Wow! I agree on the sharp looks! I almost went with the Sage Green on my Super II but settled on the RCA Red that seems to be their house-finish. A couple of questions: Are the brass footers that replaced the stock feet screwed into the base? What type of headphone jacks are you using? Thanks :)

Generally not as common, but I've been using  Tung-Sol 5751's in my Super II along with the RS1-i phones I picked up recently. Seems to be a pretty good combination.  Will try my Sylvania TMGP's soon.

Well, at least you found the problem instead of giving up on the thing :)  Enjoy!

I just recently got a Mapletree Super II, am currently driving a pair of HD-650's and have a pair of RS-1i's on the way.   I don't find that the Mapletree has any problem driving the Sennheiser's, even with 5751's in place of the 12AX7's. Although I haven't done a true side-by-side...

Thanks to all! :)   Frank: I'm using a pair of Sennheiser HD-650's with a Cardas cable.  These are the only 'phones I own at the moment.  I'm planning on getting a pair of Grados down the road, but I'm wondering if the Super II might be able to drive a pair of planar-dynamics like the HE-5...

The Super II has landed!  So far I'm very pleased with the sonics.  It was ordered with the Auricap and Black Gate upgrades.  I'm not sure how long it will take the caps to break in, so I'll need to do some more listening before posting a formal review.  It shipped with TAD EL-84 and 12AX7A-C...

I finally got around to ordering a new Super II along with a couple of upgrades. The HD-650's are the only phones I have at the moment, so I may be looking into getting a pair of Grados for a different flavor.   I'll post my findings after I get a chance to break in the amp a bit :)

I seem to recall someone stating that the Nighthawk's resistance is set around 220pf. With a lot of carts it probably wouldn't be an issue, but with something like the AT, I suppose there could be. Perhaps someone has tried a match-up already?

Is anyone using an AT 150MLX (or another cart that specifies 100-200pf of loading capacitance) with their Nighthawk? 

Is anyone using an AT 150MLX (or another cart that specifies 100-200pf of loading capacitance) with their Nighthawk?

Gopher,   Just wondering if you've settled on a comfortable solution for a TT with your Nighthawk?  Still using the Zu 103 in place of the DL-103D?

I've been running the DL-103R (on a recently re-wired SL-1200 arm into the Nighthawk) and the results have so far been good.  More than enough gain. Still breaking things in, so I alternate between the 100 and 500 ohm settings depending on the source material.     Did you resolve your...

No problem, Gopher.  All is cool!   I've only tried two MC's with the MiniMax: the Dynavector 10x5 (HOMC) and the Ortofon Rondo Bronze.  The 10x5 wasn't my cup of tea but it ended up making someone else happy.  The Rondo at .5mv just makes it for me output-wise, as I'm running fairly...

Gopher,   Which carts did you use over the years with your MiniMax?   I've finally gotten around to putting my MiniMax back in the rig after using the Nighthawk quite a bit. The Nighthawk was gelling so well with the Ortofon Rondo Bronze cart that I forgot about the poor MM.  Just picked...

Shaizada, A bit off topic, but have you owned or used a Manley Steelhead? I'd like to try one myself at some point. I'm wondering if it might combine some of the attributes of the Nighthawk (adjustability) and the MiniMax (tubes). Being able to drive amps directly would also be a plus.