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Question for former Singlepower owners: What amp are you using now?

post #1 of 63
10/27/10 at 8:09am
Thread Starter 

 

A lot of Head-Fi members who used to own Singlepower amps must have moved on to other headphone amps by now.  

 

If you used to own a Singlepower, what amp are you using now and how does the sound quality compare to the Singlepower?  I am especially interested in experiences with other tube amps made by Woo, Eddie Current, Decware, Leben, etc.

 

Also, have any former owners of the Singlepower Extreme moved on to a Woo 22?  The Woo 22 is the only amp I know of that uses the same driver tubes (6SN7) and output tubes (6080s) as the Extreme.   Although the Woo 22 is balanced and transformer coupled while the Extreme was single-ended and OTL, do they have similar sound signatures?  I am confident that the Woo 22 offers better build quality, but does it also sound better than the Extreme?

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post #2 of 63
10/27/10 at 10:11am

The amp I use in the place/application where my Extreme was is the WooAudio WA2.  If anything, I think it sounds better than the Extreme.

 

FWIW I also had an MPX3, and in it's place is not the much, much better (and much more expensive) Leben CS300X.

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post #3 of 63
10/27/10 at 10:29am

I have the ECBA, but I wouldn't say it replaced my SP's.

They are ever so different, but still enjoy my SPs.

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post #4 of 63
10/27/10 at 10:40am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skylab View Post

The amp I use in the place/application where my Extreme was is the WooAudio WA2.  If anything, I think it sounds better than the Extreme.

 

FWIW I also had an MPX3, and in it's place is not the much, much better (and much more expensive) Leben CS300X.

 

As always, Skylab, your comments are appreciated, since you have owned or reviewed so many tube amps.

 

One feature of the Extreme I liked was the ability to "tune" the sound signature through tube rolling.  Admittedly, some of that was accomplished with those crazy Singlepower tube adaptors Mikhail sold to the gullible, including myself.  Can the WA2 also be tuned as much as the Extreme through tube rolling?


And, yes, your review of the Leben has made me think long and hard about buying one. But I'm having trouble wrapping my head around the $3,500 retail price.   

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post #5 of 63
10/27/10 at 10:42am

There are about the same number of options of 6DJ8 tubes as there are 6SN7's.  So yes, I'd say the ability to tube roll a WA2 is pretty equal.  But maybe more expensive, since the WA2 uses a pair of driver tubes, not just one.

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post #6 of 63
10/27/10 at 10:44am

Tube adapters are the worst idea ever.

Ever. 

 

They make it far too easy to put tubes that dont work correctly (at all) in the circuit in. 

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post #7 of 63
10/27/10 at 10:53am

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikongod View Post

Tube adapters are the worst idea ever.

Ever. 

 

They make it far too easy to put tubes that dont work correctly (at all) in the circuit in. 


You Got That RIGHT, nikongod.....That's just "asking for smoke", sooner or later IMO....
 

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post #8 of 63
10/27/10 at 11:00am

Yeah I was never into the tube adapter thing.  I used 6SN7's and 6SL7's only in my Extreme.  Well, and the ECC32.  That was plenty of options.

 

I would sell my Extreme, which was outfitted with an Electraprint transformer and the proper resistors, if I thought I could actually get anything for it.  I not only like the sound of the Woo WA2 better, but I like looking at it more

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post #9 of 63
10/27/10 at 11:09am
I owned a used PPX3 for awhile before selling it to fund a Zana Deux. This was before Singlepower went up in a cloud of smoke, so it brought was I paid save about $20 for shipping.

The Zana is more powerful and crisper than the PPX3, I prefer it very much. The other amp I keep in the mix is a Moth Si2A3 with that gorgeous DHT sound.
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post #10 of 63
10/27/10 at 11:45am

Still have the Singlepower amps but I'm using an Eddie Current BA with 307A output tubes

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post #11 of 63
10/27/10 at 6:16pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Erik View Post

I owned a used PPX3 for awhile before selling it to fund a Zana Deux. This was before Singlepower went up in a cloud of smoke, so it brought was I paid save about $20 for shipping.

The Zana is more powerful and crisper than the PPX3, I prefer it very much. The other amp I keep in the mix is a Moth Si2A3 with that gorgeous DHT sound.

 

 

You mention that the Zana Deux is "crisper" than the Singlepower, while Nikongod in another thread referred to it as having a slightly "hard" sound signature.  Although owners clearly love the Zana Deux, I am left with the impression that it might be a bad match for someone prone to listening fatigue (like myself).  Is that an accurate assessment?  Are there tubes that make the Zana Deux sound "warm" and relatively forgiving, or is it really more about great dynamics and transparency? 

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post #12 of 63
10/28/10 at 6:46pm

Just some quick thoughts off the top of my head..

 

I had a singlepower Balanced Extreme, WA22,,,,,Balancing Act,,here (my house) all at the same time... all observations were with a Meridian 808.2i. as a source. and HD 800 with Blue Dragon balanced cable..Black Dragon interconnects.. Lots of Jazz, Pink Floyd, some classical,, but in my opinion the larger classical orchestral CDs played through headphones just doesn't do the music the same justice as speakers or the real deal...

 

The singlepower amp was a bit slow ,euphoric,non fatiguing. lacked detail compared to the other two..it did have good tight bass punch,,and plucks.. 

 

The Woo Audio WA22..shares the same sound signature with more detail, most noticeable were the cymbals, triangles, but later the WA22 just did everything just a bit better,,a little less euphoric.

 

The Balancing Act has the most detail,, with out being analytical,,The hi end is nice without being fatiguing (nice cymbals,,triangles piano)..

 

The mids are just right, the instruments and the human voice are all well spaced and if you want you can pick out the piano,,up-right bass, human voice, for me this is where the real magic of the balancing act begins..

 

The upright bass for example,,I can hear more detail with this amp than the other two.. The pluck of the bass string,,,,, "ah"  The finger meeting the string, the finger leaving the string,, then the sound of the strings resonating in and out of the body of the instrument, and the decay of that sound reacting with the other instruments,, and the room!  There are so many textures and layers,,some nights when I can't sleep I listen to 2 or 3 CDs critically,, many times,, just to turn off the mind from the days events.. But in those magical evenings the BA,, never will, let you down..

 

The bass is the best,, I have ever heard from headphones.. (since I sold the WA 22 and the Extreme, I purchased a set of LCD 2 then the bass stepped up a notch or two). The kick drums and toms are so realistic with this combination... Just my thoughts..

 

Singlepower amp. 

gave way too 

Woo Audio WA22

and that gave way too

Balancing act.. that was the question right?


Edited by markmaxx - 10/28/10 at 6:53pm
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post #13 of 63
10/29/10 at 6:20am
A couple years ago, I was gonna buy the Extreme but ended buying a Woo amp.
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post #14 of 63
10/29/10 at 6:41pm
Thread Starter 

markmaxx,

 

Thanks for your very informative post.  I definitely get the sense that all Eddie Current amps, especially the Balancing Act, are terrific amps.  Describing sound quality is difficult -- and this especially seems to apply to Eddie Current amps, as they apparently provide neither the "straight wire with gain" offered by some solid state amps nor an especially lush sound sometimes associated with tube amps  -- but you do a very good job.  

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post #15 of 63
10/29/10 at 11:37pm

Has anyone compared the Balancing Act to the TTVJ/Millet 307a or its successor? They're all fine sounding devices (heard 'em at canjams) but I wonder how they sound side by side.

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