[michael2v]

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.

That Bottlehead looks darn good too!

 

[LegionofDoom]

Deleted

 

[me2621a]

Looks absolutely wonderful!

Does anyone have any experience with both the Mogwai and Ovation (current revisions) who could characterize the sonic differences between the two?

I have not heard the current 9 pin revision of the ovation, but the amp should sound very similar to the old 8 pin’s n (as I used my 8 pin version with a 9 pin adapter).

The ovation will be lighter and faster. It tonally will skew a little darker, and it will be quieter.

The Mogwai will feel thicker, and slower but sound more powerful. It will be more tonally neutral.

This of course will be tube dependent and some tubes may emphasis one of the qualities above but that is the general feel.

At for a while I had the Ovation and Bigger Ben sitting side by side, and I personally preferred the Ovation with any headphone it could drive properly.

 

[Scarydog]

Just went to listen to my Nautilus and found both fuses had blown. Replaced them and all is fine. Just wondering what could be some of the causes of blowing fuses. Trying to make sure I dont have any systemic issues! Thanks!

 

[ampsandsound]

Rectifiers...going bad or Hot starting.
Amp on, turn off and then turn decide to turn back on without letting the power supply fully discharge the caps... need to let the amp sit for 5min befor turning back on.

 

[Scarydog]

Thanks! That’s super helpful. That’s probably what I did. Doh!

 

[DeweyCH]

That Bottlehead looks darn good too!

Thank you! Was a lot of fun to build and as OTL amps go should do me for a good long time!

 

[LegatoB]

I was listening to the VO Camphor Burl with the Bigger Ben Rev 2 earlier. I think the VO Blue Camphor Burl Stabilized (Erskine) sounds a little better with the power + dynamics of the Bigger Ben Rev 2 because of the VO Blue Camphor Burl Stabilized (Erskine) sense of space and air (these differences are much more subtle after listening with matching cables).

I'm more impressed with Agartha 2021 paired with the VO. It's a match made in heaven. You feel the rumble and impact of the notes rippling in a huge soundstage.

I am really enjoying Bigger Ben V2 with now with the VO after exclusively listening after a day. It's surprisingly detailed, with a full sound, and has rumble like no other.

The Bigger Ben V2 and the Agartha 2021 are really different types of amplifiers. I'm more impressed with the sound signature of the Agartha 2021 because to me, it's such a unique sound profile that I think it would be enjoyable to anyone who loves soundstage and detail. I think the Bigger Ben Rev 2, while sounding phenomenal in itself with very thorough, weighty notes, great detail, and dynamic; the soundstage cannot be compared to Agartha 2021, which is on another level. Within the soundstage of the Agartha, the impact of the notes ripples and you get a sensational, detailed experience with the notes, which is precise as it is full of "musical character". It's like a micro, contained rumble in the imaging of the notes within a humongous stage.

I've also been trying Bigger Ben Rev 2 with other headphones, and I like it paired with the Aeolus Stabilized (Vaskas) a lot. This is a headphone that really benefits from the rumble and it feels much more intimate than with the VO.

I was just looking thru the thread and saw that the Red October had been released and is also a 300B amplifier, and I'm already planning on getting it.

I think the Bigger Ben V2 is different from what I had originally thought. It actually has a phenomenal soundstage. I don't know what prompted me to say it doesn't have a comparable soundstage to the Agartha 2021. I think I still had some genre bias (and could've been the gear too, as I'm listening to Amanero Audio-GD HE-7 as opposed to Singxer SU-6 input and noticing differences). I'm writing some impressions soon after a nearly over a year of ownership. This time with the Topping D90SE too. It should be fun.

 

[WillieB]

I think the Bigger Ben V2 is different from what I had originally thought. It actually has a phenomenal soundstage. I don't know what prompted me to say it doesn't have a comparable soundstage to the Agartha 2021. I think I still had some genre bias (and could've been the gear too, as I'm listening to Amanero Audio-GD HE-7 as opposed to Singxer SU-6 input and noticing differences). I'm writing some impressions soon after a nearly over a year of ownership. This time with the Topping D90SE too. It should be fun.

I also use an Audio-gd R-2R with Bigger Ben V2 often. What settings do you use for NOS/OS if you don't mind me asking?

 

[LegatoB]

I also use an Audio-gd R-2R with Bigger Ben V2 often. What settings do you use for NOS/OS if you don't mind me asking?

I'm not sure what you mean by NOS/OS. Do you mean format? I've listened with 32 bit 44100hz with Amanero 384 on the HE-7, Singxer SU-6 (I just discovered this was set to 48000hz). Is there any suggestions for what these values mean generally? For tubes I use KT88/EL34 and JJ 5751. I have Tungsol 5751, Genelex 12AX7, and Mullard 12AX7 4004 coming in which I will use on my Agartha 2021 and Bigger Ben Rev 2. Does anyone know if these are good tubes for these amps? I haven't really played with filtering with the HE-7.

 

[WillieB]

I'm not sure what you mean by NOS/OS. Do you mean format? I've listened with 32 bit 44100hz with Amanero 384 on the HE-7, Singxer SU-6 (I just discovered this was set to 48000hz). Is there any suggestions for what these values mean generally? For tubes I use KT88/EL34 and JJ 5751. I have Tungsol 5751, Genelex 12AX7, and Mullard 12AX7 4004 coming in which I will use on my Agartha 2021 and Bigger Ben Rev 2. Does anyone know if these are good tubes for these amps? I haven't really played with filtering with the HE-7.

I was referring to the Oversampling setting that you use. Depending on the age of your HE-7, it may not have a dedicated NOS( no oversampling) mode. I used to think that NOS mode 2 was the only way to fly, but these days I find myself liking the OS 4x and 8x settings a lot when listening to speakers and even headphones often times. I don't really make an effort to switch it back and forth like I used to. Of course, it's minute differences anyway. Sometimes I think the decay is just a little different/better in the high frequencies with OS in mode 4x or 8x. It's just a bit cleaner. On the other hand, I like the decay of low frequency a little better in headphones sometimes with NOS mode 2. Not sure as it could all be in my head at this point, but I was curious about your experience since we have similar equipment.

 

[Mattyjm]

Can someone who has owned a Kenzie/Mogwai compare the two? I'm still very lost on the sonic differences between the 2.

From what i've read, Kenzie is slightly wider, and mogwai is more intimate? I'll be using my Aeolus on the amp, but im not sure what my next headphone would be.

 

[Scarydog]

New tube day

 

[Scarydog]

 

[WillieB]

Great choices! The 7581 is killer in A&S SET amps.