Mayberry on Acid -- Meet Impressions

[CD44hi]

I think what you're seeing is all one amp, 2 separate power supplies tied to the central amplification section.

whoa! interesting... I think this is an exciting addition to the amp scene. I am definitely eager to hear more.

Hopefully he may be willing to consider building for others? ......That be another option in the market. IMO we are lacking options on the high end of tube amplifiers....

[Jon L]

Dual mono supplies with a single amp section. I like that he used GM70's in a headphone amp as Lamm is charging 100k+ for a similar amp for speakers...

I don't understand the recent rage over GM70 tubes, especially for headphone application. I see where GM70 is required for non-sensitive speakers due to its ~50 watt capability, but that kind of power is not necessary for headphones, even K1000's.

I only mention this b/c my (limited) experience with GM70 tube (deHavilland) impressed me with somewhat lush, rich, warmish signature with concessions given to micro-power tubes in terms of microdynamics and aliveness...

[n_maher]

whoa! interesting... I think this is an exciting addition to the amp scene. I am definitely eager to hear more.

Hopefully he may be willing to consider building for others? ......That be another option in the market. IMO we are lacking options on the high end of tube amplifiers....

I can't imagine what the price would be for something like that, probably high.

[PFKMan23]

I can't imagine what the price would be for something like that, probably high.

Indeed.

[Pars]

I can't imagine what the price would be for something like that, probably high.

You mean like Rudistors and Singlepowers and ECs are cheap? Not to mention RSAs?

[aerius]

I don't understand the recent rage over GM70 tubes, especially for headphone application. I see where GM70 is required for non-sensitive speakers due to its ~50 watt capability, but that kind of power is not necessary for headphones, even K1000's.

Well, given that a balanced Dynahi or ?22 is fairly close to that level of power output, I don't see why not. Plus the tubes are big and look cool, and from what I've read on diyaudio the performance is pretty good too.

[aerius]

I can't imagine what the price would be for something like that, probably high.

Parts cost alone is probably in the $5-7k range with all those transformers & chokes, add in the labour to build it by hand and the final cost is likely going to break 5 figures. As far as I can tell, the amp is quality gear and worth it.

Anyways, impressions of the reel to reel tape system!

[n_maher]

That's about what I was figuring, aerius.

[deepak]

How about more pics of the R2R system :drool:

[Voltron]

Parts cost alone is probably in the $5-7k range with all those transformers & chokes, add in the labour to build it by hand and the final cost is likely going to break 5 figures. As far as I can tell, the amp is quality gear and worth it.

Anyways, impressions of the reel to reel tape system!

Frank said the parts cost was $2K but that might be a little low.

It is not dual mono, as I understand it. One PS powers the driver tubes, which are 6BX7GTs, and the other PS powers the output tubes, the Soviet GM70s. The nice thing is that Frank drew out the schematic for thrice and he is going to part it out and spec some amps (possibly) for the impressed listeners. The K1000 sounded really nice, but I actually thought the HP-1s were gorgeous. We all agreed that Frank needs to slap on some speaker taps and maybe a 4-pin XLR instead of the 1/4. Nice stuff.

[luvdunhill]

It is not dual mono, as I understand it. One PS powers the driver tubes, which are 6BX7GTs, and the other PS powers the output tubes, the Soviet GM70s.

really? I was thinking dual mono as well, due to the indirectly heated GM70s...

[purk]

Impression of the HE1.2 & HE1.3 vs. OII vs. Baby O please.

[boomana]

I think what you're seeing is all one amp, 2 separate power supplies tied to the central amplification section.

Yep. There was actually a third power supply under the table that was for the GM70 filaments. The two on top were for the drivers and the outputs as Voltron said. This amp was also the best L3000 amp I've heard to date. Frank said that he hadn't yet gotten the amp sound "right" yet and considered it to be about 80% of what he wanted. I know Thrice got the details of what's what.

More impressions to follow, but there was an astounding amount of great gear, and I'm wiped out and hurt from too much laughing. Volton pulled off the best party I've been to in years, which just happened to have a lot of good gear/music around. The Caifornia crew is a wonderful bunch, and I'm hoping to see many of them again at CanJam. Iron Dreamer wins points for actually lasting until late tonight when sanity struck and he decided to drive on home rather than stay one more night.

[guzziguy]

And I love the space cadet look Ken has going on.

Yep, I finally found some Grados that I could love, the HP-1000 series. I could be happy with either the HP-1 or HP-2. Unfortunately, neither my wallet nor my wife could be happy with them. Sigh.

[guzziguy]

<snip>

The K1000 sounded really nice, but I actually thought the HP-1s were gorgeous. We all agreed that Frank needs to slap on some speaker taps and maybe a 4-pin XLR instead of the 1/4. Nice stuff.

I can't make the comparison because I didn't listen to a K1000, but the HP-1 was fantastic. As I pointed out in the previous post, it's the first pair of Grados that I could love.

The best news is that I discovered that Frank lives in Santa Barbara too. So hopefully I can invite myself over and listen to them again and again. For me, his amp was the star of the meet. :prettyprincess:

[Voltron]

Impression of the HE1.2 & HE1.3 vs. OII vs. Baby O please.

Sorry that I cannot give detailed impressions because most of my listening was on the fly and under stress but here are some comments. I heard the 1.2 out of Gene's 007tii amp and thought that they sounded quite good but not Orpheus-like to my ears. Going from the O2mkII to the 1.2s was a shift from laid-back and pretty flat to much more lively, not quite in your face sound and WAY louder at the same volume. Didn't have the chance to volume-match but somebody may have done it. I have never liked the O2 very much, and nothing at this meet changed that.

As for the 1.3, it not only looked ridiculous -- like some spare bamboo from a Tiki Bar -- but sounded off as well. I don't know the history of these cans or what changed besides the materials and look of them from 1.2 to 1.3, but there is no way I would buy the 1.3 ever. The 1.2 might have a place in the world, although I didn't spend enough time with them to really figure out what that would be.

I was also able to listen to the 4070s for the first time and spent more time with them than any of these other stats. I love them. They have more life and body than the O2 and they have both details and sense of presence that were impressive. Even though they are heavy, they are very comfortable and I thought they sounded really excellent out of the 007tii. I don't recall listening out of the SRM-1mkII, which is a shame because they seem pretty efficient and that might be a nice easy option.

[postjack]

As for the 1.3, it not only looked ridiculous -- like some spare bamboo from a Tiki Bar -- but sounded off as well. I don't know the history of these cans or what changed besides the materials and look of them from 1.2 to 1.3, but there is no way I would buy the 1.3 ever. The 1.2 might have a place in the world, although I didn't spend enough time with them to really figure out what that would be.

Thanks for the impressions. Those grills look like they'd mess up the sound.

Apparently they are abandoning the 1.3 look altogether, and reverting back to a black version of 1.2 (1.2b?). This just going off what I read on the Head Direct site.

[Voltron]

Apparently they are abandoning the 1.3 look altogether, and reverting back to a black version of 1.2 (1.2b?). This just going off what I read on the Head Direct site.

I heard the same thing and at least a couple people from the meet have ordered the 1.2B.

I also meant to add that the HE60 also sounded very nice out of Neil's incredible rig. The HE90 still rule the 'stat world for me, so here was my full ranking for the stats at the meet:

HE90

4070

HE60

O2mkII

He1.2

Lambda Pro Signature

Lambda Pro

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V

He1.3

[spritzer]

I don't understand the recent rage over GM70 tubes, especially for headphone application. I see where GM70 is required for non-sensitive speakers due to its ~50 watt capability, but that kind of power is not necessary for headphones, even K1000's.

I only mention this b/c my (limited) experience with GM70 tube (deHavilland) impressed me with somewhat lush, rich, warmish signature with concessions given to micro-power tubes in terms of microdynamics and aliveness...

It's a good tube for just that, massive amounts of SET power. I've been looking into the deHavilland amp for my upcoming speaker rig and there is a reason why it sounds like that... the parts quality is awful. They are cheap so that was a given but some more life could be squeezed out of the beast.

Btw. I have this itch to see what the GM70 can do for the SR-007 through custom transformers to replace the need for output caps. Who needs lights when you have four GM70's in a row...

Thanks for the impressions. Those grills look like they'd mess up the sound.

The 1.3 grill will have a large impact on the sound as it reflects part of the backwave. It would be much better to use some damping before the grill but that would result in a sound similar to the Lambda Pro.

I heard the same thing and at least a couple people from the meet have ordered the 1.2B.

I also meant to add that the HE60 also sounded very nice out of Neil's incredible rig. The HE90 still rule the 'stat world for me, so here was my full ranking for the stats at the meet:

HE90

4070

HE60

O2mkII

He1.2

Lambda Pro Signature

Lambda Pro

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V

He1.3

You really need to hear the SR-007 and SR-Omega out of a real amp. The ES-2 might be expensive but I'm not sure it cuts it...

[purk]

http://www.head-case.org/the_casino/mayberry_on_acidmeet_in_marin_on_february_2_2008-t2788.0.html;msg96050;topicseen#new

Spritzer,

What's will be a good amp for the SR-007? Have you tried the HE-90 with either the ES-1 or the ES-2?

[spritzer]

Spritzer,

What's will be a good amp for the SR-007? Have you tried the HE-90 with either the ES-1 or the ES-2?

An upgraded Blue Hawaii would be my first place to start. I've spent some time recently chatting with an ES-1 owner why impression of these phones are so different between the amps and it must be down to the basic design. I've even been toying with the idea to buy a used ES-1 and compare it but I'd rather spend the 3k$ on building a new, souped up BH. I don't want to derail the thread but since I've been shifting my focus in the hobby recently this issue has been bothering me as to where I should go.

[Voltron]

You really need to hear the SR-007 and SR-Omega out of a real amp. The ES-2 might be expensive but I'm not sure it cuts it...

There is no thread theme to derail here, so I don't have any problem focusing on this for a minute. I think your comment that the ES-2 is not a "real amp" goes too far as I am quite certain you have never heard it. I don't know if you have ever even heard the ES-1 from the sound of it, but it seems not. You second-hand comments and speculation don't seem justified.

MikeyMad is a member with an ES-1 who absolutely loves the way his O2 sounds from it. I think his setup sounds good too, but the cans have never done it for me. I have also heard the O2 and O2mkII from the ES-2 and again, it really doesn't do it for me. It has been awhile and I cannot give any specifics on the sound, but I know I heard O2s on a Blue Hawaii at least once if not twice. That didn't do it for me either. I have never been wowed by their presentation in any way. I have heard a KGSS and Aristeas but I don't have a specific memory of the O2s on those amps. I would love to hear an O1 but I am not aware of any that are around here.

Curious about what Justin is doing with the BH SE and also with his new electrostatic amp in the planning stages. Not sure if they could make me like the Omegas any more, however.

[deepak]

The Omega II do have a presentation that people will either like or they won't. I can't say I was too impressed with them on my first encounter. But to me it sounded like they had a signature where nothing jumps out at you immediately and instead they grow on you slowly. This was my impression with the L3000 as well, and I still think the two share similar traits.

[Dusty Chalk]

Can we get a non-Casino impressions thread, and/or split this one over there? I mean, I can do it, but I wanted to check with y'all first. If I don't hear anything dissenting, I'll do it later tonight. I won't go any earlier than from when the meeting started, perhaps boomana's first pics post.

[luvdunhill]

Curious about what Justin is doing with the BH SE and also with his new electrostatic amp in the planning stages. Not sure if they could make me like the Omegas any more, however.

If you don't like the KGBH, then I don't think you'll like the KGBH SE, from what I know of the "upgrades".

From what I understand the new amp, dubbed the KGST will have less power than the BH, in which case, I wouldn't hold out hopes for this combination either with the SR-007. The direction needs to be more class A, more power, more heat.

I think your comment that the ES-2 is not a "real amp" goes too far as I am quite certain you have never heard it. I don't know if you have ever even heard the ES-1 from the sound of it, but it seems not.

Let's not go down this rabbit-hole here at head-case. No, this isn't a concession or agreement with the above line of logic, in fact it's the opposite.