It's been a while, but I have noticed something else interesting.
I still have the Black Diamonds in my C2300, but have swapped out my Blu-ray player. I've gone back to my Pioneer Elite BDP-09FD while the BDP-88FD is off for repair. The 09 uses Wolfson DACs, the 88 ESS Sabres.
With the Wolfsons, the sound is fuller and richer (warmer?), and I'm enjoying getting re-acquainted with it. As the BD tubes are not as warm as the JJ Hi-Performance Gold Pins I had used before, the balance is quite nice. And I wonder if those selfsame JJs would be a better fit for the 88 when it comes back (and if I decide to go back to it), with their weightier bottom and rich midrange. The rest of the system is okay with the BDs (except maybe those bright CDs I talk about; I haven't played any yet). But now I wonder which DAC my MCD500 uses, and how the JJs would do with the 2300's phono stage; the sound was maybe a bit too warm when I went through my Aragon 47k phono preamp. Oh what fun.
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SOTA, Grado, SME, Van den Hul, Gingko turntable setup; Pioneer Elite LD, BDP; Sony OLED TV; Magnum Dynalab tuner, antenna; MIT S-video cable; Pangea HDMI cables; DVDO video processor; McIntosh SACD, preamp, power amps; Telefunken Black Diamond preamp tubes; Kimber IC; Transparent IC, PC, SC; Mirage speakers; PS Audio, Shunyata PC; Audio Additives RCA caps; Furman power conditioning; Sanus: racks
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