tubes are exposed (no naughty thoughts please
). However all recent tube equipment that I acquired, have the toobs () safely hidden away. What's the fun in that? I am the type of guy who likes a little peek of what's available. So when I looked at my Backert labs Rhumba preamp., it was in the fully covered category, not flaunting what was underneath. So I ordered some tube risers and this is what I see now.Cheers,
Sid
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Where did you source the Raytheon tubes from @sidvee ?
12AU7 RAYTHEON
This is a suitable replacement for any 12AU7 tube type. Raytheon brand. Price is for a Single Tube
www.tubedepot.com
Cheers,
Sid
Tube
Toob peeping is a no no. I have very little experience with toobs but I too like them exposed. Really no point in hiding them in a box. They look grand when on display. While no where near your toobs, my small GE 5654 W's look pretty in the dark.I will confess that I have a fetish for tube components where the tubes are exposed (no naughty thoughts please
Cheers,
Sid
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square_wave
Well-Known Member
Ha ha...can't resist those tubes, no ? I too love them fully exposedI will confess that I have a fetish for tube components where the tubes are exposed (no naughty thoughts please
Cheers,
Sid
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So I am not the only one with this weakness, good to know. I was scared that maybe I was differentHa ha...can't resist those tubes, no ? I too love them fully exposed
.Cheers,
Sid
As long as you are limited to vacuum tube exposure , it should be fine.So I am not the only one with this weakness, good to know. I was scared that maybe I was different
Cheers,
Sid
Recently upgraded my HT to a Sony 270es projector and a Denon X3700H with a Nvidia Shield Pro for streaming. Picture quality is phenomenal and so is the sound. Worthwhile upgrades.
Cheers,
Sid
Here are some screen shots. Still in the tweaking phase, but some 4k hdr10 movies look stunning.
Cheers,
Sid
Cheers,
Sid
Here are some screen shots. Still in the tweaking phase, but some 4k hdr10 movies look stunning.
Cheers,
Sid
Decadent_Spectre
Well-Known Member
What's the screen size?
captainsubtext
Active Member
Thanks Cap. Yes it is the same room. I have a manual pull down Elite High contrast Grey screen.
Cheers,
Sid
Thanks Hydrovac, Its 16:9.
My wish list is for a manual pull down, tab-tensioned screen. I have found a few in US, but no one in India seems to carry these. All are powered and I don't really need powered. https://elitescreens.com/products/manual-tab-tension-2-series/
Also fixed screen will not work in this room as it is a dual purpose room for 2 channel also, and a fixed screen will interfere with the 2channel acoustics too much. I have bulk of my room acoustic treatment on the front wall.
Cheers,
Sid
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A beautiful, well-constructed speaker with class-leading soundstage, imaging and bass that is fast, deep, and precise.
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