[Beefy]

No, nothing like that. A CCS is a way of loading the tube. Here is a good primer written in the context of parafeed amps, but the principles apply to the tubes in the Crack as well.
 
http://www.ecpaudio.com/pdf/parafeed_basics.pdf

 

[ironbut]

It's been a while now so the "new toy syndrome" should be worn off of most members Crack amps by now.
I'd like to see what cans folks are using with it (especially the lower impedance).
 
I'm currently using my AD2000 and HD800's and loving it.
Tubes are Tung-sol 5998 and Mullard 12au7 or CBS Hytron 5814a.

 

[HiGHFLYiN9]

I'm using mine almost entirely with my DT990 250ohm and some NOS Sylvania tubes. I tried a pair of Headphile Alessandro MS-2s with it and didn't really care for the synergy.
 
I'll be building a S.E.X. in the coming months which should do the Alessandros justice.

 

[RedBull]

Quote:

No, nothing like that. A CCS is a way of loading the tube. Here is a good primer written in the context of parafeed amps, but the principles apply to the tubes in the Crack as well.
 
http://www.ecpaudio.com/pdf/parafeed_basics.pdf

Don't completely understand, but I got a slight hint

Thanks Beefy ...

 

[milosz]

I usually use mine with Sennheiser HD800s.
 
By the way, I tried my Audeze LCD-2's on the Crack / Speedball.  Didn't drive the 50-ohm LCD-2's, really.
 
One would expect that this amp wouldn't like the LCD-2's.  But I had to try it, and report on it here.

 

[ironbut]

Thanks for trying the LCD-2's. After living with planar magnetic speakers for a long time (and have tried a gazillion amps with them), I had a feeling that they wouldn't pair up very well.
The only other cans that I've tried that didn't work very well with the Crack was a pair of K701's (but, I never was very fond of them anyway).
With the HD800's, it's pretty much a tie with my Zana.

 

[andrew3199]

I would love to get in on some Crack and while my soldering skills would get the job done it would look very messy and being so "anal retentive" as I am would want the point to point wiring to look perfect. My plan is to buy the kit, get the top plate painted and the wooden enclosure stained to my liking then get the amp shipped of to a builder to get built, it would have to be someone with impeccable amp building and soldering skills.......I wonder if I could get JMT out of retirement for one more build.....

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

The only other cans that I've tried that didn't work very well with the Crack was a pair of K701's (but, I never was very fond of them anyway).
 

I was not a fan of the Crack + K701 either. The K240 Sextett on the other hand is a beautiful match.
 

 

[maverickronin]

Just finished mine a few days ago.
 
Its great with my K340s.  They got HUGE upgrade in quality over the amp in my Maverick D1.  My HD650s sound great as well, though they didn't get nearly as huge of a leap as the K340s got.  Those suckers are hard to drive.
 
Also quite surprisingly my Koss KSC75s sound awesome from the Crack.  $13 headphones that scale with amping, wonder of wonders.

 

[tdogzthmn]

Quote:

Thanks for trying the LCD-2's. After living with planar magnetic speakers for a long time (and have tried a gazillion amps with them), I had a feeling that they wouldn't pair up very well.
The only other cans that I've tried that didn't work very well with the Crack was a pair of K701's (but, I never was very fond of them anyway).
With the HD800's, it's pretty much a tie with my Zana.

 
You feel the crack drives the HD800 comparatively to the Zana? Interesting.  

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

Just finished mine a few days ago.
 
Its great with my K340s.  They got HUGE upgrade in quality over the amp in my Maverick D1.  My HD650s sound great as well, though they didn't get nearly as huge of a leap as the K340s got.  Those suckers are hard to drive.
 
Also quite surprisingly my Koss KSC75s sound awesome from the Crack.  $13 headphones that scale with amping, wonder of wonders.

 
I was not that satisfied with the K340s. Then again, I felt kinda unsatisfied with them out of just about every amp I had except the G&W which pumped out 2W of power, and even then I think it wanted more. Those K340s are hungry hungry beasts. I think the only way to drive them properly is to reterminate them to balanced then run the ends directly off speaker terminals (get a small T-amp or something).

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

 
I was not that satisfied with the K340s. Then again, I felt kinda unsatisfied with them out of just about every amp I had except the G&W which pumped out 2W of power, and even then I think it wanted more. Those K340s are hungry hungry beasts. I think the only way to drive them properly is to reterminate them to balanced then run the ends directly off speaker terminals (get a small T-amp or something).

That may be.  The Crack is the strongest amp I've heard them from so far though.  I'll have to try some more experimentation then.  Thanks for the heads up.

 

[ironbut]

Quote:

You feel the crack drives the HD800 comparatively to the Zana? Interesting.  

I feel the ZD is more accurate but the Crack is more fun. Because of that, I find myself listening to the Crack/HD800 more often. If I'm analyzing the sound of something, I usually go for the Zana  with either the 800's or my AD2000's.

 

[larcenasb]

So I'm just about ready to buy the Bottlehead Crack, however, a very real hesitation has gotten a hold over me. I'm nervous about shelling out $219 to be disappointed, as I've done in the past, unfortunately. I have a question WyldRage:
 
With my Shanling PH100, my AKGs get very fatiguing, very quickly -- I'm looking for a tube amp to warm things up the way my vintage Marantz 2235 receiver used to. I am under the impression that tubes offer that, but when you say the K601 sounds "bright" with the Bottlehead, I start to turn away. Bright does not mean fatiguing right?
 
And if it's not too much trouble, could you give some more impressions of the Bottlehead with the K601?
 
Examples from my experience:
 
- With the Shanling, Nirvana's rendition of David Bowie's The Man Who Sold the World bites its way into my eardrums, the sound is not at all engaging, and I can barely hear Krist's bass guitar, sounding very light. With the Marantz, I can bathe in the sound, searing guitars are smooth and airy, the bass is equal with the rest of the mix, and it makes me utterly happy; my sonic bliss.
 
- When listening to the end of Breakfast at Tiffany's, Henry Mancini's score sounded perfect (to me) with the Marantz, the bass came alive with power and depth I've never heard with the K601 before, the whole sound was weightier, pure, organic; all these words I read on this forum finally becoming realized. But as I've said earlier in this thread, the Marantz is broken and the Shanling sounds exactly the opposite to me; lean, fatiguing... if the mids and highs have a loudness of 8/10, then the bass has 3/10.
 
So I know the sound I want is possible with the K601, I'm in search of a headphone amp that'll achieve it, but is the Bottlehead Crack my ticket? If not, what would you recommend, based on my descriptions? Anyone's input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[WyldRage]

I compared it, with the k601, to my other amps here: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/503622/showdown-3-diy-tube-and-hybrid-amps-millett-hybrid-minimax-bottlehead-speedball-crack-hagerman-castanet/15#post_6975208