[Zachik]

You can get away with using a super cheap 2 pole rotary switch. Number of positions will be your number of desired resistances to test. I.e. If you wanted a switch for 300, 150 or 120, 64 and 32 ohms, you would get a 2 pole, 5+ position switch.

So just connect input (1.4" female) ground to output (RCA / 1/4" / BNC) ground, and run R and L signal wires through the 2-pole rotary switch?

 

[A2029]

So just connect input (1.4" female) ground to output (RCA / 1/4" / BNC) ground, and run R and L signal wires through the 2-pole rotary switch?

Like this (quickly drawn in Paint, lol). Only one channel shown:

 

[Zachik]

Like this (quickly drawn in Paint, lol). Only one channel shown:

Just as I thought
Thanks Mischa!!

 

[leftside]

If money wasnt the issue i wouldve gone with ( https://www.don-audio.com/Vintage-Meters-VM-B10R-LED-1mA-Retro-VU-Meter-LED-Illuminated ) but after lots of consideration i took Mischa advice and use S45 500UA VU Meter ( http://www.jjyaudio.com/productview.asp?sid=1491 ) instead. It is much cheaper but still retains the vintage aesthetic.


i cannot go past 11 o clock, 9 oclock is the ideal volume to me... One more thing to mention, i think VU meter's needle fluctuates depending more on the volume of the DAC rather than the volume of the AMP. so in my case, eventhough the volume of the AMP is 0, the needle still goes up and down whenever i maxed out my DAC.

Oh I thought those were the Don Audio meters, but those S45 look really good! And much cheaper. I believe I could only find the Don Audio at the time my amp was being designed.

Yes, the VU meters fluctuate depending upon the DAC or preamp output.

Sooo....... I feel like I'm the only person here who mainly listens with his eyes closed?

I do too, but sometimes it's nice to see the glow of tubes and meters in a darkened room. Adds to the ambience - especially with a scotch

 

[Jaeger18]

I feel that im incapable of reviewing this glorious amp, so these few paragprahs is going to be more towards sharing my expectation and experience with Mischa and BH from my point of view, so take this with a grain of salt...

Lets start from the person himself. When it comes to Amplifier, this guy is a walking encyclopedia. He answers all my questions so vividly to the point that i feel wrong to waste his time answering my questions and he is one of the kindest man that ive ever encountered.

After going back and forth deciding to wait for Glenn to build me a GOTL or Blue Halo, i took a leep of faith and ordered BH. I told Mischa what my past amp is lacking (from my point of view) and wish that BH would correct it and be a better fit for my personal taste.

To be honest, until a week ago i was still skeptical about the BH (aestheticly and how it sounds). But my heart melts when i saw BH for the first time, look at it.. i meaan LOOOK AT IT...

Aesthetic:
i discuss with Mischa about having the 3 capacitor casing painted in black / carbon, but by the end of the day i chose black and am so pleased with the end result...

SQ:
Long story short.. this sounds way way waaaayyy better than what i expected...
The micro detail is also something to mention, it is very clear / revealing. One of the few things that my past amp is lacking (for my taste) is its bass and sub bass (the reason might be having limited tubes so it cant really elevate to its potential) .BH in the other hand, delivers a good bass and sub bass. it is tight , responsive / quick, you can feel the impact of the bass (not too much but just the right amount). I did mention to Mischa that the bass is like 'Mayweather punching me on the face multiple of times', which i muuuch prefer rather than 'Mike tyson punching me and get KO ed in the 1st round'.

Second is the volume level, while using my previous amp ive to crank it up to around 5 o clock where as using BH i can only handle up to 11 o clock max ( i usually stay at around 9 o clock).

Transformer Rolling:
i might as well mention the difference between with and without CINEMAG from my point of view... Mischa did mention that this amp is not designed to be a balance amp...so in MY CASE, what differs between XLR and RCA is MAINLY with and without CINEMAG transformer.

The funny thing is at the time of the purchase, i didnt even know the usage of CINEMAG, i just thought the word 'CINEMAG' sounds unique so i decided to let Mischa put it into the amp. After i got the amp and tried it THEN i started to realize the change in SQ with / without cinemag. ONLY after noticing the difference in SQ then i decided to search it online, so i feel that im not BIAS at all.

At first i thought it is more lively but later found out that it takes 4V and convert it to 2.2-2.4V RMS which is more than without CINEMAG 2V RMS, which means more volume i guess? After further listen I find it a little bit more natural.

Tube rolling:
Correct me if im wrong but i believe the SQ difference between tube rolling within the same tube family is not going to be that apparent becase of CCS. is it a con? not for my wallet. But some told me that the SQ difference will be more revealing if you use a different kind of tube family... for ex. using kt-88 tube (with kt-88 to 6j5 adapter) in 6j5 socket will have more changes in SQ than using 6j5 tube. ivent play around with different family type of tubes but i will definately tinker around in the future.

6sn7:
-sophia electric 6sn7
-sylvania 6sn7
verdict: its too close to differentiate, but i think sophia is a little bit harsher at the highs ever so slightly, but then again ive only used sophia for 30 hrs max so its too soon to say

6j5:
-L63 GEC (2x)
-RCA 6j5 (2x)
verdict: cant tell the difference, maybe needs more time to burn it... too soon to say

side note:
-L63 (+-20 hours of use)
-RCA (+-15 hours of use)
-Sylvania (more than 500 hours of use)
-Sophia (+- 40 hours of use)

One last note: the tubes above that ive tested provides a silent black background, and produce a very pleasing SQ.

Final words:
There are lots of talented people that can build a good amp BUT a person that has the ABILITY to build a magnificent amp AND offers a GOOD SERVICE like Mischa provides... is pretty rare to come by these days, im so lucky to hv known him...

Do i expect more from BLUE HALO? Honestly i expect less than this... so all in all, i can confidently say that this is the better product (out of the two amps that ive tried) in my case for my personal needs.


Conclusion:
Amp Aesthetic: 10/10
Amp SQ: 10/10
Tube rolling: 7/10
(if kt-88 to 6j5 adapter arrives 9/10 )
Service: 10/10
money: 10/10
____________ +
money: 0/10
my happiness: 10000000/10
wife's happiness: 0/10

 

[L0rdGwyn]

I feel that im incapable of reviewing this glorious amp, so these few paragprahs is going to be more towards sharing my expectation and experience with Mischa and BH from my point of view, so take this with a grain of salt...

Lets start from the person himself. When it comes to Amplifier, this guy is a walking encyclopedia. He answers all my questions so vividly to the point that i feel wrong to waste his time answering my questions and he is one of the kindest man that ive ever encountered.

After going back and forth deciding to wait for Glenn to build me a GOTL or Blue Halo, i took a leep of faith and ordered BH. I told Mischa what my past amp is lacking (from my point of view) and wish that BH would correct it and be a better fit for my personal taste.

To be honest, until a week ago i was still skeptical about the BH (aestheticly and how it sounds). But my heart melts when i saw BH for the first time, look at it.. i meaan LOOOK AT IT...

Aesthetic:
i discuss with Mischa about having the 3 capacitor casing painted in black / carbon, but by the end of the day i chose black and am so pleased with the end result...

SQ:
Long story short.. this sounds way way waaaayyy better than what i expected...
The micro detail is also something to mention, it is very clear / revealing. One of the few things that my past amp is lacking (for my taste) is its bass and sub bass (the reason might be having limited tubes so it cant really elevate to its potential) .BH in the other hand, delivers a good bass and sub bass. it is tight , responsive / quick, you can feel the impact of the bass (not too much but just the right amount). I did mention to Mischa that the bass is like 'Mayweather punching me on the face multiple of times', which i muuuch prefer rather than 'Mike tyson punching me and get KO ed in the 1st round'.

Second is the volume level, while using my previous amp ive to crank it up to around 5 o clock where as using BH i can only handle up to 11 o clock max ( i usually stay at around 9 o clock).

Transformer Rolling:
i might as well mention the difference between with and without CINEMAG from my point of view... Mischa did mention that this amp is not designed to be a balance amp...so in MY CASE, what differs between XLR and RCA is MAINLY with and without CINEMAG transformer.

The funny thing is at the time of the purchase, i didnt even know the usage of CINEMAG, i just thought the word 'CINEMAG' sounds unique so i decided to let Mischa put it into the amp. After i got the amp and tried it THEN i started to realize the change in SQ with / without cinemag. ONLY after noticing the difference in SQ then i decided to search it online, so i feel that im not BIAS at all.

At first i thought it is more lively but later found out that it takes 4V and convert it to 2.2-2.4V RMS which is more than without CINEMAG 2V RMS, which means more volume i guess? After further listen I find it a little bit more natural.

Tube rolling:
Correct me if im wrong but i believe the SQ difference between tube rolling within the same tube family is not going to be that apparent becase of CCS. is it a con? not for my wallet. But some told me that the SQ difference will be more revealing if you use a different kind of tube family... for ex. using kt-88 tube (with kt-88 to 6j5 adapter) in 6j5 socket will have more changes in SQ than using 6j5 tube. ivent play around with different family type of tubes but i will definately tinker around in the future.

6sn7:
-sophia electric 6sn7
-sylvania 6sn7
verdict: its too close to differentiate, but i think sophia is a little bit harsher at the highs ever so slightly, but then again ive only used sophia for 30 hrs max so its too soon to say

6j5:
-L63 GEC (2x)
-RCA 6j5 (2x)
verdict: cant tell the difference..

One last note: the tubes above that ive tested provides a silent black background, and produce a very pleasing SQ.

Final words:
There are lots of talented people that can build a good amp BUT a person that has the ABILITY to build a magnificent amp AND offers a GOOD SERVICE like Mischa provides... is pretty rare to come by these days, im so lucky to hv known him...

Do i expect more from BLUE HALO? Honestly i expect less than this... so all in all, i can confidently say that this is the better product (out of the two amps that ive tried) in my case for my personal needs.


Conclusion:
Amp Aesthetic: 10/10
Amp SQ: 10/10
Tube rolling: 7/10
(if kt-88 to 6j5 adapter arrives 9/10 )
Service: 10/10
money: 0/10
____________ +
my happiness: 10000000/10
wife's happiness: 0/10

Very sharp with the VU meters, blue glass, and black caps great writeup!

 

[Galapac]

I feel that im incapable of reviewing this glorious amp, so these few paragprahs is going to be more towards sharing my expectation and experience with Mischa and BH from my point of view, so take this with a grain of salt...

Lets start from the person himself. When it comes to Amplifier, this guy is a walking encyclopedia. He answers all my questions so vividly to the point that i feel wrong to waste his time answering my questions and he is one of the kindest man that ive ever encountered.

After going back and forth deciding to wait for Glenn to build me a GOTL or Blue Halo, i took a leep of faith and ordered BH. I told Mischa what my past amp is lacking (from my point of view) and wish that BH would correct it and be a better fit for my personal taste.

To be honest, until a week ago i was still skeptical about the BH (aestheticly and how it sounds). But my heart melts when i saw BH for the first time, look at it.. i meaan LOOOK AT IT...

Aesthetic:
i discuss with Mischa about having the 3 capacitor casing painted in black / carbon, but by the end of the day i chose black and am so pleased with the end result...

SQ:
Long story short.. this sounds way way waaaayyy better than what i expected...
The micro detail is also something to mention, it is very clear / revealing. One of the few things that my past amp is lacking (for my taste) is its bass and sub bass (the reason might be having limited tubes so it cant really elevate to its potential) .BH in the other hand, delivers a good bass and sub bass. it is tight , responsive / quick, you can feel the impact of the bass (not too much but just the right amount). I did mention to Mischa that the bass is like 'Mayweather punching me on the face multiple of times', which i muuuch prefer rather than 'Mike tyson punching me and get KO ed in the 1st round'.

Second is the volume level, while using my previous amp ive to crank it up to around 5 o clock where as using BH i can only handle up to 11 o clock max ( i usually stay at around 9 o clock).

Transformer Rolling:
i might as well mention the difference between with and without CINEMAG from my point of view... Mischa did mention that this amp is not designed to be a balance amp...so in MY CASE, what differs between XLR and RCA is MAINLY with and without CINEMAG transformer.

The funny thing is at the time of the purchase, i didnt even know the usage of CINEMAG, i just thought the word 'CINEMAG' sounds unique so i decided to let Mischa put it into the amp. After i got the amp and tried it THEN i started to realize the change in SQ with / without cinemag. ONLY after noticing the difference in SQ then i decided to search it online, so i feel that im not BIAS at all.

At first i thought it is more lively but later found out that it takes 4V and convert it to 2.2-2.4V RMS which is more than without CINEMAG 2V RMS, which means more volume i guess? After further listen I find it a little bit more natural.

Tube rolling:
Correct me if im wrong but i believe the SQ difference between tube rolling within the same tube family is not going to be that apparent becase of CCS. is it a con? not for my wallet. But some told me that the SQ difference will be more revealing if you use a different kind of tube family... for ex. using kt-88 tube (with kt-88 to 6j5 adapter) in 6j5 socket will have more changes in SQ than using 6j5 tube. ivent play around with different family type of tubes but i will definately tinker around in the future.

6sn7:
-sophia electric 6sn7
-sylvania 6sn7
verdict: its too close to differentiate, but i think sophia is a little bit harsher at the highs ever so slightly, but then again ive only used sophia for 30 hrs max so its too soon to say

6j5:
-L63 GEC (2x)
-RCA 6j5 (2x)
verdict: cant tell the difference..

One last note: the tubes above that ive tested provides a silent black background, and produce a very pleasing SQ.

Final words:
There are lots of talented people that can build a good amp BUT a person that has the ABILITY to build a magnificent amp AND offers a GOOD SERVICE like Mischa provides... is pretty rare to come by these days, im so lucky to hv known him...

Do i expect more from BLUE HALO? Honestly i expect less than this... so all in all, i can confidently say that this is the better product (out of the two amps that ive tried) in my case for my personal needs.


Conclusion:
Amp Aesthetic: 10/10
Amp SQ: 10/10
Tube rolling: 7/10
(if kt-88 to 6j5 adapter arrives 9/10 )
Service: 10/10
money: 0/10
____________ +
my happiness: 10000000/10
wife's happiness: 0/10

Simply magnificent and elegant. One of these is in my long term wish list. End gamer for sure as a tube amp.

 

[leftside]

I feel that im incapable of reviewing this glorious amp, so these few paragprahs is going to be more towards sharing my expectation and experience with Mischa and BH from my point of view, so take this with a grain of salt...

Lets start from the person himself. When it comes to Amplifier, this guy is a walking encyclopedia. He answers all my questions so vividly to the point that i feel wrong to waste his time answering my questions and he is one of the kindest man that ive ever encountered.

After going back and forth deciding to wait for Glenn to build me a GOTL or Blue Halo, i took a leep of faith and ordered BH. I told Mischa what my past amp is lacking (from my point of view) and wish that BH would correct it and be a better fit for my personal taste.

To be honest, until a week ago i was still skeptical about the BH (aestheticly and how it sounds). But my heart melts when i saw BH for the first time, look at it.. i meaan LOOOK AT IT...

Aesthetic:
i discuss with Mischa about having the 3 capacitor casing painted in black / carbon, but by the end of the day i chose black and am so pleased with the end result...

SQ:
Long story short.. this sounds way way waaaayyy better than what i expected...
The micro detail is also something to mention, it is very clear / revealing. One of the few things that my past amp is lacking (for my taste) is its bass and sub bass (the reason might be having limited tubes so it cant really elevate to its potential) .BH in the other hand, delivers a good bass and sub bass. it is tight , responsive / quick, you can feel the impact of the bass (not too much but just the right amount). I did mention to Mischa that the bass is like 'Mayweather punching me on the face multiple of times', which i muuuch prefer rather than 'Mike tyson punching me and get KO ed in the 1st round'.

Second is the volume level, while using my previous amp ive to crank it up to around 5 o clock where as using BH i can only handle up to 11 o clock max ( i usually stay at around 9 o clock).

Transformer Rolling:
i might as well mention the difference between with and without CINEMAG from my point of view... Mischa did mention that this amp is not designed to be a balance amp...so in MY CASE, what differs between XLR and RCA is MAINLY with and without CINEMAG transformer.

The funny thing is at the time of the purchase, i didnt even know the usage of CINEMAG, i just thought the word 'CINEMAG' sounds unique so i decided to let Mischa put it into the amp. After i got the amp and tried it THEN i started to realize the change in SQ with / without cinemag. ONLY after noticing the difference in SQ then i decided to search it online, so i feel that im not BIAS at all.

At first i thought it is more lively but later found out that it takes 4V and convert it to 2.2-2.4V RMS which is more than without CINEMAG 2V RMS, which means more volume i guess? After further listen I find it a little bit more natural.

Tube rolling:
Correct me if im wrong but i believe the SQ difference between tube rolling within the same tube family is not going to be that apparent becase of CCS. is it a con? not for my wallet. But some told me that the SQ difference will be more revealing if you use a different kind of tube family... for ex. using kt-88 tube (with kt-88 to 6j5 adapter) in 6j5 socket will have more changes in SQ than using 6j5 tube. ivent play around with different family type of tubes but i will definately tinker around in the future.

6sn7:
-sophia electric 6sn7
-sylvania 6sn7
verdict: its too close to differentiate, but i think sophia is a little bit harsher at the highs ever so slightly, but then again ive only used sophia for 30 hrs max so its too soon to say

6j5:
-L63 GEC (2x)
-RCA 6j5 (2x)
verdict: cant tell the difference..

One last note: the tubes above that ive tested provides a silent black background, and produce a very pleasing SQ.

Final words:
There are lots of talented people that can build a good amp BUT a person that has the ABILITY to build a magnificent amp AND offers a GOOD SERVICE like Mischa provides... is pretty rare to come by these days, im so lucky to hv known him...

Do i expect more from BLUE HALO? Honestly i expect less than this... so all in all, i can confidently say that this is the better product (out of the two amps that ive tried) in my case for my personal needs.


Conclusion:
Amp Aesthetic: 10/10
Amp SQ: 10/10
Tube rolling: 7/10
(if kt-88 to 6j5 adapter arrives 9/10 )
Service: 10/10
money: 10/10
____________ +
money: 0/10
my happiness: 10000000/10
wife's happiness: 0/10

Great write up. The bass was also the first thing I noticed with my amp - hence the nickname "Thunder".

Thanks for the photos. I showed my wife, and said the amp I'm planning for the living room isn't going to be as big as "that amp upstairs" and will look more like yours. It got a semi-approving nod. That's good enough for me

 

[whirlwind]

I feel that im incapable of reviewing this glorious amp, so these few paragprahs is going to be more towards sharing my expectation and experience with Mischa and BH from my point of view, so take this with a grain of salt...

Lets start from the person himself. When it comes to Amplifier, this guy is a walking encyclopedia. He answers all my questions so vividly to the point that i feel wrong to waste his time answering my questions and he is one of the kindest man that ive ever encountered.

After going back and forth deciding to wait for Glenn to build me a GOTL or Blue Halo, i took a leep of faith and ordered BH. I told Mischa what my past amp is lacking (from my point of view) and wish that BH would correct it and be a better fit for my personal taste.

To be honest, until a week ago i was still skeptical about the BH (aestheticly and how it sounds). But my heart melts when i saw BH for the first time, look at it.. i meaan LOOOK AT IT...

Aesthetic:
i discuss with Mischa about having the 3 capacitor casing painted in black / carbon, but by the end of the day i chose black and am so pleased with the end result...

SQ:
Long story short.. this sounds way way waaaayyy better than what i expected...
The micro detail is also something to mention, it is very clear / revealing. One of the few things that my past amp is lacking (for my taste) is its bass and sub bass (the reason might be having limited tubes so it cant really elevate to its potential) .BH in the other hand, delivers a good bass and sub bass. it is tight , responsive / quick, you can feel the impact of the bass (not too much but just the right amount). I did mention to Mischa that the bass is like 'Mayweather punching me on the face multiple of times', which i muuuch prefer rather than 'Mike tyson punching me and get KO ed in the 1st round'.

Second is the volume level, while using my previous amp ive to crank it up to around 5 o clock where as using BH i can only handle up to 11 o clock max ( i usually stay at around 9 o clock).

Transformer Rolling:
i might as well mention the difference between with and without CINEMAG from my point of view... Mischa did mention that this amp is not designed to be a balance amp...so in MY CASE, what differs between XLR and RCA is MAINLY with and without CINEMAG transformer.

The funny thing is at the time of the purchase, i didnt even know the usage of CINEMAG, i just thought the word 'CINEMAG' sounds unique so i decided to let Mischa put it into the amp. After i got the amp and tried it THEN i started to realize the change in SQ with / without cinemag. ONLY after noticing the difference in SQ then i decided to search it online, so i feel that im not BIAS at all.

At first i thought it is more lively but later found out that it takes 4V and convert it to 2.2-2.4V RMS which is more than without CINEMAG 2V RMS, which means more volume i guess? After further listen I find it a little bit more natural.

Tube rolling:
Correct me if im wrong but i believe the SQ difference between tube rolling within the same tube family is not going to be that apparent becase of CCS. is it a con? not for my wallet. But some told me that the SQ difference will be more revealing if you use a different kind of tube family... for ex. using kt-88 tube (with kt-88 to 6j5 adapter) in 6j5 socket will have more changes in SQ than using 6j5 tube. ivent play around with different family type of tubes but i will definately tinker around in the future.

6sn7:
-sophia electric 6sn7
-sylvania 6sn7
verdict: its too close to differentiate, but i think sophia is a little bit harsher at the highs ever so slightly, but then again ive only used sophia for 30 hrs max so its too soon to say

6j5:
-L63 GEC (2x)
-RCA 6j5 (2x)
verdict: cant tell the difference..

One last note: the tubes above that ive tested provides a silent black background, and produce a very pleasing SQ.

Final words:
There are lots of talented people that can build a good amp BUT a person that has the ABILITY to build a magnificent amp AND offers a GOOD SERVICE like Mischa provides... is pretty rare to come by these days, im so lucky to hv known him...

Do i expect more from BLUE HALO? Honestly i expect less than this... so all in all, i can confidently say that this is the better product (out of the two amps that ive tried) in my case for my personal needs.


Conclusion:
Amp Aesthetic: 10/10
Amp SQ: 10/10
Tube rolling: 7/10
(if kt-88 to 6j5 adapter arrives 9/10 )
Service: 10/10
money: 10/10
____________ +
money: 0/10
my happiness: 10000000/10
wife's happiness: 0/10

Nice! Killer amp and some Leopard Woods!
Enjoy

Ha....I understand the wife's happiness rating!

 

[raindownthunda]

I feel that im incapable of reviewing this glorious amp, so these few paragprahs is going to be more towards sharing my expectation and experience with Mischa and BH from my point of view, so take this with a grain of salt...

Lets start from the person himself. When it comes to Amplifier, this guy is a walking encyclopedia. He answers all my questions so vividly to the point that i feel wrong to waste his time answering my questions and he is one of the kindest man that ive ever encountered.

After going back and forth deciding to wait for Glenn to build me a GOTL or Blue Halo, i took a leep of faith and ordered BH. I told Mischa what my past amp is lacking (from my point of view) and wish that BH would correct it and be a better fit for my personal taste.

To be honest, until a week ago i was still skeptical about the BH (aestheticly and how it sounds). But my heart melts when i saw BH for the first time, look at it.. i meaan LOOOK AT IT...

Aesthetic:
i discuss with Mischa about having the 3 capacitor casing painted in black / carbon, but by the end of the day i chose black and am so pleased with the end result...

SQ:
Long story short.. this sounds way way waaaayyy better than what i expected...
The micro detail is also something to mention, it is very clear / revealing. One of the few things that my past amp is lacking (for my taste) is its bass and sub bass (the reason might be having limited tubes so it cant really elevate to its potential) .BH in the other hand, delivers a good bass and sub bass. it is tight , responsive / quick, you can feel the impact of the bass (not too much but just the right amount). I did mention to Mischa that the bass is like 'Mayweather punching me on the face multiple of times', which i muuuch prefer rather than 'Mike tyson punching me and get KO ed in the 1st round'.

Second is the volume level, while using my previous amp ive to crank it up to around 5 o clock where as using BH i can only handle up to 11 o clock max ( i usually stay at around 9 o clock).

Transformer Rolling:
i might as well mention the difference between with and without CINEMAG from my point of view... Mischa did mention that this amp is not designed to be a balance amp...so in MY CASE, what differs between XLR and RCA is MAINLY with and without CINEMAG transformer.

The funny thing is at the time of the purchase, i didnt even know the usage of CINEMAG, i just thought the word 'CINEMAG' sounds unique so i decided to let Mischa put it into the amp. After i got the amp and tried it THEN i started to realize the change in SQ with / without cinemag. ONLY after noticing the difference in SQ then i decided to search it online, so i feel that im not BIAS at all.

At first i thought it is more lively but later found out that it takes 4V and convert it to 2.2-2.4V RMS which is more than without CINEMAG 2V RMS, which means more volume i guess? After further listen I find it a little bit more natural.

Tube rolling:
Correct me if im wrong but i believe the SQ difference between tube rolling within the same tube family is not going to be that apparent becase of CCS. is it a con? not for my wallet. But some told me that the SQ difference will be more revealing if you use a different kind of tube family... for ex. using kt-88 tube (with kt-88 to 6j5 adapter) in 6j5 socket will have more changes in SQ than using 6j5 tube. ivent play around with different family type of tubes but i will definately tinker around in the future.

6sn7:
-sophia electric 6sn7
-sylvania 6sn7
verdict: its too close to differentiate, but i think sophia is a little bit harsher at the highs ever so slightly, but then again ive only used sophia for 30 hrs max so its too soon to say

6j5:
-L63 GEC (2x)
-RCA 6j5 (2x)
verdict: cant tell the difference..

One last note: the tubes above that ive tested provides a silent black background, and produce a very pleasing SQ.

Final words:
There are lots of talented people that can build a good amp BUT a person that has the ABILITY to build a magnificent amp AND offers a GOOD SERVICE like Mischa provides... is pretty rare to come by these days, im so lucky to hv known him...

Do i expect more from BLUE HALO? Honestly i expect less than this... so all in all, i can confidently say that this is the better product (out of the two amps that ive tried) in my case for my personal needs.


Conclusion:
Amp Aesthetic: 10/10
Amp SQ: 10/10
Tube rolling: 7/10
(if kt-88 to 6j5 adapter arrives 9/10 )
Service: 10/10
money: 10/10
____________ +
money: 0/10
my happiness: 10000000/10
wife's happiness: 0/10

Great impressions and photos! I bet it sounds amazing.

I love the low light close up photo of the front panel... Very cool old school / retro vibes. This song started playing in my head immediately:

 

[cdanguyen08]

I feel that im incapable of reviewing this glorious amp, so these few paragprahs is going to be more towards sharing my expectation and experience with Mischa and BH from my point of view, so take this with a grain of salt...

Lets start from the person himself. When it comes to Amplifier, this guy is a walking encyclopedia. He answers all my questions so vividly to the point that i feel wrong to waste his time answering my questions and he is one of the kindest man that ive ever encountered.

After going back and forth deciding to wait for Glenn to build me a GOTL or Blue Halo, i took a leep of faith and ordered BH. I told Mischa what my past amp is lacking (from my point of view) and wish that BH would correct it and be a better fit for my personal taste.

To be honest, until a week ago i was still skeptical about the BH (aestheticly and how it sounds). But my heart melts when i saw BH for the first time, look at it.. i meaan LOOOK AT IT...

Aesthetic:
i discuss with Mischa about having the 3 capacitor casing painted in black / carbon, but by the end of the day i chose black and am so pleased with the end result...

SQ:
Long story short.. this sounds way way waaaayyy better than what i expected...
The micro detail is also something to mention, it is very clear / revealing. One of the few things that my past amp is lacking (for my taste) is its bass and sub bass (the reason might be having limited tubes so it cant really elevate to its potential) .BH in the other hand, delivers a good bass and sub bass. it is tight , responsive / quick, you can feel the impact of the bass (not too much but just the right amount). I did mention to Mischa that the bass is like 'Mayweather punching me on the face multiple of times', which i muuuch prefer rather than 'Mike tyson punching me and get KO ed in the 1st round'.

Second is the volume level, while using my previous amp ive to crank it up to around 5 o clock where as using BH i can only handle up to 11 o clock max ( i usually stay at around 9 o clock).

Transformer Rolling:
i might as well mention the difference between with and without CINEMAG from my point of view... Mischa did mention that this amp is not designed to be a balance amp...so in MY CASE, what differs between XLR and RCA is MAINLY with and without CINEMAG transformer.

The funny thing is at the time of the purchase, i didnt even know the usage of CINEMAG, i just thought the word 'CINEMAG' sounds unique so i decided to let Mischa put it into the amp. After i got the amp and tried it THEN i started to realize the change in SQ with / without cinemag. ONLY after noticing the difference in SQ then i decided to search it online, so i feel that im not BIAS at all.

At first i thought it is more lively but later found out that it takes 4V and convert it to 2.2-2.4V RMS which is more than without CINEMAG 2V RMS, which means more volume i guess? After further listen I find it a little bit more natural.

Tube rolling:
Correct me if im wrong but i believe the SQ difference between tube rolling within the same tube family is not going to be that apparent becase of CCS. is it a con? not for my wallet. But some told me that the SQ difference will be more revealing if you use a different kind of tube family... for ex. using kt-88 tube (with kt-88 to 6j5 adapter) in 6j5 socket will have more changes in SQ than using 6j5 tube. ivent play around with different family type of tubes but i will definately tinker around in the future.

6sn7:
-sophia electric 6sn7
-sylvania 6sn7
verdict: its too close to differentiate, but i think sophia is a little bit harsher at the highs ever so slightly, but then again ive only used sophia for 30 hrs max so its too soon to say

6j5:
-L63 GEC (2x)
-RCA 6j5 (2x)
verdict: cant tell the difference..

One last note: the tubes above that ive tested provides a silent black background, and produce a very pleasing SQ.

Final words:
There are lots of talented people that can build a good amp BUT a person that has the ABILITY to build a magnificent amp AND offers a GOOD SERVICE like Mischa provides... is pretty rare to come by these days, im so lucky to hv known him...

Do i expect more from BLUE HALO? Honestly i expect less than this... so all in all, i can confidently say that this is the better product (out of the two amps that ive tried) in my case for my personal needs.


Conclusion:
Amp Aesthetic: 10/10
Amp SQ: 10/10
Tube rolling: 7/10
(if kt-88 to 6j5 adapter arrives 9/10 )
Service: 10/10
money: 10/10
____________ +
money: 0/10
my happiness: 10000000/10
wife's happiness: 0/10

These photos makes me want to put VU meters on my amp! Really dig em.

 

[Zachik]

I feel that im incapable of reviewing this glorious amp, so these few paragprahs is going to be more towards sharing my expectation and experience with Mischa and BH from my point of view, so take this with a grain of salt...

Lets start from the person himself. When it comes to Amplifier, this guy is a walking encyclopedia. He answers all my questions so vividly to the point that i feel wrong to waste his time answering my questions and he is one of the kindest man that ive ever encountered.

After going back and forth deciding to wait for Glenn to build me a GOTL or Blue Halo, i took a leep of faith and ordered BH. I told Mischa what my past amp is lacking (from my point of view) and wish that BH would correct it and be a better fit for my personal taste.

To be honest, until a week ago i was still skeptical about the BH (aestheticly and how it sounds). But my heart melts when i saw BH for the first time, look at it.. i meaan LOOOK AT IT...

Aesthetic:
i discuss with Mischa about having the 3 capacitor casing painted in black / carbon, but by the end of the day i chose black and am so pleased with the end result...

SQ:
Long story short.. this sounds way way waaaayyy better than what i expected...
The micro detail is also something to mention, it is very clear / revealing. One of the few things that my past amp is lacking (for my taste) is its bass and sub bass (the reason might be having limited tubes so it cant really elevate to its potential) .BH in the other hand, delivers a good bass and sub bass. it is tight , responsive / quick, you can feel the impact of the bass (not too much but just the right amount). I did mention to Mischa that the bass is like 'Mayweather punching me on the face multiple of times', which i muuuch prefer rather than 'Mike tyson punching me and get KO ed in the 1st round'.

Second is the volume level, while using my previous amp ive to crank it up to around 5 o clock where as using BH i can only handle up to 11 o clock max ( i usually stay at around 9 o clock).

Transformer Rolling:
i might as well mention the difference between with and without CINEMAG from my point of view... Mischa did mention that this amp is not designed to be a balance amp...so in MY CASE, what differs between XLR and RCA is MAINLY with and without CINEMAG transformer.

The funny thing is at the time of the purchase, i didnt even know the usage of CINEMAG, i just thought the word 'CINEMAG' sounds unique so i decided to let Mischa put it into the amp. After i got the amp and tried it THEN i started to realize the change in SQ with / without cinemag. ONLY after noticing the difference in SQ then i decided to search it online, so i feel that im not BIAS at all.

At first i thought it is more lively but later found out that it takes 4V and convert it to 2.2-2.4V RMS which is more than without CINEMAG 2V RMS, which means more volume i guess? After further listen I find it a little bit more natural.

Tube rolling:
Correct me if im wrong but i believe the SQ difference between tube rolling within the same tube family is not going to be that apparent becase of CCS. is it a con? not for my wallet. But some told me that the SQ difference will be more revealing if you use a different kind of tube family... for ex. using kt-88 tube (with kt-88 to 6j5 adapter) in 6j5 socket will have more changes in SQ than using 6j5 tube. ivent play around with different family type of tubes but i will definately tinker around in the future.

6sn7:
-sophia electric 6sn7
-sylvania 6sn7
verdict: its too close to differentiate, but i think sophia is a little bit harsher at the highs ever so slightly, but then again ive only used sophia for 30 hrs max so its too soon to say

6j5:
-L63 GEC (2x)
-RCA 6j5 (2x)
verdict: cant tell the difference..

One last note: the tubes above that ive tested provides a silent black background, and produce a very pleasing SQ.

Final words:
There are lots of talented people that can build a good amp BUT a person that has the ABILITY to build a magnificent amp AND offers a GOOD SERVICE like Mischa provides... is pretty rare to come by these days, im so lucky to hv known him...

Do i expect more from BLUE HALO? Honestly i expect less than this... so all in all, i can confidently say that this is the better product (out of the two amps that ive tried) in my case for my personal needs.


Conclusion:
Amp Aesthetic: 10/10
Amp SQ: 10/10
Tube rolling: 7/10
(if kt-88 to 6j5 adapter arrives 9/10 )
Service: 10/10
money: 10/10
____________ +
money: 0/10
my happiness: 10000000/10
wife's happiness: 0/10

I way WAY prefer the black (vs. chrome) capacitor covers!
I would love to add an amp by Mischa to my amp collection. Just need to figure out what topology and tubes it would use...
@Jaeger18 / @A2029 - what are those 2 "plugs?" on the back? between the XLR and RCA jacks?

 

[A2029]

I way WAY prefer the black (vs. chrome) capacitor covers!
I would love to add an amp by Mischa to my amp collection. Just need to figure out what topology and tubes it would use...
@Jaeger18 / @A2029 - what are those 2 "plugs?" on the back? between the XLR and RCA jacks?

Those are the Cinemag input transformers (optional for XLR input). They take the balanced XLR and convert it to a single ended signal for the amp to use.

 

[bcowen]

I feel that im incapable of reviewing this glorious amp....

I think you did a *very* capable job. Thanks for sharing your thoughts....and all the photos!

wife's happiness: 0/10

The importance of this fades proportionally with every additional year of marriage.

 

[Zachik]

The importance of this fades proportionally with every additional year of marriage.

...and then drops to zero when you divorce her!
(speaking from personal experience)