[DenverW]

Yes

Thanks! It's something that makes 100% sense, but sometimes you just have to ask .

 

[nwavesailor]

Are you enjoying your BB?

Listening to my BB tonight with GEC KT-88, USAF 596 rectifier and Raytheon 12BH7 paired with Susvara…… crazy good!!!!

 

[DenverW]

Are you enjoying your BB?

Listening to my BB tonight with GEC KT-88, USAF 596 rectifier and Raytheon 12BH7 paired with Susvara…… crazy good!!!!

Ah the Susvara, such a high cost temptation! It seems to be the end game headphone for the BB. I was listening last night on the auteur with the 596, gec/genelex kt66, and a good 6sn7 and was loving the overall tone and the magic this amp makes in the low end with power and clarity. Love the amp.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Ah the Susvara, such a high cost temptation! It seems to be the end game headphone for the BB. I was listening last night on the auteur with the 596, gec/genelex kt66, and a good 6sn7 and was loving the overall tone and the magic this amp makes in the low end with power and clarity. Love the amp.

It's worth picking up a Sus at some point especially when you have an amp that can properly drive it. A used Sus is not much more $ than a TOTL ZMF headphone and it is a very complementary sound. When you have a 5 tap tube amp, it really shows it versatility across headphones and when you start driving planars, tubes can really add a nice refinement to an already great sound.

 

[gugges]

It's worth picking up a Sus at some point especially when you have an amp that can properly drive it. A used Sus is not much more $ than a TOTL ZMF headphone and it is a very complementary sound. When you have a 5 tap tube amp, it really shows it versatility across headphones and when you start driving planars. Tubes can really add a nice refinement to an already great sound.

What taps do you prefer for both the VC and Susvara? Also do you have to roll power tubes at all to get the most out of the Susvara?

I have the Mogwai SE and I’m wondering if my 6L6s with a 6SL7 would be enough to power the Susvara or if I would need KT88s

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

What taps do you prefer for both the VC and Susvara? Also do you have to roll power tubes at all to get the most out of the Susvara?

I have the Mogwai SE and I’m wondering if my 6L6s with a 6SL7 would be enough to power the Susvara or if I would need KT88s

I have an Ampsandsound Rockwell. I bought it because it was my favorite amp for driving my Verite Closed headphones. I use both the 100 ohm and 300 ohm taps. I would have to say that I prefer the 100 ohm tap because it has a lower noise floor. If the noise floor were lower on the 300 ohm tap, I would prefer it. I can tube roll to reduce the noise floor, but I am done with tube rolling after my Bottlehead crack.

For Susvara, I find myself using the 8 ohm tap the most probably because it delivers the most power and the Rockwell is a bit light on power relative to the other A&S tube amps. I did not own a Susvara when I bought it. I was just thrilled when I found that it can drive it well and that it does. The beauty of having multiple taps is you can slightly change the signature of a headphone by changing taps. IF I want a bit more transparency in the sound, I move to a lower impedance tap. If I want more bass response, I increase the impedance. It provides a lot of flexibility. So much so that i would highly recommend getting a tube amp with 5 taps. It will dramatically increase your enjoyment pleasure if you like to experiment to fine tune sound in your system.

 

[helljudgement]

Hi I'm interested in knowing more about the Kenzie Ovation's sound profile(tone, transients, technicalities like layering and texture rendition etc) and it's noise performance especially on 100 and 300ohm taps. I'll be using this primarily with my VO and Atrium with occasional senns and focals headphones slot in from time to time. I've not found much info in general regarding this amp so I figure I'd just ask here. The higher output of other amps does concern me with noise performance so I think the Kenzie line up will probably best serve my usage given my tendency to prefer dynamics over other driver types and I'm kinda interested in the tubes used for this setup and how it sounds.

 

[WillieB]

What taps do you prefer for both the VC and Susvara? Also do you have to roll power tubes at all to get the most out of the Susvara?

I have the Mogwai SE and I’m wondering if my 6L6s with a 6SL7 would be enough to power the Susvara or if I would need KT88s

I think you would benefit from the extra current that a KT88 or 6550 can provide, but if you like the sound better with the 6L6, then you might try the 7581. They have about 5W more output(rated) than the typical 6L6 and the Tung-Sol new production are pretty good. Also, the low sensitivity of the Sus may be assisted by using a higher Mu input stage than the 6SL7. This can give you a few db volume increase. You could use an adapter and try a 12AX7/ECC83/ECC803S. I prefer the ECC803S as it is a long plate 12AX7 that I think was originally designed for driving larger power tubes. Another possible option is the 12BZ7. At 3200 rated transconductance, it is twice the Mu of the 12AX7/ECC83, but it may overdrive the power tubes, causing distortion. I have not tried the 12BZ7 yet, but I have one on the way. I have a BB Rev2.

 

[nwavesailor]

I've been using a Raytheon 12BZ7 with KT-88 in the BB and there is no distortion.

Sorry, I meant 12BH7

 

[ampsandsound]

Hi I'm interested in knowing more about the Kenzie Ovation's sound profile(tone, transients, technicalities like layering and texture rendition etc) and it's noise performance especially on 100 and 300ohm taps. I'll be using this primarily with my VO and Atrium with occasional senns and focals headphones slot in from time to time. I've not found much info in general regarding this amp so I figure I'd just ask here. The higher output of other amps does concern me with noise performance so I think the Kenzie line up will probably best serve my usage given my tendency to prefer dynamics over other driver types and I'm kinda interested in the tubes used for this setup and how it sounds.

Its quite enough to be a preamp. The Ovation is very very quite other 300 and 100ohm tapps. The Rev 2 allows you to roll 12AU7, 12AT7, 5751 and 12AX7 without an adapter. Each has their own gain factor and impact on noise. In stock form it comes with a 5751 ~70% mu... If you feel you need it quite, drop to a 12AT7 or a 12Au7. If you want a more forward presentation and more power a 12AX7.

You can also get 12B4 to 1626 adapters... nearly doubling the power but a more neutral sound. The 1626 is an inexpensive triode that is very very old.
The Ovation and VC or Atrium is a great combo. Ive been able to listen to my VCs on my Kenzie Rev 2on the 300ohm tap and the Atrium as well. (Ovation does it better but Kenzie was on the desk).

 

[ampsandsound]

What taps do you prefer for both the VC and Susvara? Also do you have to roll power tubes at all to get the most out of the Susvara?

I have the Mogwai SE and I’m wondering if my 6L6s with a 6SL7 would be enough to power the Susvara or if I would need KT88s

If wanting SuS... its strongly consider 6550, KT88 or KT90. 6550s are magic but I tend to go with KT88s as my go it.
Also might want to get a 6SL7 to 12AX7 adapter... You'll get even more power.

 

[WillieB]

I've been using a Raytheon 12BZ7 with KT-88 in the BB and there is no distortion

How do you like the Raytheon 12BZ7? I ordered a 1960s Sylvania. I really like the 12BH7 in my 12AU7 amps and have even used it in the BB for a while. I like the fuller sound that long plates tend to give and it seems to almost make up for the loss in gain.

 

[nwavesailor]

I've always liked the the Raytheon 'house sound' using their 6SN7 and 5687's over time so I bought the Raytheon 12BH7 based on the guys using them in the Pendant. I have many 12A** and variants as well as octal 6 volt tubes so I can't say what the very 'best' is since there are way more that sound good than just so-so in the BB. Like @DenverW I find the GEC KT-88,(KT-66 in his case) and USAF 596 pair well with quite a lot tubes.

 

[WillieB]

I've always liked the the Raytheon 'house sound' using their 6SN7 and 5687's over time so I bought the Raytheon 12BH7 based on the guys using them in the Pendant. I have many 12A** and variants as well as octal 6 volt tubes so I can't say what the very 'best' is since there are way more that sound good than just so-so in the BB. Like @DenverW I find the GEC KT-88,(KT-66 in his case) and USAF 596 pair well with quite a lot tubes.

That's great info. Thanks! I had looked at the 596 early on when I first ordered the amp, but haven't really went back and read about it since the amp arrived. I know they're getting rare these days, but I'll see if I can find one.

 

[helljudgement]

Its quite enough to be a preamp. The Ovation is very very quite other 300 and 100ohm tapps. The Rev 2 allows you to roll 12AU7, 12AT7, 5751 and 12AX7 without an adapter. Each has their own gain factor and impact on noise. In stock form it comes with a 5751 ~70% mu... If you feel you need it quite, drop to a 12AT7 or a 12Au7. If you want a more forward presentation and more power a 12AX7.

You can also get 12B4 to 1626 adapters... nearly doubling the power but a more neutral sound. The 1626 is an inexpensive triode that is very very old.
The Ovation and VC or Atrium is a great combo. Ive been able to listen to my VCs on my Kenzie Rev 2on the 300ohm tap and the Atrium as well. (Ovation does it better but Kenzie was on the desk).

Thanks for the details. I'm intrigued by your products but unfortunately no way to hear them out in recent years due to the pandemic so hopefully I'll be able to in the near future. The Ovation and to an extent the Kenzie are the ones that intrigued me the most specifically due to it's lower output power which I find most suit my headphone usage. Are the Kenzies tonally the most neutral sounding out of your entire lineup of products?