Thank you so much - this is incredibly insightful. I'm in the UK - so have a limited selection. However, based on your info, I've found these: Power Tubes General Electric 6AS7GA Telefunken 6080W THOMPSON 6080WA 6080WB RAYTHEON JAN 6080 CV2984 Mullard RCA 6080 GE NATIONAL BLACK BASE...

Thanks so much for the recommendations. Any recommendations for replacing the 6N13S power tubes?

@LobalWarming & @JKDJedi thanks for your help - really useful and interesting info! I can't seem to find any Gold Lion tubes that match your recommended models for the driver or power tubes. Are there any specific brands/models that would be a safe bet as a great upgrade to the stock tubes?

Hi all, I have a Miltra OTL-8XT headphone amp. It was supplied with a pair of 6N13S power tubes, and two pairs of driver tubes: 2 x 6H8C and 2 x Psvane 6SN7 (shown in photo). I'm really keen on purchasing some new tubes to play with the sound. However - I don't understand the naming or...

Schiit Jotunheim 2 Balanced Headphone Amplifier + Cable [UK Only] MM Phono installed. 2 x 0.5m 'WORLDS BEST CABLES' – Gotham XLR cables included. As new in perfect working order. House moves forces sale. These are currently nigh-on impossible to obtain in the UK. £475 shipped (or £450...

I've just been told on another forum that I shouldn't use both the RCA and XLA outputs at the same time, as it will split the power and degrade the signal. Is this true? I've always had an amp plugged into each output simultaneously (tube amp into RCA and SS amp into XLR). As a test, I just...

To be fair - I haven't noticed any noise or interference whatsoever using my Android phone. It's as clear as a bell. I just wondered if other sources changed the sound. For example - could my PC give a bassier sounds, or more spacious soundstage?

I run my Android phone (Pixel 4 XL) straight into my Ares II with a USB-C to USB-B cable, and play music from Qobuz (through the USB Audio Player PRO app). My question is this - would using a different digital source (my desktop PC for example) make any difference to the sound? I assume not -...

Damn - the cost of the washers would just push them out of my budget.

Completely agree. I've heard many people say that the DAC only makes about 10% difference to the sound - but I feel it make as much difference as the amplifier. In fact, the difference between using my phone's own chip DAC vs the Ares II is more noticeable than changing between my SS and tube...

I was as skeptical as the next guy - but I tried it and it really did make a difference. It's logical that a device generating an analogue signal would benefit in resonating freely. This is actually part two of his videos on tweaking the Ares II.

Don't forget to also tune the Ares II...

I've had mine about a month and it sounds better every day. No need to leave it playing - just let it happen when you enjoy them. The best thing I did was to pair them with a Denafrips Ares II and a high quality tube amp. I couldn't recommend this combo more highly. The Ares II gives the...

Are these still available?

Agreed!

Here you go! The Miltra is stunningly built. It's a work of art. And Krzystof at Miltra is a gentleman to deal with. I'm going to hold back on my review until my Ares II arrives tomorrow!! 😁

Thanks for sharing. This is what I had expected/feared. I say 'feared' as the Jot 2 is what I really want - but they are simply impossible to obtain in the UK at the moment.

I have a Denafrips Ares II. I'd rather spend the extra for the Schiit Jotunheim 2 if it would be an improvement over the ZEN CAN, but obviously don't want to waste money if there's no discernible difference. I also have another option of buying a used ifi Micro iDSD Black Label for in between...

Do you think the Zen Can I'd a suitable amp for the Empyrean? I could spend more on an amp (say up to around the cost of a Schiit Jotunheim 2), but the Zen Can has such great reviews - I don't know if the extra spend would be worth it?

Hi, is your Schiit Jotunheim 2 available for sale?

Have any of you tried this 'tuning' of your Ares II? This German distributor swears by it (along with many others in the comments on this YouTube video)!

Is there anyway of charging the Black Label while using with an Android phone? Is there a splitter USB cable doe example (one side for signal the other for power)? Cheers 👍

That's great thank you! I didn't know if I needed a specific 'OTG' for an Android phone. How do you find the Audioquest cable? Does upgrading the USB have any effect on the sound?

May I ask how you use the Black Label with the external DAC? Is it simply a case of connecting the DAC output into the 3.5mm jack on front of the unit with an RCA to 3.5mm adapter (like this one?) Cheers 👍

Hi everyone. I have an Ares II on order, and have a question please regarding using my phone as the music player. I plan to exclusively use my Android phone (Google Pixel 4 XL) and plug a cable directly from the phone's USB-C port into the Ares' USB-Type B port. I've purchased a straight USB-C...