Recent content by thinker

Nakamichi tapedeck with Energon electrostatic amp and Stax 9K

here is my list from best to worse for driving X9K, i have owned all amps and tested them with different sources 1.Stax SRM-212S modified with AN Kaisei NP + linear power supply ultra low noise and with some other modifications 2. Energon amp with KT-66 tubes 3. Novem 4.High-amp sirius v9...

Modified Stax srm-212s for X9K and it sounds just great. Capacitors Audio Note Kaisei non polar 22u-350V. Removed resistors R1 and R2. Removed C1 and C2 caps. Tried different filter capacitors on C7 and C8 but ended up not to use any filter capacitors. Power supply DC ultra -low noise linear...

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Coming from Stax world ( X9K) to planars and Hifiman new HE1K stealth. Have avoided to listen to planars because they don't present the liquidity like a excellent electrostatic headphone. First i had on loan a topping D90 amp to test how it matches with the new stealth , big disappoitment...

EnVogue DaCapo left, made in Italy, sold in Germany on name EnVogue some 25 years ago but these are rebuild in Netherlands to the lastest specifications, probably don't find it anywhere, very rare price back then some 12K. Right Energon electrostatic amp, custom made in Hungary, is probably...

Try to research how far you can get X9K. Feed the Energon amp straight with tube preamp and result is some sort of of out of body experience , the music appears to come from nowhere, at least you have the feeling that certainly not from the phones. The X9K is smooth like butter and musical as...

Use Stax X9K with Energon and Hifiman HE-1000 stealth with the other tube combo

i had to do this....... wooden Novem

that's exactly right ,colored amps is asked when driving X9K to it's best, to make critical listening with Novem the amp must be warmed up at least 20 minutes. I use Judy Spotheim passive preamp infront of Novem, have turned volume on max and adjust it through it. I can make straight comparisons...

A feature wich not often comes to mind if listening only with one amp. The Novem amp fit's the X9K in that sense that it presents a "right size" to X9K. My other tube amp, double mono design, presents a huge soundstage much more than Novem but the problem comes here. If you listen from Tidal...

....and Novem is a well build and very clean inside

I wasn't sure about Novem first but realized later that it needs "burn in " in time at least 2-3 months as many other tube amps do. The tubes are critical, i would avoid the JJ ecc99 gold pin output tube and use the normal silver pin instead. Input tubes are also critical, NOS Mullard has been...

Always coming back to Novem amp/Mjölnir Audio with NOS Mullard input tubes , sounds really nice with X9K, looks good after i switched a silver colored potentiometer to it. Warm tube sound but still presents all details

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