[DJJEZ]

Finally a red october review!

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/superi...m0tyOV7OFYzWgeqO2S24ge3qD2yJ1aU-rP2ITNP18h728

 

[Scarydog]

Thanks. Work in progress. I wish time was kinder to me. That said… really pleased with how they came out.

The are both really great - well done!

Love your passion!

 

[darktooth8]

Awesome videos. Did not think it was possible to love my nautilus even more, but now I do. Amazing craftsmanship. I feel lucky to get one of the early non textured models - it just screams of the 50s era. I'll just have to baby mine from scratches!
I got some winged C kt88s and loving how the noise floor has dropped even further which I didn't think possible. The real cost of the nautilus is in the tubes you buy, which apparently, I can't stop trying the variants of sound I can get out of this amazing machine.

 

[paradoxper]

Been waiting patiently for @ampsandsound to make these videos. Good stuff justin.
.

Great video. Always love seeing the turret boards! First-class.

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

Two new products dropping from ampsandsound I have not posted here yet:

Kenzie Monos - low power mono amps designed for efficient speakers. Much of the quality we know the brand for, for a much more digestible price ($10,000).

Black Pearl - 2 Channel version of the Red October (same price as RO).

 

[DJJEZ]

Two new products dropping from ampsandsound I have not posted here yet:

Kenzie Monos - low power mono amps designed for efficient speakers. Much of the quality ampsandsound for a much more digestible price ($10,000).

Black Pearl - 2 Channel version of the Nautilus

Black pearl is the 2 channel version of the red october

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

Black pearl is the 2 channel version of the red october

You are correct - my mistake!

 

[darktooth8]

Curious what is the difference between dual mono and 2 channel ? is this mostly for speakers?

 

[gonintendo]

Curious what is the difference between dual mono and 2 channel ? is this mostly for speakers?

2-channel just means speakers generally, dual mono means two power amps, one per channel (usually for speakers but some crazy folks use them for headphones too )

 

[ampsandsound]

Thanks for the great feedback.
Black Pearl is a bit more complex than meets the eye. It’s actually sporting new output transformers which are optimized for 2ch operation. New iron development was exhausting… lots of time with the test mules.
It’s price hasn’t been an announced but similar the the calypso.

The Kenzie monos are like the soulo but only 2ch. New output transformer too. Meant for high efficiency speakers and those wanting the. Triode sound of 45s.

The calypso is a like a stereo Bryce than a nautilus. Specialist for 2ch and using conventional tubes. KT88s and alike.

The black Pearl is akin the a red October but is rocking new transformers more specialized to 2ch gear.

We havnt don’t a lot of development work on your 2ch for several years and are trying to refocus efforts.

From a personal audio stand point… I’m so pleased where we are. I finally have enough transformers to no worry for 1-2 years at a time. All custom and proprietary to us.

 

[DenverW]

So I ended up ordering a "Booster Box" from the ampsandsound website on Thursday after speaking with Justin at canjam and listening to them hooked up to the amps at his table. He mentioned that the difference in sound quality should be audible based on the output from the booster box.

So, first of all, I ordered on Thursday, and it arrived today; Saturday. Yep, that's right. From order to arrival: two days. Insanely good. I mean, like REALLY, REALLY good. I'm used to checking next week to see if the order is even processed with most businesses. Hats off for that!

Moving on to the booster box, it arrived well packaged. I had a little initial confusion because the input/output are not labeled for the RCA cables, and of course I choose wrong initially. A quick peek at the image on the website corrected me. Running from my PC to a matrix x spdif to a Audiomirror Tubadour iii se into the booster box into the Bigger Ben there is a clear increase in power. Volume knob is even closer to the starting point than normal .

Sound is clear, impactful, and extremely well separated. It's doing exactly what I was hoping: better sound from my dac. That's a big win for me, because I love the lush, musical sound of my dac and the bigger ben. I'm going to have to recommend this little pre-amp.

 

[LegatoB]

After giving my intial thoughts about the Bigger Ben V2 I thought about how it was a little odd of me to say I was more impressed with the Agartha early on when having both amps. After some time, I actually think they complement each other real nicely, and I’m beginning to tube roll with the Bigger Ben as well, and just picked up the 5U4G. Something I noticed is that notes can sometimes seem to fade and draw away into this big soundscape, but at the same time, it sound are very transparent / clear neutrality. It’s really nice when I hear this with say like a clean piano note or bass note “cleanly fading away” Can’t wait to tube roll more on both amps. Very nice.

Thanks Justin and all. Look forward to rewinding the thread and finding some tube combos for my amps.

 

[Scarydog]

Quick question for everyone. What is the rule of thumb for which impedence tap to choose on the amp. Would it be the closest to the impedence of the headphones? i.e. if the heaphones are 40ohm I would choose the 32ohm tap?

 

[gonintendo]

Quick question for everyone. What is the rule of thumb for which impedence tap to choose on the amp. Would it be the closest to the impedence of the headphones? i.e. if the heaphones are 40ohm I would choose the 32ohm tap?

For dynamics: whatever sounds best, higher Z will give a less damped, bloomier sound if that’s what you want
For low sensitivity planars: lowest possible for maximum current delivery

 

[Scarydog]

For dynamics: whatever sounds best, higher Z will give a less damped, bloomier sound if that’s what you want
For low sensitivity planars: lowest possible for maximum current delivery

Thanks - that is super helpful!