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In the Forum: Melquiades Amplifier
In the Thread: Valve Preamplifier for Macondo/DSET
Post Subject: Very interesting...Posted by Romy the Cat on: 4/27/2019
 anthony wrote:
My preferred source is a Phasure NOS1a G3 dac.  The thing has no discernible sound of it's own.  It outputs 1.25VRMS SE and I run it at -6dB because it needs a little attenuation to sound its best which means 0.625VRMS.  I don't know if it is the IV stage of the dac or if it is the software that affects SQ...I suspect the software.  It can push a lot of current.  The Placette dims the NOS1a a bit....whitens some of its colours...cramps a little dynamics.  I can live with this because the Placette also brings remote source switching and volume control.  
Anthony, thank. This is very interesting reply and we have a lot of talk about it. First thing first: if your Placette clips dynamic and whitens some of its colors then you should get rid this preamp because it does because it does not do its duty. I never experienced this behavior before and my initial sentiment suggested that you were wrong in your assessment.  
 
I am not familiar with Phasure NOS1a G3, so naturally I was looking what it is. I found an article that give me some point of reference. It was Phasure NOS1 vs. Pacific Microsonics Model Two 
 
https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/6287-phasure-nos1-vs-pacific-microsonics-model-two/ 
 
“The NOS1 is like taking an x-ray of the music. It’s so crystal clear and pure. And yet it’s so easy to listen to. It’s exciting and yet relaxing at the same time. ….In contrast, the Model Two is more full-bodied. It gives the impression of richer harmonic content. It retains some of the NOS1’s detail but loses its super clarity – it’s simply no match for the NOS1 in this respect. The bottom end is more pronounced and weightier – but then perhaps a little less tuneful for it. It is an incredibly musically engaging DAC though”  
 
I know Pacific very well so, what I am reading here? It sounds like Phasure has what I call “expedited” sound. I can testify that Pacific has absolutely perfect what they call harmonic content or in other language a balance between transients and decay.  The “expedited” sound shorten a bit the decay time/volume and makes transients more prevailing. This is what very commonly audio people feel as “quality” but I degree with it. You will be able to experiment with it 
 
 By changing the transformer ration at you SETs. The more idle an output tube is running the “faster”, more details, higher contrast and more “x-ray” sound become. It will also hale via striping of some harmonics. People frequently go in audio for that “expedited”, high resolution sound and I can give you many examples of it. I feel that this direction is not fruitful. I was there and I very much rolled myself back from that quantitative perception of quality. Playing with that OPT load change you will eventually find a golden middle that will be not the most “x-ray” setting. I am NOT insisting that what people comment positive regarding the Phasure DAC is what I described above but it might play some role.
As I said above it was my INITIAL sentiment that you wrong in your assessment and rather felt that Placette juts do not do that “expedited”, “less-harmonics” pushing that makes you to feel that it “cramps a little dynamics”. The initial part is gone as there is absolutely nothing that might explain your comment: “whitens some colours”. if your preamp does it then it is not a good preams. Since I do not feel it is possible I preams there are 3 factors that might be in pay. 
 
1)      Your Placette is misfunctioning
2)      Your admiration with “expedited” sound somehow find a pass in your mind to this decolorization
3)      I am clueless with my assessment and somehow Phasure found a new “golden middle” at the level I am not familiar. 
 
All of the options above sound reasonable to me. 
 
With 0.6V you get out of your Phasure you are nowhere. The guys online say the Phasure is being supported very well. Why don’t you ask the Phasure designer to help you with higher output for Phasure. He can experiment on you and you will be acting like a beta-tester for him.  If his DAC pushed 0.6V at it’s best then the Phasure owner know that it is the problem. I think it might be a good collaboration between him and you to and in the end you both will be benefited.

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