jibzilla
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2013
- Posts
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Well it twas not me that brought up SS. I have tried out many a portable and desktop SS and yes they run the gamut imo. However I don't think it is a bad idea to seek out what sounds neutral if that is what you are looking for. For me SS rules in speed, prat, and bass. Tube rules in 3d, natural tone, and micro detail. However those rules are not set in stone and I have come across SS amps that do tube things and tube amps that do SS things. However I have never come across a SS amp or a tube amp that does all 3 of the things I mentioned for each category above and while my peak/volcano does speed and prat it is not perfect and is missing that visceral bass impact that I have gotten from many SS amps and I have found a decent amount 6sn7 tubes to be a little bass shy.
The lack of bass from the peak/volcano, the lack of bass and mid range bloom from a decent amount of 6sn7's I have tried and the fact that the 3f is a little shy in the bass department can sometimes lead to a too mid-centric and bass shy/lean listen. I guess more specifically than a neutral tube I'm looking for a 6sn7 with a little more bass impact and less mid range bloom. It does not have to be perfect I have found the ken-rad and bad boy to have plenty of bass and the 5692's to be a lil less bloomy and very pleasurable sounding.
I think the peak/volcano is a great amp and I doubt there is any other amp out there that gets so much out of a 6sn7 tube, only one at that. However I think that each headphone is only going to have a few tubes it works with and I can tell ya while the b65 is rare and expensive it is def. not the answer for the lcd-3f as it def. has a midrange bloom and it prob. the most bass light 6sn7 I own. I kept one marconi b65 cause my speakers like it and I have a sub8 to do whatever I want to the bass with a remote but I sold my osram b65 and probably quite a few others.
What stinks is that my X's really liked allot of my 6sn7's. The midrange bloom and lack of bass worked really well with the X's analytical mids and bass emphasized sound. Hardly any headroom though on my peak/volcano and I prefer the smoother more neutral sound of the 3f compared to the openness and detail of the X. I also have to majorly disagree with many in the lcd-3 thread saying that the 3f and X sound a like. To me they are VERY different sounding and I have/had them side by side. These two headphones are night and day different sounding in the bass, similar in treble, but yeah night and day in the bass. If I had to pick out a headphone that sounds most like the X it is not the 3f or hd800 but the 007mk2 with me preferring the X by quite a margin without the over accentuated openness and detail of the 007mk2.
I do think there's some hope though. While not "the tube" I have at least 4 tubes that sound very good and I have a pre cbs hytron and 6sn7w long bottle black base on the way and if those do not work at least I will have a base line from where you guys are coming from and the melz and tsrp looks like they got a few votes too so I could always try them.
The lack of bass from the peak/volcano, the lack of bass and mid range bloom from a decent amount of 6sn7's I have tried and the fact that the 3f is a little shy in the bass department can sometimes lead to a too mid-centric and bass shy/lean listen. I guess more specifically than a neutral tube I'm looking for a 6sn7 with a little more bass impact and less mid range bloom. It does not have to be perfect I have found the ken-rad and bad boy to have plenty of bass and the 5692's to be a lil less bloomy and very pleasurable sounding.
I think the peak/volcano is a great amp and I doubt there is any other amp out there that gets so much out of a 6sn7 tube, only one at that. However I think that each headphone is only going to have a few tubes it works with and I can tell ya while the b65 is rare and expensive it is def. not the answer for the lcd-3f as it def. has a midrange bloom and it prob. the most bass light 6sn7 I own. I kept one marconi b65 cause my speakers like it and I have a sub8 to do whatever I want to the bass with a remote but I sold my osram b65 and probably quite a few others.
What stinks is that my X's really liked allot of my 6sn7's. The midrange bloom and lack of bass worked really well with the X's analytical mids and bass emphasized sound. Hardly any headroom though on my peak/volcano and I prefer the smoother more neutral sound of the 3f compared to the openness and detail of the X. I also have to majorly disagree with many in the lcd-3 thread saying that the 3f and X sound a like. To me they are VERY different sounding and I have/had them side by side. These two headphones are night and day different sounding in the bass, similar in treble, but yeah night and day in the bass. If I had to pick out a headphone that sounds most like the X it is not the 3f or hd800 but the 007mk2 with me preferring the X by quite a margin without the over accentuated openness and detail of the 007mk2.
I do think there's some hope though. While not "the tube" I have at least 4 tubes that sound very good and I have a pre cbs hytron and 6sn7w long bottle black base on the way and if those do not work at least I will have a base line from where you guys are coming from and the melz and tsrp looks like they got a few votes too so I could always try them.
