Proud owner of #239 here. Got them used from head-fier in NZ. Recabled with Moon Audio Black Dragon. Finish on mine is good but not perfect. Have a few tiny black speck (you have to look for them). They have a matt to satin finish. Sonically I love them. I listen to them every night before...

Quote: Originally Posted by regal On another note this SOHA II is the first tube amp that has me completely impressed by Grados, never liked them till now, the Senns and AKG's are gathering dust after building this amp. Finally I'm not alone using Grados with the SOHA II! In fact...

Quote: Originally Posted by regal I finished the amp today, started with RCA 5963's. I wasn't that impressed, sounded like a Millet Hybrid , some break-up distortion on complex loud passages. I turned up the tail current to 2.5 ma per tube and installed the NOS 8416's. Completely...

My personnal experience fit with Tamahome77. Out of the box the highs were a bit too hot and the bass more prominent. But with burn-in the highs and bass calm down a little, with less sibilance and the mids seems more refined. They are getting better that's for sure but they're still not...

Count me in the seriously interested builders crowd. My only problem is that I don't have any stats. Very handy for the final QC test. But that shouldn't be a problem for very long. One thing I would need before getting into the project is find info of what are the bias standard and what...

Quote: Originally Posted by fishski13 D.Y.R. and aloksatoor, yes, very nice... i've been running the B22 through it's paces with my DT990/600ohm: Yabby You, Kruder and Dorfmeister, and Charlie Haden were all on tap for the night. transients and note attack are excellent. the...

In my experience the HD-650 were the most forgiving headphones I heard. And I heard them with many different amps (SS, hybrid and tubes). Some amps may make them sound more detailed but never harsh. More forgiving than them you will have to insert pillows between your ears and headphone...

Quote: Originally Posted by fishski13 i have the dt990/600 and went with the default gain of 8. i'm hoping this will be adequate. Should be just fine but, I suggest you order the parts for 5x gain for a buck or two extra. If you change your mind you'll save on shipping later...

Quote: Originally Posted by Rhett_Butler Nono Wolf you misunderstand, the grilles are fully ventilated, it's the circular outermost edge of the rims I'm talking about. The flat surface is encircled by rubberbands. Duh! Mine didn't come with the rubber bands... In that case I...

Quote: Originally Posted by Rhett_Butler One question, the headphones arrived with rubber bands wrapped around the rims, should I take them off? I'd rather keep them to prevent scratches and stuff. But if they're affecting the resonance of the chamber, I'd gladly take them off...

There was once diyenclosures.com. But he is just liquidating his very limited remaining stock now. Other than that there is the nice Dissipator series from Teko Enclosures but only 1U height. The 19" rack series still look good.

Quote: Originally Posted by Dougie085 Anyone built this and the SOHA II? I know they are different technologies but kind of curious as to what the strengths and weaknesses are between the 2. I'd imagine if I post this in the SOHA II thread I'd get a bunch of people that like it over the...

SOHA II here. Using 6DJ8 Amperex "Orange Globes" it sounds great with my grado RS-1.

Quote: Originally Posted by Yikes ... I however use caution when weighing peoples opinions concerning their own DIY projects. The proud parent syndrome hits hard where DIY is concerned. As in a Parents Child is always the Smartest/Beautiful/Handsome Etc. It's human nature, when you pour...

I've just read the entire thread. Look very promising. Totem pole input gain stage. 100V to 150V adjustable plate voltage per triode section (200V to 300V B+). Dual triode noval and octal tubes support. A tube roller dream! The BJT output buffer seems, to me, a bit complexe (reference...

Without seeing schematics, anyone know what are the design features that set it apart from the SOHA/SOHA II, Millet Hybrid and Akaido? Higher B+ and CCS bias? DC coupled? DRPP or SRPP or SRSE? BJT or MOSFET buffer? How many mA or Watt into class A? What tube family will be compatible...

Could be interesting how it sound with low-Z cans like Grados. From the described sound signature it could sounds great with them particularly the RS-1.

Quote: Originally Posted by pearljam5000 how many people on head fi have a PS1000? Difficult to say, maybe it's time to start a new registry thread. I total, I don't think there's 500 PS1K in the wild yet. My SN are 23x and I don't recall seen one in the 3xx.

I never heard a stock PS1000 so I can't compare. One thing for sure I'm very happy. It took many life privations to afford them, but they are well worth it to me. (I think we need to edit and add a new PS1000 smile...)

Quote: Originally Posted by sachu Either way I think folks would be in for a treat...This is by far his finest amp and it would still be a steal if it went commercial. The sound quality for the $ you spend on it will be highly justified. It all depends of the price point. If...

Quote: Originally Posted by Rob N IMO Grado have moved away from their typical sound with the PS1000,more laidback They are a little bit on the warm side due to their low extended bass. They still retain the Grado mids but it is just a little more distant than RS-1. IMHO this...

Quote: Originally Posted by commandercam I went ahead and put in an order to Mouser last night for several different C5 caps. I bought the std Xicon caps along with Mallory and Vishay/Sprague. Have you ever heard of anyone who has used the latter two? None that I know. Quote...

Except for the higher Voltage B+ cap, I have replaced all Xicon caps with Panasonic FM/FC caps. These are great caps for decoupling purpose and they all fitted the board just right. I think I still have my SOHA II BOM @ home so just PM me as a reminder and, if you are interested, I'll send you...

Quote: Originally Posted by feifan I seldom listen at high gain with my HR amps. They're usually set at medium. But when I do use high, I don't hear any noise. I've never used low but would assume that the entire range would have been designed for no noise. Am I assuming wrong...

Finally a pair is coming home. I wish I'll be able to add my first impression by the end of the coming week.