[erics75]

Wow - super helpful. I have Focal Clear MG (low) and have ZMF Aeolus in order (hi) - does that push you one way or the other (though, man, the Ovation sounds hard to beat)?

I love the Clear on the Ovation, and also my Atticus (same driver as Aeolus and very similar overall sound signature). My Aeolus is being made now as well haha. Again with no hands on Mogwai experience and only the Pendant SE for reference, I would take the Ovation without hesitation. I also don't care about tube rolling that much, and love the fact that tubes for the Ovation are cheap and easily obtainable. I actually use the taps instead of tubes to change up the signature, as I find the basic tubes to sound fantastic. I run my Clear on the 8 and 16ohm taps and find it sounds really good. It definitely gives them a bass boost vs solid state, but I like it. The Atticus I'm all over the place, from low z to high, i've tried them all and seem to like different ones on different days. The two I do come back to more often than not though are 100 and 32. Right now i'm on 300 with some classic rock (Queen, Fleetwood Mac, etc) and am loving it! I do think the Ovation's tone is hard to beat. A good question you can take back to Justin is how close in signature is the Mogwai SE to the Pendant SE. If it's similar, then imo the Ovation's tone is sweeter and more enjoyable.

 

[stuartrosen]

Again, thanks! Justin was very positive the Ovation was the right match for me and this confirms it. Can’t wait to order!

 

[erics75]

Again, thanks! Justin was very positive the Ovation was the right match for me and this confirms it. Can’t wait to order!

You're welcome! Yeah he's mentioned many times how the Kenzie design is his sweetest sounding amp, and so far I agree. Congrats, hope you like it when you get it in! And the Aeolus too! I'm a die hard ZMF fanboy so i'm biased, but man do I think they sound amazing, especially on the Ovation.

 

[stuartrosen]

I've been in the sanding/finishing phase for 4 weeks now, so between that and the Ovation (which I'm about to order), I better find things to do for the next 5-6 weeks until they're here. Thanks!

 

[erics75]

Hey Erics75,

I know you're in the early stages of listening, but with 5 impedance taps available, I'm really curious which taps you prefer with certain headphones. When you get more listening time, can you share which headphones you prefer on certain taps?

-Ray

Hi Ray! After about a month or so with the Ovation I have to say I don't have a set impedance/headphone preference yet. What i'm finding is my mood is dictating which tap I use, and all sound really good. For context, with the Pendant SE i mainly stayed on the 100ohm tap, and would either roll pads on my ZMFs, or just swap to another headphone if the sound wasn't exactly what I was in the mood for. I might roll tubes, but more often than not, i'd do the headphone or pad swapping. With the Ovation, I usually am able to tailor the sound via the different taps.

I find this to be a very effective method of fine tuning the sound to my liking. I'm heavily mood based too. I might listen to the VC on the 300ohm tap one day, then the next day find it too euphonic sounding, and want to tighten it up a bit, and move down to the lower ohms, and vice versa. I am finding this aspect of the Ovation (besides the sound quality of course) to be one of it's greatest strengths. The sound changes noticeably from tap to tap, especially when moving up/down more than one at a time.

That being said, I do find myself slightly gravitating to the 32, 100, and 300 ohm taps more than the 8 and 16 with my ZMFs. With the clear I mainly stay on 8 and 16. 16 is pretty fun with the Clear, it gives it a noticeable boost to the bass, while softening the treble. I also think certain genres work better with certain taps. For live music, jazz, and blues, I find myself enjoying the higher ohm taps with most headphones. I love that spacious and euphonic sound pairs best here. With rock/metal I love the lower taps for the tigher sound and speed. The Atticus on the 32ohm tap is a rock monster!

Sorry I don't have more definitive answers yet. I honestly thought i'd settle in on a few combos and stick to them, but that just hasn't been the case. As time goes on I'll update this I do start to gravitate towards a tighter headphone/tap combo with my sets.

 

[stuartrosen]

Hi Ray! After about a month or so with the Ovation I have to say I don't have a set impedance/headphone preference yet. What i'm finding is my mood is dictating which tap I use, and all sound really good. For context, with the Pendant SE i mainly stayed on the 100ohm tap, and would either roll pads on my ZMFs, or just swap to another headphone if the sound wasn't exactly what I was in the mood for. I might roll tubes, but more often than not, i'd do the headphone or pad swapping. With the Ovation, I usually am able to tailor the sound via the different taps.

I find this to be a very effective method of fine tuning the sound to my liking. I'm heavily mood based too. I might listen to the VC on the 300ohm tap one day, then the next day find it too euphonic sounding, and want to tighten it up a bit, and move down to the lower ohms, and vice versa. I am finding this aspect of the Ovation (besides the sound quality of course) to be one of it's greatest strengths. The sound changes noticeably from tap to tap, especially when moving up/down more than one at a time.

That being said, I do find myself slightly gravitating to the 32, 100, and 300 ohm taps more than the 8 and 16 with my ZMFs. With the clear I mainly stay on 8 and 16. 16 is pretty fun with the Clear, it gives it a noticeable boost to the bass, while softening the treble. I also think certain genres work better with certain taps. For live music, jazz, and blues, I find myself enjoying the higher ohm taps with most headphones. I love that spacious and euphonic sound pairs best here. With rock/metal I love the lower taps for the tigher sound and speed. The Atticus on the 32ohm tap is a rock monster!

Sorry I don't have more definitive answers yet. I honestly thought i'd settle in on a few combos and stick to them, but that just hasn't been the case. As time goes on I'll update this I do start to gravitate towards a tighter headphone/tap combo with my sets.

 

[stuartrosen]

Here are some impressions after my first week with my ampsandsound Kenzie Ovation.

This thing is built absolutely rock-solid, yet isn’t unwieldy and easily fits on a side shelf (as you can see). I also now have a Pelican case that is big enough to transport my grandchildren.

The Kenzie is fed by my Chord Hugo TT2 DAC, which also serves as its own solid-state headphone amp, so I can easily compare sound from this common DAC source. I’ve spent most of my time this week using my new ZMF Aeolus, though my impressions carry across to my more limited time using my Focal Clear MGs.

First - I was concerned about noise floor - not because of Justin’s work but because of more general tube amp worries. I shouldn’t have worried, because this amp is (to my 62-year-old ears) completely, 100% noiseless. Not a buzz, not anything. Zero. I made a point of moving it as far away as I could from the Chord DAC and my computer and my powered Audioengine desktop speakers, and that certainly didn’t hurt. But if the tubes didn’t glow, I wouldn’t know if the Kenzie were on or off.

As for the sound - I am absolutely stunned at the sound quality. I don’t have a ton of experience with tube amps (I spent a short while with the Hagerman Tuba and the Cavelli Liquid Platinum hybrid), but compared to the sound coming out of the Hugo HP amp, the words that stay in my mind are “commanding presence.” Soundstage is wide, separation is precise, and there is something muscular about the presentation as compared with the Hugo solid state (which in any other world without the Kenzie would be absolutely beautiful and more than enough for me).

It’s a great marriage between the Kenzie and the ZMF Aeolus. The sound is warm and enveloping yet still fully detailed and sharp. I’ve played with the five taps the Kenzie provides and may be leaning towards the 100-ohm tap as my favorite. It just adds a little more pop and dimensionality than the 32-ohm tap, but we’re talking by degrees. The High-Z tap oversaturates and blooms the sound just a tiny bit, particularly in bass-heavy tracks, but that may be more in comparison to the other taps than a measure of the absoulute SQ. Certainly I initially favored the 32-ohm tap and only by spending more time did I land on the 100-ohm tap (for now). I suspect I will use different taps for different genres - the sparer the arrangement, the more I move up the tap ladder. (Is that a common experience for others?)

I am a newbie to the field, as you can tell from the amateurish descriptions above, but all I can tell you is that the Kenzie takes me to that ideal state we all talk about, where equipment melts away and recedes and you are just left inside the music.

From what I can see and from what Justin told me (he is SO generous with his time), the Kenzie is not a tube-roller’s Nirvana - you can have a lot more fun with the Mogwai SE. But for someone like me who wants to set it and forget it, I can’t imagine any other amp taking me deeper into the music or providing greater pleasure.

I hope this helps anyone considering an ampsandsound purchase or wondering if it can possibly be worth the investment. It is.

 

[RayRod]

Hi Ray! After about a month or so with the Ovation I have to say I don't have a set impedance/headphone preference yet. What i'm finding is my mood is dictating which tap I use, and all sound really good. For context, with the Pendant SE i mainly stayed on the 100ohm tap, and would either roll pads on my ZMFs, or just swap to another headphone if the sound wasn't exactly what I was in the mood for. I might roll tubes, but more often than not, i'd do the headphone or pad swapping. With the Ovation, I usually am able to tailor the sound via the different taps.

I find this to be a very effective method of fine tuning the sound to my liking. I'm heavily mood based too. I might listen to the VC on the 300ohm tap one day, then the next day find it too euphonic sounding, and want to tighten it up a bit, and move down to the lower ohms, and vice versa. I am finding this aspect of the Ovation (besides the sound quality of course) to be one of it's greatest strengths. The sound changes noticeably from tap to tap, especially when moving up/down more than one at a time.

That being said, I do find myself slightly gravitating to the 32, 100, and 300 ohm taps more than the 8 and 16 with my ZMFs. With the clear I mainly stay on 8 and 16. 16 is pretty fun with the Clear, it gives it a noticeable boost to the bass, while softening the treble. I also think certain genres work better with certain taps. For live music, jazz, and blues, I find myself enjoying the higher ohm taps with most headphones. I love that spacious and euphonic sound pairs best here. With rock/metal I love the lower taps for the tigher sound and speed. The Atticus on the 32ohm tap is a rock monster!

Sorry I don't have more definitive answers yet. I honestly thought i'd settle in on a few combos and stick to them, but that just hasn't been the case. As time goes on I'll update this I do start to gravitate towards a tighter headphone/tap combo with my sets.

Thank you so much for the follow up to my post, erics75. I think you perfectly explained the bass boost vs tightening detail by going up and down the taps. Finding the happy medium between euphony and detail is exactly what I'm trying to achieve, but I only have 8 ohm and 32 ohm taps to play with. Using my VC, I'm already feeling like I don't want to lose any more detail than I'm hearing on the 32 ohm tap. In comparing my amp to yours...this is probably one of those apples to oranges comparsions as I'm sure there are sound differences from the 32 ohm tap on my Mogwai OG with Jupiter caps, and the 32 ohm tap on your Kenzie Ovation, and taps on your Pendant SE. And with different DACs in the chain, it's even more variable.

 

[RayRod]

Hey everyone,

After nearly four months of living with the Mogwai OG with upgraded Jupiter caps, I thought I'd share my experience with it. I think I've finally achieved the magic "synergy" between my DAC, the Mogwai, and my Verite Closed headphones. I need to say that the journey wouldn't have been as rewarding if I didn't go through everything I did with tube rolling, and if I would have started out with an amazing DAC and high quality RCA cables. When I bought my Mogwai, the journey began with my humble Monolith 788 THX AAA Balanced Headphone DAC. I thought it would pair well with the Mogwai, and the dual AKM 4493 chips would provide a good balance of clinical detail along with the dynamic slam and warm sound of the amp. But the main reason I started with the 788 was because my finances were so drained after buying Verite Closed headphones and the Mogwai that I wasn't able to upgrade my DAC for a while.

Following Justin Weber's advice, the first thing I did was look for a U.S. manufactured NOS input tube as an upgrade over the stock JJ 6SL7 tube that came with the amp. I bought a WWII era Sylvania 6SL7WGT VT-229 input tube for $79. From the moment I popped it in, I was disappointed with how the sound changed from a warm tube sound to a very sterile (almost clinical) sound. I did enjoy the enormous sound stage with the VT-229, but I was really unhappy with the cold sound. I swapped the Sylvania tube to a NOS RCA 6SL7GT, and it sounded okay, but the RCA tube was noisy, and it got much worse as it broke in. I returned the RCA tube and at that point, I remember questioning whether it was worth buying another input tube as the two more expensive input tubes didn't beat the sound of the inexpensive JJ 6SL7 tube, and it was dead quiet. I decided to spend a little more and bought a Tung-Sol 6SU7WGT. Man, what a difference! The Mogwai immediately sounded so sweet and the vocals, pianos, and horns sounded vibrant and holographic. Best of all, like the stock JJ 6SL7 tube, the Tung-Sol 6SU7WGT was dead quiet too. It was a very big improvement in sound considering the $100 spent for the tube.

Next, I began the frustrating journey of buying KT88 power tubes. After everything I heard about how good KT88s sound in the Mogwai, I had to try them. The first pair of JJ KT88s purchased were microphonic and produced lots of ringing, even if I just lightly tapped my desk with a finger. I couldn't touch my keyboard at all while listening to music, especially with the VC as they pick up everything. So I exchanged the JJ KT88s for another pair only to find the second pair making an annoying crackling sound that could be heard even when the volume was turned all the way down. I returned the JJs and ordered the Gold Lion KT88s (re-issue) with cryo treatment, which is suppose to help break in the tubes and weed out bad ones. I was so confident there would be no issues, but as soon as I plugged them in, I heard the same static and crackling noise coming from one side of the VC ear cups. I was so frustrated: I couldn't understand why I had issues with three different pairs of KT88 tubes (from two different brands), and I began to think that maybe there was something wrong with my amp. After explaining everything to Justin, I drove my amp to him and he verified that it was indeed a bad Gold Lion KT88 tube. When the bad tube was switched from the right side to the left side of the amp, the crackling noise switched from the right ear cup to the left side. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Justin is an amazing guy and his customer service is like no other. Thank you again for your help. So I returned the third pair of tubes and was about to give up entirely on KT88s. I remembered nearly giving up on the input tubes too before finding the 6SU7WGT, so I decided to try one last time and bought a pair of JJ KT88 tubes (from a different website) and guess what? There was no static or crackling. Yes, the KT88s make some noise as you can hear slight ticking as they heat up (kind of like the noise an iron makes when you iron your clothes), but it's nothing like the static and crackling sound I was hearing with the previous sets of KT88s. My guess is that quality control is hit and miss with the two brands I tested.

As far as the sound on the KT88s: the sub bass rumble and dynamic slam is fantastic, and I really enjoy them most with EDM and Pop music. If you love slam and sub bass, the combination of the Mogwai and KT88s will put a huge smile on your face. In my opinion, the KT88s seem to produce a V-shaped sound emphasizing the sub bass and highs, but the the midrange and vocals (to my ears) seem slightly pulled back, except with the Audeze LCD-X, which really pairs well with the KT88s. But with the VC, I think the Tung-Sol 6L6GC STR power tubes that come stock with the Mogwai sound better and produce a much better balance of midrange, good bass, and an amazing euphonic sound that makes me keep coming back to them after hearing the KT88s for a few hours. The one critique I have about the Tung-Sol 6L6GC STR is that I wish I can have a little more detail in the highs without losing the tubeyness (if that's a word).

After my birthday in May, I managed to put together enough money for a new DAC. And after watching lots of youtube videos and reading through reviews and posts on the forums, I decided to buy a Schiit Bifrost 2. As I waited the 8 weeks for the Bifrost to arrive, I followed Justin's suggestion and bought Blue Jeans LC-1 RCA cables, which improved the dynamics and seemed to strengthen the lower frequencies of my old DAC. As soon as the Bifrost 2 arrived, I noticed a big difference in the sound. There is now a heft and weight behind each musical note, and as a result, the imaging on my VC seems better as instruments sound more separated. There is also even more dynamic impact of drums, bass, and piano notes. Even though some claim the Bifrost 2 is not as detailed as other DACs, the microdynamics are really standing out, and I can hear more detail than my clinical 788. Best of all, the timbre of instruments and human voices sound more natural in comparison to my old DAC.

And that leads me to the latest upgrade. I apologize for not remembering who suggested this or what forum I read it, but someone suggested that I email Zack from ZMF and ask him which tubes he recommends for the Mogwai. Zach responded by saying the Vintage RCA/Tung-Sol 6550 tubes sound amazing in the Mogwai. So I ordered original Tung-Sol 6550 squat "coke bottle" shape, brown base, smooth "no-hole" greyplates. Yes, they were expensive and came in a box labeled "1962" and the other one "1963". I assume this is their production date. My Lord! These tubes are exactly what I was looking for...they are even more euphonic than the Tung-Sol 6L6GC STR and have much better midrange. OMG the vocals!!! Music is punchy and has a good amount of sub bass (not as much as the KT88s) but these vintage 6550s are not V-shaped, and the sound stage is HUGE!!! So far, these have more detail than any tubes I have heard and cymbals now have the sparkle to accompany the tube sound. Best of all, they are surprisingly very quiet.

I don't know where to go from here, but I feel like I've reached an audiophile peak, and I need to just chill out with buying and just enjoy music for a while.

Here's my current chain with pictures below:
Qobuz --> iMac --> Tripp Lite USB 2.0 Hi-Speed A/B cable --> Bifrost 2 --> Blue Jeans LC-1 RCA cables --> AmpsandSound Mogwai OG with upgraded Jupiter Caps, Tung-Sol 6SU7WGT input tube, Vintage Tung-Sol 6550 "no hole" greyplates power tubes --> ZMF Verite Closed (Monkeypod)/Audeze LCD-X/Sennheiser 6XX

 

[UntilThen]

Welcome to the world of tube rolling. I have the Tung Sol 6550 1960s as well. I also have the Bifrost 2. Enjoy your Mogwai. We may not have the same tube amp but once you've found the right tubes for it, there's no leaving tube amps anymore.

 

[anumits]

Got my Kenzie yesterday. Love the way it looks and sounds!

 

[atmadams]

About to pull the trigger on a Kenzie Ovation. Does anyone have experience running loudspeakers with it? I have some Kef Q150s that I run in a near-field application. Appreciate any insights from the community. Thanks!

 

[atmadams]

Hi Ray! After about a month or so with the Ovation I have to say I don't have a set impedance/headphone preference yet. What i'm finding is my mood is dictating which tap I use, and all sound really good. For context, with the Pendant SE i mainly stayed on the 100ohm tap, and would either roll pads on my ZMFs, or just swap to another headphone if the sound wasn't exactly what I was in the mood for. I might roll tubes, but more often than not, i'd do the headphone or pad swapping. With the Ovation, I usually am able to tailor the sound via the different taps.

I find this to be a very effective method of fine tuning the sound to my liking. I'm heavily mood based too. I might listen to the VC on the 300ohm tap one day, then the next day find it too euphonic sounding, and want to tighten it up a bit, and move down to the lower ohms, and vice versa. I am finding this aspect of the Ovation (besides the sound quality of course) to be one of it's greatest strengths. The sound changes noticeably from tap to tap, especially when moving up/down more than one at a time.

That being said, I do find myself slightly gravitating to the 32, 100, and 300 ohm taps more than the 8 and 16 with my ZMFs. With the clear I mainly stay on 8 and 16. 16 is pretty fun with the Clear, it gives it a noticeable boost to the bass, while softening the treble. I also think certain genres work better with certain taps. For live music, jazz, and blues, I find myself enjoying the higher ohm taps with most headphones. I love that spacious and euphonic sound pairs best here. With rock/metal I love the lower taps for the tigher sound and speed. The Atticus on the 32ohm tap is a rock monster!

Sorry I don't have more definitive answers yet. I honestly thought i'd settle in on a few combos and stick to them, but that just hasn't been the case. As time goes on I'll update this I do start to gravitate towards a tighter headphone/tap combo with my sets.

Have you had a chance to try it with any loud speakers? I'm on the fence between this and the OG Kenzie, but the idea of running my Q150s off this (near field) is appealing.

 

[erics75]

Have you had a chance to try it with any loud speakers? I'm on the fence between this and the OG Kenzie, but the idea of running my Q150s off this (near field) is appealing.

sorry, i've only used it with headphones. no speaker experience to speak of.

 

[Aenemo]

Hey everyone,

After nearly four months of living with the Mogwai OG with upgraded Jupiter caps, I thought I'd share my experience with it. I think I've finally achieved the magic "synergy" between my DAC, the Mogwai, and my Verite Closed headphones. I need to say that the journey wouldn't have been as rewarding if I didn't go through everything I did with tube rolling, and if I would have started out with an amazing DAC and high quality RCA cables. When I bought my Mogwai, the journey began with my humble Monolith 788 THX AAA Balanced Headphone DAC. I thought it would pair well with the Mogwai, and the dual AKM 4493 chips would provide a good balance of clinical detail along with the dynamic slam and warm sound of the amp. But the main reason I started with the 788 was because my finances were so drained after buying Verite Closed headphones and the Mogwai that I wasn't able to upgrade my DAC for a while.

Following Justin Weber's advice, the first thing I did was look for a U.S. manufactured NOS input tube as an upgrade over the stock JJ 6SL7 tube that came with the amp. I bought a WWII era Sylvania 6SL7WGT VT-229 input tube for $79. From the moment I popped it in, I was disappointed with how the sound changed from a warm tube sound to a very sterile (almost clinical) sound. I did enjoy the enormous sound stage with the VT-229, but I was really unhappy with the cold sound. I swapped the Sylvania tube to a NOS RCA 6SL7GT, and it sounded okay, but the RCA tube was noisy, and it got much worse as it broke in. I returned the RCA tube and at that point, I remember questioning whether it was worth buying another input tube as the two more expensive input tubes didn't beat the sound of the inexpensive JJ 6SL7 tube, and it was dead quiet. I decided to spend a little more and bought a Tung-Sol 6SU7WGT. Man, what a difference! The Mogwai immediately sounded so sweet and the vocals, pianos, and horns sounded vibrant and holographic. Best of all, like the stock JJ 6SL7 tube, the Tung-Sol 6SU7WGT was dead quiet too. It was a very big improvement in sound considering the $100 spent for the tube.

Next, I began the frustrating journey of buying KT88 power tubes. After everything I heard about how good KT88s sound in the Mogwai, I had to try them. The first pair of JJ KT88s purchased were microphonic and produced lots of ringing, even if I just lightly tapped my desk with a finger. I couldn't touch my keyboard at all while listening to music, especially with the VC as they pick up everything. So I exchanged the JJ KT88s for another pair only to find the second pair making an annoying crackling sound that could be heard even when the volume was turned all the way down. I returned the JJs and ordered the Gold Lion KT88s (re-issue) with cryo treatment, which is suppose to help break in the tubes and weed out bad ones. I was so confident there would be no issues, but as soon as I plugged them in, I heard the same static and crackling noise coming from one side of the VC ear cups. I was so frustrated: I couldn't understand why I had issues with three different pairs of KT88 tubes (from two different brands), and I began to think that maybe there was something wrong with my amp. After explaining everything to Justin, I drove my amp to him and he verified that it was indeed a bad Gold Lion KT88 tube. When the bad tube was switched from the right side to the left side of the amp, the crackling noise switched from the right ear cup to the left side. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Justin is an amazing guy and his customer service is like no other. Thank you again for your help. So I returned the third pair of tubes and was about to give up entirely on KT88s. I remembered nearly giving up on the input tubes too before finding the 6SU7WGT, so I decided to try one last time and bought a pair of JJ KT88 tubes (from a different website) and guess what? There was no static or crackling. Yes, the KT88s make some noise as you can hear slight ticking as they heat up (kind of like the noise an iron makes when you iron your clothes), but it's nothing like the static and crackling sound I was hearing with the previous sets of KT88s. My guess is that quality control is hit and miss with the two brands I tested.

As far as the sound on the KT88s: the sub bass rumble and dynamic slam is fantastic, and I really enjoy them most with EDM and Pop music. If you love slam and sub bass, the combination of the Mogwai and KT88s will put a huge smile on your face. In my opinion, the KT88s seem to produce a V-shaped sound emphasizing the sub bass and highs, but the the midrange and vocals (to my ears) seem slightly pulled back, except with the Audeze LCD-X, which really pairs well with the KT88s. But with the VC, I think the Tung-Sol 6L6GC STR power tubes that come stock with the Mogwai sound better and produce a much better balance of midrange, good bass, and an amazing euphonic sound that makes me keep coming back to them after hearing the KT88s for a few hours. The one critique I have about the Tung-Sol 6L6GC STR is that I wish I can have a little more detail in the highs without losing the tubeyness (if that's a word).

After my birthday in May, I managed to put together enough money for a new DAC. And after watching lots of youtube videos and reading through reviews and posts on the forums, I decided to buy a Schiit Bifrost 2. As I waited the 8 weeks for the Bifrost to arrive, I followed Justin's suggestion and bought Blue Jeans LC-1 RCA cables, which improved the dynamics and seemed to strengthen the lower frequencies of my old DAC. As soon as the Bifrost 2 arrived, I noticed a big difference in the sound. There is now a heft and weight behind each musical note, and as a result, the imaging on my VC seems better as instruments sound more separated. There is also even more dynamic impact of drums, bass, and piano notes. Even though some claim the Bifrost 2 is not as detailed as other DACs, the microdynamics are really standing out, and I can hear more detail than my clinical 788. Best of all, the timbre of instruments and human voices sound more natural in comparison to my old DAC.

And that leads me to the latest upgrade. I apologize for not remembering who suggested this or what forum I read it, but someone suggested that I email Zack from ZMF and ask him which tubes he recommends for the Mogwai. Zach responded by saying the Vintage RCA/Tung-Sol 6550 tubes sound amazing in the Mogwai. So I ordered original Tung-Sol 6550 squat "coke bottle" shape, brown base, smooth "no-hole" greyplates. Yes, they were expensive and came in a box labeled "1962" and the other one "1963". I assume this is their production date. My Lord! These tubes are exactly what I was looking for...they are even more euphonic than the Tung-Sol 6L6GC STR and have much better midrange. OMG the vocals!!! Music is punchy and has a good amount of sub bass (not as much as the KT88s) but these vintage 6550s are not V-shaped, and the sound stage is HUGE!!! So far, these have more detail than any tubes I have heard and cymbals now have the sparkle to accompany the tube sound. Best of all, they are surprisingly very quiet.

I don't know where to go from here, but I feel like I've reached an audiophile peak, and I need to just chill out with buying and just enjoy music for a while.

Here's my current chain with pictures below:
Qobuz --> iMac --> Tripp Lite USB 2.0 Hi-Speed A/B cable --> Bifrost 2 --> Blue Jeans LC-1 RCA cables --> AmpsandSound Mogwai OG with upgraded Jupiter Caps, Tung-Sol 6SU7WGT input tube, Vintage Tung-Sol 6550 "no hole" greyplates power tubes --> ZMF Verite Closed (Monkeypod)/Audeze LCD-X/Sennheiser 6XX

​

Thanks for this indepth review. I'm just getting into tube rolling my Mogwai OG and i got the tung sol 6550 and tung sol 6SU7WGT based on your recommendation.