I'm getting quite a few emails asking for updates on the Tram2:

We're pretty well there. The current design will grow one more tube, a 6AS7. This will allow us to expand the range of DHT that can be used without major circuit changes. As seen here we can change 2A3 and 45 on the fly.

24bit 192khz Digital
Finally after 30 years chained to the 16bit 44khz standard we now have the possibility of music playback at 24 bit 192 khz.
This allows:

• - Much finer musical textures (banishing forever the aggressive sounds we associate with digital)
• - much greater dynamic range (typically a 24/192 file is 10x the size of 16/44 files (CD standard)
• - music playback from computer
• - potentially better playback than even the best CD transports when properly setup and configured.
• - music storage on an external hard drive (ie 1 terabyte hard disk can hold 1000 CD's of music in lossless format
• - the added convenience of purchasing music online

What do DHT (direct heated triodes) REALLY sound like? Yes we've heard VT25, 45, 2A3, 205d, 300B etc in many an amplifier, enshrouded by driver tubes and output transformers. And we can plainly hear the differences between DHT types in that context, tainted though the sound must be with so many extraneous elements.
The only way to really hear the sound though is to go spud. And what better place to do that than right at the beginning - the linestage. Many will say that the linestage contributes more than the amplifier, so...

OK an on-the-ground tech report:

"I had an unmodified Musiland for use as simple SPDIF generator and found my receiver had problems locking consistently (I was debugging the software control for this receiver). Putting a 'scope on the signal out of the Musiland showed as per attached, left.

The actual signal level is around 200mV peak-peak and there is a huge 100mV spike on each transition.

First, this is WAY below the IEC 60958 type II specification of 0.5 - 1V peak-peak (and low enough that some receivers designed to this standard will not trigger reliably). Secondly the waveshape is UGLY. And NOISY. Brrrr... No wonder the poor receiver was constantly complaining about unlocking.

Musiland USB to DAC:

We left off last time with the resistors in place of the pulse transformer to the SPDIF. Getting rid of the transformer and adjusting the output to 75ohms really opened up the sound.

The new transformer parts arrive and we install one in place of the resistors. The other output still has the resistors so we are able to A/B:

Nov 20
Today we installed the upgraded transformer into 75ohms and had a preliminary listening A/B between Rout and TXout. I'll write more later after we do something more extended but briefly:

There were 4 of us and 3 didn't know which was which, Rout or TXout. We listened to one track, about 8 passes. After the first pass 2 of 4 listeners choose Rout as better detail and bass, 2 listeners choose not to comment.

So we finish the previously described modifications to the Musiland and install the Magic Black Box. The system boots up and recognizes all hardware. After a ten minute warmup we play music.

Playing 'Dreams of Likembe' we hear bass notes that weren't noticeable before. Soundstage is more focused and detailed, less starined. In fact a pervasive 'hardness' that was there before in varying degrees is gone.

OK the Magic Black Box.
Much has been written about the Musiland computer-to-external DAC enabler. Just plug in the USB data stream from the computer and out the provided SPDIF comes our DAC friendly perfect bits, even up to 192khz/24bits.

That's pretty good news. However there are 'issues':

1. the Musiland is powered through the USB cable, drawing trashy DC from the computer's power supply
2. the on board 24mhz clock signal is a total disaster
3. the electrolytic caps are undersized
4. the 2 pulse transformers massacre the data stream
5. some parts values are not ideal
6. 75 ohm digital friendly cable is not used
7. the input side circuit can be greatly improved with some simple changes

OK so all the bits arrived, we connected them together: MSI Wind Neton>>>Musiland USB to SPdif>>> the Satch DAC>>>UTS-UVC linestage>>>Fusion>>>LCAO full range speakers -- something like the picture save the black box in the centre which came later.

First task: configure the digital playback stream to bypass the computer on board sound system and output through the USB>>Musiland. I download an ASIO music player and got some music to play that way.
OK, better than using the sound card, but not as good as our standalone transport. But there is still much we can do, so -- promising.

Now aforementioned expert arrives on the scene. Here's how he explains the issues:

I first saw one of these demo'd about 5 or 6 years ago at CES. It was a big brute floor standing computer, loaded with rips of CDs and driving some really nice high end gear. Since then they've become a common sight at high end shows everywhere but I've always found the performance spotty and not that attractive. It's been mentioned in several show reports too.

I don't really understand all the issues and problems at work but we've had someone with us this week who does. Well, my CDpro-based transports are by now getting a little long in the tooth, there's nothing comparable on the horizon AND my CD collection is showing wear and tear -- I decided it is time. So I was given a shopping list.

Here's what we want to do:

This past week we've had the privilege of having a noted designer in house working with us on a music server system. That is now up and making very nice sounds (more about that in another blog). It gave us the opportunity to set up the Fusion, listen and make some revisions by said designer.
I was impressed all over again. I've been using a Fusion at home for the last couple years but mostly casual but this week I've come to realize just how great this amp is at delivering in quantity true 300B sound through the MOSFET output stage. I was also reminded that I should have emphasized that the Fusion uses the same front end as the LUX (without the cathode choke).

OK here's the whole story:
Fusion