Audio Horizons TP 2.0 Preamplifier

I have found that either I have defective Siemens E188CC tubes or they don't work well in tube placement 1 and 3 in the 2.0 preamp. The Siemens Cca and E88CC sound much better there.

04-30-06: Sherod

I have found that either I have defective Siemens E188CC tubes or they don't work well in tube placement 1 and 3 in the 2.0 preamp. The Siemens Cca and E88CC sound much better there.

In my experience using Siemens CCa, E188CC, and E88CC tubes in my preamp, other than some subtleties among these tubes, one tube type should not sound so different than the others to the extent that the E188CC seems defective. I'd say based on your comment that you do indeed have defective E188CC tubes.

Yes, Grant. That's what I have read as well. There are very subtle differences between the Cca and E88CC, but the E188CC sounds way off, a bit down in volume and disjointed soundstage, almost like an out-of-phase sound. I bought these on Ebay. Too bad we've already exchanged positive feedback, and the guy's in Germany. On Ebay, you take your chances and this time I lost. This should be a lesson to buy directly from qualified tube dealers.

Here's my opinion of the Audio Horizons TP 2.0 preamp after a solid two months.

My room is filled with clear, live, authoritive music !

I gave up trying to find any sonic weakness in an evaluation, I'm just getting too much enjoyment listening and forgetting the equipment.

My TP 2.0 rests on 4 Herbies Tenderfeet with the Gabon Ebony balls and Teflon Halo rings around each of the 4 tubes.

I never heard my music on such a level of stark realism, and this is with my smallish back-up speakers !

You owe it to yourself to check this one out.

Joeseph Chow is to be commended for designing such a wonderful product, he really deserves a lot more recognition.

More to follow later.

I too am very pleased with the Tp 2.0 preamp. Joseph Chow is extremely gifted. I have only had the preamp for a little over two weeks, but each day it seems to get better. The clarity, transparency, dynamics, harmonics, tonal balance,timbre,soundstage,presentation of voices,etc. is the best I have ever experienced with any preamp, mostly solid state. I fell in love with the sound of tubes when I was a young man and it looks like I'll stay with tubes now until I'm an old man. The preamp is so revealing that it very easily shows both the weaknesses and strengths of the cables and power cords used with it. I am so pleased with Joseph's work that I'm sending my last tuner to him to have him work his magic on it. This tuner, a Citation 18, was recently modded by a very reputable tuner modifier, and in this version, it pales in comparison to the Citation 14 tuner that Joseph modded for me last month. I'm still undecided on Joseph's power cords. I am having very good results, however, with his budget Premium cord on my tuner. I just got in some older and supposedly better e88cc tubes that I'm going to drop into the preamp for evaluation, but I'm so happy with the present sound that I've procrastinated doing it. Stay tuned for more developments...