[GoroUnreal]

  I started with the Aune T1 and then paired it with the bottlehead crack. I am loving life now. I doubt I ever upgrade again. The only thing I'm curious in is a WA2, I am curious about a Lyr 2 but I'm almost certain my crack outperforms that really. You can get a crack on here for sale for $350-$400 shipped at times. And look how many people call it the end game for many Sennheiser headphones, I'll tell ya there is a reason for that for sure.
 
I could've went Lyr 2 but then trust me you'll read and then I assure you, you'll want to know what the crack sounds like, so you might as well just do it right the first time and save yourself the time and money. It's not really all that much money if you have to save up the $400 and do yourself a favor you'll never regret.

Thanks for the suggestion, i'll have to see if I can find one built, be great if I could find one in Australia too but probably more likely US.

 

[hdtv00]

So having my Aune feeding a crack I've been testing out tubes in both. I just tried a Bugle Boy. I had an Orange globe o getter in which sounded completely holographic in the highs. Like things were right here with me being played. The Bugle Boy does have nice clear highs but it seems to lose that holographic effect. It still sounds ok but much less realism in the sound as if its live being played here right with me.
 
Man I have so many dang Orange globes of all types o, disk and A frame. But anyway interesting it really is a big impact in the sound from what it was, and there are people who claim this is just a buffer tube device and it's just a gimmick. Oh I think not.
 
So far still o getter OG into a crack using Tung Sol and telefunken rib plate still a magical live sound.

 

[Hansotek]

I started with the Aune T1 and then paired it with the bottlehead crack. I am loving life now. I doubt I ever upgrade again. The only thing I'm curious in is a WA2, I am curious about a Lyr 2 but I'm almost certain my crack outperforms that really. You can get a crack on here for sale for $350-$400 shipped at times. And look how many people call it the end game for many Sennheiser headphones, I'll tell ya there is a reason for that for sure.

I could've went Lyr 2 but then trust me you'll read and then I assure you, you'll want to know what the crack sounds like, so you might as well just do it right the first time and save yourself the time and money. It's not really all that much money if you have to save up the $400 and do yourself a favor you'll never regret.

You're making the wait for my Crack even harder than it already is!

 

[hdtv00]

I can't help it. I've had a headphone I've just LOVED half of my life and with the combination of the Aune and Crack the right tubes it's beyond mind blowing. With every new tube comes a new discovery it seems.

 

 
As you can see from my newest two pics I have a LOT of options at this point haha. And there is 4 tubes I have no even pictured. Aune tubes on left , crack tubes in right slot. Crazy huh. Yea I got carried away you could say.
 
It seems to me that changing the Aune tube is what's changing the holographic sound the crack is putting out. I just tried another tube and its better than Bugle Boy but not as good as another o ring OG. I don't know sometimes one can listen to much and get lost or even I wonder if I can even believe my own ears sometimes. All I know though is when it's right , it's right. Boom.

 

[Hansotek]

I can't help it. I've had a headphone I've just LOVED half of my life and with the combination of the Aune and Crack the right tubes it's beyond mind blowing. With every new tube comes a new discovery it seems.






As you can see from my newest two pics I have a LOT of options at this point haha. And there is 4 tubes I have no even pictured. Aune tubes on left , crack tubes in right slot. Crazy huh. Yea I got carried away you could say.

It seems to me that changing the Aune tube is what's changing the holographic sound the crack is putting out. I just tried another tube and its better than Bugle Boy but not as good as another o ring OG. I don't know sometimes one can listen to much and get lost or even I wonder if I can even believe my own ears sometimes. All I know though is when it's right , it's right. Boom.

Holy glass menagerie!

 

[mikoss]

Nice tubes @hdtv00 - Have you tried the Tung Sol 7236? In my opinion it sounds better than the 5998 with the HD-650's... Where the 5998 is a powerhouse, the 7236 has supreme soundstage, smoothness and elegance. Paired with the OG's, it's a real treat. My fave combo with my WA2 and the 650's.

The 5998's do a better job with the LCD's I have... I think they're more power hungry headphones. I find with the 650's for me, they're a bit too raw... I like the elegance of the 7236 tubes.

Try it out

 

[hdtv00]

Yea I'll check into that maybe although haha I need to slow my roll some. But I am using them with Senn HD 560 Ovation II's and on the cracks volume dial it takes nearly 30% more on the dial to get the 560 to 650 volume level. Each are both rated 300 ohm too but clearly the 560 is a good bit harder to drive. I'd also swear on my life the 560 is more detailed and better sounding headphone. I know it comes down to sound sig a little bit at this point but man there is something glorious about this kind of details mixed with just about the right amount of bass.
 
I found the 650 to be slightly to mid happy for its own good. And I found the HD 700 a pair bathed in treble. And I don't mean its talked about peaks. It just literally sounds to me like everything it plays back in from a treble room or something I can't explain it. Nothing so far is as musical or near perfect as my old 21 yr old pair of 560 II's.
 
Tubes certainly play a part no doubt. That perfect holographic sound I heard vanished when I replaced rectifier tube in crack with 6080 sylvania it still had nice sound. But once in while theres a match up that takes the treble makes it seem live like instrument is there playing for you. And that is amazing. So with all the tubes I'm making my way through seeing exactly what changes. Major damage to my wallet but has been fun. But when I first heard that perfect holographic balance I panicked a little maybe thinking tubes will all be gone and used up , prices will go crazy and I went after again and again the tubes that were combing for that awesome sound.

 

[allindaze]

  Pannys for the power, ELNA Silmic II's for the rest.
link to guide via pdf
link to @creatip s info post.

Just wondering but from an electronics standpoint I guess it's ok to substitute the 35V 330uf with the 25V 470uf?
 
Edit: Doesn't really matter anymore. I broke the 25V caps I put in and ordered 35V ones to replace them.

 

[mikoss]

  Just wondering but from an electronics standpoint I guess it's ok to substitute the 35V 330uf with the 25V 470uf?
 
Edit: Doesn't really matter anymore. I broke the 25V caps I put in and ordered 35V ones to replace them.

Ahh crap. Yeah, 25V caps should be fine as well... sorry to hear about the trouble! Hope the upgrade goes well I think it's a great investment! Tube rolling can be much more pricier.

 

[mikoss]

Siemens grey shield CCa tube... another experience worthy of the price.
 
I got a pair for $300 USD, and I would definitely recommend them at that price. They blow everything else out of the water, except the Philips Holland 6922 pinched waist tubes. The PW tubes are pure euphonics, tonality and very, very linear. I am preferring the Siemens CCa for a LOT of my music, however. This tube is unlike anything else I've ever heard.
 
Thoughts on the Siemens grey shield CCa...
 
- This is without a doubt a high fidelity presentation. It is extremely musical sounding, yet it's a German tube... if you've auditioned other Siemens tubes and found them to be dry, or overly v-shaped in their presentation, this takes the V and fills in the middle. The presentation of this tube will literally send chills through your spine... it is extremely unique in that the soundstage depth/width/imaging/spatial cueing is incredibly full. Top to bottom, side to side, sonic layering from front to back... the presentation is absolutely involving and engulfing.
 
- Mids are much different than the Philips tubes though. They are more tilted towards the upper midrange, (which is a very nice place to tilt them). They remind me of the liquid midrange I hear with old school Mullard tubes... you get the tweed of the guitar, and more of the high-end distortion coming through. The body is not as full or "holographic" sounding as the Amperex house sound (Orange globes, Miniwatts, etc), but it is full of detail... rich, high-mid detail. This tube creates its own holography from top to bottom... but it's not mid-focused like the Amperex tubes.
 
- Bass is full as well. I have always found the E88CC tubes to sound a bit more bass heavy than their E188CC counterparts, which to me come across for the most part as a tad more refined/elegant. I am not a bass head, but have no major problem with the bass presentation of the CCa. It's plentiful, fulfilling, but for me, a bit exaggerated. This is part of my minor qualm with this tube... the exaggerated bass and tilted mids create a less linear presentation than the E188CC tubes. HOWEVER, for this tube, the bass is definitely part of the experience... the depth of the soundstage is only possible because of the power down below, and up top.
 
- Speaking of the high end, it has a lot of energy, and it translates very well with HD-650's. I also believe the top-end presentation absolutely contributes to the detail this tube presents... nuances in tonal decay are present throughout every song. I've found personally that picking up on these nuances is only possible with a very select few tubes, and I've never heard them presented so very perfectly as this tube does. Spatial details I never thought possible are in our music, and I fully believe this tube allows you to hear them unlike any other 6DJ8 tube.
 
I will also say this, for people who may have rolled different power tubes in their amps... It has the upper midrange magic of the GEC 6080 tubes (which I believe creates amazing soundstage height), plus the width and smoothness of the Tung Sol 7236 tube (but without feeling like instruments are too separated). The marriage of these qualities makes it what I believe is a once in a lifetime sonic presentation.
 
I've heard other CCa's that are nowhere near knocking my socks off the way this tube has. I especially enjoy it for rock music... I know I said this about the PW tubes, and I will say it also about this tube; it changes my music in a way that reminds me of vinyl. The music sounds organic, very raw, and surrounding. High fidelity.
 
Other minor quibbles are:
-Attack is not as fast as Orange Globes... I find the OG's to sound very precise in their presentation, even if their tone is more rounded off. The tone of the CCa tube is more satisfying at times though, and the decay is superb. They just seem to not have the same initial definition of each note, yet once the notes are there, they linger beautifully.
-I also find the CCa's to be fatiguing over long sessions. I attribute this to their midrange tilt, and I find it very interesting... I don't really get fatigue from any other tubes with my HD-650's. I am very sensitive to bright headphones, and I guess these tubes just happen to put a bit too much energy into the treble for extended listening sessions. I do find that taking a 5 minute break every once in a while helps. It's not the very top end of the treble either, like I said, it's in the upper mids.
-Linearity and elegance is not there... I don't want to say they sound muddled up, because that sounds harsh, but they don't have Telefunken-like laser precision, and it's audible. It's not a distraction to me, because their presentation is just so emotionally involving, yet it makes me want to go back to E188CC tubes every once in a while. I like refinement, but I really, really love the Siemens grey shield CCa's.

 

[sonic2911]

The mk2 version is currently dropping on massdrop for $149 and the Gold Lion for $15, worth it? I read some reviews on reddit said that it can't decode as 24bit and QC is bad to, not like mk1 version. Is it right? Should I get it? Because I want to upgrade my FiiO e10k now

 

[mikoss]

Yeah, I think that is a good price. 
 
AFAIK, it should play 24 bit / 96kHz no problem at all. The original can play this, and has the same implementation. 
 
There was a big discussion after MD had it spec'd to play 24/192, and people couldn't get that working. The chip can, but the T1 apparently cannot.

 

[sonic2911]

so mk1 and mk2 are same?

 

[xkonfuzed]

  so mk1 and mk2 are same?

Apart from the mk2 having asynchronous data, i can't really think of any other differences. Maybe others can chime in?

 

[milan616]

The mk2 was fixed after I hounded Massdrop and Aune to nearly no end. They were trying to claim it could do 32 bit and DSD from the way they programmed it, but that was simply impossible from their combination of USB chipset and DAC. I think their software engineer was a little over-zealous.