amp & preamp for acapella violon

I want to learn about this violin!

There has been more changes to the system. First of all the tube rolling experiments on the Hurricanes yielded incredible results . I have changed the stock tubes with the NOS RCA Vt231 grey glass and Electro Harmonix KT88.

Thereafter, a second set of Hurricanes with Electro Harmonix tubes (KT 88 & gold pin 6SN7) was used to biamp the system whereby the new amps were used to drive the low frequencies.

Then, Nordost Valhalla power cords were used on all the power amps . The results so far have been breathtaking.

The latest system :
Front end : EMM Labs
Front end power cables : Shunyata
Front end to preamp interconnects : Kimber Select KS1030
Preamp : Conrad Johnson Art Series 2
Preamp to power amp interconnects : Kimber Select KS1030
Power amp for mid-hi frequencies : ASL Hurricane with NOS
Mid-hi power amp power cable : Nordost Valhalla
Mid-hi power amp speaker cable : Nordost Valhalla
Power amp for bass : ASL Hurricane with Electro Harmonix
Bass power amp power cable : Shunyata
Bass power amp speaker cable : Kimber Select 3038
Speakers : Acapella High Violons with sub active bass
Equipment rack : Finite Elements Pagode Master Ref
Acapella Fondato Silenzio under speakers , power amps and the front end units .

I am waiting for a second pair of Nordost Valhalla power
cords for the bass amps as well as a second pair of Valhalla speaker cables for the low frequencies to try.

In the meantime , I have to add that the Kimber interconnects were a better match than the Valhalla
interconnects within the context of my system. Also , Shunyata power cords were a better match for the front end.

Once I have the above mentioned Valhallas to try for the bass amps, I will try to give you all an extended account and impressions of the full system which is breaking in and giving me great pleasure beyond expectation.

Jbaruh,
I just discovered this thread and reading your comments re: the Acapella. We are the US distributor of WAVAC and can assist you with a WAVAC dealer. In fact, we have a dealer with Acapella Violins and HE-833 v1.3. This newer WAVAC is an upgraded version of the 100w/ch HE-833. The v1.3 model offers 150w/ch and the sonicvs are even better than the "little" 100w/ch HE-833. Please contact me at 937-439-2667 or [email protected] and we'll get you in touch of the WAVAC/Violin dealer.

btw, WAVAC now has 3 833 models providing 150 w/ch! As with all WAVAC models, no caps in the signal path and only 1 output tube per channel.

Thanks for your interest in the WAVAC amplifiers.

Jim Ricketts
tmh audio

There has been some changes for the better in the system.
First of all, the DCS front end has been changed in favour
of the excellent EMM Labs DAC6e & modified SACD 1000 transport. Then, the speaker cable was changed to Nordost Valhalla which was a big improvement.

Therefore the latest situation is as follows :

Front end : EMM Labs
Preamp : Conrad Johnson Art Series 2
Power Amp : ASL Hurricanes
Speakers : Acapella High Violon Sub Active Bass
Interconnects : Kimber Select 1030
Speaker Cable : Nordost Valhalla
Power Cords : Shunyata
Equipment Rack: Finite Elements Pagode Master Ref
Also Acapella Fondato Silenzio under the Speakers ,
Hurricanes and the front end components.

I am about to receive some NOS 6SN7 & Vt231 tubes to try on the Hurricanes. (Sylvania chrome domes as well as
RCA Vt231 grey glass) . I also have access to Electro Harmonix KT88 which I'll try after finalizing the NOS tubes.

Once I finish tube rolling , I'll try to post my overall impressions which look to be very favourable as the Hurricanes are proving to be an excellent match to the Acapellas.

I have yet to locate a pair of WAVAC HE833 in my location.

The Violon High Sub is an awesome speaker. We just got ours and are breaking them in with the 800 watt Edge NL Reference monoblocks. Yes, a little over the top - but it sounds *great*.

If you like tubed amplification - and you can afford it - then you might want to also try the Audio Note Kegon 22 watt Single-ended Triode monoblocks. They drove our Campaniles effortlessly (though the Campaniles are about 1dB more efficient than the Violons). You will think that you have died and gone to heaven.

I'm sure we'd all love to hear more about how the ASL Hurricanes sound on your Violons. I haven't heard of anyonme else trying that combination...

Oh, those Fondato's are addicting aren't they? Put them under something - and there they stay... :-)

Enjoy!
Mike

I also forgot to add that I have the Acapella fondato silenzios under the front end , preamp , amps and speakers.
They really make a lot of difference for the better.

Thanks to all for your recommendations. The Acapellas are still breaking in ( mainly the woofers ) . So far I tried them with the Halcro and Chord combinations which were good but not extraordinary . I guess I prefer tubes to solid state although I have yet to try the Edge and Parasound amps. The last combination of Antique Sound Labs
Hurricane monoblocks with a Conrad-Johnson ART Series 2 preamp yielded fantastic results so far . I have yet to find a Wavac-833 nearby to be able to audition with the system. I fully agree with Fcrowder that 100 watts may be conservative as I tried the triode mode (100 watts) of the hurricanes and preferred the 200 watt mode because of some
loss at the low end and dynamics with the triode mode.
I will try to keep you updated once I try the other combinations. At present the ART and Hurricane combination is currently driving the system with the Shunyata power cords on the Hurricanes . The front end is still the DCS setup and cabling is Kimber Select as mentioned before.

I own a pair of the Acapella Campanile Highs and have used a number of amplifiers with them, including the EL34 based Wolcott mono's @ 225 watts and more recently the Parasound JC-1's. The SEAS woofers require an extended break in period. Until they do so, they will lack continuity with the other drivers. As they break in, you will notice that the low end becomes more extended and dynamics improve. They are initially over damped. Even after break in you will have tighter faster bass with better control and extension with the latest very fast/ high damping factor/high current solid state amps. I think that 100 watts may be conservative. These speakers love power. You may prefer a good tubed unit on the horns/tweeter but there are a number of solid state amps that yield excellent results with the Acapella speakers, particularly the Parasound and the Edge. I have not heard the Goldmund but would predict that it would also be a good match. Please feel free to contact me if I can be of help.

Recently I heard Acapella Violon High Sub with Wavac 805md,no problem at all. The speakers sound as good as with the Wavac-833. Speaker cables are Stereovox, not biwiring!So you don't need to biwiring cables for the Acapella Violon!

Do not do anything final until you try the Edge NL-10s @ 225/ch. As has been proven at the last 3 THE shows, they can mate well w/many speakers. With my Sonus Fabers---beautiful (I won't even consider tubes, anymore). Give Tom a call at Edge and give 'em an audition. (Of course, I am not affiliated in any way w/Edge).

Lucky you! I have heard Acapella Violon speakers with Wavac HE-833 Tube monoblocks, they are magical. Would certainly love to own ones in the future. I would also suggest using the Stereovox LSD-600 speakers cables. Now , I am using the Stereovox SEI-600 interconnects, of course I am very happy with them worth every cents.Many happy hours of music.

Hello, we are also an Acapella dealer and show the Violon High's as our main reference speaker with the Wavac 833's. The Violon's do require a good 100 watts to really shine, and I would stick with quality tube amps to get the goods! I have tried solid state and it just doesn't do it for me. We also use the Wyetech Opal preamp as our reference and would put it up against anything. Both the Wavac & Wyetech are flat to 100k and really get the most from the Acapella tweeter. Another recommendation would be to change your cables from Kimber to either Stage III or Harmonix for maximum effects! The rest of your system looks great.

Cool! Violin High Subs are awesome speakers.

Sorry I must have missed this post last month - but your Violins are going to be still breaking in for awhile yet. Unfortunately, your Audio Aero Prestige monoblocks are the only amps I have heard of that do not drive the Violins particularly well at all.

We are a dealer of Acapella loudspeakers (and of Audio Aero). Check out our Acpella FAQ which lists Acapella/amp combinations used by a number of other Acapella owners, dealers, and, of course, us.

http://www.audiofederation.com/dealership/acapella-faq.htm

Please feel free to post or email any questions.

-Mike (Audio Federation)

if you are interested in the tenors i would also try the goldmund 29m which,as a former tenor 75wi owner,can tell you is a much superior amp,imo.it does everything as well as the tenors' do and better.better bass slam and quickness,mids and highs as good and as crystaline,and the ability to drive anything..4ohms and up easily.i use an audio tekne 'simona' preamp with my goldmund and it is the best preamp i have heard.i have had numerous arcs' and a hovland hp 100 and the 'simona' is by far the best. all wiring is point to point.the combo drives my piega p-10s and in the near future c-10 ltds,effortlessly.think about it.