I had difficulty hearing the audio in the video - apparently there is no 'new model', but it's actually a new review coming in Stereophile July edition.... by what I can make out.
Wonderful work over here on a 8900 build for those who have not seen Jimmy's Junkyard channel yet:
I do not know why he replaced all the low ESR caps. There is a reason why Mr Fujita designed to use Low ESR organic caps in TU-8900.
By doing it this way of upgrade, you will unfortunately lose the warranty.
Yes the Stereophile review of TU-8900 is in the July Edition. The review version is based on AN silver caps + Tantalum resistors in Signal path only + Lundahl LL2785c amorphous core...
Once you change the caps with electrolytic cap with higher ESR it will change the sound intended for the original design.
By doing it this way of upgrade, you will unfortunately lose the warranty.
Yes the Stereophile review of TU-8900 is in the July Edition. The review version is based on AN silver caps + Tantalum resistors in Signal path only + Lundahl LL2785c amorphous core...
Once you change the caps with electrolytic cap with higher ESR it will change the sound intended for the original design.
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Received mine Thursday. Built yesterday and today. Listening to music now. Sweet!
Here is my brief review of the buying and building experience. (Spoiler alert: super positive.) Victor is an excellent seller. He responded to my email right away, and his turnaround on shipping was super fast. The kit itself is insanely well made, and the instructions are ridiculously clear. Everything fits together oh so perfectly with that sense of satisfaction (like a really great lego set). A couple of times I even laughed at how insanely perfectly parts fit together. If you can solder, this kit is nearly idiot proof.
And I was able to test that last assertion, because as it turns out, I am an idiot. I assembled the Japan AC Inlet Unit, and guess what: I'm not in Japan. Wick to the rescue, and I was back on track. So "nearly idiot proof" is about right.
If you're considering this one, email Victor and go for it. Cheers!
Here is my brief review of the buying and building experience. (Spoiler alert: super positive.) Victor is an excellent seller. He responded to my email right away, and his turnaround on shipping was super fast. The kit itself is insanely well made, and the instructions are ridiculously clear. Everything fits together oh so perfectly with that sense of satisfaction (like a really great lego set). A couple of times I even laughed at how insanely perfectly parts fit together. If you can solder, this kit is nearly idiot proof.
And I was able to test that last assertion, because as it turns out, I am an idiot. I assembled the Japan AC Inlet Unit, and guess what: I'm not in Japan. Wick to the rescue, and I was back on track. So "nearly idiot proof" is about right.
If you're considering this one, email Victor and go for it. Cheers!
So I recently bought both the TU-8900 and TU-8550 from Victor.
I was a little nervous about buying things sight-unseen and untested. Right? Haha. However, I went ahead with the purchases and the assemblies. I guess I owe it to Victor and his future customers to share a bit about my experience. The sound of these devices is WAY better than what I had before (some tube-based components made in China that I got for under $300, years ago). Very little if any noise, wonderful clarity, delightful controls and visual appearance. With my old equipment, solo strings sounded pretty good, but piano music on vinyl sounded mushy and muddled and far-away. With the 8900 + 8550, piano sounds lifelike, real and beautiful.
I was surprised that Victor called me on the phone to help me decide on which tubes to get with the 8900. It's unusual in today's world for vendors to do that. And I ended up buying tubes that I'm very happy with so far and probably would have paid more for elsewhere! Then Victor called me again after the assembly was done to see if I had any questions or concerns.
Bit more about my setup: I use the 8550 to pre-amplify my turntable with its moving-magnet cartridge. It also helps boost signals from my TV or cd-player a little bit. And the two (8550 + 8900) look good together, which is somewhat important to me. I did get the upgrade package for both devices. The assembly was not difficult for a complete newbie like myself. However, I took the time to watch youtube videos about soldering and made sure to use high-quality soldering tools. I will say that the printed circuit boards that Elekit uses probably make the soldering much easier and more enjoyable than it would be otherwise.
Anyway thanks Victor! And also I appreciate people who posted their observations in these threads.
I was a little nervous about buying things sight-unseen and untested. Right? Haha. However, I went ahead with the purchases and the assemblies. I guess I owe it to Victor and his future customers to share a bit about my experience. The sound of these devices is WAY better than what I had before (some tube-based components made in China that I got for under $300, years ago). Very little if any noise, wonderful clarity, delightful controls and visual appearance. With my old equipment, solo strings sounded pretty good, but piano music on vinyl sounded mushy and muddled and far-away. With the 8900 + 8550, piano sounds lifelike, real and beautiful.
I was surprised that Victor called me on the phone to help me decide on which tubes to get with the 8900. It's unusual in today's world for vendors to do that. And I ended up buying tubes that I'm very happy with so far and probably would have paid more for elsewhere! Then Victor called me again after the assembly was done to see if I had any questions or concerns.
Bit more about my setup: I use the 8550 to pre-amplify my turntable with its moving-magnet cartridge. It also helps boost signals from my TV or cd-player a little bit. And the two (8550 + 8900) look good together, which is somewhat important to me. I did get the upgrade package for both devices. The assembly was not difficult for a complete newbie like myself. However, I took the time to watch youtube videos about soldering and made sure to use high-quality soldering tools. I will say that the printed circuit boards that Elekit uses probably make the soldering much easier and more enjoyable than it would be otherwise.
Anyway thanks Victor! And also I appreciate people who posted their observations in these threads.
Jimmy’s creation is fascinating! Some concerns as to the cumulative length of leads and extra solder joints. Also concerned about replacing the original low ESR polymer caps with electrolytic, even if they are high end audio notes. I might consider shoehorning some nice film caps in there, but doubtful they would fit. Some creative metal work on the top cover? Nonetheless, very adventurous, and giving me some ideas!
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