My Review of the Apex Pinnacle (and comparison to the 307a) - Page 3

Quote:

Originally Posted by pmillett 


I'm quite sure that if I knew half as much as what some people think they know, I would be a rich man by now.

 

Pete
 

Win

You're not alone there. The 307A was absolutely gorgeous and very unique. Pinnacle, less of a fan.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidMahler 

But I do want to say.....Many people didn't adore the looks of the 307a.  For me, that is a better looking amp even more so than the Pinnacle.

The wood panels were pretty awesome in a throwback kind of way.  But I'd assume an all metal housing like the Pinnacle would dissipate heat more evenly.  I love both.

In reference to the RSA B52 comparison, I owned that amplifier and sold it after comparing it to the 307A.  The B52 is warm and lush, but lacked the detail and clarity that the 307A provided.

With the Pinnacle, I found that there was more warmth than the 307A, yet all the detail was preserved.  Best of both worlds, I suppose.

I also liked the appearance of the 307A, and had many positive comments on it.  It certainly did look "hand built", meaning that in the best way possible.  Solid, simple, a bit industrial, and "tankish." 

I must also agree with DavidMahler about his priorities. Excellent quality, reliability, and customer service are extremely important.  I have found that if you have those three in a stereo component, outstanding sound quality is almost a given.

And Pete, thank you for chiming in on this and for making a tremendous product.

Yeah, I guess what I love about the B52 is the warmth. I think it may be a plus because a lot of top headphones today can have too much top energy (especially when coupled with most digital sources).

This seems to be the case with HD800s, T1s, and PS1000s, and even LCD-2s, which have little ringing in the upper mids if not driven with care.

The B52 seems to have a curative effect on all these phones, but I still don't feel like they are rolled off or blunted at all, and that is what I love about Ray's amp.

I guess this is a bit off topic, but I guess my feeling is that Ray's amp, long criticized for it's price, now looks like something of a bargain to me.

In my experience, the main determinant of detail is the digital source, less so the amp. My EMM player is extremely detailed, as opposed to my older Sony and Accuphase players,

and the detail of the EMM comes through loud and clear through the B52. In fact, the B52 is just as detailed as Rudistor's RP010B solid state amp. Maybe there can even be more detail and less coloration in other amps, but to me, that would lead to a ruthlessly revealing sound, or, for me, dreaded "accuracy."

I have only heard the Pinnacle, 307A, and B52 at meets, but I think the Millett amps are in a different league than the B52.  To me, the Millett amps just sound better, albeit over the limited amount of time I have spent with each of these amps

Todd and Pete, thanks for producing some great amps and supporting our hobby. is either the 307a or apex pinnacle amp quiet enough to use with super sensitive phones such as iems (for those who truly want just one dynamic can amp)? how does the apex pinnacle sound with 307a tubes, vs the px4s shown at canjam? would you recommend one over the other, or is more just a personal choice/flavor sort of thing? could you describe the differences between the 307a amp and the apex pinnacle. the 307a is a fantastic amp, and the new one costs considerably more than it's expensive predecessor. i'm sure i'm not the only one wondering what accounts for the price differential.

for those who would love something like this but cannot afford it you should look into the ttvj peak amp (either with or without the volcano ps). it'll give you a bunch of the performance of it's big brother at a much more affordable cost. the ttvj fet-a amp is also a terrific piece and costs half of what the peak (sans extra ps) costs. i'm not sure, but it may be upgradeable with the volcano ps. Todd and Pete could clarify that. perhaps they could also comment on the smaller amps and how they compare, in their view, with their fancier bretheren.

I'm a Peak/Volcano owner...and I find it is among the best of Headphone amps at it's price (it's my favorite). But with either the P/V or Pinnacle your not buying simply a "Headphone Amp". No, quite the contrary, you are investing in a corner-stone for all your current Audio needs and future Music journeys...your investing in stellar PRE-AMPS as well. Head-fiers focus narrowly on Headphones only...it's a big Audio World and the Pre-Amp plays a key role with critical focus!!

I was into typical (2) channel Audio long before headphones, this product makes sense........and in high-end terms, it punches above it's weight!

are any of the above mentioned amps (fet-a, 307a, peak, pinnacle/apex) capable of driving demanding, power hungry orthos such as the he6?

    Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidMahler 
By contrast, Todd and Pete have created a very solid amp, which by the way doesn't come with a list of "upgrade possibilities".......Many honorable builders offer Upgrades for pay, but I'll tell you, even from the most honorable builder, this concept rubs me the wrong way.  For me it should be.....Build the amp one way, build it the best way or the most cost effective way and call it a day.  Don't confuse the consumer (and in some unfortunate cases like Single Power, rip the consumer off) with upgrades which should be either part of the amp's construction or just a different amp altogether.  I've calculated that in many cases, the list of upgrades is higher than the base price of the amp.  I don't like this and I am appreciative that Todd and Pete do not do this.  

I think this is the first issue I've disagreed with you own David. Let me plead the case for mods and upgrades: To me, one of the big problems of audio is synergy. You can read great reviews all day long, but those reviews don't guarantee that any equipment is going to mesh well with YOUR system. When you make components that have their own sound, you're essentially handcuffed to that sound. That's perfectly fine if you can find components that suit your tastes and needs, but it's less so if you have many needs or specific needs that aren't quite met with what's out there. What I love about the idea of mods/upgrades is the customization, the ability to build something  to perfectly suit your tastes and your system. In my system, I know that the Reimyo is on the warmer/musical side of the hi-fi spectrum, as are the L3Ks and R10s. That's why I needed the SDS-XLR to provide a lot of muscle, clarity, detail, etc. and that's what I got. All of the tuberolling options certainly help with this (the versatility of tuberolling is one aspect I love about tube amps in general).

But you're definitely correct in that you shouldn't invest in such things if you're dealing with someone disreputable who will charge you for the upgrades and then not even build them into the product. But when you're dealing with trustworthy people, the results can be superb. Back when I played guitar, one of the happiest I ever was was when I got a custom-wound set of pickups made by BareKnuckles, because they spent a lot of time with me on the phone going over the sound I was looking for, and I was amazed to finally try them and experience the sound I'd been hearing in my head. When you deal with a "fixed" product, it's always going to sound like itself, rather than the sound in your head. Not that that's always a bad or negative thing, and sometimes it can even surprise you and be better. But I still think there's something more satisfactory about knowing exactly what you want, and getting something to match what you want.

Of course, I'm in no way putting The Pinnacle down by saying this, but I do sometimes lament that there are no companies out there like Singlepower who are willing to do custom work, except do so with a trustworthy reputation. Of course, this whole point becomes moot if the Pinnacle is, indeed, the best (or amongst the best; which seems a near certainty) HP amp out there today.