mikeh
valued member
Posts: 5
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Post by mikeh on Aug 10, 2014 17:30:04 GMT
Thanks for the tips. I will break out my K702s tonight and give them a try on the Ember. Breaking in a new NOS Matsu National 7DJ8 at the moment but will probably switch to 1966 Siemens und Halske E88CC later. Not picking up much bass with the 7DJ8 but need to give it 60 hours or so before final judgement. Could be the recording though. Need to do more testing.
I always preferred my HD600s with my old ASL MG Head but the Ember sounds every bit as good. My go to reference recordings are the SACDs of Roy Orbison Black and White Nights and Jennifer Warnes The Well.
Mike
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2014 19:38:39 GMT
not been keeping up with developments here for a while now, been busy with other things, but was just wondering if the upgraded psu had surfaced yet?
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solderdude
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measureutternutter
Posts: 4,881
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Post by solderdude on Aug 19, 2014 20:18:07 GMT
I asked Jeremy the same thing yesterday. He said he needed to get on with it soon. It tskes him a bit too long. AFAIK it is as good ready and just needs an enclosure.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2014 21:06:48 GMT
I asked Jeremy the same thing yesterday. He said he needed to get on with it soon. It tskes him a bit too long. AFAIK it is as good ready and just needs an enclosure. any idea of cost and how it improves on the standard psu?
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Sept 5, 2014 21:19:00 GMT
No idea of the costs yet nor when it will be available. Good news is that the PSU can be ordered in Europe (from Javier is the plan) which saves on shipping and import duties.
It MAY improve on the stock PSU (which already has quite low common mode currents) when your system is plagued with noises that may come from common mode current problems. Can't say if it improves SQ in all cases.
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Post by richard51 on Sept 6, 2014 4:01:49 GMT
the Ember Amp... what an amazing piece of gear! I am a newbie audiophile and i know nothing one year ago when i purchased an Ember amp.... I had try 4 other amp before I learn with the Ember flexibility that most headphone amp dont optimally married with any headphone, except if you can modify the resistance output,and the gain output... For exemple i have a Fostex th7b and Hifiman he 400, these two headphones do not reach their potential with the same settings in the same amp... But how many headphone amps had the flexibility of the ember to tune to each headphone requirement ? Not only that, but i paired the ember with the pre-amp function with my Swan M10 speakers and amazingly with the gain function output to the maximum settings and the resistence function ouput with the maximum settigs and the right tube the Ember pre-amp transformed a ugly duck in a magnificent Swan.... if I had not had the chance to buy the Ember neither my He 400 headphones, nor my Swan speakers would shortly reach their full potential.... Thanks to the creator of the ember from the bottom of the heart of a poor audiophile, by now not at all envious of more pricey amp.....Best regards to all
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Sept 6, 2014 7:37:22 GMT
Thanks... glad you (and others) enjoy these amps.
Indeed flexibility, endless amounts of power and the ability to drive high- and low-Z headphones on various output R's and the 'pop-in' a tube and use it, as well as other flexibilities, are things I value as well and didn't seem to exist yet in an 'affordable' way.
Jeremy made fine looking/performing amps from these ideas. His desire to use the more affordable 'audiophile' components and nice looking thick PCB's (which are a nightmare to de-solder) make the price tag a bit higher than when it would be made with lesser quality parts.
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Post by richard51 on Sept 6, 2014 12:38:37 GMT
My discovery is without the flexibility to adapt to the exigence of each headphone like the Ember, except with great luck, an amp you had bought without strict investigation will not adapt well to your headphone... I had read many complaint about the sound of the He 400 and the source of the complaint are less the hedphone than the absence of adaptability in the Amp they paired with it... Company dont advertise their lack of adaptability and dont say : my amp is fine tuning with for example the Senn 650... The only company i read who made this honest publicity is the bushmaster i own... Stanley Beresford says that and i tested it.... effectively my two headphones dont manifest their ultimate potential with the amp section of the bushmaster....They are not Senn 650 and requires some others basic settings...The bushmaster is my extraordinary dac...my most precious gear after The Ember.... I cannot express enough gratitude for your work and the work of dedicated passionate men like Stanley Beresford and you .... i know you are creator first and business man second only thanks for that.... best regards
p.s. i read that for example the violectric last model amp adjust well to anything but the catch is the price is 1300 dollars to 1800 dollars versus 300 hundred in the Ember range price... I am not frustrated at all now because i cannot purchase it... in the contrary i am glad to be with the marvellous ratio quality/price of the Ember... like other many poor audiophile....
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Post by musicman on Sept 18, 2014 0:52:00 GMT
Interesting thing happened the other day. I use a novib socket saver to boost the height of the tube for easier swapping and to save the original socket from wear. I purchased one about 11 months ago from Tubemonger.com. The one I had started to act up so I contacted the seller, and explained what had happened. He replied that he had sold thousands of them and only had about 8 go bad. He made sure I swapped it in and out with other tubes and without novib. This was on last Friday, I sent the email in the morning, and by afternoon had heard back from him. He sent me a replacement the next day Saturday and I received it on Monday. Customer service is alive and well, with this company. He did not charge for it after 11 months of daily use, I feel good about this, that there are companies out there that still work with the customer to resolve issues. Felt he was trustworthy so I purchased a valve from him to so good faith. Just wanted to pass on this info. Don
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Post by whitenoise on Sept 18, 2014 19:26:33 GMT
Yeah I too use a novib socket saver with my Ember and I as well received one that started acting up. Mine started having issues the same week I received it. I contacted them and they told me pretty much the same thing. A couple days later I received a new one and its been working perfectly ever since. Great customer service for sure!
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Post by Thujone on Oct 5, 2014 14:12:59 GMT
Hey, guys. I was hoping to get a toob recommendation. I've been preferring my Valhalla (stock tubes) over the Ember for my high-ohm Senns. It tends to have better staging and warmth, IMO. I've been using the stock 6N1P, 6GU7, 12AU7, and 12BH7 (I think). I find the 6N1P and 6GU7 to be fairly warm while the 12AU7 and 12BH7 are leaning towards bright. The first two have been preferred over the second two since I don't like the extra brightness on the HE-4 (my main Ember companion). I'm looking for something with these qualities, in order of importance: 1. Expansive stage 2. Detail/resolution 3. Warmth, not bright I'd like to not spend much more than ~$30 for the tube, but I'm open to suggestions. Jeremy and Frans, feel free to chime in. I won't be offended if you guys try to sell me one of your tubes As a side note: I have yet to listen to an amp that performs better than Ember does with the HE-4.
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Post by musicman on Oct 5, 2014 15:00:09 GMT
I would try an Amperex 6dj8, Tungsram E80CC, Mullard CV4024, or Telefunken 12at7 one of my favorites is a Tungsol 5751.
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Rabbit
Administrator
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Post by Rabbit on Oct 5, 2014 15:24:39 GMT
Which valve to use is such a personal thing really. Firstly, I wouldn't personally spend a lot of money on valves. I'd rather have two standard valves than one that is supposed to be the bees knees!! What is bees knees to one is duff to another you see.
Two that I enjoy are 6n23 eb. The one I've kept in my Ember is an Orange Globe valve. No big deal for me tbh. I find that in many cases, we're splitting hairs really.
One thing to watch for though is noise levels. That's where I find a valve can be make or break. Some create way more noise than others and we concentrate so much on the sound of the music that we forget about noises!!
All of this Musicman has recommended also look like a nice choice.
Check for audible noise though, that can vary quite a bit between valves.
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Post by musicman on Oct 5, 2014 15:48:13 GMT
One of the reasons I chose the above valves was the lack of noise in the output. I have a couple of valves that are microphonic, but have gotten them out of the system. Any of these valves will work fine, the subtle differences, are nice to swap out on occasion. Not much difference as Rabbit acknowledges, so it is up to your own ears. I used the 12ax7 for awhile and thought it very accurate, but switched to the 6dj8, for more warmth with the music I am currently listening to.
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Post by Thujone on Oct 5, 2014 17:01:06 GMT
Thanks for the suggestions, guys. The 6DJ8 seemed to meet most of the qualities I'm looking for, from what I've read elsewhere. One more suggestion is all I needed, so I'll pick one up.
I do mostly agree with the splitting hairs comment, but I'd love to be pleasantly surprised!
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