RWA amp with DODD preamp both battery powered


I should get Dodd Audio battery preamp next week (from good people of Underwood) and I also have purchased RWA (Red Wine Audio) Sig.30 (Omega version) from another audiophile here on AgoN.

I thought of using RWA in my second system with some monitor (still big question mark on which- I like M&D but might go with Omegas instead). However since I am going to have them both , I thought about pairing these battery powered pieces and see what happens. I am not sure if RWA 30wpc will have enough juice to drive my Quatros but I will give it a shoot ......if only out of curiosity.

Do you guys have any thoughts or opinions about these two working together or maybe someone actually tried this combo in his/her system????

I am all ears.
mrjstark
Cruz123,
I am also on the look out for few pairs of Amperex 7308 PQ white label USA as well as Bugle Boy 6DJ8s and Amperex USN-6922 White Label GP. Those were recommended by one of the very first owners of Dodd pre amp. I trust his opinion and will try to follow his lead.
Tube vendors are going undeniably insane with prices raising through the roof. I don't mind paying fair price for excellent product or tubes for that matter but IMHO what is happening lately is just out of control. The only way, this so called friendly tube vendors get away with that is because some audiophiles with a hard on for rare and " collectible " tubes pay without blinking an eye.
Ebay on the other hand is polluted with counterfeits and ripoffs......risky business unless you know the source.

Back on Dodd. You did not say what were your 1st impressions and I hope that it is everything you did hope this preamp to be. I know it is to me. I have played with Dodd a little in my 2nd - smaller system for the break-in period ( that should not be longer then 100-150 hours if you ask me ). It is complementing Red Wine Audio Sig 30 and ADD monitors without being to obvious or dominant. I believe that Gary's minimal, simplistic approach is responsible for such a transparency and lock of signature sound other the the stock tubes. I love it. Its silence and ridiculous absence of noise of any kind is the achievement that is worth every penny and then some. Products like Dodd - which is IMO audiophiles best kept secret - have tendencies to become very well received by press and audiophile circles which ultimately leads to price increase. I am very careful with my words here but it is a product that should be kept secret and should not be carry on the golden platter like few other brands here on AgoN that count on users good feedbacks to survive and those with longest tongue act as their advocates.

At the end I hope that few that try this preamp can share their experiences .....but maybe not here where is so many rivalry between different camps.

If someone is willing to share some ideas fine but I would rather not do it here.

Mariusz
mrjstark, I still only have about twenty hours on the Dodd so far, so my impressions are still developing, but I definitely share your enthusiasm for this pre. The synergy with my VAC Auricles is amazing. I listen to a lot of acoustic music and the combination of the Dodd and the VAC's reproduces acoustic instruments with amazing accuracy. I'm going to withhold any subjective impressions of the sound pending complete break-in and some tube rolling, but needless to say I'm thrilled with the Dodd so far.

As to the unit itself, I am very pleased with the build quality. All switches fell very solid and the batteries were easy to install, etc. Also, I love the remote, which allows very minute volume changes.
I have a pair of new
Phillips Miniwatt SQ E188CC gold pin tubes, that I may part with. I don't know if you remember me, but you sold me the Supratek preamp which I am enjoying. I received these tubes with a DK integrated amp that I bought (and sold) a while back.
I understand these are the best tubes you can buy that work for 6922 6dj8 position. I recently picked up a tube tester so I can confirm their condition. I was going to keep them just incase a Supratek preamp went up for sale with phono stage built in. But I gather now that Supratek is out of business, I won't be seeing many for sale. Let me know. I check tubeworld and they sell for $450. They look just like the Philips SQ 1966 on this page https://www.tubeworld.com/7308.htm

Thanks, Jeff
Cruz123,
Good news bad news.
Bad news first:
JJs suck and should be replace as soon as possible.
Good news:
Dodd is very responsive to tube rolling and it's the tube roller's delight.
I have visited another audiophile today and took my Dodd for a ride. Since he is obviously more experience in this and has small stash of variety of different nos tubes we decided to give it a shot. Amperex Bugle Boy Orange Label was a lot more relaxed and with better middle range and not as analytical and sorry to say this - SS sounding as JJ 6922 that came with Dodd.
Since there are only two tubes to worry about it will be easy and not to expensive to play around with some nice a
Amperex, Mullards or even Telefunkens ( which are not my favorite but if I come accross these , I might try them as well). I might get some 7308s soon but from what I am hearing from another Dodd owner is that his 7308s don't have that tubey sound if that is what you are looking for. With 7308s in , he claims Dodd sounds similar to Modwright ( I am guessing - analytical and transparent but no soul ).

I thought that you might find this interesting .

Mariusz
Mrjstark,

Thanks for the insight. As with all things audio, I'm sure the best tubes are system dependent. I'm pretty happy with the Amperex 6dj8's I'm using now and they're relatively affordble. I'll search out a couple of other pairs in the 6922/6dj8 family over time for comparison sake, but for now I'm just enjoying listening!