Sergio from Brazil
Change of transformers done. Everything perfect! Sensible improvement in many aspects.
Very analogical, organic and more like a valve sound. Delicious sound absolutely. I am very satisfied with the result.
Thank you very much for your support, patience and help. Extremely professional.
You should post the feedback! Feel free. Your good work deserves to be publicized. I'll post a comment on Head Hi Fi. This upgrade is a must. Take this amplifier to another level.
Change of transformers done. Everything perfect! Sensible improvement in many aspects.
Very analogical, organic and more like a valve sound. Delicious sound absolutely. I am very satisfied with the result.
Thank you very much for your support, patience and help. Extremely professional.
You should post the feedback! Feel free. Your good work deserves to be publicized. I'll post a comment on Head Hi Fi. This upgrade is a must. Take this amplifier to another level.
Hi Victor,
I hope all is going well for you and your family.
I just finished my Lundahl transformer upgrades. They are worth every penny. In a short listening session I have noticed four main differences from the original transformers: overtones on piano music come through clearly, voices have greater separation, the sound stage is larger, and finally, the lower mid tones and upper bass have been unveiled. They sound rich and present without being over-warm. At the moment I'm listening to Green into Blue from Miles Davis' Blue Moods. It sounds great on the new transformers.
Victor, many thanks for all the work you put into making this possible. Anyone who owns and Elekit TU-8200 should save up and upgrade their transformers to the Lundahls.
All the best,
Sven
I hope all is going well for you and your family.
I just finished my Lundahl transformer upgrades. They are worth every penny. In a short listening session I have noticed four main differences from the original transformers: overtones on piano music come through clearly, voices have greater separation, the sound stage is larger, and finally, the lower mid tones and upper bass have been unveiled. They sound rich and present without being over-warm. At the moment I'm listening to Green into Blue from Miles Davis' Blue Moods. It sounds great on the new transformers.
Victor, many thanks for all the work you put into making this possible. Anyone who owns and Elekit TU-8200 should save up and upgrade their transformers to the Lundahls.
All the best,
Sven
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Hi Victor,
Sorry not to have responded sooner to your request for an impression of the Lundals in my 8200R. I've been doing some critical listening since you asked, and either the system is smoothing itself out or I'm just growing accustomed to it, but it seems to have become more clear and refined over the past week, over many hours of listening while I work. So, here are my impressions!
As I have noted previously, I have the 8200R connected to a digital source (Mac mini connected with USB to a Topping E30 DAC that uses the AKM AK4493 chip). I'm playing a combination of stored content (CD data copied at full resolution to the hard drive, in the order of 1,000 kbps) and Spotify at the "very high" streaming quality (320 kbps), both at 44.1 kHz sampling rate. The DAC allows me to select among six high frequency filters that are native to the AK4493 chip, and I have been rotating through them without noting significant audible differences. This isn't surprising...although I have very good high frequency hearing, the filters mostly cut the signal above 22kHz which is not audible. The filters do, however, prevent the amp using up its available power on signal that can't be heard, so the sharp cut filters (#1 and 3) should work best in this respect. The TU-8200R is driving my late 1990s vintage Castle Eden speakers, which are very highly regarded large 2-way bookshelf speakers with 8 ohm impedance and 87dB sensitivity (recommended amp power 25-120W, so I know the 8200R has to work to drive them). I have also tried playing the 8200R through smaller and slightly more sensitive Mission 760i bookshelf speakers (6 ohm, 89dB), but the Edens are just better speakers and sound noticeably more detailed. I also have a pair of more sensitive (92dB) old PSB Alphas kicking around that I'll try at some point, but for now I'm really appreciating the amp with the Edens, which are certainly my best speakers. So with all that out of the way, my listening impressions:
When I first played music through the TU-8200R after building the kit with the stock output transformers, I was immediately impressed by the crisp, detailed mids and highs and the very deep, wide and accurate soundstage. I had previously been running a good NAD 7220PE solid state receiver (very conservatively rated at 20W/channel and built on the renowned circuitry of the 3020 integrated amplifier) which produces what I thought was a very balanced and detailed sound, I immediately heard detail in familiar recordings through the Elekit that I had not heard through the NAD, and the soundstage was much bigger and more complex. However, the low end was noticeably thinner (as I expected it might be with 40% of the rated power of the NAD receiver, which itself is at the low end of the recommended power range for my speakers), and the mids came across to me as rather compressed. I also noticed much more sibilance than with the NAD, to the point that it was jarring particularly on female vocals, particularly "s", "ch" and "t" sounds. Ride cymbals in jazz music came across like white noise, with little or none of the detail that should have been audible. I attributed this to the tubes needing burn-in time. After more than 100 hours of listening the sibilance may have decreased but was still enough to be annoying.
Although I didn't expect upgrading to Lundal OPTs would resolve the sibilance issue, I expected they should help bring out more bottom end in the music, so I ordered a pair and installed them. I carefully cleaned and inspected all my solder joints when I had the amp apart to fit the Lundals, and touched up a few although I didn't find anything that looked like it would be causing a problem. I also twisted or braided all the transformer wires, which might have improved things, although that normally reduces the noise floor and the amp was already dead quiet.
I've now been running the Lundals for a bit more than a week, and have been very much enjoying the sound through the upgraded 8200R. The Lundals certainly have rounded out the low end. Although my speakers are certainly capable of more bass than the 8200R can deliver, the amp can now reach down to hit the low E on a bass guitar with very satisfying volume at comfortable listening levels (I typically run the amp with the volume set at 12:00 and use the computer to adjust the volume between about half and full volume, and with the input signal at full strength I wouldn't want the music any louder in my living room). I have a subwoofer that I like to use to give the very low frequencies just a little boost (crossover set somewhere around 100Hz), but have been listening without it to appreciate what the 8200R can do with the Lundals fitted. It is very good now! With the Lundals, the 8200R now seems to present the complete frequency range very convincingly. I listen to quite a bit of music with acoustic guitar and vocal harmonies. I'm now more aware than ever of recording quality, because the Elekit provides exceptional detail, and the differences between different recordings that I previously thought were all very good are stark. The best recordings sound wonderfully live, and acoustic guitar in particular is stunningly clearly rendered. The same is true of other string instruments, including mandolin, fiddle, banjo etc. In particular, the percussive sounds of fingers playing string instruments are very clear, making great recordings sound very present and live. Drums are also crystal clear. Although there's still a tad more sibilance than I would like on some tracks, I think it's also much better since I installed the Lundals. This may just be more run-in time on the tubes, but I suspect it's also that the amp is able to drive the speakers better now, and as a result less of the overall signal is being pushed through the tweeters. That's just a theory though! I have a pair of Psvane Cossor 12AU7s on order that I am going to try out to see if they mellow out the brightness a little more in the female vocals, cymbals etc., but this is fine-tuning. In time I'm sure I'll try a few other tubes just out of curiosity, although I know the JJs are decent all-round tubes (I also have some in my guitar amps). In the meantime, I am really enjoying listening with the 8200R as it is now!
Thanks again for your tremendous customer support! Your knowledge and passion for the products you sell was very evident in what I read online before I decided to purchase the Elekit amp, and you truly do go way above and beyond in ensuring your customers are satisfied.
Best regards,
C.
Sorry not to have responded sooner to your request for an impression of the Lundals in my 8200R. I've been doing some critical listening since you asked, and either the system is smoothing itself out or I'm just growing accustomed to it, but it seems to have become more clear and refined over the past week, over many hours of listening while I work. So, here are my impressions!
As I have noted previously, I have the 8200R connected to a digital source (Mac mini connected with USB to a Topping E30 DAC that uses the AKM AK4493 chip). I'm playing a combination of stored content (CD data copied at full resolution to the hard drive, in the order of 1,000 kbps) and Spotify at the "very high" streaming quality (320 kbps), both at 44.1 kHz sampling rate. The DAC allows me to select among six high frequency filters that are native to the AK4493 chip, and I have been rotating through them without noting significant audible differences. This isn't surprising...although I have very good high frequency hearing, the filters mostly cut the signal above 22kHz which is not audible. The filters do, however, prevent the amp using up its available power on signal that can't be heard, so the sharp cut filters (#1 and 3) should work best in this respect. The TU-8200R is driving my late 1990s vintage Castle Eden speakers, which are very highly regarded large 2-way bookshelf speakers with 8 ohm impedance and 87dB sensitivity (recommended amp power 25-120W, so I know the 8200R has to work to drive them). I have also tried playing the 8200R through smaller and slightly more sensitive Mission 760i bookshelf speakers (6 ohm, 89dB), but the Edens are just better speakers and sound noticeably more detailed. I also have a pair of more sensitive (92dB) old PSB Alphas kicking around that I'll try at some point, but for now I'm really appreciating the amp with the Edens, which are certainly my best speakers. So with all that out of the way, my listening impressions:
When I first played music through the TU-8200R after building the kit with the stock output transformers, I was immediately impressed by the crisp, detailed mids and highs and the very deep, wide and accurate soundstage. I had previously been running a good NAD 7220PE solid state receiver (very conservatively rated at 20W/channel and built on the renowned circuitry of the 3020 integrated amplifier) which produces what I thought was a very balanced and detailed sound, I immediately heard detail in familiar recordings through the Elekit that I had not heard through the NAD, and the soundstage was much bigger and more complex. However, the low end was noticeably thinner (as I expected it might be with 40% of the rated power of the NAD receiver, which itself is at the low end of the recommended power range for my speakers), and the mids came across to me as rather compressed. I also noticed much more sibilance than with the NAD, to the point that it was jarring particularly on female vocals, particularly "s", "ch" and "t" sounds. Ride cymbals in jazz music came across like white noise, with little or none of the detail that should have been audible. I attributed this to the tubes needing burn-in time. After more than 100 hours of listening the sibilance may have decreased but was still enough to be annoying.
Although I didn't expect upgrading to Lundal OPTs would resolve the sibilance issue, I expected they should help bring out more bottom end in the music, so I ordered a pair and installed them. I carefully cleaned and inspected all my solder joints when I had the amp apart to fit the Lundals, and touched up a few although I didn't find anything that looked like it would be causing a problem. I also twisted or braided all the transformer wires, which might have improved things, although that normally reduces the noise floor and the amp was already dead quiet.
I've now been running the Lundals for a bit more than a week, and have been very much enjoying the sound through the upgraded 8200R. The Lundals certainly have rounded out the low end. Although my speakers are certainly capable of more bass than the 8200R can deliver, the amp can now reach down to hit the low E on a bass guitar with very satisfying volume at comfortable listening levels (I typically run the amp with the volume set at 12:00 and use the computer to adjust the volume between about half and full volume, and with the input signal at full strength I wouldn't want the music any louder in my living room). I have a subwoofer that I like to use to give the very low frequencies just a little boost (crossover set somewhere around 100Hz), but have been listening without it to appreciate what the 8200R can do with the Lundals fitted. It is very good now! With the Lundals, the 8200R now seems to present the complete frequency range very convincingly. I listen to quite a bit of music with acoustic guitar and vocal harmonies. I'm now more aware than ever of recording quality, because the Elekit provides exceptional detail, and the differences between different recordings that I previously thought were all very good are stark. The best recordings sound wonderfully live, and acoustic guitar in particular is stunningly clearly rendered. The same is true of other string instruments, including mandolin, fiddle, banjo etc. In particular, the percussive sounds of fingers playing string instruments are very clear, making great recordings sound very present and live. Drums are also crystal clear. Although there's still a tad more sibilance than I would like on some tracks, I think it's also much better since I installed the Lundals. This may just be more run-in time on the tubes, but I suspect it's also that the amp is able to drive the speakers better now, and as a result less of the overall signal is being pushed through the tweeters. That's just a theory though! I have a pair of Psvane Cossor 12AU7s on order that I am going to try out to see if they mellow out the brightness a little more in the female vocals, cymbals etc., but this is fine-tuning. In time I'm sure I'll try a few other tubes just out of curiosity, although I know the JJs are decent all-round tubes (I also have some in my guitar amps). In the meantime, I am really enjoying listening with the 8200R as it is now!
Thanks again for your tremendous customer support! Your knowledge and passion for the products you sell was very evident in what I read online before I decided to purchase the Elekit amp, and you truly do go way above and beyond in ensuring your customers are satisfied.
Best regards,
C.
This is my experience upgrading to the Lundhal LL2777B output transformers on
my Elekit TU-8200
I now have about 400 hours of playing time on them.
I listen to classical music most of the time, though I tried other types
(jazz, voice, pop etc) and the improvements were equally noticeable on all
types.
The first impression after installing the transformers was a significant
increase of "weight" on the low end (bass and low-mids) and less grain at the
top (for instance on violins).
The bottom notes of piano and cello music was fuller with more harmonic content and overall richness.
As the Lundhals broke in there was more low level detail apparent.
The sound was smoother and relaxed; easy to listen to for a long time.
Image placement became clearer than before, while the overall sound remained
cohesive.
I was able to hear further into the music, which increased the overall
emotional content.
Well recorded music often sounded spectacular while all recordings sounded
better with the new transformers.
You can even hear the difference in sound as the tubes warm up.
The Lundhall LL2777B transformers for the TU-8200 are a major upgrade and
well worth installing (IMHO). I am very satisfied with the results.
A special thank you to Elekit and Victor for supplying the attachment plate
which made the installation easier.
my Elekit TU-8200
I now have about 400 hours of playing time on them.
I listen to classical music most of the time, though I tried other types
(jazz, voice, pop etc) and the improvements were equally noticeable on all
types.
The first impression after installing the transformers was a significant
increase of "weight" on the low end (bass and low-mids) and less grain at the
top (for instance on violins).
The bottom notes of piano and cello music was fuller with more harmonic content and overall richness.
As the Lundhals broke in there was more low level detail apparent.
The sound was smoother and relaxed; easy to listen to for a long time.
Image placement became clearer than before, while the overall sound remained
cohesive.
I was able to hear further into the music, which increased the overall
emotional content.
Well recorded music often sounded spectacular while all recordings sounded
better with the new transformers.
You can even hear the difference in sound as the tubes warm up.
The Lundhall LL2777B transformers for the TU-8200 are a major upgrade and
well worth installing (IMHO). I am very satisfied with the results.
A special thank you to Elekit and Victor for supplying the attachment plate
which made the installation easier.
I understand the compressed midrange problem with medium or lower sensitivity speakers, but if an 8200(R) has sibilance issues with all regular tubes to the extent that cymbals do not seem real, then this may well be down to the source. What if the NAD has a high frequency rolloff, maybe just for transients, that compensates for this effect?
I had had sibilance issues with my DAC as well until I upgraded the firmware to the latest one.
P.S. I am in the process of upgrading the OPTs to Lundahls, but today I got vaccinated kind of unexpectedly so priorities have slipped - again.
Hopefully haven’t missed out on this upgrade. Sent a PM for Oder info. Hope that’s ok.
OPT’s soldered and fitted, went together easily.
Amazingly different sound from the Amp, using Genelex Gold Lions at the moment, with a Mini DSP between the Pre amp and amp for room correction. Will do some re-measuring as a result of needing to reduce the amount of ‘new’ bass immediately present in the playback. Really awesome outcome, with a cleaner midrange and vocal separation really apparent also.
Very worthwhile improvement straight away and with the Dirac software I’ll tweak things and keep enjoying.
Great service and follow up from Victor.
James
Amazingly different sound from the Amp, using Genelex Gold Lions at the moment, with a Mini DSP between the Pre amp and amp for room correction. Will do some re-measuring as a result of needing to reduce the amount of ‘new’ bass immediately present in the playback. Really awesome outcome, with a cleaner midrange and vocal separation really apparent also.
Very worthwhile improvement straight away and with the Dirac software I’ll tweak things and keep enjoying.
Great service and follow up from Victor.
James
I have been listening to the installed Lundahls for about a month. The transformation of the sound quality has been so satisfying. I spend so much of my free time just listening to and admiring the sound coming from the upgraded 8200R. There is an added fullness and richness to the music. The standard 8200 is a great amplifer. However, the Lundahls takes things to the next level, and not by a little bit. It completely exceeded my expectactions. For anyone contemplating the Lundahl, just trust all the recommendations that have come before this one. Also, Victor has to be thanked for his efforts in bringing this project to fruition. I sitting here, right now, listening to my music with the smile of a Cheshire Cat because of him.