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Apex Pinnacle vs Leben CS300XS: The Awful Truth - Page 2

post #16 of 112
2/13/11 at 6:29am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by JimP View Post

To OP and other Leben users: what tube compliments are you currently using (wrt to HD800 usage)?

 

btw, if you use Leben solely as headphone amp, there is no need to have speaker load off the speaker taps on back?

I use all Amperex BugleBoys in the Leben - very nice with the HD800s, probably on the warm side for a bassier phone.  I have no speakers connected - the front HP jack loads the main output the same way speakers would.
 

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post #17 of 112
2/13/11 at 9:10am

Your excellent review indicated that you tried the Pinnacle with many headphones.  Did you try the LCD-2 with the Pinnacle and, if you did, what were your thoughts?  On my current system I find that I spend much more time with the LCD-2 than I do with the HD800, and while the Pinnacle is very tempting, I would like to think that for that price it would be sensational with both phones.

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post #18 of 112
2/13/11 at 10:13am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ctemkin View Post

Did you try the LCD-2 with the Pinnacle and, if you did, what were your thoughts?


Well, I'm way out of the mainstream with the LCD-2 ... not a fan at all.  But I did try them with the Pinnacle, and they sounded very good (for them; i.e. not wonderful, in my opinion.)

 

BTW, there is a K1000 4pin XLR on the Pinnacle, but I felt it lacked power for HE-6 purposes.  I use my HE-6 straight out the back of a Bryston B60.

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post #19 of 112
2/13/11 at 10:27am

One of the most well-written & enjoyable reviews ever. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences in such an excellent manner!

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post #20 of 112
2/13/11 at 10:30am

Very nice review and great set up.  When I heard the Pinnacle with the Meridian 808.3 at last year's CanJam, I knew it was special.

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post #21 of 112
2/13/11 at 12:27pm

Just a little correction about Sophia Electric and KR Audio Electronics. Sophia Electric is US based company, which tubes are made at TJ Full Music factory, Tienjin China. KR is Czech Republic based valve and amp manufacture, which been and are made in their own factory in Czech Republic.

 

I am wondering how many hours you have had with KR's please, cos, usually, they need around 200 hours of burn in period.

 

THX

 

 

The second stage of amplification is provided by one PX4 tube per channel.  The PX4 dates from 1928, and was developed by the English outfit Marconi Osram.  There is almost no NOS market for it, and only two current replicas - Sophia Electric, and KR Electronics, both manufactured in Eastern Europe.

 

For some aberrant reason I always thought Sophia and KR were the same firm, and therefore the two tubes were the same, but fellow Head-Fier bdh set me straight, for which I thank him.  I got a pair of KRs to compare with the supplied Sophias, and found that the Sophias sounded significantly better 

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post #22 of 112
2/13/11 at 12:46pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackmore View Post

I am wondering how many hours you have had with KR's please, cos, usually, they need around 200 hours of burn in period.

 

 

Between 20 and 30 - but that's life in InnerSpace-world ... if you ain't warmed up in 20 hours, you hit the bricks.  I have never personally noticed "burn in" effects beyond a couple hours of warm-up and shake down.  I'm sure your mileage varies.

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post #23 of 112
2/13/11 at 1:09pm

Awesome review and an equally awesome setup. Thanks for sharing.

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post #24 of 112
2/14/11 at 11:15am

Great review!  In light of you're keeping both of these superb amps, I'd change the title to "The Wonderful Truth"

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post #25 of 112
2/14/11 at 1:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by InnerSpace View Post

BTW, there is a K1000 4pin XLR on the Pinnacle, but I felt it lacked power for HE-6 purposes.  I use my HE-6 straight out the back of a Bryston B60.


really nice job with the write up, IS! i wonder how close you'd find the ttvj/millet peak +/- volcano to the pinnacle as it's price is much nicer. have you tried running the he6 off of the leben speaker taps? it's reported by a couple of users to be an excellent combo and i'm wondering about your take on that pairing, and how it compares to the bryston.

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post #26 of 112
2/14/11 at 1:46pm
Thread Starter 

^^ Inherently the Leben is a better amp than the Bryston (IMO, YMMV, yadda, yadda) and its power is more than adequate, but bear in mind mine is tubed to be far from neutral - I wanted slam and power low down for the HD800, and that's not ideal with the HE-6, I found.  The Bryston is clean and cool - kind of new-generation-German, even though it's built in Canada.

 

My guess is the Millett Peak + Volcano would be a fine choice.  It's a hybrid that relies on the 6SN7 in much the same way as the Pinnacle.  In a way, you could say the Pinnacle is kind of like a hybrid ... the Sophia PX4 was presumably a "known quantity" like a MOSFET stage.  I imagine parts quality and construction is better on the Pinnacle, but as we all know, ten times the price doesn't buy ten times the quality ... an extra 20% if you're lucky.

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post #27 of 112
2/14/11 at 3:29pm

Great thread. It might be good to mention the price differential. A used Leben 300x(s) goes for around $2500-$2800 with extra tubes. It is truly amazing that it can even be compared to the Pinacle :-)

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post #28 of 112
2/16/11 at 2:59am

Hi all, my first post...

 


Seems the Lebens are quite popular now for head-fi. I bought my Leben 300x Limited (with the Mullard EL84s) years ago initially for a secondary hifi rig, and decided to give the headphone out a listen 'just for the fun of it' and found it to be an amazing little gem that surpassed many other amps even till today!

 

My set is probably a little on the overkill, as I have it on Harmonix syn-100/rf-999 mkii spike footers combo (a corner of which can be seen in my current avatar pic, and then on a TAOC platform. The sound is just perfect on just about any headphones, including my HD800s.

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post #29 of 112
2/16/11 at 7:46am

You've been a member since 2006 and this is your first post?  rolleyes.gif  That just ain't right.  beerchug.gif

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post #30 of 112
2/16/11 at 9:05am

Did not get around to posting in this forum till now...I have too many hobbies as it is, and my work and music appreciation took up most of my time...biggrin.gif

 

Seriously though, I was looking at some advice for cable replacement options for the lcd2 and he6, and saw this thread about the leben 300xs, so I just joined in...better late than never, I guess.

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