it's been a busy few days with the Taiko Tana TS-150 + the prototype linear power supply + the Setchi D2 grounding box. I set it up at noon on Friday under the SGM server, then returned from work that night and listened. I decided to go slow on posting my impressions, mostly to take my time to understand what was doing what......and not to allow too much of the shock and awe of initial impressions to be prevalent. I wanted a few sessions to solidify my perceptions. and this will be a drawn out process, as before i'm done I want to try it not only under the SGM and NVS tt, which I've obviously already done and am doing, but also under the dac box of the MSB Select II, and under the NHB-18NS darTZeel preamp. likely I will have it under the NVS for awhile, as I'm really enjoying it there and there is no hurry.
but back to my impressions of it under the SGM. i'd had the Hardpoint Serene footers under the SGM for the previous couple of weeks, and was happy with that and had posted previously about that. so when I installed the Taiko Tana I did move the Hardpoint Serene's to the second Select II power supply (which previously was using the Wave Kinetics A10 U8's) so my impressions are of the combo of both changes, the Taiko Tana under the SGM + the Serene's under the 2nd power supply. I wanted to get the full impact of the step up. i know where i'm going and it's with the Hardpoints under my MSB power supplies......so no reason to pussy foot around (for hard cases i plan on revisiting the SGM only case). this was a big jump up in information; it dramatically expanded the soundstage and resolved considerably more ambient content. much more textural and tonal shading and greater levels of bass articulation. it's like a light came on to reveal a larger room and more information about everything inside that room. i could see.
this was a startling degree of change, and why i hesitated to post about it Friday night. and this was only dealing with the server with the Taiko Tana and the Serene's with the power supply. the feedback from Ed and Emile was that the dac had the most significant degree of lift from the Taiko Tana. and obviously they have an SGM on hand to test with.
every type of music was improved. vocals had this reality to them particularly in the slight movements of the head and chest and mouth, piano's and strings of all types were more sonorous and harmonically complex, horns were smoother, more texturally complex and with more nuanced bite, every musical thing was more assured and authoritative, musical peaks swelled with more energy and held together better, etc, etc. i listened through Saturday and Sunday with lots of football both days. so a number of separate sessions, and my perceptions did not diminish.
how could a power supply and different top layer treatment make such a difference? some of Emile's and Ed's posts have already answered the 'why' so much better than i can, i'm not even going there. i would just be guessing anyway. but no doubt it's a significant difference. at some point i also intend to try my 'stock' TS-150 that's under the dart pre at the moment and try it back to back with the Taiko Tana on the SGM to have a base line of change. but that will be later........there is no hurry.
and all during these sessions i'm looking at my NVS tt and thinking how it might effect it.