I promised not to upgrade the two channel rig until the listening room modifications (curtains & bass traps) were installed. But I didn't commit to not buying any hi fi stuff at all!

Some guys on the StereoNet forum are excited by a range of tube gear made by Sound Craft in Japan. Apart from an absolutely gorgeous looking 2 (yes two) watts per channel SET power amp, they also have a similar-looking tube headphone amplifier. These units are handmade by one Yamamoto-san in Tokyo. An order for five (I think) has been placed and the forecast delivery is another month or so.

I intend to use an iPod (with music encoded with Apple Lossless codec) with a powered dock (and line out) and Cardas mini to RCA connectors as my source until I can save for a dedicated front end, preferably including SACD. I have a growing number of SACD/Hybrid discs wih nothing to play them on, so this seems like a great opportunity.

Interesting to see if the amp mates well with Sennheiser 600s, or if another pair of cans are required. Hence the discussions at audiophile last week regarding the Grados (RS1 or 2, or the new GS-1000) which may be a better match to the impedence of the little Yamamoto.

An exciting time indeed.