Eera Tentation

[spiritofmusic]

You're most welcome Jack. Thru my GF I've become quite the Ale afficionado. Might struggle tearing Lloyd away from work and his system ! I've tried on many occasions to get him out of the house, but no success so far . (But if YOU ask him nicely ). Let me know if you visit...
Btw, thank you so much for maintaning my interest in the Eera and suggesting I contact Cor. He's been a real gentleman allowing me a pretty open ended trial w/no hard sell, and this has enabled me to make a relaxed, positive decision. I'd rather not spend on new components (esp. since I never considered my Emm deficient - and still don't), but the Tentation really "talks" to me. It really is my digital keeper for life. And as such joins my tt/arm/cart/SET amps/spkrs as components I'm never looking beyond. Preamp may be an area for investigation/change, but the current sound w/most recent cdp/Entreq grounding changes is really enabling me to listen for long periods w/no fatigue or restlessness, in what I call "lack of cognitive dissonance", that any change here again would have to be in the Eera v Emm quantum leap fwd. I'm skeptical anything out there within a reasonable price will totally outperform my Hovland HP200. I am interested in the Manley Labs Neo Classic 300B, the Wyetech labs Ruby Std, and Nagra Jazz, and MAY get around to listening to these. But no rush as I fall into the Eera's embrace (oops, don't tell the GF !)

 

[JackD201]

Thanks in return for your inputs on the Sablon PCs. I'll give them a try in the near future.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Sablon Gran Corona - they are PHENOMENAL. Bass texture, tone dense but transparent, really soulful. Make sure you AVOID Gold plugs, in my system much too warm. I've since had UK Furutech Rhodium plugs, much more balanced. Has reconfigured what my system can achieve, esp. w/bass output thru the full range drivers of my Zu Audio Definitions 4 spkrs. Mark C of Sablon mainly supplies to US/Asia, and recommends Oyaide Platinum(?) plugs, and I believe this plus Furutech Rhodium much better balanced across the spectrum than Gold.
BUT...I'm also a massive fan of Entreq, being totally sold on their grounding products, and the Challenger Rhodium plug PC sounds excellent thru the Eera, just a tad cooler than the Sablon Gran Corona. Can't go wrong w/either. Both great companies to deal w/, at least here in the UK.

 

[LL21]

Sablon Gran Corona - they are PHENOMENAL. Bass texture, tone dense but transparent, really soulful. Make sure you AVOID Gold plugs, in my system much too warm. I've since had UK Furutech Rhodium plugs, much more balanced. Has reconfigured what my system can achieve, esp. w/bass output thru the full range drivers of my Zu Audio Definitions 4 spkrs. Mark C of Sablon mainly supplies to US/Asia, and recommends Oyaide Platinum(?) plugs, and I believe this plus Furutech Rhodium much better balanced across the spectrum than Gold.
BUT...I'm also a massive fan of Entreq, being totally sold on their grounding products, and the Challenger Rhodium plug PC sounds excellent thru the Eera, just a tad cooler than the Sablon Gran Corona. Can't go wrong w/either. Both great companies to deal w/, at least here in the UK.

+1!!!

 

[Pierre]

I havnt read all 13 pages, so sorry if this has been up before.

I was so STUPID to sell my Eera Tentation and got a Aurender S10 insted. I know, STUPID
But now i'm looking for at DAC thats has the same sound as the Tentation. But is that possible at all to find?

So please help a guy that has'nt played digital files in 6 mounth or so.

 

[microstrip]

I havnt read all 13 pages, so sorry if this has been up before.

I was so STUPID to sell my Eera Tentation and got a Aurender S10 insted. I know, STUPID
But now i'm looking for at DAC thats has the same sound as the Tentation. But is that possible at all to find?

So please help a guy that has'nt played digital files in 6 mounth or so.

Sorry to learn about your bad move. If by chance you find a DAC that surpasses your previous system when used with the S10 that does not cost a fortune please tell us and give us a detailed report about its sound. The best DACs I have listened to needed their matching CD transport to show their best. BTW I am addressing only 16/44.1 .

 

[spiritofmusic]

Pierre, sorry can't help. I'm NEVER going down the server/streaming route. the Eera is my keeper for life. Good luck on that search. Going to bite the bullet and complete order on Monday.

 

[Pierre]

My prayers has been heard
I was just on Eera's homepage and in the News section there is was........ Eera is coming with a digital input for the cdplayers.
So no more sleeples Night for me, i just need a new Tentation with the digital input.

I'm happy

 

[JackD201]

Hi Pierre,

I ordered an EERA Autographe with Digital Inputs. It was supposed to be for the showroom but it was immediately snagged by an existing Tentation customer/owner. The good news is that I will have a chance to burn it in and evaluate it. The Autographe is a by order only model offered only to existing EERA owners. As such it is not even on the website. I'll report on my findings.

I'm just so glad that EERA has finally relented and now offers digital inputs. Perhaps a stand alone DAC will not be too far off in the future. To my ears the Light Harmonic Da Vinci is closest to the Tenntation in terms of image density but they do differ somewhat tonally particularly in the bass. The LH is punchier and deeper while the EERA is fuller and rounder.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Good news Pierre, welcome back to the Eera fold. Never leave again, that's an order! Views on the Autographe, yes please Jack. I want to thank you for your considered views on the Tentation. It's helped ease my decision to buy, and I'm confident this is the final destination point for my digital front end. The only thing that would likely beat it would be the Trinity Dac/PC Drive, but at 6x the price.

 

[JackD201]

Think nothing of it Spirit. It's such an ordinary looking piece of kit inside and out but man does it play music. I don't think I've ever met anyone that didn't like it so I was pretty confident that you would at the very worst case not have a negative impression. Subjective as this hobby is, I'm glad that it pressed the right buttons with you as it did with me.

I'm eager to get at the Autographe. I don't know if I'll get one for myself eventually since I am very happy with the Tentation to be honest. Getting to play with one without having to spend a dime and in fact make some scratch doing it is pretty cool. Yeah!

 

[spiritofmusic]

Most of my audio research/purchases are now done primarily after web/user comments/references, such as yours re the Tentation, so my thanks stand. I would love to find out where it ranks alongside current SOTA re Trinity DAC/PC Drive. Can you give more of a perspective re your current top DACs like the Light Harmonic?

 

[rblnr]

The dig input is great news -- called for one in my review a few years ago. I'd definitely be interested in a Tentation w/it despite my feeling that expensive spinners/DACS are genrly poor values. Very interested in your impression of the Auotgraphe Jack particularly since you know the Tentation well and are a fan.

 

[spiritofmusic]

JackD - any current thoughts on your Autographe? I'm just bowled over by my Tentation.

 

[JackD201]

I think it is a bit more refined and a bitt more extended but would not go out and say that it is any sort of night and day difference. Let me put it this way, since this is exactly what happened. If you love your Tentation and just happened to have a good year and have some extra come your way, it is a nice option for giving yourself a pat on the back. It isn't necessary but it sure is nice to have.

 

[Pierre]

Anyone who has heard the Tentation or anyother Eera with digital input.

Is it as good as the cd-transport?
I have tryed many cdplayers with dig. input, but the cd-transport have always been better (poor digital inputs). Last tryout was with the Wadia 321i and Aurender S10. The Wadia was best via cd-transport.
Is it the same with Eera or?

 

[rblnr]

Anyone who has heard the Tentation or anyother Eera with digital input.

Is it as good as the cd-transport?
I have tryed many cdplayers with dig. input, but the cd-transport have always been better (poor digital inputs). Last tryout was with the Wadia 321i and Aurender S10. The Wadia was best via cd-transport.
Is it the same with Eera or?

As with so many other things, Jack is the man on that

 

[spiritofmusic]

Jack, any further comments on the Autographe? Now you've had it for a while, how does it specifically stack up against the Tentation? Against hi rez/streaming? Against your AF1?

 

[JackD201]

Nothing new really. I still love it and the first impressions proved to be consistent. I am not thrilled by the SPDIF input but to be fair the only other transport I had on hand was the entry level 47 labs. The onboard transport easily trounced this when playing CDs through a Townshend Coax. I wasn't all too thrilled with a MAC because I had to go through a USB bridge that I've always felt was a limiting factor even when I was using an Accuphase. It might have been different if I had something like an Offramp on hand. As Hi-rez goes, I'd still give a big edge to my dedicated DAC especially because of DSD and DXD capability and USB implementation. In my mind, the Autographe like the Tentation is a silver spinner first and that the added functionality is more of a convenience. Just my honest opinion.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Jack, I'm not too bothered by the digital out, tbh. I'm just curious as to whether the Autographe is a real step beyond the Tentation in SQ, or just a subtle variation (a more mature take on a family sound). Does it use a different transport mech/dac, or is it a refinement of what's in the Tentation? FWIW, I'm just LOVING cd's thru the Tentation, and I thought I'd NEVER say that about digital. It takes what was so good about my prev Emm Labs CDSA SE, a natural analog flow, and adds tons of tone and real discrimination btwn discs, emulating what makes analog so addictive.