???Anyone Here UpGrade From Yaqin/Cayin/etc... To Another Tube Amp Considered Hi End???

My experience with gear stepping up from Cayin/Yaqin/Connsonance-Opera/PrimaLuna, etc... is that you get significantly better transformers in the higher end amps. This shows up most at the frequency extremes and in terms of noise.

The higher end amps will be more linear in their frequency response, especially at high frequencies.   Also, they will have tighter bass and better control over the drivers. This deliver a bigger and more immersive soundstage. 

This also shows up with less transformer noise and less noise at the speaker binding posts. With Art Audio this is critical because we are regularly paired with speakers that are ultra-efficient. What is completely inaudible in a speaker with an SPL of 88dB is loud with an SPL of 107dBs.

Well folks I have spent pretty much every waking hour since Friday afternoon sole searching & critically listening to my system.Experimenting with switching from KT88(EH) to El34(Svetlana Wing C reissue)as well as extensive use of the Triode/UL switch & have ruled OUT the Mastersound...
 Turns out I REALLY don't care for Triode mode(which is hard wired into the M.S.)& I actually like the KT88 better,feeling it has much better bass & IMO a touch better accuracy from the upper bass right through the midrange..Treble seems close but maybe a touch more sparkle in the KT88 to my ears...I will admit it is TRULY difficult to step away from that Mastersound,it probably is the absolute deal of the decade...

Sounds like the moment is ripe for some serious tube-rolling.

twoleftears"Sounds like the moment is ripe for some serious tube-rolling."


Haha,the KT88’s are about toast with near 3000 hours,one went from serviceable to almost 0 bias voltage over the weekend & the small signal are stock chinese SOOO just ordered full boat Platinum Matched Gold Lion reissues,KT88/12AX7 & 12AU7!
Now I’m going to investigate a fancy support stand...Hummm,I wonder if Solid Steel Tripod stands would be better than the Pangea DS400’s I have & what KT120's sound like hahahaha....

@dgcurtis36

I actually had the Nighthawk MKIII, not the Blackhawk, but anyway...

I’ve read up on Raven and their products extensively before purchasing the Nighthawk. I’ve spent many hours reading forum posts and reviews along with numerous hours watching videos. I’ve never read or seen anything about Raven that put them in a negative light in any way.
It was because of the glowing reviews and comments that I decided to do two things which I almost never do:

1) Purchase brand new.
2) Purchase brand new AND entirely unheard.

I made a phone call to Raven and immediately spoke with someone expressing my interest in the Nighthawk MKIII and discussed which NOS tubes to ship my amp with. The amp was shipped very quickly.

While waiting for the amp, I tried to contact Raven with questions that I forgot to ask before I purchased. Needing to call THREE different times before getting someone, I finally get through and ask about some impedance and voltage sensitivity questions. I was told they would find out and get back to me.

I received the amp and opened the box. The very first words out of my mouth were, "What the ***?". I was expecting two boxes, it only came in one. Really?...for a $3,000 amplifier? The foam inserts that the amp sits on were so bent, they looked like they didn’t belong for that box or that amp. The tubes were packed well in bubble wrap, but not packed securely.
First impression: not happy.

The sound of the amp was very thin and had not nearly the body and weight my Hegel had (as I’ve mentioned in another thread). It had no "meat on the bones", so to speak. My Hegel had a TREMENDOUSLY lower noise floor (which is big with me). From my listening seat I could hear a lot of tube hiss from both channels and humming from one channel. Placing my ear next to the tweeters, I could hear a VERY loud hiss. So, what’s with the quality control over there? When you ship a $3,000 amplifier WITH 70 year old tubes, doesn’t anyone listen at the shop first? While the midrange was pretty good, in every other aspect, the Nighthawk fell on its face against the Hegel, in my system, to my ears.

Before I decided to return the amp, I call Raven back and again no answer. I leave a message saying that I think I have some bad tubes and I’m still waiting on an answer to my previous questions.

I never received a reply on all issues.

One of my biggest pet peeves when purchasing anything is when a manufacturer is easy to reach before the purchase but difficult to reach after...boils my blood.

So, with all due respect, the reason I wrote this long post is not to bash Raven, but to give the next person shopping for an amplifier a view that the majority of information out there does not.