[HeadphoneAddict]

^ you're entitled to interpret my reviews however you wish.  just know that my intentionally theatrical build up  is not necessarily reflective of my actual review process

I'm just saying to keep an open mind and not try to predict how it end before you do it. I like what you've done so far.

 

[atothex]

OP: try adding to your 1st post instead of posting more. A review shouldn't make the reader dig through a thread for updates.

 

[Br777]

ok, ill se what i can do             
 
DONE! - thanks for the reminder

 

[Br777]

CTH should come tomorrow.. oh boy oh boy!
 

 

[Br777]

The CTH is up and running... will post initial impressions here, and once i have a steady feel for it, i'll post on the OP
 
well.. right off the bat, first song played sounded stupendous.  no question at all that it equals or excels the ef5.  It's probably going to be very difficult to do a comparison between these two amps, but i'll at least attempt to do so, and i will also attempt to roll the same tube between the two so i get the most accurate results possible, though that will obviously be a bit of a challenge since more time will need to go by between the a/b-ing

 

[sachu]

The CTH should best  the EF5 fairly easy IMO and to my ears. But then I am a Cavalli fan through and through. What tube are you using? Try an RCA cleartop 6CG7 in that amp.

 

[Br777]

i have 3 tubes to try, though i think only 2 of them are compatable on both amps
 
Rca clear top- though all it says is USA, and 12au7A with a box around it.. so i dont know anything about it.. pretty sure its the ef5 stock tube
 
phillips miniwatt ecc82 - immediately notice its a bit fuller in the low mids and bass, and sounds slightly darker and thicker than the clear top.  also tighter and punchier in the bass.
 
another tube..  just says 6h6n 9004... i have no idea what kind it is.. obviously not a 12au7, but i have no knowlege of tubes so no idea.. its taller than a 12au7 - apparently its russian according to the lord google.  bye the way.. sachu - any idea whether this tube will requre the 6 or 12 volt setting?

 

[sachu]

it is a 6 volt rated tube.

 

[Br777]

pretty sure the sound stage is fuller and bigger on the CTH...
sound just feels more open.
 
again.. between having to roll the cleartop back and forth, and switch cables, this is not going to be a revelation in a/b comparison, but im giving the edge to the CTH
 
highs are more sparkly too
 
yes...the sound is more crisp, and open on the CTH.  the ef5 sounds just slightly muffled in certain areas compared to the ef5
 
this may be the best i can do under the circumstances.. they both sound great.    of course the CTH costed 1/2 the price of the EF5.. but hey...
 
they both seem to be equal in the power department... i turn the volume to about the same place on each one relative to where they start out.

 

[sachu]

If CTHs were sold commercially, price would actually be closer to 500. Then again..thisis the advantage that DIY brings to the table and we are fortunate to have folks like Cavalli, Ti Kan, Gilmore for their wonderful designs.

 

[francisdemarte]

 
Quote:

I'm just saying to keep an open mind and not try to predict how it end before you do it. I like what you've done so far.

Going to have to agree with HeadphoneAddict on this point. Seems to be a lot of fanfare for the CTH even before it arrived, I hope you can still be impartial on your review.
 
$200 is a bargain for the CTH, it probably cost that much in just parts alone, the board also looks tiny and cramped from the drawings surely theres a lot of love in that build. Is it a textbook build or are there some boutique parts?
 
Let's see some pictures too!
 
 
 
 

 

[Br777]

well its always hard to convey personality on a forum board, and ya'll are gonna bring your own judgements  in as well, but ill just say that I'm intentionally bringing a bit of theatrics to this amp "showdown"  simply because its entertaining for me to do so.  There is not much more to it than that.  I'm a playful person. 
 
As far as the actual review process goes, im simply stating what I hear, which to the best of my ability i feel i have done pretty well so far.  Of course im excited about getting new gear especially when it has a reputation for being good, but again, the review process is the review process - a seperate animal -   FWIW the schiit asgard also had a lot of hype coming in.  maybe not from me because i didnt have the level of understanding that other people did about its inner workings, but it was new, it had quite a fanfare, and i gave it a fair review IMO. I certainly would have preferred that it sounded better than the ef5 because it would have saved me some money - but it didnt, so i didnt let my preference color the review.  
 
lucky for me all the differences that have been present in these various amps have been obvious enough to where i dont think i could go wrong.
 
beyond all that - you'll either trust me or you wont...  but i suggest you take my fanfare with a grain of salt.

 

[Br777]

comparing these two amps is quite a challenge.  While its very clear that they are both superior to the asgard and the decware, going beyond that with any degree of certainty is tough.
 
on the CTH im still hearing more sparkly highs/high mids.. around the symbals, upper vocal registers,  .. I'd say im certain on that one.
 
There is some kind of quality difference in the music presentation that ive been trying to capture in my previous posts regarding the fullness of the CTH over the ef5 but its very hard to pin down what im hearing.  its like the ef5 is more contained in its presentation.  i know that doesnt say much.  ah... compressed may be a better way to put it.. the music sounds slightly more compressed through the ef5.   I dont think this falls into the category of one better than the other though... just something different..
 
i think certain frequencies are more prominent in the CTH.. this may be contributing to its fuller sound too.
 
the more i go back and forth the more the larger, wider, and deeper sound stage is becomming apparent on the CTH.   I keep coming back to hearing the music sounding bigger and more spread out.  I could liken it to hearing the band in a small dampened room vs hearing it outside. 
 
my preference is consistently going to the CTH.  if feels more real.  less repressed. 
 
this like most of the comparisons would be much easier to flush out if i could a/b instantly. 

 

 

[Br777]

final impressions in OP- the short version -  the CTH wins.

 

[MrSlim]

 
Quote:

 

Going to have to agree with HeadphoneAddict on this point. Seems to be a lot of fanfare for the CTH even before it arrived, I hope you can still be impartial on your review.
 
$200 is a bargain for the CTH, it probably cost that much in just parts alone, the board also looks tiny and cramped from the drawings surely theres a lot of love in that build. Is it a textbook build or are there some boutique parts?
 
Let's see some pictures too!

It's a by the book build, except for Sonic Cap II output caps (C4) .  I also replaced R18, usually 100R with a jumper, as per Sachu's recommendation for use with ThunderPants.  BR777 tried to talk me into shoehorning some VitaminQ's into it, but I chickened out on that one..