jmalen123, yes, definitely, I have thought a lot about adding subwoofers over the years.  But whenever I get some money to put into my system, I alway seem to determine that I’ll get more bang for my buck elsewhere.  Fortunately, upgrading to the Rhumba/Coda has improved the bass greatly.  I still hope to audition subwoofers at some point.  As to what music I enjoy most on the Tektons… I’d say female vocal jazz such as Holly Cole, Nicki Parrot, Eva Cassidy and Melody Gardot to name a few.  But the Tektons seem to do well with all jazz and most rock (not the heavy stuff which I don’t really listen to anyway).

timski February 07, 2023 01:08

milpai, your posts have helped greatly in my decision to audition and purchase the Rhumba, so thanks so much for that and for all of your contributions to the discussions in general!  I will start saving now for the NOS Mazda Grey plates to try, they sound pretty awesome.  No worries on the double post, looks like the Audiogon gremlins at work ;)

timski February 07, 2023 01:06

mjcmt, appreciate the compliment.  I like the simplicity of your system, but it’s natural to want to improve it.  It seems to enjoy this hobby the most you’ve got to appreciate what you have at the moment, enjoy the thrill of the hunt for the next upgrade and realize it is a journey without the perfect destination.

timski February 07, 2023 00:55

timski February 02, 2023 01:10

@zlone - No contest, the Rhumba is just in a whole other league.  Everything is better… detail, dynamics, bass, noise floor.  The music just seems to flow more easily and sounds more natural and realistic.  I’ve had the original Freya in my system for over 5 years, it was my first preamp and I think it’s a great value.  But compared to the Rhumba, the Freya is more tubey sounding and definitely noisier (although I think that was addressed somewhat with the Freya +).  With the Rhumba, it’s not like “these tubes sound nice,” it’s more like “this music sounds nice” - you don’t think about whether you’re listening to tubes or not like I did with the Freya.  While the Rhumba is a lot more expensive, to me it has been worth every penny.  I did a lot of homework before buying the Rhumba, but I did not audition any other preamps, so I can’t really compare it to anything else.  I will move on from the Coda at some point, maybe to a pure Class A amp, but the Rhumba will be with me for a long, long time.

timski January 31, 2023 17:53

timski January 30, 2023 23:38