Just received this lovely amp today from Brooklyn Audio. The difference between this and my Creek OBH-11SE is amazing. It sounds so very nice with my HD-600s/Equinox cable, and I haven't even burned it in yet. This is my first tube amp and I couldn't be more pleased.

Thats just how I felt when i got my tube headphone amp. Enjoy.

(... for the sound in your phones, at least.)

My amp (for my loudspeakers - JMLab 707's) runs on those same magical EL84's. It's a Jolida 102b, and I love it. You are listed as from VA, so you might want to drive up to Jolida HQ, right between DC and Balt, for a visit, and be amazed - only $580 gets you this:

http://www.jolida.com/catalogue/jd102b.html

I am just getting into head-fi, and will probably get a META 42, hopefully from one of the fine builders here.

But I can see myself, on an occasion in the future in which I have been very, VERY good, rewarding myself with some tubes for my headphones. I don't think there is a better tube value out there than the Head MG.

Congrats - I will be very interested in what it turns into after the toobs bloom after 40-50 hours of use. If it is anything like my amp, the soundstage just starts growing and growing. You may like it now, but trust me when I tell you that you haven't even heard it yet.

If I am not mistaken, that model ships with Sovteks. They aren't bad tubes at all - just a little mellow for some people's taste. Completely personal preference. JJ's are reasonable, and a little brighter.

A friend of mine is trying to get me to upgrade the 12ax7 (I think that's on the MG, too) to an NOS Telefunken. He says that makes pure magic.

Congrats -

GnD - Not to be confused with you!

David H
Columbia, MD

n/m the first question. One thing I did notice though is the manual says OTL mode should be louder, however, this is only the case when feedback is enabled. Have other users experienced this?

The MG Head was my first tubed head amp. I loved every minute of the six months I owned it. Tuberolling really does make a difference. Do a search here and you will find many posts describing the different tubes.

Congrats and enjoy!

Tube rolling is a HUGE difference - I suggest JJ's + Sylvania 5751 (either black plate triple mica or grey plate gold pin). GE black plate 5751 also does well in the center.

-dd3mon

The 6BQ5's that came with the amp are Sovteks, however, the 12ax7 apears to be a JJ.

The MG head is my first tubed headphone amp. Its quite stunning isn't it? I'd recommend the ge 5751. Common, reliable, and comparitively cheap!

The feedback switch should not affect the amp in OTL mode, since it's disabled in that mode. The OTL mode should be the same volume as Transformer w/o feedback. Personally, unless you have unbalanced tubes, I leave feedback off. The feedback seems to take away some of the details, but I have noticed that on a misbalanced 5751, the feedback will correct the imbalance in the channels (interesting). My preferred mode of operation is Transformer w/o feedback. The OTL does give more to the bass but again, being the detail freak that I am, I feel that the added warmth hides some of the subtle parts of the high end. But really I think the choice between OTL and Transformer is a matter of personal taste.

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Gmd,

I too experience the same effect with my MG Head OTL Mk 1. But after getting replies from veriosu sources including Joe Lau (owner of ASL) it seems that the feeback switch should not have any effect in OTL mode. Seems like you have some crosstalk in the circuit. Anyway, after further burn-in, this effect is no longer present in my MG Head. Another one of the quality quibbles from ASL.
Also in transfomer mode, do yours get louder when feedback is enabled ? If so, then you feedback switch is reversed (like mine).
My MG Head was also my first all tube headamp and I love it and am now a full blown tube fan. Bun-in for at least 100 hours and then try tube rolling. That will take you to the next level. Enjoy !
With my HD600/Cardas, I prefer the transformer mode. Bass is stronger with OTL mode but perhaps too much and there is accompanying loss of detail and dynamics, IMHO.

Oh, my switches are fine. I was just expecting OTL mode to be louder with feedback off becuase of what the manual said. I do prefer the sound better though when OTL is off, the highs are much more pronounced.

Where can one purchase the MG Head MkII in the US?

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I couldn't find one. I had to get mine from Brooklyn Audio which is in Canada. They were pretty speedy about it and shipping only took one day to get here, of course it was the saturday of memorial day weekend so I had to wait till tuesday to actually get (It was locked up only 5 miles from my house ). The shipping was around $35 though.

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wow~i am in canada,where can i find the audio store??or audio website?

Holm Audio in Woodridge, IL carries the ASL line. I think the webpage is: http://www.holmaudio.com .