nwavesailor
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2009
- Posts
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- 4,547
Gen 1
I use many 9 pin tubes with adapter as well as 8 pin octal bases
I use many 9 pin tubes with adapter as well as 8 pin octal bases
ampsandsound (aka Amps & Sound)
- Thread starter Luckbad
- Start date
I’ve only tried the LCD-5 with the a Bigger Ben amp and it’s a solid combination. But I think the low ohms of the LCD-5 (16) make it a somewhat awkward fit with the BB and probably other A&S amps. The various impedance outputs are a great feature of A&S amps and they’re a bit wasted with the LCD-5. I only use the 8ohm tap on my Bigger Ben for it because anything above that starts to compromise the clean sound of the LCD-5 with too much impedance. I had an LCD-4 for a while and if I didn’t have a solid state to use with my LCD-5 I’d probably go back to the that. At 200 ohms you can use 4 of the 5 impedance outputs on the Bigger Ben, Nautilus, etc, to great and varying effect with the LCD-4, and it’s so power-hungry you can throw a great variety of tubes at it without introducing much if any background hum. The LCD-5 has a sonic signature that’s more delicate shall we say than the 4. It’s all detail and space and clarity, whereas the 4 kind of hits you in the head like an awesome velvet brick, with it’s phenomenal bass, lushness and density, and it loves a powerful tube amp that lets it show all that off. So it’s not that the LCD-5 wouldn’t sound great out of most ampsandound amps, I just think they don’t play to its strengths as much as a similarly priced solid state amp would. For example I have the Niimbus US4+ as my solid state and its a killer combo with the LCD-5. I used to have the ampsandound Suolo monoblock amps and those were much lower powered and more mellow than the Bigger Ben. I bet those would sound phenomenal with the LCD-5, but alas they’re not made anymore.
I need to check Head-Fi more often ha... I loved it with my VC!
LegerMatt
New Head-Fier
Awesome review! I love my Kenzie. I've been talking to just about upgrading, and I finally am going to - but I hate to see this amp go.
Rhinomyte76
New Head-Fier
[deleted by author]
Last edited:
My review on ampsandsound Agartha 2021:
After spending time with the ampsandsound Kenzie OG Rev. 2, wanting to experience more in the hobby, I decided that I would go for the ampsandsound Agartha.
After watching a video on the Agartha by TylersEclectic with Justin and Marcello, I became curious about the 300B sound.
The Agartha utilizes 300B Triodes, which have recently been able to be implemented in headphone audio utilizing a single gain stage, zero feedback, and careful grounding techniques to achieve no hum or noise.
Driving headphones primarily, I’ve spent around five months with the Agartha and feel I’ve gotten to experience the sound signature enough to describe my experience.
The Agartha has a classic, vintage look. Not a flashy look, something that I can appreciate because of the subtle look of the wood and metal. Something about it blends right into a room.
I’ve tried the Agartha with all of my headphones, but I think my first experience with the Agartha provided all the details of what I should expect.
After listening for a few seconds, immediately I could hear what made it different. The defining quality was the persistent, pleasant micro-rumble at the lower frequencies coupled with rich tonal timbre and the expansive sound stage.
It’s a very comprehensive sound, and trying them out with HiFiMan headphones has been a pleasant experience. The Agartha’s soundstage is wide, and the timbre is tonally rich; when coupled with the HE6SE V2’s ability to draw out the nuances and complexities of music thru its imaging, and combined with its own big soundstage, it’s a thorough sound that is incredibly wide and rich. The vocals are sweet and also have a lot of character. The vocalist in 80’s music seems to take center stage of a lively music festival. The Agartha seems to be a powerhouse that drives the HiFiMan HE6SE V2 very well.
The Agartha coupled with the HiFiMan Arya enhances the liquid timbre of the Arya, and it’s beautiful. With the Arya, the sound is emphatic with a more apparent slam and a thicker sound. It’s less detailed; still detailed, but with more emphasis on bass. The sound is endearing, and the Agartha’s staple tonal richness, and deep sound stage is maintained. Not to mention with the power and soundstage of the Agartha, the Arya also benefits in the height of the soundstage, trumping the HE6SE V2 in that regard.
The Agartha kind of reminds me reminds me of the Blue Hawaii Electrostatic Amplifier in terms of having a unique sound. It’s not exactly the same as the Blue Hawaii but still notably different and unique. It seems to have the ability to take any mid-fi headphone and make magic hi-fi glory.
The depth of its’ timbre is the base from which we experience the Agartha 2021. It slams, but with apparent power and ability to dig into the nuance; it is throughout the imaging and pervasive in the frequencies, and especially so at the lower bass frequencies, providing an amazing, persistent rumble.
The Agartha is an end-game amp for many, but I’ve found that ampsandsound have released the Red October! I tell ya, now that I’ve heard the Agartha, I have a feeling already the what an absolute unit, sound wise and quality wise, the Red October must be.
The Agartha brings everything to the table, leaving me with nothing but positive words for it. It’s definitely a style that is magical to me and an end-game solution for any enthusiast looking for top-tier sound performance.
The base attributes of Agartha apply to all headphones, I decided to use Mid-Fi headphones for my impressions to show that hi-fi - summit-fi is achievable with the ampsandsound Agartha 2021.
After spending time with the ampsandsound Kenzie OG Rev. 2, wanting to experience more in the hobby, I decided that I would go for the ampsandsound Agartha.
After watching a video on the Agartha by TylersEclectic with Justin and Marcello, I became curious about the 300B sound.
The Agartha utilizes 300B Triodes, which have recently been able to be implemented in headphone audio utilizing a single gain stage, zero feedback, and careful grounding techniques to achieve no hum or noise.
Driving headphones primarily, I’ve spent around five months with the Agartha and feel I’ve gotten to experience the sound signature enough to describe my experience.
The Agartha has a classic, vintage look. Not a flashy look, something that I can appreciate because of the subtle look of the wood and metal. Something about it blends right into a room.
I’ve tried the Agartha with all of my headphones, but I think my first experience with the Agartha provided all the details of what I should expect.
After listening for a few seconds, immediately I could hear what made it different. The defining quality was the persistent, pleasant micro-rumble at the lower frequencies coupled with rich tonal timbre and the expansive sound stage.
It’s a very comprehensive sound, and trying them out with HiFiMan headphones has been a pleasant experience. The Agartha’s soundstage is wide, and the timbre is tonally rich; when coupled with the HE6SE V2’s ability to draw out the nuances and complexities of music thru its imaging, and combined with its own big soundstage, it’s a thorough sound that is incredibly wide and rich. The vocals are sweet and also have a lot of character. The vocalist in 80’s music seems to take center stage of a lively music festival. The Agartha seems to be a powerhouse that drives the HiFiMan HE6SE V2 very well.
The Agartha coupled with the HiFiMan Arya enhances the liquid timbre of the Arya, and it’s beautiful. With the Arya, the sound is emphatic with a more apparent slam and a thicker sound. It’s less detailed; still detailed, but with more emphasis on bass. The sound is endearing, and the Agartha’s staple tonal richness, and deep sound stage is maintained. Not to mention with the power and soundstage of the Agartha, the Arya also benefits in the height of the soundstage, trumping the HE6SE V2 in that regard.
The Agartha kind of reminds me reminds me of the Blue Hawaii Electrostatic Amplifier in terms of having a unique sound. It’s not exactly the same as the Blue Hawaii but still notably different and unique. It seems to have the ability to take any mid-fi headphone and make magic hi-fi glory.
The depth of its’ timbre is the base from which we experience the Agartha 2021. It slams, but with apparent power and ability to dig into the nuance; it is throughout the imaging and pervasive in the frequencies, and especially so at the lower bass frequencies, providing an amazing, persistent rumble.
The Agartha is an end-game amp for many, but I’ve found that ampsandsound have released the Red October! I tell ya, now that I’ve heard the Agartha, I have a feeling already the what an absolute unit, sound wise and quality wise, the Red October must be.
The Agartha brings everything to the table, leaving me with nothing but positive words for it. It’s definitely a style that is magical to me and an end-game solution for any enthusiast looking for top-tier sound performance.
The base attributes of Agartha apply to all headphones, I decided to use Mid-Fi headphones for my impressions to show that hi-fi - summit-fi is achievable with the ampsandsound Agartha 2021.
Love the kind words... Thank you! The Buda in the background stole the show. 
.
.
A great looking amp that is much more practical than many of this type I think. I am planning for the addition of a 300b of some sort. It's hard to deny this as my first choice. My BB has been amazing so far. Great write-up!
I am considering adding a set of speakers to my headphone rig in my office. I have my BB Rev2 there. I would like some recommendations for speakers that work well with the BB. It's not a big room so I would think a smaller set of speakers would do the trick.
barbz127
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2009
- Posts
- 328
- Likes
- 225
If you can grab them second hand the zu union cubes are great
I think KEF LS50s meta are great in near field.
I think the Falcon LS3/5a is insanely good and represents an audiophile benchmark.
ZU Omens would be very good choice.
Anything from Omega speakers
I think the Falcon LS3/5a is insanely good and represents an audiophile benchmark.
ZU Omens would be very good choice.
Anything from Omega speakers
Great suggestions all! I've always been amazed by the KEF LS50s. I've never heard anything from Falcon, but those are interesting as well. I have to admit, though, that I already had my eye on the Omens. Those would fit perfectly in the space I have created since I got serious about adding speakers. Thanks!
gonintendo
100+ Head-Fier
Finally getting to listen to my new Mogwai SE, what a lovely unit! Will post impressions in a few days but so far I’m blown away!
jonathan c
Headphoneus Supremus
Complete agreement on Falcon Acoustic LS3/5a !! An up-to-date take on the classic mini-monitor which is improved without besmirching the ‘soul’ of the original.
Very nice! Enjoy!
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