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MICROZOTL2 Tube Headphone Amp and preamp: a breakthrough device
Feb 5, 2016 at 3:58 PM Post #886 of 2,609
ZOTL will be at the Chicago Head-Fi meet tomorrow, anyone who is in the area feel free to stop by and check it out with the ZMF's and anything else you want to throw at it.
 
Meet details are on the front page of head fi right now.
 
ZMFheadphones ZMF headphones hand-crafts wood headphones in Chicago, USA with special attention to exceptional sound and craftsmanship. Stay updated on ZMFheadphones at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
https://www.facebook.com/ZMFheadphones https://twitter.com/ZMFheadphones https://www.instagram.com/zmfheadphones/?hl=en http://www.zmfheadphones.com/zmf-originals/ contactzmf@gmail.com
Feb 5, 2016 at 4:13 PM Post #888 of 2,609
The other tubes had a somewhat richer sound, but sacrificed the wonderful openness and detail the ZOTL is capable of, went back.
 
Feb 5, 2016 at 4:27 PM Post #889 of 2,609
doctorjazz said:
The other tubes had a somewhat richer sound, but sacrificed the wonderful openness and detail the ZOTL is capable of, went back.
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That's extremely surprising.  Any old stock American tube should sound better than the Russian tubes shipped with the ZOTL.  RCA tubes should be very noticeably more detailed for sure.
 
confused_face(1).gif

 
Feb 5, 2016 at 4:30 PM Post #890 of 2,609
bazelio said:
doctorjazz said:
The other tubes had a somewhat richer sound, but sacrificed the wonderful openness and detail the ZOTL is capable of, went back.
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That's extremely surprising.  Any old stock American tube should sound better than the Russian tubes shipped with the ZOTL.  RCA tubes should be very noticeably more detailed for sure.

:confused_face(1):
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Not my experience so far, though the RCA did give more "tubey" flavor. Had them in for a couple of days, may need more burn in (changed them for the Philly area meet), may give them another try, but that is how I heard them so far...
 
Feb 5, 2016 at 4:32 PM Post #891 of 2,609
I tried my WWII vintage sylvania metal base 6SN7's and Gold Brand 12AT7's and can't honestly say they were any better.
 
Feb 5, 2016 at 4:39 PM Post #893 of 2,609
svmusa said:
 
doctorjazz said:
Not my experience so far, though the RCA did give more "tubey" flavor. Had them in for a couple of days, may need more burn in (changed them for the Philly area meet), may give them another try, but that is how I heard them so far...
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My NOS Kenrad and Sylvania 5692 are noteworthy upgrade over stock.
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I would be stunned if they were not.  The stock tubes are very meh.
 
Feb 5, 2016 at 6:10 PM Post #894 of 2,609
zachawry said:
 
Well, yes and no. 11 hundred for the Z, but closer to 2 thousand with power supply, which I'd eventually cave in and purchase. The Glass is down from 35 hundred to 29 hundred with my Carbon discount, so in the end it's a difference of about a thousand dollars. Given that's a lot of money, but since the Glass is basically TOTL, I wouldn't be tempted by any further amp purchases. I'd also be selling my Carbon to get the Glass, where I wouldn't with the Z, so they are closer than they appear....
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Is there any way for you to audition the two side by side?  If so, that would be the best way to answer your question.  If you could figure out a way to do it, it would be even better for you to volume match the two amps and then listen to them without knowing which is which (i.e., blinded).  Obviously this would require help from a friend who could switch back and forth between the amps on the same source material with you not looking. 
 
Feb 5, 2016 at 7:50 PM Post #895 of 2,609
saidentary said:
zachawry said:
 


Well, yes and no. 11 hundred for the Z, but closer to 2 thousand with power supply, which I'd eventually cave in and purchase. The Glass is down from 35 hundred to 29 hundred with my Carbon discount, so in the end it's a difference of about a thousand dollars. Given that's a lot of money, but since the Glass is basically TOTL, I wouldn't be tempted by any further amp purchases. I'd also be selling my Carbon to get the Glass, where I wouldn't with the Z, so they are closer than they appear....
Click to expand...



Is there any way for you to audition the two side by side?  If so, that would be the best way to answer your question.  If you could figure out a way to do it, it would be even better for you to volume match the two amps and then listen to them without knowing which is which (i.e., blinded).  Obviously this would require help from a friend who could switch back and forth between the amps on the same source material with you not looking. 
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From ears that I trust, a high quality LPS yields a significant improvement with the MZ2. But it puts you out another 1k.
 
Feb 5, 2016 at 9:05 PM Post #897 of 2,609
audio addict said:
@zach915m Is the special amp any relation?
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I know he's also got a beautiful Decware that certainly qualifies as special, though as a week ago was the first time I met Zach, I don't know how long that has been appearing at shows. Should have spent more time with that thing. Between that amp, his Sylvania equipped MicroZOTL2, and the Yggy behind them, plus whatever else he'll bring, plus, of course, all of those ZMF headphones, everyone going to the Chicago meet should plan on some healthy minutes spent at the ZMF table.   
 
Feb 5, 2016 at 10:44 PM Post #899 of 2,609
buson160man said:
If the microzotl-2 is that good imagine the zotl 10 with 10 watts per channel 10 times the power .
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That is fun to imagine, and we did, but since the ZOTL10 is class AB and was designed to power speakers, it actually ends up with about the same power output by the time you get to headphone impedances. That's not to say there aren't ideas floating around Linear Tube Audio. Also, I really need to update the photos on the website - there is no headphone jack on the ZOTL10.
 
Feb 5, 2016 at 10:52 PM Post #900 of 2,609
ZMFheadphones ZMF headphones hand-crafts wood headphones in Chicago, USA with special attention to exceptional sound and craftsmanship. Stay updated on ZMFheadphones at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
https://www.facebook.com/ZMFheadphones https://twitter.com/ZMFheadphones https://www.instagram.com/zmfheadphones/?hl=en http://www.zmfheadphones.com/zmf-originals/ contactzmf@gmail.com
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