New Monarchy NM24... - Page 2

I Suppose...

I suppose it depends on the phones, and rest of the set up. I find the Senns in my set up need the brighter sound of the JAN Phillips tubes.

Though I may try the Sovteks or Teslas... just to see - though I suspect they'll be too bland for me.

I did briefly try the Voskhod 6N1P-EVs and found them to be too bland - returned to the JAN Phillips 6922s for their brighter sound, which may sound harsh to some... especially with brighter phones than the Senns.

Let It Burn In...

I'd let it burn in and settle... before I made judgments on the tubes. The JAN Philips 6922s are great tubes after burn in - they're sound solidifies and mellows a bit. It will be hard to find better all around tubes at reasonable prices - in the 6922's the next stop is NOS at premium prices.

Though... I'd likely try the Ei's, or the Russian 6H23N-EBs.

After that... I'd try some NOS Amperex or Philips.

I just tried some Philips, and Russian 6N1P's - they were both good in the DAC sockets. I still prefer the stock tubes to both though. But... of course... that's with Senns.

Agreed...

I would agree... the JJs do seem to sound a bit less aggressive, and perhaps a bit more "smooth and refined" - than the stock tubes. Probably good with brighter phones - like Grados, or ATHs. Though, I still like the "aggressive" sound of the stock Philips, especially with my Senns, which need more "life."

You might try the NOS Amperex 6DJ8/6922s - will sound warmer, smoother, less brilliant highs - but... they come at a bit of a premium. The Russian 6H23N-EBs, or 6N1P-EBs, may also sound less "aggressive" in the upper mids and highs - while still providing solid bass, and rich mids. Though the 6N1Ps were a bit too "mellow" for me in the highs with my Senns. These both sounded great in my XCAN v3, which has a bit of a bright sound anyway. They might be a good fit in the NM version - which may have a bit brighter sound than the M version of the M24.

You also might try "mixing" the tubes a bit - for example, using Stock tubes in the tube DAC circuit, and the Russian tubes in the Line Stage circuit, and connecting your amp to the Line Stage output. You might find the Russian tubes in the Line Stage would mellow the bright sound of the Philips tubes in the DAC - they seemed to do that in mine. This configuration gives you more gain, but you can "tune" it to your preference (turn down the Lines Stage volume POT, and turn up the amp volume POT, etc.).

In the end... you'll likely have to "experiment" until you "get to your sound."

A Real Bargain...

The Monarchy M24 / NM24 is another "real bargain!"

For the price of it "world-class" DAC, you also get a "world-class" line stage that can function as a "world-class" headphone amp to drive Senns and other high impedance phones (its not so special with low impedance phones).

As I note elsewhere, the line stage sounds almost as good as my expensive WA6 SE Mxd with my Senns.

If you like Senns, the M24 / NM24 is a way to avoid the cost of a separate headphone amp, without losing any of the sound quality you get with one.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/rev...-units-375885/

And... rolling in some Amperex Orange Globe 6DJ8s does give it a warmer, richer, more dynamic sound.

Yes...

Yes... the stock JAN Philips 6922s sound pretty good - especially with Senns.

I also like the Amperex 6DJ8/6922s in it - similar to the stock tubes, but with a richer warmer sound.

Lot's of options - but, some are pretty expensive.

Oh yes...

Oh yes...

... and... as I've noted so many times elsewhere...

... I continue to be astounded at the quality of the sound produced from the M24/NM24 Line Stage with the "new" version of the HD580/600/650s (no separate amp required) - virtually as good as any heaphone amp available, including my WA6 SE Maxed.

Quite literally!

Though... I should note... only with high impedance phones - the Senns specifically. The Line Stage doesn't output enough current, or have a low enough impedance to drive low impedance phones well.