spritzer

That "use a speaker amp" line is just BS. This has more to do with the voltage swing of the speaker amps as the HF idiots think that means more power. What they really need is current and while it isn't a whole lot, the amp has to be able to deliver it quickly. Same can be said about the HD800 though with its wonky impedance.

Think of it as a side benefit...

It does look quite stunning.

Thanks for the well wishes everybody. I did indeed make a coma inducing mixture of sugar and cream of a cake, some of which I just had for breakfast. It was a quiet day though and spent most of it stuffing PCB's while listening to the HE90/BHSE. Could be worse... To quote the bearded man himself: "i see a black knob in your future" That translates to " a party (of something like a deal, negotiation etc,), interest (as in interested party) and finally loud noises.

Happy Birthday my fellow Baker.

That's good as we reworked a lot to make it so small..

Things are much improved and this is a lovely combo indeed. It doesn't have the "smack you in the face" presence of a SR-007 Mk1+KGSS setup (similar price point if you can find either of them) but I've never heard a dynamic anything that can match that. My biggest issue with the HD800 is just how fucking bright they are and the L-2 mitigates that nicely without mucking up the rest of the spectrum.

The "easiest" way would be an amp with two separate output transformers. Now the problem is switching between them but sort that and one pair steps down with multiple taps while the other steps up a bit and has a CT on the secondary. With large enough tubes it could drive speakers too. It's also possible to do this with SS too and it would be interesting to build a HV SS amp and then use transformers.

Doug asked me to swap the tubes in my L-2 and that has cleared up the rolled off top end. Should have tried that earlier but this is what good customer service is all about.

It was bound to happen as the guy likes everything...

Happy Birthday Greg.

...and it's already been downloaded.

That's indeed the problem and it's just confounded by idiots who take to defend something when they have no basis for comparison and indeed don't understand what is wrong in the first place. Then on top of this most reviews are just useless verbal diarrhea where nothing of substance is ever found. Just take the review of the Abyss, Gutendverg (my name for him as it is funny in Icelandic... ) basically lists all the crap he got at a massive discount but does he say anything bout the sound? Strengths, weaknesses, how the transducers behave on different amps? Nope. it's just the "I sounds GOOD!!!" bs you find in most of these reviews... Now I'm not asking for that magnum opus of a SR-007 review but something which lists what's good, what's bad and why this product is special.

I quite like the L-2 but with the HD800 I have a complaint and that's to do with the top end. Set the amp to high impedance (as it should be) the top end is squashed lacking both extension and presence. This extends down into the midrange and makes it less "there" than it should be. This is why I use the amp on the lo setting as it opens up the top end quite a bit but it's not as extended as the Dynalo (aka GS-1 type amp) with an impedance adapter. The HD6xx (built from different parts but 650 drivers) I have here is just fine though and with plenty of top end. It's odd but should be noted as I'm not really a fan of extended treble though it should be "correct", what ever that means. Outside of this I do like the L-2 quite a bit. It lacks the presence and 3-D nature of even a basic Stax rig but that's more a transducer issue and something the Dynalo is also guilty of. It pretty much lets the nature of the source and the transducers stand out (as an amp should) and doesn't sound overblown and bloated like so many of the OTL amps. The bass might even be a bit on the lean side neutral but I'll take that over exaggeration every day. The build quality is outstanding and the minimalistic look is very cool. I was just giddy when I saw the small amber LED on the amps front panel... it's just perfect. Then there is just the utter silence of the amp, no hiss, no hum... no nothing. Welcome change from ohh so many dynamic amps. I also like the tube choice and the side product that tube rolling really isn't possible, which is a good thing. For me this would be a choice between the GS-X Mk2 and the L-2 and you can't really go wrong with either.

If supra_buyer wasn't so active on ebay I'd thought Mikhail had turned his attention to DAC's.... The APL is a first class build compared to that crap. Copious amounts of hot glue and things on tab boards but at least the transformers were mounted properly.

The markups are insane on those things but he does sell a lot of amps. It helps to have used the same circuit for almost 10 years now in the portable crap... The Lampazitor could sound ok but high end it is not. Nothing like a faithful representation of the source material which should be the goal of any source. I'm not a fan of tubes in sources but APL does get it right and a few others. The build quality of the Lampi stuff is also horrendous, even worse than APL The Apex is actually a good point as the Cavalli shills (and any other we annoy at a given moment) say we don't like anything not designed by us but have we ever criticized the Pinnacle? Nope as even at 10K$ it is good value given the effort and materials that go into making it. You could get better performance at a lower price but it won't be a SET.

Add to that that the "impartial" body doing said measurements is supposed to have a financial stake in the company and some how measures higher S/N ratings than is possible at room temp for anything it's all on the up and up...

Ahh yes, the "I've heard it and it was awesome" reply, a true classic. The true refuge of anybody without a single clue what he's talking about. First, any of the Cavalli amps being expensive to make is as ludicrous as the Abyss being worth it's lofty price tag. JPS comes in time and again claims that they needed to tool up to produce it but isn't that the cost of any manufacturing venture? Same with Cavalli, milled stuff from China is dirt cheap and so are punched steel boxes. Nothing else in there worth a whole lot so what is so bloody expensive? The problem with both companies is clear though, excessive markup is the only way for them to recoup the investment. Take Stax as the polar opposite, the SR-009 is expensive but the markup is very low so Stax have to sell a lot of them to make end meets. If we expand on this a bit, RSA makes enough money for Ray to own a Lambo but does Justin own one? Since I'm listening to an ECP L-2 now, that is definitely in the low markup category too. It also dares to be different which is very refreshing. Second, we draw our conclusions from full schematic of the amps not a quick glance at a picture. The circuits are then simulated and finally built. As the number of prototypes has grown it's become quite a burden to keep all of them hence the move to small dynamic amps that are much easier to deal with. Just to show how bad it is, I used my WES just now as a weight to secure a set of speakers in the trunk of my car. Yeah, too many amps. Lastly, this does bring up an issue with HF and the idiots that populate it. Amps are lumped into groups that make no sense and everything is judged based on price because nobody has enough sense to see what's underneath the hood and try to learn what makes them tick. Take the LG as an example, who in their right mind thinks it is a good idea to cram just about any dual triode in a circuit and expect it to perform at all? Anybody with even the least bit of sense can see that tubes have very different specs and no circuit can be even remotely optimized for all of them at once. The L-2 must drive people mad as there is no tube rolling, just this one tube with a gold pin version too. SS amps aren't any better as everything is lumped together with no attempt to see what makes it all work. RWA compared to the GS-X when they have nothing in common etc. Now I'm bored and Kevin wants me to look at some new PCB's...

Only problem, finding some HV ones that are not for TV use and with horrible Cob.... Edit. And who ever thought it was a good idea to call the new ones TO-3P needs to be taken out back and shot.

Ooops forgot about about LG, that "stacker" pile of fail. Yet another variation of the same crappy circuit. I just love how protective Alex was of this circuit when everybody always knew what it was. I meant the Lau is the steaming pile of shit though. A true statement in price over substance.

All are easy to find and in current production. PSU can be pretty much anything bipolar. When Kevin was working on Jacob's amp I found some Elpac units what would work and are quite cheap. A 317/337 unit like the ones Twisted Pear sell would also work. Ebay is filled with suitable PSU's too.

None of that is really needed for small scale production or a one off piece but following what the stupid people in Belgium say can't hurt. As for 100V, it would be easy enough to order a transformer with 100V windings or just taps. The PCB would have to be changed or simply bypassed as the current voltage selector wouldn't work but it's a minor issue. Doug might have to look into some gold anodizing though for the Japanese market...

So Ultrasones then? Aren't they just Beats with some shiny added? We go through this every time something new comes along. It's always MOAR BETTAH!!! than what came before and the people banging the drum will move on as soon as something new surfaces. This goes round and round and round and... The truth is quite simple though and very few new products are actually giving us something new. The Ortho's may be the hot topic but in reality it's the HD800 which is the real star and where there has been proper progress. It's not perfect but no other dynamic can match it's abilities. It also says a lot about the Abyss that it's show with the LG though. The amp is such a pile of crap that Cavalli should be proud of the mediocrity and it is crushed by far cheaper designs. Specs are BS too but that's a given with Cavalli. Hell a basic Dynahi is more than 4 times as powerful and can stay in Class A. People have been asking us about clone boards but I really don't see the point. It's the equivalent of cloning that Lampazitor crap when it should just be put to the torch. Still it is expensive so it must be good...

Good point.

So my L-2 arrived yesterday but a small problem, the umbilical was still sitting in the US. Minor issue... Too early for any impressions but I do like the build quality quite a bit.