[intedinator]

The BBrev1 arrived. Sure is a pretty thing. @ampsandsound is an artist!

 

[WillieB]

The BBrev1 arrived. Sure is a pretty thing. @ampsandsound is an artist!

I love mine more every day. As I compare it to my many amps and the amps of others, I realize how much I got in this one package. The tube options are plentiful to say the least. At first I thought it was such a simple design for the price, but Justin made it clear that this is one of their driving principles. As I have spent over a thousand hours with it now, I have realized how well it is engineered. There is something remarkable about every reasonable tube roll that I have tried. They all offer unique benefits if you allow them to stay in the amp long enough to appreciate them and every type of power tube sounds as if the amp were designed specifically for it. I have a lot of tubes and have just scratched the surface. The speaker taps offer a whole other bonus. BB is excellent paired with my Zu Omen Mk II speakers. I suspect it would work well with any efficient speaker and even many medium sensitivity speakers. I am now considering a 300b amp and it's going to be near impossible for me to resist it's sister amp, the Agartha.

 

[DeweyCH]

Ayy, got me a new base for my Mogwai SE - thank you @andypat!

Old base got damaged in shipping and had a crunched corner:

Andy reached out asking if I had any interest in his stock base, and I jumped at it. Looks so much better now!

LOVE this amp, and it just seems right in the beautiful walnut (I think?) base. A&S makes art.

 

[DeweyCH]

Anyone have a recommendation for dealing with the rust that's starting to accumulate on the top of the transformers?

 

[ampsandsound]

With transformers that aren’t painted but with exposed lacquer. If you get some steel wool 00 to clean off. Then apply a clear coat spray paint and you’re good to go. Obviously buoy need to careful tape off everything you don’t want sprayed with paint. Alt you can clean up with the steel whool and then brush on a clear or flat black paint. Much less prep work involved.

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

I love mine more every day. As I compare it to my many amps and the amps of others, I realize how much I got in this one package. The tube options are plentiful to say the least. At first I thought it was such a simple design for the price, but Justin made it clear that this is one of their driving principles. As I have spent over a thousand hours with it now, I have realized how well it is engineered. There is something remarkable about every reasonable tube roll that I have tried. They all offer unique benefits if you allow them to stay in the amp long enough to appreciate them and every type of power tube sounds as if the amp were designed specifically for it. I have a lot of tubes and have just scratched the surface. The speaker taps offer a whole other bonus. BB is excellent paired with my Zu Omen Mk II speakers. I suspect it would work well with any efficient speaker and even many medium sensitivity speakers. I am now considering a 300b amp and it's going to be near impossible for me to resist it's sister amp, the Agartha.

Ayy, got me a new base for my Mogwai SE - thank you @andypat!

Old base got damaged in shipping and had a crunched corner:



Andy reached out asking if I had any interest in his stock base, and I jumped at it. Looks so much better now!



LOVE this amp, and it just seems right in the beautiful walnut (I think?) base. A&S makes art.

Amazing stuff guys. Congratulations on the new pieces/upgrades.

 

[asix]

Hi! I'm looking for tube rolling recommendations for Nautilus. What tubes for KT88, 12AX7, 5AR4? I would appreciate info on sound signatures too!

 

[duranxv]

Hi! I'm looking for tube rolling recommendations for Nautilus. What tubes for KT88, 12AX7, 5AR4? I would appreciate info on sound signatures too!

So far I've really been enjoying NOS Tung Sol 6550's for the KT88 slots, a NOS Philips Heerlen D-Getter 7062 for the 12AX7 slot and a pair of NOS Mullard GZ34's for the 5AR4 slots.

What's really impressive about the Nautilus is how good is sounds even with just the stock tubes. I find the NOS tubes add a bit more soundstage and depth, while also giving a touch more clarity and low end presence.

 

[ampsandsound]

So far I've really been enjoying NOS Tung Sol 6550's for the KT88 slots, a NOS Philips Heerlen D-Getter 7062 for the 12AX7 slot and a pair of NOS Mullard GZ34's for the 5AR4 slots.

What's really impressive about the Nautilus is how good is sounds even with just the stock tubes. I find the NOS tubes add a bit more soundstage and depth, while also giving a touch more clarity and low end presence.

That some love choices.
TT21s and A2900s are maybe other worth while options.

 

[intedinator]

Late night listening with the Bigger Ben.

 

[DJJEZ]

Hi! I'm looking for tube rolling recommendations for Nautilus. What tubes for KT88, 12AX7, 5AR4? I would appreciate info on sound signatures too!

I have a red October but it uses the 12AX7 and 5AR4 as well.

The stock tubes Justin gave me I honestly really love which are current production mullard GZ34's and a JJ 5751 plus gold lion 300B's. All of these combined = very smooth and fatigue free.

I also own NOS siemens GZ34s, gold lion 12AX7, NOS Telefunken 12AX7 and a NOS sylvania 12AX7 black plate.

 

[Badlands]

Hello!
Received my Kenzie OG Rev 2 a few days ago and wanted to share some quick impressions. Most of my listening thus far has been with the Auteur OG, and wow, the Kenzie elevated the performance of that that headphone significantly. There’s an elegance and refinement which effortlessly conveys the nuances of voices and instruments regardless of music genre. The vivid imaging, layering and depth of the Kenzie results in a more holographic soundstage vs my solid state amps. Finally, the Kenzie renders the sonic landscape with a vibrantly rich texture that accentuates my emotive connection to the music in a manner I have not experienced before.

I must admit that I was skeptical of those who espoused the need to hear a ZMF headphone through a tube amp. Even though I only logged a few hours of listening with the Kenzie to date, I’m now a believer in tube magic.

My thanks to Justin for his ultra quick responsiveness and extensive guidance as this was my first first foray into tube amps. He spent a lot of time on the phone answering questions and helping me make the right decision based on my use case and listening preferences. So happy I decided to purchase the Kenzie OG Rev 2.

Will post more impressions as I continue my listening journey with this wonderful amp.

 

[DenverW]

Anyone know which Jupiter capacitors are in the bigger ben?

 

[bigjako]

Hello!
Received my Kenzie OG Rev 2 a few days ago and wanted to share some quick impressions. Most of my listening thus far has been with the Auteur OG, and wow, the Kenzie elevated the performance of that that headphone significantly. There’s an elegance and refinement which effortlessly conveys the nuances of voices and instruments regardless of music genre. The vivid imaging, layering and depth of the Kenzie results in a more holographic soundstage vs my solid state amps. Finally, the Kenzie renders the sonic landscape with a vibrantly rich texture that accentuates my emotive connection to the music in a manner I have not experienced before.

I must admit that I was skeptical of those who espoused the need to hear a ZMF headphone through a tube amp. Even though I only logged a few hours of listening with the Kenzie to date, I’m now a believer in tube magic.

My thanks to Justin for his ultra quick responsiveness and extensive guidance as this was my first first foray into tube amps. He spent a lot of time on the phone answering questions and helping me make the right decision based on my use case and listening preferences. So happy I decided to purchase the Kenzie OG Rev 2.

Will post more impressions as I continue my listening journey with this wonderful amp.

I have a Kenzie Encore Deluxe and recently heard it with an Auteur. Prior to that I’d listened to it on my Aeolus. I’ll just say that the Kenzie - Auteur pairing was magical. I immediately picked up a used Auteur and sold off the Aeolus. It’s just got an amazing synergy and the combo helped me appreciate the Kenzie that much more.

 

[vidzegg]

Hi Everyone,

I am kind of wannabe audiophile. I have recently upgraded from HIfiman HEX V2 to Arya and now HEK v2. I dont have any fancy gear and I like to listen from my Desktop PC. My only use is watching movies and listening to music on Youtube. I am a fan of Hifiman house sound due to its space and immersion and I have tried a few moderately high end other headphones like HD 800, Meze Empyrean, Koss ESP 950, Sony Z1R, LCD 2C and Ether Flow but ran back to hifiman because of enveloping spaciousness at cost of some impact. I am looking for high-end tube amp that will tame slightly peaky treble of Arya since I am a little sensitive to it. Its becoming a deal breaker for me coz i like long listening sessions which were possible on HEX v2 but not on arya so far. I am getting a HEK v2 tomorrow to see it is slightly smoother than Arya. I m looking at Forge and Kenzio OG as options of end game tube amp for me. I could not find as many reviews on these as i had hoped but i have listened to Justin's videos which were quite enlightening.

Theoretically, Ampsandsound amps should compliment Hifiman headphones very well as they can fill in the mids slightly, add intimacy and richer tone and tame the treble but i am surprised and somewhat alarmed that there is not much information about synergy of these amps with Hifiman headphones . Even Justin or ampsandsounds fans like Marcello and TylersEclectic dont mention this combination in their YouTube videos . I am also stuck because Forge seems moderately euphonic, powerful and also easily available and returnable at Headphones.com but may not tame the treble of Arya completely and Kenzio OG described as sweeter and richer amp that may suit Arya/ HEK v2 better but may or may not drive these headphones well enough and Ampsandsound does not offer returns which is stopping me from taking a plunge.

So i thought I would ask here. Any feedback is welcome.