whirlwind
Headphoneus Supremus
Beautiful amp.....just beautiful
Beautiful amp.....just beautiful
Has anyone tried a 5687 as a driver in their OTL? This tube is most notably used in the Audio Note Ongaku along with the 211 and 6072. To my eyes at least, with an adapter, it looks like this tube should work....
Yes, I tested this a long time ago with an adapter Glenn made for me. It sounds good, like a good 6SN7, but not necessarily better. I can refresh my memory on the subject if you'd like.
Yes In a all black chassis.
As good as a good 6SN7 is certainly not bad. Do you happen to remember which brand(s) you tried? As 5687 can often be found fairly cheaply, I might try a few. Thanks!
It's a Tung Sol. I put it back in tonight. A fairly different sound from the Brimar 13D1 that's been in the amp for ages now, but it holds its own. Has a hint of sweetness in the vocals like what I would expect from a Sylvania actually.
I think these have a little bit more gain than a 6SN7 so expect a slight increase in tranny hum depending upon the headphones you are using.
Somebody with the cathode mod needs to try running an all 5998 configuration, including the driver position. The lower gain would take the noise floor down to inaudible and unless the 5998 is inherently higher distortion than a 6SN7 it should sound really good in theory. Pretty sure there is enough headroom on the power tranny to do this. If I get bored I might try it myself.
I was struck by how grain free the 5687 sounded last night. It doesn't capture the note decay and micro details quite like the Brimar, but it was very easy to listen deep into the music. Lush without sounding overtly colored, with clear upfront vocals. I think that might have been the most enjoyable listening session I've ever had with my Beyers. I plan to leave the tube in the amp for a while now..... not sure why I didn't give it more of a chance originally. The fact that it pairs well with the DT880s means it might not have the right synergy for darker headphones though. A listening test with the LCD-2s is probably warranted.
You still use that old OTL one of the first
Of course. It's a great amp and will always be worth using.
I've discovered over time that Kanade needs to be on for a long time, like 3 hours or more, to really sound good. The difference between warmed up and not warmed up is much greater than with other amps I have had, so you sort of have to "make a date" with her ahead of time and some days I can't accommodate that.
I would say both amps get used about equally.
I've discovered over time that Kanade needs to be on for a long time, like 3 hours or more, to really sound good. The difference between warmed up and not warmed up is much greater than with other amps I have had, so you sort of have to "make a date" with her ahead of time and some days I can't accommodate that.