[mbyrnes]

I run a Linear Tube Audio MicroZOTL 2 (Upgraded LPS and tubes) off of the X7 (full Sparkos upgrade) and it is an awesome combo. I recently picked up a Schiit Modi Multibit, and while I haven't done any listening tests between the X7 and Mimby, first impressions are they sound pretty similar. No night and day difference. Once I have some time, I plan on doing quite a bit of listening between the 2 and will have a more formal review at some point. Sadly I am tired of winter at this point, and have been getting out of the house a lot more recently. It is going to be 70+ degrees here in Philly today, so I am heading to the beach to grab some favorite foods and enjoy this insane weather! 
 
Everyone raves about the HD800/S, HD650, HD600 with tube amps. Their 300 ohm impedance makes them perfect for OTL amps. I would be willing to bet there are a few threads here specifically for the Senns and tube amps. What I really like about my MZ2 is the ridiculously black background, and the ability to tune the sound with tube swaps. I haven't done a ton of tube rolling, but I really plan on doing that soon enough. I bought mine used, and it came with a handful of really good tubes. The MZ2 is not an OTL amp, so it works awesome with any impedance headphone, which was very important to me (majority of my headphones are lower impedance). The Bottlehead Crack w/ speedball upgrade is a very popular OTL amp, especially with Senns. Depending on your budget for an amp, Bottlehead makes some really interesting amps, with the Sex 3.0 and Mainline being able to drive any headphone, and the Crack being limited to 150 ohm and up. 

 

[ls13coco]

I run a Linear Tube Audio MicroZOTL 2 (Upgraded LPS and tubes) off of the X7 (full Sparkos upgrade) and it is an awesome combo. I recently picked up a Schiit Modi Multibit, and while I haven't done any listening tests between the X7 and Mimby, first impressions are they sound pretty similar. No night and day difference. Once I have some time, I plan on doing quite a bit of listening between the 2 and will have a more formal review at some point. Sadly I am tired of winter at this point, and have been getting out of the house a lot more recently. It is going to be 70+ degrees here in Philly today, so I am heading to the beach to grab some favorite foods and enjoy this insane weather! 

Everyone raves about the HD800/S, HD650, HD600 with tube amps. Their 300 ohm impedance makes them perfect for OTL amps. I would be willing to bet there are a few threads here specifically for the Senns and tube amps. What I really like about my MZ2 is the ridiculously black background, and the ability to tune the sound with tube swaps. I haven't done a ton of tube rolling, but I really plan on doing that soon enough. I bought mine used, and it came with a handful of really good tubes. The MZ2 is not an OTL amp, so it works awesome with any impedance headphone, which was very important to me (majority of my headphones are lower impedance). The Bottlehead Crack w/ speedball upgrade is a very popular OTL amp, especially with Senns. Depending on your budget for an amp, Bottlehead makes some really interesting amps, with the Sex 3.0 and Mainline being able to drive any headphone, and the Crack being limited to 150 ohm and up. 

While using the tube amp through the X7, what are your thoughts on the difference of sound using Direct Mode on vs off?

 

[kellte2]

While using the tube amp through the X7, what are your thoughts on the difference of sound using Direct Mode on vs off?

I recently acquired a liquid carbon amp, and since it is done with the 150-hour burn-in, I've been a/b'ing it with the stock X7 amp - I replaced the single op amps with the Sparkos, but never did the double replacement for a variety of reasons. The headphone used is the Ether C Flow. That said...

The Liquid Carbon has a more expansive soundstage and better dynamics. During complex passages in music, the Carbon demonstrates greater control and separation when compared to the amp on the X7. The sound from the Carbon is warmer than the X7 with deeper bass and sub bass, and the highs are not as sharp/shrill. For gaming, the Carbon's increased separation helps considerably, much like complex music passages - I'm able to parse the positional cues more quickly. Plus, the warmer low end increases the immersion.

When using Direct Mode, the separation seems slightly increased and the music has a slightly punchier tone. It's not a night and day difference, but when you listen for it and A/B, there is definitely a marginal increase in clarity. In the event that you forget to enable Direct Mode prior to listening, I don't imagine anyone being sorely disappointed by the output.

Overall, the set-up is quite good. Perhaps you could experience an upgrade with a multi bit DAC like the Schiit Modi, but I'm pretty content with the sound. The LC has the reputation as a great pairing for the Ether line, and it definitely has lived up to the billing.

The only question that remains is: how much improvement would my set-up experience with an upgraded double op amp? It might be something that I'll consider down the line, but the amp upgrade was a top priority to squeeze as much as I could out of the Ether C Flow. In either case, my wallet is crying, but I feel as though I have had a fun journey of experimenting with different equipment, and my ears have really enjoyed the ride from the HD555 out of a laptop 3.5mm jack back in 2003 to my current rig.

 

[Yethal]

The only question that remains is: how much improvement would my set-up experience with an upgraded double op amp? It might be something that I'll consider down the line, but the amp upgrade was a top priority to squeeze as much as I could out of the Ether C Flow. In either case, my wallet is crying, but I feel as though I have had a fun journey of experimenting with different equipment, and my ears have really enjoyed the ride from the HD555 out of a laptop 3.5mm jack back in 2003 to my current rig.

It's hard to gauge how much of an improvement the duals would bring but there certainly will be one since the X7 uses duals for current to voltage conversion which is performed regardless of the output being used. That's kind of a relief, knowing that even with an external amp used the upgraded op-amps will not be wasted.

 

[Yethal]

Duals arrived!

 

[Find the Door]

Just ordered a Schiit Jotunheim (no dac module since I'll be using the x7). Ordered an RCA patch cable as well to connect the two.

Super excited as this should get more out of my HD800-S than what I'm currently getting.

 

[zachary80]

Would this be a good replacement for an Emotiva BPA-1? Currently using with AV123 X-LS speakers, but would be nice to replace it with an all in one product to regain some table space.
 
X-LS:
Nominal Impedance (ohms): 8    
Recommended Amp Power (watts): 20–200 
 
BPA-1:
75 Watts x 2 into 4 Ohms
150 Watts x 1 into 8 Ohms (bridged configuration)
Total harmonic distortion (THD): <0.01% 20Hz-20kHz with 80kHz measurement bandwidth
Signal-to-Noise Ratio: >100dB, Un weighted (full output reference)
Maximum Noise+Hum: <200µV (Volume @ Max)
Crossover freq. response (-3dB): @ Min position 50Hz, 18dB/octave @ Max position 150Hz, 18dB/octave
Auto turn on sensitivity: 3mv
Delay turn off time: 15 minutes
Input sensitivity, line in: 36dB (27dB@1 o’clock position)/(29dB@2 o’clock position)
Input impedance, line in: 47Kohms +/-5%
Line out freq. response (-3dB): 20Hz - 20 KHz, 1KHz/0dB ref
Maximum noise+hum (Vol Max): <1.0mV, Input shorted

 

[Yethal]

  Would this be a good replacement for an Emotiva BPA-1? Currently using with AV123 X-LS speakers, but would be nice to replace it with an all in one product to regain some table space.
 
X-LS:
Nominal Impedance (ohms): 8    
Recommended Amp Power (watts): 20–200 
 
BPA-1:
75 Watts x 2 into 4 Ohms
150 Watts x 1 into 8 Ohms (bridged configuration)
Total harmonic distortion (THD): <0.01% 20Hz-20kHz with 80kHz measurement bandwidth
Signal-to-Noise Ratio: >100dB, Un weighted (full output reference)
Maximum Noise+Hum: <200µV (Volume @ Max)
Crossover freq. response (-3dB): @ Min position 50Hz, 18dB/octave @ Max position 150Hz, 18dB/octave
Auto turn on sensitivity: 3mv
Delay turn off time: 15 minutes
Input sensitivity, line in: 36dB (27dB@1 o’clock position)/(29dB@2 o’clock position)
Input impedance, line in: 47Kohms +/-5%
Line out freq. response (-3dB): 20Hz - 20 KHz, 1KHz/0dB ref
Maximum noise+hum (Vol Max): <1.0mV, Input shorted

It'll work but You might notice a hit in sound quality.

 

[alpiney]

Wait -- are you guys claiming the x7 doesn't have enough juice to fully power the HD-800's?

 

[mbyrnes]

While using the tube amp through the X7, what are your thoughts on the difference of sound using Direct Mode on vs off?

Honestly unless it's setup for gaming (surround at 100%), the difference is minor at best. I usually just click off the extra settings, but the direct vs SBX off difference is minor at best. Sometimes I actually like the surround effects on with music, just lower, like 33%. Depends on my mood and what I'm listening to.

Also the X7 is up on Massdrop for the next week. Haven't seen a sale price in a while so thought I'd share.

 

[Find the Door]

Today - my life changed foreverrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I was so displeased with the HD800-S (black revision) that I wanted to sell them.  The x7 Limited Edition did it absolutely no justice (even with Sparkos full upgrade) but oh my goodness when I hooked up my Schiit Jotunheim.  I seriously have no words - there's absolutely no comparison whatsoever to anything I've ever heard.

Could be the balanced cable hookup
Could be the Audioquest Power/RCA cables (had them laying around from old retail job)
Could be the HD800-S'
Could be the x7
Could be the OP-AMP upgrades
Could be the Audioquest Optical Cable
 
 
Who the hell cares!  This is definitely the pinnacle of sound for me - I have no words. When I say wow I friggin mean WOWOWOWOWOOOWOOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOOWOW!

 

[mbyrnes]

Today - my life changed foreverrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr


I was so displeased with the HD800-S (black revision) that I wanted to sell them.  The x7 Limited Edition did it absolutely no justice (even with Sparkos full upgrade) but oh my goodness when I hooked up my Schiit Jotunheim.  I seriously have no words - there's absolutely no comparison whatsoever to anything I've ever heard.


Could be the balanced cable hookup

Could be the Audioquest Power/RCA cables (had them laying around from old retail job)
Could be the HD800-S'
Could be the x7

Could be the OP-AMP upgrades
Could be the Audioquest Optical Cable


Who the hell cares!  This is definitely the pinnacle of sound for me - I have no words. When I say wow I friggin mean WOWOWOWOWOOOWOOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOOWOW!

That's the greatest part of the X7! The internal amp sounds great with a lot of headphones, but if you buy TOTL headphones, they deserve TOTL power. The X7 can still do is thing with surround, and you're not limited to it's amp. The HD600, HD650, HD700, and HD800 can be rather amp picky, so the ability to dial it in is awesome.

Some think $300/$350 for a DAC is nothing, add a $400 amp, and for $750 you get a really good front end. The op amp upgrade, IMO, is worth it to eek out every last drop possible from the setup. So $950 total for your front end isn't bad at all, especially if your headphones cost more than that. Also the upgrades can be done over time, which is huge in this hobby!

Congrats, glad you found a sound you enjoy now!

 

[GarrHaal]

I was thinking to try Burson v5i Duals paired with single Sparkos, what do you think about that? Last upgrade until Realiser A16 .Don't know if I'm going to use X7 when I get my Realiser A16, not sure if its worth it to send signal from realiser to x7.

 

[Yethal]

I was thinking to try Burson v5i Duals paired with single Sparkos, what do you think about that? Last upgrade until Realiser A16 .Don't know if I'm going to use X7 when I get my Realiser A16, not sure if its worth it to send signal from realiser to x7.

I have (another) set of Burson duals on the way once it arrives I'll try out this combination.

 

[GarrHaal]

I have (another) set of Burson duals on the way once it arrives I'll try out this combination.

Oh nice! Any review about Dual and Single Sparkos together on the way?