Dear Srajan, thanks for publishing parts of my mails – that's nice. I am feeling a bit strange because of my comments on an electrical product. Using big words isn't usual for me but at the same time it feels nice to share them with you. After being a hifi enthusiast for about 40 years, I was always looking for more excitement through better gear but over time some natural cooling down of my passion took place. After doing distribution for more than 15 years, my view on hifi got ever more neutral. Now if someone raves about a product, my reaction is mostly 'it seems fit to his taste' or 'it seems to fit well into his system', not 'I must hear this'.
When KS first introduced his Allnic L-10000 to me, he said I would be shocked. And I was. It is exciting to have all of these attributes like a huge soundstage and incredible dynamics at the same time. But more interesting to me was that I learned from this unit. First, if all the attributes come together at the same time, you get (and this reads boring) naturalness. What else could you get? Second, this naturalness not only transports music as merely the network of played notes but, now comes the beauty, by recreating all the subtle details of the acoustical happenings in their proper context, it syncs you with the heartbeat of the very moment when the music was recorded. That's the bliss of the experience. And because we are listening to recordings, we can go there over and over again. For me, that's the real enjoyment. I honestly want to thank KS Park for making this possible.
"We only live once – but that's forever". Mooji
Kind regards, Peter
Thanks, Peter. I'm presently working up the competing Vinnie Rossi L2 review. That unit should arrive next month and I'll learn whether it revisits the same ground or, perhaps, goes even further. Srajan
Dear Srajan, what makes the L-10000 special is not the use of 300B. I had the Manley 300B preamp here which didn't make me sweat. The unique thing about the L-10000 is that KS managed to build a stable circuit without any capacitors or transformers in the signal path. So it is only tubes. That's what makes it so fast and pure. I think he is working on a cheaper model now with the same circuit concept but no DHT. Should have similar advantages. He never used a 300B in a preamp before. Normally that doesn't make too much sense. Besides cosmetic reasons for those who like it big, his SEPP circuit demands the 300B in a p/p configuration to get the lowest output impedance. What is the input stage of the L2? Solid-state? Or directly driven 300B? Peter
After doing the Allnic review, I think that I understand the basics of Kang-Su's circuit well enough. It's still a more complex circuit where you're not just hearing the DHT but how it is being modulated by the two tubes preceding it. Vinnie's spud circuit is far simpler. No driver tube, no input tube, just one DHT per channel. No transistor, no transformer, no capacitor coupling, direct-coupled like Allnic – but with 120dB S/NR and bandwidth out to 900kHz. So whilst Allnic's circuit is unique for its particular ingredients, it's not unique for eliminating coupling capacitors or output transformers. That particular honour it shares with the LIO DHT and L2. What Vinnie's simpler circuit means at the ear remains to be heard of course. With the Allnic already back in Holland, I won't be able to conduct any direct A/B. And only calling upon memory I don't find reliable. So you're correct, the use of 300B isn't unique. What makes these units different is direct-coupling their DHT to the amp following. Incidentally, the Vinnie Rossi isn't limited to 300B but can also take numerous 2.5 and 4V DHT specimens with the simple flick of a switch. If you read my preview on it, you'll get a good idea of the design basics. Given how much I enjoyed the Allnic, the fact that the L2 sells for about half, is more compact and visually more attractive then uses only two not eight tubes has me personally quite excited. Srajan
