hello! got in on the massdrop deal for this amp. for $140, i think that's a good price. i'm excited and couldn't wait to get it and start modding. ETA is mid-august. Anyway, I have already bought the following:
ELNA CAP ALUM 1000UF 20% 25V RADIAL SILMIC II
Mundorf .47uf M cap supreme
I plan to listen to it for a couple of days with the stock caps then will replace them. For the tubes, i might get the tungsol KT66.
You guys still have this amp or have ya'll upgraded to something more high end?
Your cap choices will pit it's signature on the sweet, detailed side.
Very nice.
Gotcha.. would you recommend a tube that will pair nicely with the kt66? 12ax7 Or a valvo e180cc? Or should i get a different set of tubes?
I'll be using hifiman he560.
The HE560 was a great well rounded headphone when I owned it.
This amp should power it nicely, especially once moded brings out the bass from stock which is a bit lean.
I keep my APPJ amp as a backup amp,
and to burn in a new tube..
As its great for a small sized amp with above average performance.
Also don't buy the tung-sol KT66 bottle,
I have them and can be a tad "soft", but good soundstage.
Instead,
I have settled on the gold-lion.
Name sounds extravagant,
but it is a great reissue remake of the famous Genalex tube:
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/161982192487
And has the lower heater specs of the new tubes,
Rather than the old stock kt66 with higher heater draw.
Regardless, those tubes run hotter than most all the others I have tried.
They have the largest soundstage while also retaining the clarity,
Which is hard to do without loosing presence.
My best NU 6L6 had biggest stage but suffered a touch of distance, and some "presence" loss.
The Tung-sol kt66 had as big a sounstage but suffered more in presence.
The gold-lion not only beats them out in stage, but does not suffer in presence or detailing,
But it does "add" a very slight touch of extra flavor to its sound, so it is not a neutral lean tube.
For driver tube, I am in agreement with "DavidK35" .
Although I also like some 9-pin as well for euphony.
But for resolution, I pick same driver tube 14n7 type with adapter.
Just barely fits together with those big KT66 bottles...