After purchasing Zoom U-44 for 6 months, I can't believe I am writing a review to describe how good it sounds. Here is why I highly recommend it for computer audiophiles. (1) Unbeatable functionality, a swiss-army-knife for all audio needs Computer audio interface: 96/24, USB, 4-in-4-out...

It has been a long time since I have posted on head-fi. Sorry for posting the same thread twice. How do I delete this thread? Can the moderator help me?

Disclaimer: The designer of Marvalve Model 2 DAC, Dalun Yuan, is a friend of mine. As a frequent poster on head-fi, I am writing this review from the perspective of an ordinary home user. I borrowed Marvalve DAC for comparison against my Benchmark DAC2 HCG. The Marvalve is obviously much better...

Sorry, Double Post. But I don't know how to delete this thread. Please see the other thread: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/review-marvalve-model-two-dac-vs-benchmark-dac2-hcg.884440/

  I am sure this amplifier is dead quiet. It has only one EL84 tube running at low voltage. It could be the tube that needs replacing. On any tube amplifier, I always use ultra-sensitive ear buds to check tube noises. Both preamp and power tubes could vary widely in noise levels, including...

I know Dalun Yuan quite well. He used to be the chief engineer of Nuforce for a few years and designed a few successful products. He is now starting a new company called Marvalve and this is the first product. This amp is completely manufactured in Taiwan, and Dalun is one of the most respected...

  No doubt both are excellent for classical music, and many other kinds of music as well. HE560 has better bass response, which is the nature of its driver design, and to my ears better tonality in high frequencies (this part may relate to individual's ear-related transfer function). Moreover...

  I don't doubt that a very experienced person may be able to make a decent, quick judgment based on one hour of listening. It's like a wine expert or a painting expert who have been exposed to this stuff for years. Of course all that experience is built upon countless hours of careful...

  Great comments. Thanks for sharing. Any thoughts on Beyer T1? 

  Powerful amps and orthodynamic headphones have raised the bar of headphone listening, IMHO. As competition intensifies and the market expands, we can certainly expect even better headphones. How about revisiting the diffuse-field listening concept of AKG K1000?

An upscale-looking CEC CD player (model unknown) was connected to Eddie Current Balancing Act (balanced headphone output) with KR PX4 tubes installed. A rather sizable TEAC CD player (model unknown) was connected to Burson Conductor using TRS headphone jack. The difference between tube and SS...

Having heard some old-time goodies like Sennheiser HE-90, Stax Omega II and Sony R10, and owning 5 pairs of AKG K1000 currently, I have not been particularly impressed with the previous generation of flagship headphones (HD650, K702, DT880, some woody Audio Technicas) for playing classical and...

I have two Topping TP22 amps, one for bedroom and one for office. They are built well, and sound smooth and clean. I have used 10 different integrated amplifiers under $1000, both solid state and tubes, and the original Sonic Impact T-amp as well. TP22 is good enough to be called entry level...

I bought DAC1 almost 9 years ago and never liked the built-in amp, being kind of lifeless and not particularly high-resolution, easily beaten by a Ray Samuel's cheapest portable amp. But the converter is great and I keep using it for years without bothering to upgrade.   Now it looks like...

I have tried the Almarro 205A. Nice amp with high quality output transformers. To reach 5W per channel, the EL84 operates in pentode mode. For headphones it is not as good as other EL84 amps in triode mode. But 5W will drive a real-world speaker, and EL84 in triode will not. The SAC Minute will...

The headphone amp is a readily available model only sold in Thailand. I would email info@sacthailand.com to have it shipped to the US. Mine has been operating just fine. It's a great amp.     Quote:  

When there is really strong low bass, maybe <30-40 Hz, I can hear a rattle in 3 out of 4 pairs that I have right now, on one channel only (left or right depends on the pair). Three are in mint condition. Because the ear is not as sensitive to really low bass, it may not sound loud but in fact...

Minute EL34 PP version, that's interesting. If I did not read it wrong on the internet, Quad II amplifier was the pioneering product that used KT66 push-pull (class A) with cathode feedback. Class A push-pull to my ears is a lot better than class AB push-pull in terms of tonal purity, at the...

There are so many modern 6L6 family tubes available: 6L6/6L6GC (many variations), 5881, KT66, Russian 6P3S and Chinese 350B. I wonder what users in Thailand think about these different choices.   So far I think 6L6 family sounds (tried three) much darker than EL34 family (tried three)...

It's great to know the person who conceptualized the Minute EL34 headamp, Kanit. It is a brilliant idea, and the transformer for electrostatic headphones as well. w clean it sounds while driving the speaker.   Today I received new speakers today, ERA D4. I had to upgrade because my...

  There is an interesting new headphone amplifier developed specifically for inefficient orthodynamic headphones like HE6:   SAC Thailand Minute EL34 SE amp   I have not yet heard Hifiman headphones. But I bought it for the even more power-hungry K1000. I could not be happier. I was...

  Quote:   Ordering is simple, just email them: http://www.sacthailand.com/Order.html   And I paid through Paypal. Very simple and easy.

None of these new exciting gadgets are mentioned on the SAC Thailand English website. Is there a Thai website that describes all this? (not that I can understand and Google translator is horrible in this case)

  It is great to hear from headphiles in Thailand. I could not find much information about the Minute amp in English websites.   So what do people think about Minute EL34 vs 300B amps? I don't have a 300B amp with me so I cannot compare directly, only from memory.   Even more...