oldson
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Post by oldson on Sept 8, 2023 18:18:25 GMT
yesterday i fitted the dekoni hybrid pads to my 1990 and they are a totally different headphone now. much more bass, bordering too much. the treble peak appears reduced to my ears too, probably down to the extra layer covering the driver bagged a used Amiron home. next to my 1990 they sounded lean and well boring tbh. the hybrid pads breathed life in to them thankfully, so i will have to buy another set now.
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oldson
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Post by oldson on Aug 31, 2023 12:39:43 GMT
yesterday i fitted the dekoni hybrid pads to my 1990 and they are a totally different headphone now. much more bass, bordering too much. the treble peak appears reduced to my ears too, probably down to the extra layer covering the driver
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oldson
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Post by oldson on Aug 15, 2023 12:49:20 GMT
just ordered the H5KPCU
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Post by oldson on Aug 12, 2023 17:15:05 GMT
as i have the original version of Ember, are there big benefits to upgrading to the latest?
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oldson
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Post by oldson on Aug 12, 2023 17:05:54 GMT
only recently aquired the dt1990 and really enjoying it. listening mostly filtered (thanks Frans), but i like both. really depends on the track and so far i have only tried the B pads. not missing my hd800 tbh
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Post by oldson on Aug 11, 2023 20:37:52 GMT
the pre-amp option into my Elex-r is a non starter i have concluded, a buffer would be my preferred option maybe in the future. i certainly wont be swapping out the Elex-r anytime soon. the Earmax is off the menu now as far too expensive, considering its age.
so i am close to ordering the H5, but still researching the option of a transformer coupled unit, to accommodate more headphones
White bird audio master is interesting me too
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Post by oldson on Aug 10, 2023 19:05:13 GMT
the integrated amp in question is my Rega Elex-r. this unit does NOT have a "direct power amp" input like my (now sold) Marantz pm7003 integrated. But it DOES have a "passive pre-amp".
am i right in thinking i can use an external tube pre-amp into this, without "double amping" the pre section?
i wish to order an otl head/pre amp and the answer to this may affect my decision. cheers
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oldson
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Post by oldson on Aug 9, 2023 20:18:05 GMT
one thing that would tip the scales heavily in favour of the Eufonika over the Earmax is the pre-amp function. my problem is that i have recently traded in my old Marantz integrated for a Rega Elex-r. the Marantz did have a "direct power amp" input where the Rega does not. i dont want to "double amp" the signal from my source.
however, i have read that using an external pre-amp into an integrated amp is fine providing the integrated's pre-amp section is "passive". (which it is on my Rega). just not sure whether this is actually true?
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oldson
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Post by oldson on Aug 6, 2023 20:13:41 GMT
whatever i get could see me parting with the Violectric. really good amp but i prefer my Ember
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Post by oldson on Aug 6, 2023 19:57:18 GMT
I would caution you about that old amp. If it cost less than $25 it might make an interesting conversation piece about one of the worst examples of an OTL amp. It uses a pair of ECC88 as outputs. It has an output impedance of about 80ohms. Which may seem high, but is really good for a pair of small signal kiddie's tubes. Uncertain how much negative feedback was employed to get below 100 ohms - although the push/pull design would help - but push/pull means it is not a true Class A design. The Pro version has a max output of 150mW. All those horrid design compromises isn't the worst part of it tho. The worst part, for me, is the inability to roll output tubes (or drivers). Perhaps you'll get lucky and discover it's a revelation and your search for thermionic bliss is complete. More likely you'll find it is a low resolution, high distortion device that puts you off OTLs forever. That would be unfortunate. I strongly advise skipping this little piece of audio novelty. Get the H5. It will give you a much better sonic overview of OTL design and the chance to find the output and driver tubes combos that you most enjoy. i only had a short time with the Earmax as it had a fault. i thought it sounded pretty good, but if the Eufonika amp is far better , then i am interested for sure. i did browse through the thread on head-fi and was interested at the comments made by someone who had both the earmax and h5. i got the impression he didnt think there was a great difference in performance. i think he was known as "grumpy old man" or something similar.
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Post by oldson on Aug 5, 2023 13:02:17 GMT
i have an itch to try an otl amplifier without breaking the bank. just stumbled across Eufonika, a small company based in Poland eufonika.pl/index.htmlthey have an ebay shop. i have enquired about the "H5" ,of which there are 3 variants and i would like to know how they differ. they do appear to offer good value, to me. any thoughts? Hi oldson . I bough a semi-custom H5 over a year ago. Next to the G1217 Solstice, the best value amp I've ever owned. For less than half the cost of a fully tricked out Crack, the H5 is a wonderful OTL. Quiet, well-built, with individual choke power supply for each tube section. Amazing versatility. I've had endless hours of tube rolling fun. While nominally a 6SN7/6AS7/6080 amp, it works well with the ECC81/ECC82/EC90/EC92/396A/5670 kiddies driver tubes (adapted). And 6J5/6P5/L63 twins. And 6350, 6N6P, ECC88, 6F8G, ECC31/32 and more! For outputs I've used the TS 6080s, 5998, 7236 and Bendix 6080WB, Chatham 6AS7. My fav output tubes are the low cost, but high clarity GEC CV4079 twins. If you don't want to muck around, like I do, with cap rolling, then the H5KPCU with the Miflex PIO caps is the model to get. Miflex KPCU is used for the coupling cap and output bypass cap. It's a rich, delicious, detailed combo which best reveals the H5's strengths. The basic H5 is hamstrung by the meh coupling cap. However, for low cost it can be replaced with Amtrans AMCY .1uf copper foil cap or soviet era Telfon or PIO caps. A second pair of Amtrans can be used to bypass the output electrolytic. Or like me you can order your H5 with dangly cap leads and dive into the crazy pool of cap rolling. Almost as much fun as tube rolling, and nearly as cheap. ;-) The H5DS offers 6V/12V heater supply for the driver. Variable heater option can be added to the H5KPCU model. If you have a number of 12SN7s then it makes sense to get that option. Like I didn't, instead spend more money on external heater adapters. However, can you ever have too many tube adapters? No, no, you cannot. PM me for more info and crazy tube/cap rolling ideas/mayhem. hi mate,and thanks for the reply regarding the different H5 models. i had been trying to get this info from Eufonica, without much success. i do have a chance of a very cheap Brocksieper Earmax amp, but if that falls through i will almost certainly go the H5 route. i will tap you up for more info if this happens. cheers
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oldson
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Post by oldson on Aug 1, 2023 20:03:26 GMT
i have an itch to try an otl amplifier without breaking the bank. just stumbled across Eufonika, a small company based in Poland eufonika.pl/index.htmlthey have an ebay shop. i have enquired about the "H5" ,of which there are 3 variants and i would like to know how they differ. they do appear to offer good value, to me. any thoughts?
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Post by oldson on Jul 29, 2023 17:36:17 GMT
Quad ERA-1 arrived and sound much warmer then the Meze-109, however i like both!
just to complicate things i borrowed a nice little otl amp a few days back, an Earmax special edition (same spec as the "silver" varient). manufacturers claim this amp to be ok with very low impedance headphones ie "35 ohms and above". the amp has a fault and the owner has now sent away for repair, so i only got a short time with it. sounded great with my hd650. i am going to hold off buying any more headphones until this amp has been repaired. i will get 1st refusal on buying it so my headphone search could well depend on it. already looking at suitable options like the DT1990, but will almost certainly want a filter lead.
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Post by oldson on Jul 25, 2023 19:05:49 GMT
thanks for the suggestion Franz. just looked them up and they are interesting me. the dont look as good as the meze.......... until you get to the price!
currently i have the 109 and HD660s2 on loan from a dealer. have ruled out the 660 as it is very similar in sound to my 650, especially using the Kameleon, so no point buying them. sound wise i do slightly prefer the 109, but i am now concerned about the driver issue you refer to. i notice thomann uk offer a 30 day no quibble return, so i may take a chance on the Ollo. i do have the Quad era-1 coming later in the week. not going to rush into anything though.
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Post by oldson on Jul 23, 2023 16:57:37 GMT
been on a bit of a spending spree of late. the RP3 deck is now replaced by a Rega P8 with Ania-pro cart. also upgraded phonostage to Rega Aria. my old Marantz amp is replaced by Rega Elex and just so my digital side didnt feel left out, my Pro-ject DS2 dac is replaced by Chord Qutest. vinyl now sounds amazing. as far as the dac upgrade, not much difference on the coax input, but the usb implementation on the Chord is far superior to the Pro-ject.
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