CAL Alpha DAC: Stock vs. 24/96 upgrade

Elevick, What personality do the 5751's have? I own a stock Denon 2930 DVD player. Have you heard one modded? Let me know. Thanks,
Kevin

Kevin, if you send in the alpha to the service company (Kevin there) will tell you to do this. Repairing these is a big part of his servicing of the Alphas.

Ckoffend, I don't understand what you're saying. Please explain in more detail. Thank You!
Kevin

I think the mullards have very smooth mids and really clean, crisp highs. Telefunkens seem to get a little better bass. In my experiences, 5751's rock a little better. They do not smooth over any sound. 5751's can handle more plate voltage which is why the can "crank" a little more. CJ pre-amps always came with 5751's and I hated it. They would cook mullards but I felt they sounded a little more "tubey" with mullards in them (I've had a PV-5, PV-9 & PV-10).

Yes, I tried the Mullards in both Alphas with very pleasing results. If I had 3 sets, all my Dacs would have them. The Telefunkens and Mazdas have more air in the highs but the Mullards vocals are crystal clear (most of my music is vocal and acoustic). I have not heard modified players compared to the Alpha but saying they "crush" the Alpha may be pushing it. The Alpha is very hard to beat for the money. Plus with the next wave of audio being music server based, a nice tube DAC will come in handy. My neighbor already uses his SigmaII with an AppleTV in a 2 channel set up with Dali Helicon 400s and a Prima Luna Dialoge integrated. WOW! Both audio and video are outstanding. Plus the simplicity of a music library at your finger tips. I am planning on that next leap with my systems (which is why I have 3 Alphas).