spritzer

I don't have allergy to RSA amps, I just happen to not like 20% THD from a headphone amp. Kinda defeats the purpose of one when all it does is limit volume and add distortion. The HD800 is picky but being used to the SR-007Mk1 I can't say that it's a bad thing. They simply need a good, stable amp to drive them which can handle the quirky impedance behavior. Now this excludes 95% of the amps out there so people swing the other way and use badly designed garbage such as the Alo Studio Six and Leben to mask what they find offensive in the transducers character. One could argue that this is defeating the point of buying them in the first place though... It's the same crap as with the 009, so many think that simply adding distortion will fix what they find wrong with the transducers.

So here are the facts, that SRM-T2 will die just like all the other ones and there are no spare parts and no way to fix it. There are quite a few dead T2's out there... It's performance is in no way comparable to the DIY version, I'd take a Blue Hawaii over a stock T2 in a heartbeat. That hum drove me mad, it gets silly hot and the input switching is very annoying. So for roughly 17K$ (this was through Kubo so there are fees on top of the sale price) it's a pretty crap deal.

So who else besides Tyll has measured the ESP950?

I'd gradually build up to something like the Dynahi, not jump in. The B22 is fragile so be prepared to to some error checking which is arguably the hardest part of DIY.

Bypass the e24 and try it with a switched extension cord instead. This is the main reason why I use latching switches instead, I despise relays... Most likely the PSU. A spec of dust can always cause a brief short to ground which could account for the pop. The amp should under no circumstance cause damage to the phones. We made sure of that but there is always that one time...

Indeed... There is though that I stumbled across earlier: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Teflon-Chassis-Jack-for-Stax-Headphones/1386475435.html

Nope, some CGI firm did it.

Aside from the CCS stuff then it would be easy to simply wire up. I also have a less insane version of the Megatron on the back burner with SS CSS and a simplified input stage. Pretty much a ESX maxed out...

Yup, do not use the uninsulated diodes.

Those are probably bias related issues. If they aren't charging properly then you can get audible distortion. Other cause for this is not good... the diaphragms are burnt up quite badly.

Look up the Firstwatt F5 amp design to see how it should be used. It's role is to limit the inrush current as the amp is switched on. You need one for 230V and two for 117V.

Brutal honesty is my drug of choice. The idiots on HF seem not to appreciate it though...

They are and if people would pool a number of purchases then I'm sure there are some nice matches to be found. Personally I'd just wait until Linear fill those few million unit orders and these will be available in mass.

For this one then yes. I was matching the Idss for the LL1 as that's how the stock units are matched.

I bought some and the Idss is all over the place. No way to get any matches from those 8.

Changing from the J176 to tightly matched J74's was not a subtle change in the LL1. All matched to identical specs...

Those look real enough and are from the last production run.

All amps are auto bias for most of HF...

When I got my ES-1 I looked up some rolling guide and I stared at it in disbelief. Turns out Woo are just as bad a SP when it comes to the rolling...

I do have some SP tube adapters here.... More interested in just designing new amps for these tubes, not simply dropping them into old circuits.

Perhaps a better and far cheaper option would be the GU50. Dirt cheap and supposedly very reliable...

We demand pics!!!!

No, Keen Ocean. Same as the ones used in the Eddie Current crapola. Typical Chinese OEM, you can get them dirt cheap but once you set strict standards in terms of temp rise etc. then they get a lot more expensive. As it stands now I foresee having to build about 10 KGSSHV's to test new parts and just to burn up my own stock of boards. A SumR transformer would cost about 270$ all inclusive (trafo, shipping and tax/fees top of both) and these are far cheaper plus better made and with higher spec.

Well at least I'm making sure you are in good form.

I just really like to buy in bulk and be able to build something at the drop of a hat. That's what bodies are for... we are the mafia after all. Wouldn't help me a whole lot though on a FWD car...