[MidFi90]

Guys, my Fezz amp is going back to TMR and I'm about to have a pretty large credit with them. I just picked up a used 1266 Phi TC. So the question is this. I'm looking at three different headphones to compliment the 1266. I have a couple JM audio XTCs (open and closed) which I love but they are for my portable astell and Kern rig. Has anybody tried the utopia 22, Meze elite, or the LCD 5 With the bigger Ben? I think I'll pick one of those three up. I got to try the Meze and LCD5 at my local audio store but it was in a very noisy environment and it was hard to really judge what I was listening to.

Maybe give zmf Caldera a try？

 

[Strayngs]

Maybe give zmf Caldera a try？

They are not something I can get from the music room with my credit so that rules them out But thanks.

 

[DenverW]

They are not something I can get from the music room with my credit so that rules them out But thanks.

I was going to mention the Caldera as well; not necessarily to get them, but that as a high end planar it pairs really well with the BB. Power to spare.

 

[shwnwllms]

My Agartha 2021 lands tomorrow

For any 2021 or Rev 2 owners, has anyone tried theirs with a G73-R input (with adapter on the 2021 of course)

Also any recommendations on 6AX5 rectifier? I’m not finding a whole lot of info on this tube, other than it doesn’t make a huge impact on the amps sound.

 

[JooLoo]

Anyone in here want to trade a bigger Ben for a holo bliss kte ?

 

[shwnwllms]

And so it begins…

 

[MLPhoenix]

Hi All. I just ordered a ZMF Caldera and will be using it primarily with my Nautilus. Anyone here running Caldera on the Nautilus with recommendations on tubes?

 

[WillieB]

Hi All. I just ordered a ZMF Caldera and will be using it primarily with my Nautilus. Anyone here running Caldera on the Nautilus with recommendations on tubes?

I have Bigger Ben Rev 2 and Caldera. I'm not sure how similar the experience would be with Nautilus, but I have pretty good luck with most types of power tubes with Caldera, but I really like Gold Lion KT66, Tung-Sol 7581A, and EHX 6CA7. If you want bass-forward, try JJ KT66 - these take some time to break in and mine were muddy at first . More importantly, I find that 12AT7 works great in the preamp stage. It's slightly lower gain seems to keep things more linear. So you get good dynamics at lower SPLs. There are a lot of great NOS options. Four that I like a lot are Phillips ECG 12AT7WC, RFT ECC81(Either getter type, but ring getter is easier to find), Sylvania 12AT7 black plate with the square getter, but any black plate Sylvania will likely be pretty good, and Mullard M8162/CV4024.

 

[MidFi90]

Finally finishing my ss amp 2ch system also the tube amp headphone system.

 

[MLPhoenix]

I have Bigger Ben Rev 2 and Caldera. I'm not sure how similar the experience would be with Nautilus, but I have pretty good luck with most types of power tubes with Caldera, but I really like Gold Lion KT66, Tung-Sol 7581A, and EHX 6CA7. If you want bass-forward, try JJ KT66 - these take some time to break in and mine were muddy at first . More importantly, I find that 12AT7 works great in the preamp stage. It's slightly lower gain seems to keep things more linear. So you get good dynamics at lower SPLs. There are a lot of great NOS options. Four that I like a lot are Phillips ECG 12AT7WC, RFT ECC81(Either getter type, but ring getter is easier to find), Sylvania 12AT7 black plate with the square getter, but any black plate Sylvania will likely be pretty good, and Mullard M8162/CV4024.

Thanks for the awesome reply!

Fortunately I have some 7581As and Gold Lion KT66s on hand. I don't think I have any 12AT7s but even the NOS recommendations you made are pretty reasonable in price so I will have to pick one up and try it out

 

[shwnwllms]

As magical as the G73-R was in the Agartha 2021, tonight I went a different direction and decided to roll a 1954 Tung-Sol JAN-CTL-6SL7GT (Military Black Glass)

 

[shwnwllms]

Just had some arrive from Amazon. Will try it tonight.

How did these work for you (and what RFI Shields did you end up getting?)

 

[MLPhoenix]

Yes I do in general terms.

Wow, I just tried this and the difference is noticeable! I will definitely be going this route from now on.

On a related note, is there much difference between a standard Nautilus with the volume at 100% and the version you mention without a volume control?

 

[TDinCali]

How did these work for you (and what RFI Shields did you end up getting?)

Unfortunately it didn’t work. I ended up placing the amp in another part of the house as a second listening area and no longer have the issue. unfortunately in my main listening space it was just too noticeable.

 

[shwnwllms]

Had an interesting chat with @ampsandsound tonight. I am beyond humbled that Justin took time out of his busy schedule to help diagnose some noise I was experiencing on my Agartha 2021 (incredible customer service especially considering I am not the first owner) Walked away with a better understanding of the amp and a few ideas on how best to tackle the noise. Thank you Justin for going above and beyond. You’ve earned a customer for life.