Comments on Ray Samuel's Stealth?

[darkclouds]

I'm looking for comments concerning Ray's Stealth headamp even if it's only from a short audition or just preliminary thoughts.

I hate to go into this completely blind (as I'm about to do); and I've only have a few days left to take advantage of the preorder price. I'd rather not buy by reputation alone.

So, if any of you have any comments, thoughts and/or opinions, please let it be known here.

Tuberoller? You are you here?

[mjg]

weren't there a bunch of comments on it from the meet they had it at?

[john_jcb]

mjg is right, if you go to the threads from the last Detroit and Chicago meets there are a number of comments about the amp. The amps at the show are the production amp except for a minor component value change mentioned below.

Tuberoller and I each have a first article production amp for evaluation. We have been told by Ray that he has made a very minor change to a component value in the power supply to get the bass exactly where he wants it. Tomorrow, Tuberoller and I are having the amps we have been listening to updated to the exact configuration that will be shipped. I would really like to wait a day or so before I post any impressions as I want to hear the amp in the exact same state as the one I will be buying. Another bonus is that Tuberoller has a pair of HP-1's and R-10's that we are going to listen to. We will also be using the RS-1's, HD-600's and Ety 4S.

[agile_one]

This thread has pictures and lots of comments.

Also, the Cihcago Meet thread had pics and comments on the Stealth protptype.

[darkclouds]

The majority of comments from the other threads were more of ooohhs and aahh and inquiring/pleading for more comments abouth the stealth as I am.

john, I'll be awaiting for your forthcoming review/impressions.

[kentamcolin]

If there were a manufacturer I would buy from based on reputation alone it would be Ray (or Moth ).

[Nightfall]

Originally posted by kentamcolin
If there were a manufacturer I would buy from based on reputation alone it would be Ray (or Moth ).

Well said. I would have no concern buying virtually anything from Ray, given the superb quality of his designs and implementations of audio products. Also given the fact that, having gotten to know him, no one cares more about the quality associated with their name, and about audio.
There is an upcoming review from Tuberoller, who has heard the production version. His last comment only said we would see the review soon, but I know he has a lot on his plate, and was planning on going to CES if at all possible.



JC

[sclamb]

Any information, even a four line summary, may be good enough from someone of Tuberoller's obvious knowledge and standing in this forum to convice people, who may otherwise be reticent, to take the plunge.

If that was before the 14th, even better, as it would enable people to get the good deal price.

SImon

[john_jcb]

I have been compiling my impressions using the first production unit and a variety of headphones. I will post those impressions when I get home from work. This won't be a regular review but headphone by headphone comments of what I heard. The list will include Sony R-10 and CD-3000, Senn HD-600 and PX-200, Grado RS-1, HP-1 and SR-225, AKG-401 and Ety-4S. I could not put my hands on any Beyers.

I have also listened to it as pre-amp and it sounds great. This is rather subjective though as I only have one other to compare it against and I heard that some time ago. To do a review as a pre amp would require IMO a good reference system for comparison so I will leave that to someone else.

[sclamb]

That would be very good of you. I especially look forward to hearing your Senn 600 and Ety ER-4S impressions.

Thanks.

Simon

[dd3mon]

So Tuberoller and john_jcb have Stealths? You bastards!

Just kidding, but be sure to get yer impressions/reviews out soon! This could be my next "goal product" to own.

Although (as a result of some amazing Amperex tubes), for the first time since I started this silly hobby, I am contented with my system as it stands

-dd3mon

[Sean H]

Originally posted by dd3mon
Although (as a result of some amazing Amperex tubes), for the first time since I started this silly hobby, I am contented with my system as it stands

-dd3mon

Then run my son, run like the wind away from here! This place will just keep you going! I have been (had been??) kind of feeling content as well but now I've got an XP-7 on the way.

[john_jcb]

Well here are the first impressions I promised for today. I would of liked more time but I realize the clock is ticking.

All of my impressions are based on Redbook CD's played on the Meridian 508 as amplified by the production version of the Emmeline II Stealth tube amplifier. One note, my normal listening level is not real loud; so as you read realize that what you hear may be a bit different with some headphones based on where your "normal" volume setting is. Hopefully this will be clear as you read the impressions. A personal observation about tube amps, we often speak of synergy with respect to headphones and equipment, this is indeed the case with tube amps and headphones. Some headphones either because of their low impedance and/or inefficient drivers do not pair well with tube gear, others are perfect matches and a few are on the fence depending on your listening levels and music selections. I listened to the Stealth as a preamp driving Cary SLM-100 monoblocks and it did a great job. I really did not have a “reference” system for comparison so I won’t comment further.

For these impressions I used an abbreviated list of recordings:

Aimee Mann "Lost in Space" Tracks 2,3
Gladiator Soundtrack Tracks 3 and 10
Holly Cole "Temptation" Tracks 2,6,7 and 11
Led Zeppelin I Tracks 2, 7 and 8
Jennifer Warnes “Famous Blue Raincoat” Track 3


Sennheiser
HD-600 - I used a Cardas aftermarket cable for all of my listening. I have a stock cable somewhere that I could use but it presently is MIA. These headphones sounded as I would guess the German engineers intended when they designed them. The music was well balanced and detailed. The Bass was full and seemed extended to the limits of my hearing or the headphones. The all important midrange was crisp and I enjoyed the detail even at low listening levels. The amp can easily drive these headphones to levels that are damaging to ones hearing without any problems or distortion. The Led Zeppelin sounded as it should without distortion. I will need some more time to really do a comparison with various rock bands to see it I like solid state or tubes more with the Senn's. It is not as obvious a choice as it is with the lower impedance headphones. I will say that guitar solos as you hear from Zeppelin, Stevie Ray Vaughn, etc really come through in all their glory. I did not have the 580's or the 650's for this listening but I would guess the results would be comparable based on what I have read.

PX-200 – I brought this pair home just for the fun of it. I use them at work with XM Radio or my PCDP. After listening to the HD-600’s you can immediately pick out the differences but give your ears a few minutes to adjust and these $35 headphones sound pretty good. I really enjoyed the Led Zeppelin with them. I would not steer someone who owns just these headphones to this amp, but not for the reason that they do not sound good. But rather you can coax pretty good sound from them for far less. The more I listen to them the more I think they are underrated for portable use.

Sony
R-10 – These headphones really have a special quality to them. The music is full and rich. Even though they are relatively low impedance which generally challenges tube amps the high efficiency balances things out. There is still room to increase the volume beyond where I would normally listen. The Gladiator soundtrack was superb. Great dynamics at low volume level. Since so few members have these I won’t dwell on them too much. I will just enjoy them for a bit while they are in my care. See my comments below on the CDR-3000 for rock as they apply here as well.

CD-3000 - These also sounded very good with the Stealth amp with much of my music. Certain music to me can be fatiguing when you listen to it with some solid state gear and these Sony's. I found that this tube amp seemed to take that harsh edge off of the sound without really altering the overall tonal quality. To me it is analogous to taking a piece of sand paper to just break off a sharp corner on a piece of furniture. To the naked eye you see virtually no change to the piece of furniture but when you run your hand over it there is a real change. The music is the same way, those sharp piercing points have been touched just enough by the tubes to eliminate the harshness. In listening to the Led Zeppelin at a level that is a couple of clicks louder than my normal level but required for this music you can start to hear some distortion. I will enjoy my Sony’s far more with this amp for certain music. I think I will leave my rock listening to my solid state amp.

Grado
RS-1 - The RS-1's work pretty well with this amp at my normal listening level. Listening to Jazz at low volume levels was a pleasure. The same comments about fatigue that I made relative to the CD-3000 apply here as well. At slightly louder levels when the bass notes were of a longer duration the highs would distort. It was if the Bass sucked the energy from the tube and it had no more to give when a singer would kick in with high notes. I would say for very specific listening situations the Grado's match well with this amp but it would not be a universal endorsement if this combo.

HP-1 - The HP-1 is very much like the RS-1 but I think it is even less efficient as the same issues noted above occur at lower listening levels. The same comments that I made relative too the RS-1 apply but at a click or two lower volume so the instances where it is a good match diminish. I really did not care for the HP-1’s with this amp at the level I listen to or one click higher.

SR-225 – These have the same characteristics as the RS-1’s. Jazz at moderate to low level sounds very good

AKG

AKG-401 – The Stealth drove these with authority. Many lower end solid state amps leave you wanting wit these headphones. These headphones just do not have the impact of the HD-600’s but that is more of a headphone issue not the amp. I would speculate that the 501’s would perform in a similar manner based on past listening. I personally will be using these when I am in a little more laid back mood and want to enjoy the warmth of the tubes and relax to some smooth tunes.

Etymotics

ER-4S - The good thing about Ety's is that you can listen to them at a lower volume due to the isolation. I found that at the level I normally listen at they sounded good giving the typical Ety sound. To reach normal listening level required the volume knob to be cranked to about the 70% level. The strange thing was that increasing the volume setting a click or two had little impact on the volume and beyond that there was distortion. I am guessing that these are very inefficient drivers as the impedance is 100 ohms which should be a good match for a tube amp. I would say that if you listen at fairly low volumes this amp will work with the 4S but I would not characterize it as a recommended combo. It would be interesting to try the 4P's or the ER-6. Unfortunately I don't have either of them at my disposal.

To summarize:

This is one of the finest tube headphone amplifiers I have heard when coupled with a pair of synergistic headphones. Tube amps are by the very nature of the tubes themselves not a one size fits all affair. This amp seems to use the tubes to their full capabilities enabling the listener to use headphones that sound terrible at any level on some tube gear.

These are my first impressions with the headphones I had on hand. For loud dynamic rock I need to listen a bit more and do some head to head comparisons at comparable listening levels with solid state gear but my first thought is that solid state does a better job. If you like Jazz, vocals, instrumentals or similar music this amp will do the job nicely. The high impedance phones (Sennheiser and AKG really come alive with this amp and music is a real joy to listen to. The Sony’s are limited by the nature of the tubes but within the limits the sound is very good. The Grado’s are even more limited in my opinion as you can tell from my comments. The Ety 4S just isn't quite right, I would really like to try a 4P or an ER-6 though.

Sometime down the road I would like to do a comprehensive review. Much more exploration is required but this amp has found a home in my arsenal.

[markl]

Thanks, john_jcb for the impressions. I have some questions.

The Sony’s are limited by the nature of the tubes but within the limits the sound is very good.

Can you define "limited"? Do you mean rolled off at the frequency extremes?

Even though they are relatively low impedance which generally challenges tube amps the high efficiency balances things out. There is still room to increase the volume beyond where I would normally listen. The Gladiator soundtrack was superb. Great dynamics at low volume level. Since so few members have these I won’t dwell on them too much.

Please, let's dwell a little! How is bass response with the R10s compared to how they sound with the HR-2? You seem to have reservations about the Stealth's ability to drive low-impedence cans. If someone tends to listen at a fairly high-ish volume with low-impedence cans, do you think the Stealth is for them (vs. the HR-2, for example)?

BTW, I had a similar experience with the Etys and Earmax Pro. They would go into clip before I could turn it up loud enough to satisfy me, but this wouldn't happen with other ss jacks. Maybe the Ety's just don't like tubes? They are an unusual transducer design, maybe there is some weird issue with the way tubes operate?

It would also be interesting if Ray wanted to comment on the Stealth with low-impedence cans.

Cheers.

mark

[john_jcb]

Mark

What I meant by limited is that when you crank up the volumes to what I think are pretty loud levels the Sony's start to break up. It was evident with Led Zeppelin.

I would say if you have low impedance cans and want to listen to heavy metal or similar music that I would not recommend the Stealth. For some reason when I am in the mood for rock I am also in the mood to listen to it loud and I honestly think solid state gives you more.

Within my listening levels for all of the other music I listened to the R-10s and the CD3000 sounded great with no rolloff or other issues.