Nightshade Beacon 2 Tour

[Niteshade]

Charles,

Thank you for putting your thoughts on here as well as on AC! 

The photo shown of a Beacon Two with a tube rectifier is actually a first production model/prototype that has been in my system for over a year.

I have not been able to tell a difference between tube & SS rectification with the Two. One reason is because filtering is done through a very high resistance resistor that goes to a large final filter capacitor. I doubt the final filtration stage would ever know the difference between a SS or tube rectifier because it's a few thousand ohms away.

The tour has been great! I've been sitting in the background most of the time unless a question needs answering. So- if you have questions, please ask!

Charles, thank you for providing such good notes.

[rollo]

  First off thank you Richadoo for the explanation regarding the power supply. Second I owe an apology to you all for not realizing that I put different tubes in my CDP.  took out the Telefunkens and reinstalled the Chelmer [original tube] and a Mullard CV 4004. Was playing around and just forgot. Telefunkens are back in and so is the sound.
  OK so now we are comparing apples to apples. Something just wasn't right in the topend.  That Chelmer has over 5000 hours and is not very good sounding. Surprised it still works actually. Anyway.
  This overachiever with its presence, PRAT and dynamics is quite an achievement for the money. Shoot the cables I'm using could buy seven Beacons instead.  Says something about cable prices eh!
  Instead of the cable of the month one could own a wonderfull piece of gear. I find nothing really to complain about sonics wise. Nitpick yes. Too subjective to get into so I will not.
  I tried the Beacon with several types of footers to see if there was any affect. Si Senor. Vibrapods won hands down. Best part they go along with the bargin price at $6 ea.
   The ESP powercord at first was not working out. The Virtual Reality cord much better. Omega Mikro active . A match made in Heaven. As silly as it might be to use a cord that costs more than the component is silly it makes a huge difference. again system dependant and always subjective.
  What I get out of all this experimentation is that the Beacon is NEUTRAL and cabling will allow one to get the sound THEY like.
  Suggestions. Use a polarized or grounded plug for the power supply. Simple hook up insructions. Really like the paint finish. With the Crimson Red brass screws would look awesome. The wood side trim is a nice accent, however a thicker piece would add a nice touch. I really like the no big faceplate idea. The toggle switches are tight however one must use their thumb on the top of the component to use. Creating finger marks.
   I can only wonder how much better the Beacon 3 or 4 will be compared to this giant slayer.  More to come.



charles
 

[richidoo]

Does the preamp have a separate power supply or all in one?
Thanks

[etcarroll]

Two cords, a standard IEC, and a male jack that plugs into female jack in back of the Beacon. Per Blair;

Having an external regulated filament supply is unorthodox, but well worth it. I see no reason to place the B+ supply externally. Doing that would not introduce any benefits.

"Low voltage, high current power supplies are difficult to filter and expensive to make as a result. My approach to solving this problem is as good as it gets. An external regulated supply gets the job done perfectly AND makes room for better B+ and audio circuits. It's a win-win situation with only one con hardly worth mentioning: An additional power cord is required. "

[richidoo]

OK, thanks.

[rollo]

  Since this edition has only one output I had to use a splitter to feed the amps and subwoofer. last night I removed the splitter and fed the sub off the main speakers. An improvement all around. More of an ease to the presentation with startling dynamics.
  Now was it the splitter ? or less of a load to drive ? As of this writing I am not missing the Loesch Preamp, I think. When I reinstall the Loesch only then will the real difference show its head. The amps have 600 hours on them since the trannie swap. Never has my system had so much slam and punch. The bass is outstanding. I call it the "twang factor" or harmonic overtone. Believable enough.
  The RR 30 year anniversary CD was a joy to listen to. The organ tracks woke my wife up. She wasn't happy either. What it was only 2AM. Soundstage depth was more noticeable than before. Height however was lower than the Loesch presentation [ nitpicking].  Emotional impact however was there in spades.
  This Preamp really should be heard. If you can get on this tour do so. I'm anxious to hear the tube rectified model. I have an old Fisher 101 intergrated amp with some nice trannies. Do I have Blair make up a Pre utilizing those trannies or buy this one ? What about the Beacon 3 or 4 ? As is this Pre is special. If we mess with it will we loose the magic ? 
  So far only the resolution of the sound keeps this Preamp from being a freak all together. It certainly is an overachiever IMO.
  I am to say the least very impressed with this preamp. I will be BUYING something from Blair just not sure what. HELP!!!


charles
 
 
 

[richidoo]

  So far only the resolution of the sound keeps this Preamp from being a freak all together.

Not enough resolution? Tubes and or cap might help. CV-181s if they fit, teflons.     If the sound of the circuit warrants those increases in cost. Now you're pushing $2k. As you said in previous post, it is easy to modify or order a custom version of a product, but then you have a mutt that fewer buyers trust and doesn't match the rave reviews of the original, even if it's "better," says you... 

Before you know it you could have had a Purity Basis for only $2500, with every mod you mentioned and more features and a warranty. It all ads up.

If I only had $1000, then the Beacon is a great value, as is EE Minimax. But If I had more to spend and wanted more sound or features, then before I started modding Beacon, I'd look for a commercial preamp (publicly accepted whole work of art) that maximizes value at my price. I'll have mfg support, and reviews to justify my selling price down the road. Just my .02
Rich

[rollo]

  Resolution compared to the Loesch or other class A preamps that is. If I never heard the Loesch the resolution of the Beacon would be just fine.
  Different 6SN7s may offer a change for the good. Shuquangs, Sylvania, etc. Now caps can get expensive, if I changed caps they would be V-cap Cu Teflons. Blairs' opinion is to match the parts as opposed to boutique parts. I agree to a point. When we put the V-caps in the Cyber 211 amp there was a major improvement in resolution and focus. Big bucks worth every penny IMO.
  It could be as simple as a different volume control or power supply. The Nervosa is perking.


charles

[Niteshade]

All Niteshade products have a 2 year warranty.

What features would be good to see on a Beacon Two? Keep in mind the price point. A preamp can be designed with more features, that is not a problem.

The Beacon One and Two are designed to provide exceptional sound quality at an affordable price.

The second tier of designs enables me to provide things like a remote control, additional output or gain stages, tone controls, etc.. 

I am also considering an enhanced Beacon Two.

[BobM]

An additional set of output RCA's would be easy enough to install, I would think. How many input channels will it accept. I know I use 3 out of the 5 on my preamp. 4 may be a nice round number, in general.

Then there's also creating a "Silver Signature" version with the updated IEC outlets, teflon caps, more chassis damping, better power regulation, a discrete stepped attenuator, etc. But now it has to easily be approaching double the initial price point.

Sounds like a winner overall right were it is though.

[rollo]

 I tell ya Bob it is a winner. The only change I would make would be a different volume control [ DACT or Seiden] and power supply [ maybe]. I'm not sure if the tubed rectified edition will loose the great bass, presence and dynamics. Saying that "as is" is really really good, will we mess it up with these ideas ?
  The 5AR4 rectifier adds $150 bringing it to $1150. A Stancor power supply with more amperage may improve the performance.
  What I do know is that the power supply is a key part of it all. I'm really not sure what the power supply actually powers [ filaments ? how critical is it ?
   Blair can you chime in on the power supply. Main and filament please. I know its built to a price point but what if it was not ?

charles

[tmazz]

Given the design philosophy of this pre I would be very nervous making any changes to it. This piece is built with minimal parts and synergistically chosen parts. Adding features would only complicate the circuitry and changing out parts runs the risk that the sum of the "better" parts will not produce a result as good as what is in there now. Either of these situations will lead to a loss of some of the magic that now seems to surround this piece.

Not that I am saying these changes couldn't produce a better product, only that one should proceed with extreme caution because they very well may end up taking you in a direction that is very different from what you might expect.

[etcarroll]

I agree with TMAZZ, at same time, Rollo could be giving Blair the design specs to add to the next Beacon model, and the Beacon Two stays 'as is'.

[djbnh]

All Niteshade products have a 2 year warranty.

What features would be good to see on a Beacon Two? Keep in mind the price point. A preamp can be designed with more features, that is not a problem.

Remote control.

[rollo]

   Boys boys don't get me wrong . I'm not looking to change the circuit. The suggestons I made are plug in changes. Blair offers a Beacon 2 with a tubed rectifier [ 5AR4]  A beefier power supply [ more amperage] always helps.
   These suggestions are for the Beacon I'm strongly considering purchasing.
   Suggestions for this model ? A three pronged plug for the power supply to guarantee correct polarity. That's it.



charles