Solid State amplifiers are complementary to tube amplifiers, it depends what sound you prefer, very powerful and indicated to the LCD4 which is a rather difficult headphone and the Solaris Audiovalve 12 + 12 watt that I use with the Abyss
ALO Audio Studio Six Reviews and Impressions Thread
- Thread starter shigzeo
- Start date
Hey, thanks! The Solaris looks beautiful, I’ll definitely look it up. I’m not really sure I understand the meaning of “complementary”. Do you mean that if I put together a Solid State and a tube amp, they would enhance the qualities of each other?Solid State amplifiers are complementary to tube amplifiers, it depends what sound you prefer, very powerful and indicated to the LCD4 which is a rather difficult headphone and the Solaris Audiovalve 12 + 12 watt that I use with the Abyss
No, I mean they are two different interpretations, personally I love tubes, but then it depends on the headphones used, in some cases solid state is better
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TomSix
ALO Audio Studio Six deisgner
It’s worth noting that Currawong did an in-depth review of the Audiovalve Solaris Amplifier a few years ago.
He gives a very balanced and insightful report on this interesting amplifier:
He gives a very balanced and insightful report on this interesting amplifier:
I've picked up a few more pair of 6v6gt's over the last few months. I've not been able to evaluate them all. Some really interesting stuff.
I'll see if I can get around to posting a few pictures and share some thoughts about these new tubes this weekend.
I'll see if I can get around to posting a few pictures and share some thoughts about these new tubes this weekend.
The most recent model has been improved , now the gain steps are 4 , -15db -10db 0db and +10db
Has anyone tried ALO with Hifiman HE1000 V2 ? Meze Empyrean ? Result ?
I've used mine with both headphones on and off. Mine has a bit of a hum with lower impedance headphones, but not enough to interfere with listening enjoyment. I've generally found that it drives planar headphones pretty well, as long as you don't want to go super loud (where you'll reach its power limit).
gangeseven
New Head-Fier
Good morning,
Is the CV181-Z ShuGuang valve compatible with Alo studio Six?
Thanks
Daniel
That tube should be fine.
I've been using the Studio Six with the Audeze LCD-R lately. Even though the headphones themselves are only 2 Ohms, with 103dB sensitivity, they don't require much power at all and work wonderfully with the amp.
I've been using the Studio Six with the Audeze LCD-R lately. Even though the headphones themselves are only 2 Ohms, with 103dB sensitivity, they don't require much power at all and work wonderfully with the amp.
bcschmerker4
That's bcschmerker4® to you!
The ShuGuang Treasures® CV181-Z draws 900mA @ 6.3 volts on the heater circuit, whereas most 6SN7 implementations draw in the 600mA ballpark. (From this article at TNT Audio, the Mullard CV181 draws 950 mA @ 6.3 volts.) Don't know how much reserve current the Studio Six has for the heaters of all tubes, but op. cit. suggests that the heaters are the primary current load of most vacuum-tube devices. Other voltage ratings are similar to most 6SN7's with a Vₐₐ of 300max volts DC, but be advised that the CV181-Z has a µ = 32 rather than the µ = 20 of the majority 6SN7.
TomSix
ALO Audio Studio Six deisgner
I have no experience with these Shugang CV181-Z tubes, but they may perhaps not be ideal for use in the Studio-Six.
From the online posted specifications I have seen, it *should* operate in the Studio-Six, but might have some issues such as perhaps more high-frequency roll-off as compared to a conventional 6SN7 tube; and also, if the actual gain of these tubes is indeed closer to 32 than the 20 of a conventional 6SN7, then overload/distortion of the Studio-Six at higher volume control settings *might* occur.
Also, I see conflicting information online regarding the filament current draw of the Shugang CV181-Z. Some places it is listed as 600mA which is identical to a 6SN7, and other places it is listed as being 900mA. If indeed this tube draws 900mA, this alone would not be a problem in the Studio-Six *unless* the Studio-Six is also being connected with it’s optional factory phono preamplifier, in which case that additional 300mA of filament supply current will probably cause a drop in filament supply voltage which would be problematic.
I cannot advise using this tube in the Studio-Six, even though it *might* work satisfactorily, within the bounds of the caveats mentioned above.
Personally, I’d be more inclined to instead seek among the better-quality NOS 6SN7 tubes available on the market, which can very often be obtained for quite reasonable prices.
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