Review: 47 Labs Gaincard Amplifier

The upgrade brings the amp into the modern day expected norms of wide bandwidth (some claimed the GC was reticent in the low end and very high freqs), and adds some to the dynamics. To me, it was more than worth the small investment. If I hadn't already ordered a 300B custom made by Alex Dondysh, I would keep it, and want for nothing.
My 300B is only better in the sense that it provides more 3D imaging of individual instruments/voices, but it cost me almost $4k and it wil be my last amp for a long time. It is the amp I have always wanted, period, even with just a few hours of listening. I can't wait for it to fully break in.

Thanks for sharing your assessment of the GC upgrade. I hadn't heard or read about claims made regarding frequency limitations. Statements like that can be questionable, but they interestingly match your findings. As you point out, the small investment can certainly be worth it if extension and dynamics are improved. Sounds like the way to go. Getting better from your 300B is an even more interesting thought. Thanks again.

Rny,
My amp was custom made by Alex Dondysh, who advertises in these pages. It includes Sophia mesh plate 300B's, silver wire throughout, James transformers, Black Gate capacitors, NOS GZ34 tubes, and some proprietary circuitry. I wanted the bandwidth of transistor amps, with the musicality of tubes, and I also wanted an amp optimised for my Ocellia Tilia 16ohm/98db-1watt speakers. It is dead silent with my ear next to the speaker, and has all the qualities I was looking for in an amp. The Gaincards left me with a very negative first impression, and eventually won my heart, but there is an emotional aspect to having something custom made which cannot be ignored, making one's judgement possibly suspect to a casual observer. I cannot deny the possibility of this, but the fact is, if it adds to the enjoyment of the MUSIC, then damn the bolloks - full speed ahead!
Yours Truly,

Casual observers aside, no one here would question your judgement. I understand your feelings about an “emotional aspect to having something custom made”. It compounds the sense of greater value and certainly helps to keep you off the component merry-go-round. I am interested in hearing the improvements you mentioned about the Gaincard upgrade. Maybe I'll get to it this year. Although, I do not look forward to disrupting my system nor my listening. After your new amp settles in, I hope you post a final comparison to the GC. Regards.

Since you asked...
Actually, I Have put the GC up for sale, although all I get is questions about the mod...
The Gaincard is truly a fine piece, with no negative transistor artifacts, such as grain or pinpoint (as opposed to 3D) images, with all the actual gain one could desire for all but the most demanding applications. If it doesn't sell, I will keep it and be happy about it. I have a pair of Diatones in my video system and would use the GC to drive them, extreme overkill for video notwithstanding.
The main benefit of the 300B is in the reproduction of individual images in the soundfield. They are solid, unequivocally there, and tonally pure, with an inner illumination of the performers that must be heard to be believed, when driven by my tube based Metronome Technologie C1A DAC, which uses the 18bit chip preferred by the actual circuit designer. I recently bought a pair of Siemens 5751 3 micas for my DAC and the benefit of using NOS tubes is tremendous. This DAC also has a 4.6 volt output, obviating the need for active preamplification, which has its own drawbacks. I anm having a level control custom made for me by Nelson at Sonocable.com, with mono attenuators (I am hypersensitive to channel balance), silver hard-wired interconnects, and an ebony wood case and knobs. Currently I am using a Scott Nixon passive attenuator, and loving it, I have becone addicted to passive preamplification, and its neutrality, and I want a totally maxed out unit for myself.
With the my Alex Dondysh 300B amp, I find myself listening to music and being more emotionally drawn into the message of the performer, mostly due to the fact that I am not distracted by any audio artifacts, and I can relax into the experience without thinking of being critical in any way. This was also the case with the GC, only with a little more emotionally neutrality, a function of the dynamics of leading transients being less aggressive, something some listeners might actually prefer in their systems, depending on their source, kind of like the case of "passive vs. active preamplification". This is one of the qualities of the Gaincard that the Mk2 mod addresses, and quite well, I must say. I would recommend active preamplification with the Gaincard, for best results, although it will be extremely difficult to find preamps of sufficient quality to mate with an amp that exhiits this exemplary level of tonal neutrality.
The custom made amp includes 16ohm taps for the Ocellia Tilias, with low gain for better sound, and NOS GZ34 (5AR4) power supply tubes, a specially designed low noise circuit, silver wire and Black Gate caps. It will take a long time to fully break in, but in the meantime it is already incredible in its communication of the details, and the emotionality of the performer. Highly involving with any type of music.
I am getting a Coph Nia Phono Preamp for my Technics SP10 Mk 2 turntable, and this will lead to further adventures in audio.
Plese forgive my long windedness, and thank you for your kind attention.
Regards,