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Post by lobalwarming on Sept 20, 2023 21:03:23 GMT
One could be worried about head clamp on the Amiron with the Dekoni pads... but the clamp is so extreme you can't take them off... that's hard core. Expect the 1990 will result in more head time on the H5. The Ami would be too warm on the H5 for my delicate midbass tastes.
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Post by lobalwarming on Sept 12, 2023 21:15:10 GMT
Excellent choice! Hope you enjoy it. Great pairing with the 1990. With all the money you've saved (for retirement) you can now spend on tube rolling!
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Post by lobalwarming on Aug 13, 2023 8:00:41 GMT
Wieslaw could build a custom transformer output amp for you. He has in the past. However, you still wouldn't know what a good OTL sounds like. Could ask him to build an amp with switchable trafo/OTL option. He's just crazy enough to enjoy the challenge. You might as well. Happy thermionic searching!
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Post by lobalwarming on Aug 10, 2023 22:54:25 GMT
Elex-R does claim to have a passive preamp section. The other thing that scales heavily in favour of the Eufonika over the Earmax... is the sound. H5 is on another level. The richer, more detailed, more spacious level.
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Post by lobalwarming on Aug 7, 2023 21:25:34 GMT
whatever i get could see me parting with the Violectric. really good amp but i prefer my Ember If you felt the Earwax was pretty good, expect you will be gobsmacked by the H5. After spending much time (and some money) on tube rolling. The tubes you are using now with your Ember can be used with the H5 as drivers. Just leaves the output tubes to drain your bank account. Although if you avoid the over-hyped, over-priced ones like GEC 6AS7 and TS 5998, you won't need to spend too much to cover the tonal buffet. What flavour combo you enjoy most is for you alone to discover.
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Post by lobalwarming on Aug 5, 2023 23:37:24 GMT
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 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.
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Post by lobalwarming on Aug 4, 2023 20:59:32 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.
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Post by lobalwarming on Jan 1, 2023 9:35:25 GMT
Feels like just three hundred and sixty-five days ago... Wishing everyone a happy 2023!
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Post by lobalwarming on Jan 8, 2022 0:08:15 GMT
Welcome to our heady little place, sspkt!
I've leapt into the 1990 modding stream too. Have experimented with a variety of pads, passive/active filters and damping. Getting there. Using the 1990 with RealPhones for work and it has been great. Even if I'm still getting accustomed to the extra weight of the Beyers vs the Senn 650/540. 1990s are well-suited for tube rolling as well. Quite revealing. Of course, tube rolling is a different, more expensive obsession than headphone modding.
Enjoy the journey!
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Post by lobalwarming on Jan 1, 2022 8:02:22 GMT
Hope it's new and less problematic than the old one.
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Post by lobalwarming on Jan 1, 2022 7:28:05 GMT
And I'm a week late. Happy Late B-Day, Frans!
Remember you're only old once. Or young. I forget. ;-)
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Post by lobalwarming on Aug 12, 2021 23:09:35 GMT
Great stuff, elysion! You didn't just dip a toe in, but put your full sole feet-first into this thread.
Your 3rd lesson had me in knots. And looking for velcro options. ;-)
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HD414
Jul 20, 2021 23:28:05 GMT
Post by lobalwarming on Jul 20, 2021 23:28:05 GMT
Thanks, Frans! Seems like an early anti-Harmon curve, way before it was cool to rip on Harmon...er.. Samsung. ;-)
I used HD414s for years... but never really enjoyed them. Can't see why... 10dB boost at 3k delivers all the clarity all the time. And without bass or even mid-bass to muddy the presentation. Do remember they were comfortable tho.
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Post by lobalwarming on May 28, 2021 23:37:59 GMT
Not that different in concept... but packaging and style... sure. In theory tho... it's terrible. But probably worse in practice. ;-)
Back-2-Back force cancelling woofer concept has been around for years and years. The small enclosure volume will require some hefty power to cheat physics and produce much below 100hz. And the horns splashing nasty peaks around the room... yup... been there, cringed at it.
They bill it as: "The world’s first Triphonic speaker". Are they Tri-ing to pretend 3-way speakers never existed until now? Also not a single spec of specifications to be found. Not even a basic frequency response chart or distortion measurements. Marketing is the only spec they seem to prefer.
Might appeal to those who want a fancy, over-priced 'lifestyle' bluetooth-type speaker with a smartphone app. For those who enjoy music reproduced semi-accurately, there's many better options.
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Post by lobalwarming on Jan 1, 2021 10:43:23 GMT
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