[Mastergill]

There is some guys who believe that buying the most expensive gear will lead to the best sound possible. This kind of guy should remove their ears plug and starting listening to music.

Nik, my friend, you don't know what your talking about.

The 300B is the best tube ever made for music, just listen a piano, all those harmonics, simply incredible; there's nothing that can match this tube, it's a gift from the Gods of music. It's not a tiny 6C45 who gonna beat this glorious monster!.

Driving headphones is even easier with this tube because the 300B doesn't like very low impedance found in loudspeaker ( around 8 ohms) and it's not a very powerfull tube. That's true direct heated triode are prone to microphonics but that can be a problem only with loudspeaker NOT with headphones !!.

All of you Headfier believe me you can reach an audio nirvana without spending ridiculous amount of money. The combo HD600+Cardas/ Manley 300b preamp at around $6000 easily beat an Orpheous system; but beware of the source there's no mercy for flaw or bad quality.

So anyway end of this sterile war !!. ( I will not post reply - promise )

PS: Nik I was talking about the cable you've got attached to the R10 I don't think is on par with a Cardas or other good cable manufacturer.

 

[Nik]

Dear incredible Mastergill,

My friend why you do not do what you say? You speak of the two tubes: 300B and 6C45, but you never seen an amp with the “little” triode, so first (as you said to me) start to listen music and than we can to continue our speak…the same for your words about the Orpheus…

You know all about headphones (but the cable of the R10 you cannot to change...sorry!), and more, you know all about amps and preamps. You know the Orpheus, (even without have one), you know the tube 6C45 (even without have one amp with this tube), and the 300B...

About “starting listening music” I remember to you that I’m a musician (profession). I studied for 10 years to the Conservatory of Music and I teach classical guitar here in Italy. I worked even in a home recording studio for some years, and I started to listen music with cans when I was 20!

About money, I’m arrived just to your conclusion: you cannot to judge a piece by his cost. Absolutly right: look the Manley that costs around 6000$ and his value is ten times less!
The Angstrom two box (instead) costs “only” 15000$, but his real value for money is twice… so the only solution would be to test the units, (what you did not done) and I have done these tests… I have compared (with my equipment) all the pieces we are speaking about: I tested head by head the Manley and the first Angstrom I had (300B and 6C45) and I know the abyssal difference between the two. I had the HD600, you have never seen one R10 and so on…

You like a lot to speak... but the difference between you and me is just one: what I said depend by my EXPERIENCE as you said “listening music”, you are very good in imagination...

Where did you learned all those things? (But my question will not have an answer, as you have promised…).

See you!
Nicola

 

[scottpaul_iu]

Nik,

Never argue with the French.

 

[Mastergill]

Well so I never listened to Orpheus... I never saw a R10...man you know me very well, how did you know that ?

But sorry you're a pro and I'm just a poor stupid French ( even worse no?).

End of the story.

 

[tom hankins]

You lied????

 

[Mastergill]

Of course not...just joking !!!.

I don't like to show off but I have very long experience in music: Listening, Recording, Selling.

Nik just read again carefully what I said and what you said.

 

[pigmode]

Mastergill,
You made assertions against Nik that you can't prove. You have your experience with the Manley, and Nik has his. Due to microphonics, DH SETs are problematic in Preamp applications. For that reason I tend to go along with Nik's story.

 

[Mastergill]

Microphonic.

For what I know and I think It's a common sense, microphonics means "sensible to external vibration". There's no such vibration when you listen with headphones.

 

[Geek]

Try a headroom MOH; 6moons.com was really happy with the sound of the MOH as a preamp and I am pretty amazed at how articulate and neutral it is as a headphone amp. There are several versions and I would go with the stepped attenuator and reference module upgraded version.

Not familiar with all of this great esoteric sutff you guys are talking about

Cheers,
Geek

 

[Nik]

Quote:

Originally posted by Mastergill Microphonic. For what I know and I think It's a common sense, microphonics means "sensible to external vibration". There's no such vibration when you listen with headphones.

I'm sorry, but you do not arrive to understand that the vibration would be caused not only by the speakers: try to put your hands near to the 300B tubes and stay with your (my R10) cans on the head... I remember elicopters flying from right to left during the music reproduction...

Ask to Jatinder about his experience with (the same cans as me) and the Cary SEI 300B....

You do not want understand, guy!

If you like your Manley with the HD600 I can accept, no problem, probably you have not the same problem I had with the 40 ohm cans, but if just one time you will have the experience with a very Hi-end headphone amp you will be astonished...!!!

Remember man that we are speaking of two different headphones, for the HD600 the Manley is more than good... but (if you know my history...) the R10 needs a very hi quality amp for shows all his world class!!!

I don't know wich kind of interconnect you have, but mine cables are incredibly sensitive to everithing, (not to the external interference) so a lot of things that do the difference...

Good listening!

Nicola

 

[MERTON]

what exactly is a preamp? and what are they used for? what do they do? do you connect it you your amp?

 

[lini]

MERTON: A classical pre-amp = integrated amp - power-amp section. What you will basically find in any pre-amp is source selection and volume attenuation - except from specialized aka prepre-amps such as phono amps, microphone amps. A full featured pre-amp carries much more than a basic pre-amp, which can also be passive, btw. What you'd additionally find in a full featured pre-amp is: (defeatable) tone control (sometimes with switchable frequency), mono-switch, balance control, phono pre-amplification (better: mm/mc cartrigde type selectable, even better: mm capacity selectable, even better: mm capacity & mc impedance selectable, even better: both fine adjustable (by internal dip-switches or sockets for resistors), even more convenient for mc: current source instad of voltage source circuitry (advantage: kind of auto-sensing of mc impedance) - oh, well, I digress a bit... but let me add, that I'm personally fond of the simple Lipschitz phono eq circuitry...

), uhm... headphone out, (buffered) tape loop(s) with monitor switches, tape copy selection, juicy low-impedant pre-out-stage to drive low-efficient power-amps, uhm... trigger outputs to power-on remote switchable power-amps, uhm... yes, subsonic filter for phono rumble, high-cut filter to suppress 19-kHz-FM-stereo carrier interference... uhm... anybody help me out?

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[Mastergill]

One last Nik,

So if you heard helicopters that's not cool !!!!. And you do listen with your hand close to the tube, be carefull you can get burned !!.

Seriously, do you know that is normal to heard noise if your hand is very close to any tubes especially small double triode.

I have nothing against you but I don't like the way you talk about the Manley, that's not fair; you can say it was not good for you, you cannot say it's a bad piece or it's not good for headphones or 300B are not good for phones, that's totally wrong. You should have tried it with HD600+Cardas and stop focusing on your R10. If you have tried 10 amps maybe it's your phones the problem...or maybe it's you the problem, I have worked in a high-end hifi shop, I know guys like you, you cannot imagine...never happy!.

Music is the best so enjoy your new amp and keep it this one!.

 

[Nik]

Never happy?

O nooooo!!!!! Listen! When I was looking for the first ring of my equipment (the source) I had the same long way: do you whant to know how many player I had?

Marantz
Copland
Rega
Wadia
Electrocompaniet
Bow Technologies

and finally LINN

The same for the headphones: a lot, many cans and the last: SONY MDR R10

When I arrive to what I'm looking for I stay with all the peace possible. But confess to you that the way for the best amp for my cans (the last ring of the equipment) is the hardest and long. But I can understand this because do not exist very hi-end headphone amp in the market - when I say this I'm thinking a amp in the same class of my cans, right?

About noise I repet to you with the first Angstrom I had you cannot heard any hum or noise even with your hand on the tubes. Incredible silent! This is my experience man! Period!

But do not tell that this is a war... no, no, just a little discussion between two listeners.

Best!
Nicola

 

[LarryS]

As regards the original topic here

I'm surprised that no one has yet mentioned the Twin Head pre-amp, now in it's Mach II incarnation.

I had the regretful opportunity of listening to the original Twin Head at the Dallas meet a year ago, and while I *LOVE* my EarMaxPro with my HD 600+e, I saw it take an easy second place. The Twin Head has a fastastic headphone out that is of high-end headphone amp quality. The transients and dynamics coming out of the TwinHead were incredible.

I really would like to add the TwinHead MK II to my upgrade list, but the thought of having to replace *all* of those tubes that would eventually have to be replaced...$$$

For those who have not seen it, Jude did a very nice review of the TH.