[woodcans]

Well, after reading all the great things about the MPX3 here, I couldn't help myself and decided to take the plunge into tubes. I got basically a maxed out unit w/ Solen III, Black Gate caps, paper in oil caps, Cardas & Neutrik jacks, dual inputs and preamp outs. I'm using the unit w/ a DAC1 and a pair of HD 650s.

I've had the unit for a week now and this has to be the greatest experience in my audio life. I know people have reviewed and described this amp in the past so I'll keep this short, but to sum up - this thing is incredible. The best analogy I can think of is that it sounds as if my 650s had been sleeping until I plugged them into the MPX3. I have never heard such clear highs, low but detailed bass, and the midrange - wow! I now understand the meaning of such terms as transparency and airiness. The first night after it arrived I sat down and listened for hours, disc after disc. Needless to say, I'm now a tube and MPX3 convert. Also, I must give thanks to Mikhail - he has been great and his customer service is top notch.

 

[zoboomofo]

From one mpx3 owner to another, congrats. I'm scratching up funds for a few upgrades on it, but there is something I love about the sound on this amp. When I switched from my HD 580s to the CD3000s, I could really appreciate the qualities the amp had to offer.

 

[woodcans]

As far as upgrades go, I figured I'd take a chance & just get everything up front b/c I didn't want to go through the hassle of sending it back for upgrades. I would love to try some cd3000s on this, but that'll have to wait.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoboomofo From one mpx3 owner to another, congrats. I'm scratching up funds for a few upgrades on it, but there is something I love about the sound on this amp. When I switched from my HD 580s to the CD3000s, I could really appreciate the qualities the amp had to offer.

 

[zoboomofo]

I was thinking that if - down the road - I want a speaker setup, and a preamp, then I would pass the mpx3 along, and go for a Supra . That's when I'd go all out for an upgrade. I like the balance on my rig right now though.

btw, I've decided on level 1 power, and Jensen caps, and a bit of a circuit update (I've got an older version). It's been discussed with Mikhail, who's generous with his advice time.

 

[Glod]

Congrats! A week old? Then you have some exiting burn-in time in front of you. Mine did not open up untill after 60 hours and the dynamics was nothing before at least 80 hours. Then the thunderous, yet detailled and controlled, bass was something breathtaking. I listen to alot of orchestral music, and a powerful and articulate bass is very important for the feeling of being in the concert hall. Solen stage 3 has been reported to produce some really seriuos bass. What I can recall, not to everybody's liking. But hey - that is subjective nature of perception.

Black Gate's? I am curious of the experiences of other MPX3 owners. They say it can take hundreds of hours to burn them in.

 

[zoboomofo]

Glod, could you tell us if there are any upgrades in your unit. I like gauging people's listening preferences with upgrades.

 

[woodcans]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoboomofo I was thinking that if - down the road - I want a speaker setup, and a preamp, then I would pass the mpx3 along, and go for a Supra . That's when I'd go all out for an upgrade. I like the balance on my rig right now though. btw, I've decided on level 1 power, and Jensen caps, and a bit of a circuit update (I've got an older version). It's been discussed with Mikhail, who's generous with his advice time.

That's actually one of the reasons I maxed out my MPX3 - I knew I wouldn't have the funds anytime soon for an upgraded Supra so I maxed the MPX3 with plans to use it as a pre-amp. Btw, if anyone has experience using it as a pre-amp, I'd love to hear about it.

 

[woodcans]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glod Congrats! A week old? Then you have some exiting burn-in time in front of you. Mine did not open up untill after 60 hours and the dynamics was nothing before at least 80 hours. Then the thunderous, yet detailled and controlled, bass was something breathtaking. I listen to alot of orchestral music, and a powerful and articulate bass is very important for the feeling of being in the concert hall. Solen stage 3 has been reported to produce some really seriuos bass. What I can recall, not to everybody's liking. But hey - that is subjective nature of perception. Black Gate's? I am curious of the experiences of other MPX3 owners. They say it can take hundreds of hours to burn them in.

I am thoroughly enjoying my burn-in time. My bass is already controlled and detailed. It's definitely not lacking in any way but a little more won't hurt

. If I get a major change after over a hundred hours I'll let you know (re: Black Gates).

 

[go_vtec]

Congrats, did you get 6sn7 or 6cg7 version? I found NOS tubes are significantly better than new tubes! Enjoy your new toy!

 

[dcguy73]

Awwwwright! Another member to Team Singlepower! Glad to see you went the max-it-out route. It truly is a sweet amp.

Let me pass on advice I received from other HeadFiers. Three things to definitely improve the sound: 1.) Herbie's Tube Dampers 2.) Isolation tweaks -- cones, pucks, whatever -- I use ceraballs and am relatively happy with them. 3.) Swap out the stock powercord for a better number.

Also, I have found that I prefer the 650/Zu Mobius combo with the MPX3 over the 650/Stock cord or the 650/Equinox combo.

Enjoy your amp! It will continue to get better. What tubes are you using?

 

[woodcans]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dc_guy Awwwwright! Another member to Team Singlepower! Glad to see you went the max-it-out route. It truly is a sweet amp. Let me pass on advice I received from other HeadFiers. Three things to definitely improve the sound: 1.) Herbie's Tube Dampers 2.) Isolation tweaks -- cones, pucks, whatever -- I use ceraballs and am relatively happy with them. 3.) Swap out the stock powercord for a better number. Also, I have found that I prefer the 650/Zu Mobius combo with the MPX3 over the 650/Stock cord or the 650/Equinox combo. Enjoy your amp! It will continue to get better. What tubes are you using?

Thanks for the advice - I have a Zu power cable I'm going to use with it soon. I've had my eye on the Zu 650 cable for some time now but I'm gonna havta wait on that for a while. I will definitely look into the dampers and some cones/pucks. I will be tweaking it soon - but I want to get a feel for how it sounds "stock" for a while so that when I start tweaking I can better appreciate the results.

As far as tubes go, I forgot to mention I also have the 12 volt option

. I have some 12 volt tubes on the way. Right now I'm using some NOS sylvanias for output and a ken rad vt-231 as gain. I plan on doing some tuberolling as I have a few other tubes waiting in line to roll around in the gain slot.

While these tubes sound fantastic indeed, the unit did not sound shabby at all with the stock EH tubes. But I definitely need more time to experiment and learn the different signatures of the different tubes. My first impression is that the NOS tubes are more open and airy with a blacker background.

 

[woodcans]

Quote:

Originally Posted by go_vtec Congrats, did you get 6sn7 or 6cg7 version? I found NOS tubes are significantly better than new tubes! Enjoy your new toy!

go_vtec:

6sn7 - see above post

.

 

[zoboomofo]

Man you're really ahead of the game. When I got my amp, suddenly I struggled with unhappy phones, a noisy source, and currently still a lack of bass. I had to address these problems from the bottom rung on the mpx3 ladder. First tubes, and now caps. It must be nice to have that certainty that your amp needs no more tweaks. And I'm a bit jealous that you can get primo tubes at bargain 12v prices.

 

[KUU]

Congrats on your new MPX3, I got mine a few weeks ago and still burning them in (90 hours as far), hope you enjoy your as much as I do.

 

[sacd lover]

The 12sn7 tubes are even better than the 6sn7's, IMO.

I will be trying another tube type in one of my mpx3's soon. I have to have it modded for a higher heater current then I am ready to go. Once I receive my custom adapters I will be trying loctal 7n7/14n7 tubes too. The loctals are the same as the 6sn7 electrically but with a special loctal locking base. This tube is reputed to sound even better than the 6/12sn7. We will see!

Congratulations woodcans, I havent heard any amp that is around the mpx3's price that offers better sound quality. The amp only gets better with time.