[KenW]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRedwings19 Nik>Congrats on your purchase and I look forward to your impressions. KenW>Hyped? No I told you the EMP anniv. is a tubey amp in every sense. If you are expecting killer bass this side of a Melos amp you will not get it. If you want the pace and punch of a GSP solo, you will not get that either. If you want the detail of the Raptor then look elsewhere. What it offers you is refinement. You want to listen to Metallica or Rage against the Machine then this amp won't make you Rock. It's a warm sounding amp. It will help with the bright headphones. or maybe a bright source. It's is faster than an EMP and has more controlled bass but at the end of the day it's a slush amp. You know I love warm amps and headphones. So for me this is ideal. Don't drop your money on this and go Mr. Crybaby on me. Audition it by all means and form your own impressions. I am not gonna fall out or argue with you on this one. If you think it sux lovespuds then chalk it down to experience when you audition it. Disagree with me if you find it is different to what you are led to believe by all means. KenW, Read this meatstick ***Audition it first. Then decide.***

Someone please pull the burr outta pinkies backside...he's done gone cranky on me!

"Hype" was a quick and poorly chosen word. You've just given your opinion and that's how I took it. Still trying to arrange an audition but the emails have gone unanswered...much like the ones at Headroom!! Dangit!!

Warm, lush and soothing....the EMPA sounds like it's just what the doctor ordered. I'll lay my hands on one sooner or later. Too bad you have to live...well, whereever it is you really live with that screwy voltage. I'd bum the melos and EMP from you and give 'em a run!

Anyway, I'll find my perfect amp sooner or later. Heck, I might even find the perfect tube to run in the Raptor to please my ear. Somehow, I've a feeling that I'm simply enjoying the chase way too much.

 

[Jorg]

Nik,

I'm glad you came down to earth to see if there's something good here and really found something that you like.

Keep the mind open like this

 

[Rob N]

Nik,Did you ever hear or own the Earmax Pro?

 

[Nik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob N Nik,Did you ever hear or own the Earmax Pro?

This is the first time I own a EarMax amp...

Best!
Nicola

 

[Anders]

Congratulations Nik! I have an EMP and like the sound very much after some tuberolling and tweaking (Herbies tubedampers takes away some of the overtubeyness). With better bass, a little faster and and a darker background (less noise), it would be close to my ideal. I think I would get some of this with the Anniversary. What would be the difference to this and other alternatives as SinglePower (MPX, Supra) or the Raptor?

 

[amartignano]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nik I just know that this little jewel is capturing my heart as no any other gear has done... There is something "special" in this toy that do the music really life. This is a musical instrument more than electronic project.

Nik, I'm glad to see that you've found equipment that for you not only "converts electric signal in sound" but "plays Music", which is another and superior thing.

Ciao e buoni ascolti!

Andrea

 

[boodi]

it would be definitely nice now to know if the anniversary is worth the extra money or not

 

[CD44hi]

I owned a modified EMP that when compared [at that time] sounded scary-close to the EMP anniversary. I sold it to Hirsch. He then put in different 6GM8 tubes in it. The amp sounds even better to my ears with this new tube set. I would be quite interested in hearing this re-tubed amp compared to the anniversary unit. So maybe this coming Maryland meet we can do that.
This modification process may be a good alternative to the EMP anniversary: I bought the amp with the mods already on it, so I do not know the exact cost of the mods, although the previous owner quoted that it was close to $800 (minimum) for the mods. But here is the kicker, I understand that the mods can be done on the standard earmax, and the end product would be the same as that of modifying a EMP to the same level. So in terms of cash, if one was to pick up a used standard earmax for let’s say $250-300 and then have the mods, one could still be ahead of the game by a couple hundred $, and end up with an equally (or better) sounding amplifier. I understand that audioadvancements has the required info for the modifications (contact info) if someone would like to go that way. I do not have this information. Also I’d like to point out that I have no affiliation with either audioadv. or the modder of these amps. (remember I bought it used) I just think it is something people should be aware of, as it is a great sounding end product. Not that the anniversary amp is not good, I just want to give options, so people can make much more informed decisions

OK, now to the answer to the question: I own a MPX3 amp (with a lot of upgrades though.) I felt that the modded EMP was a much forward sounding amp compared to the MPX. To my ears, the modded EMP had quite a bit of detail on its presentation, even a bit more than the MPX, yet it is not as textured or layered, compared to the 6sn7 amp. The MPX makes better music to my ears, the spatial distribution is more realistic. Now, one thing that I did observe though is that the modded EMP was a much faster amp, and also very transparent. Much more so now with the new tubes that Hirsch put in. I asked Hirsch for first dibs, should he decide to sell it

It would be a real loss to see that amp leave town!
I don’t own a Supra or RS Raptor so I cannot comment on these.

 

[kartik]

Does this mean that Nik is dumping his Qualia RP-010 combo for the Beyers?
It's not that I don't respect his ability to judge the finest equipment, but it's interesting that his first impressions of all his gear has been extraordinarily positive. This is not to say that the equipment he uses hasn't been fantastic, but I just wonder is it just the first-pass effect, wherein a change is as good as a feast. I've become skeptical of my own abilities at reviewing new equipment as they always sound great out of the box (albeit my tastes run to much poorer equipment).

 

[GoRedwings19]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kartik Does this mean that Nik is dumping his Qualia RP-010 combo for the Beyers? It's not that I don't respect his ability to judge the finest equipment, but it's interesting that his first impressions of all his gear has been extraordinarily positive. This is not to say that the equipment he uses hasn't been fantastic, but I just wonder is it just the first-pass effect, wherein a change is as good as a feast. I've become skeptical of my own abilities at reviewing new equipment as they always sound great out of the box (albeit my tastes run to much poorer equipment).

Maybe he's lucky.

 

[virometal]

Sorry to venture off topic, but can anyone tell me where to get the EmP modded?

I love the little fellow and wish to maximize it.

 

[Hirsch]

CD44hi will have to provide the details of the modder. Note that the power supply is just a tad larger. Note also that all three tubes are identical.

The amp is modded to take a set of 6DJ8 types, or a set of 6GM8's (the 12AT7 is gone for good). With a Siemens CCa in front of a pair of Telefunken ECC88's, sound was very good indeed. However, this amp is actually tuned more toward the 6GM8. With those in place (note that this is the tube configuration of the original Earmax, not the Pro), a layer of blurriness drops away. The amp becomes an extremely powerful driver for low-impedance headphones, something the original Earmax was never accused of. The woody CD3000 (Headfile mods) has to be heard out of this amp. One key is simply a good power supply. It isn't small, but it delivers the goods:

With 6DJ8's, I could never quite get this amp to pass Stevieo's EMP Anniversary for clarity. With 6GM8's in place, I'm ready for the rematch

Note: The Pro MUST be modded to use this tube configuration. Bad things will happen if you try a 6GM8 in an unmodded Pro.

 

[CD44hi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by virometal Sorry to venture off topic, but can anyone tell me where to get the EmP modded? I love the little fellow and wish to maximize it.

As I mentioned in post #23, I got the amp used with the mods already done. I do not have direct contact with the modder (Mr. Roger Sheker). You may want to contact Audio Advancements and see if they give you the contact info. I understand they know and recommend the mods.

I would say they are worth it.

 

[Nik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kartik Does this mean that Nik is dumping his Qualia RP-010 combo for the Beyers? It's not that I don't respect his ability to judge the finest equipment, but it's interesting that his first impressions of all his gear has been extraordinarily positive. This is not to say that the equipment he uses hasn't been fantastic, but I just wonder is it just the first-pass effect, wherein a change is as good as a feast. I've become skeptical of my own abilities at reviewing new equipment as they always sound great out of the box (albeit my tastes run to much poorer equipment).

Dear friend, the first impression is one thing, a second impression is a different thing and comaprison is still another thing (IMO). I give a lot of importance to the very first impression... we all know that our hears can to get accustomed easily to the new sound. It is not true that I always had a positive impression of a new toy. But generally all the things I have are good or very good, and even (not all) excellent! As I said a lo tof times, I think that only in a comparison we can to learn what we was listening before and more, I do not have any problem in chnaging my opinion if another gear will convince me a lot more. I did not express any valuation between my two systems, I just would like to show the differents sound caracteristic... I think this is a help for those who are looking for something new to buy.

Best!
Nicola

 

[kartik]

Dear Nik
This is not to dampen your enthusiasm for fine audio equipment, but a lot of what you seem to write about is in the superlative tone. Do you mean that everything is equally good? Just a couple of years ago you were all over the clarity of the Omega with your Egmont Reference (or was it Signature), then it was the R10s , then the qualias and now the 880s. Are they all equally good but different or are you of the opinion that one is the winner (as the discussion in this thread might seem to indicate!)? Many of us are guilty of falling prey to infatuations with new acquisitions. Far be it from me to insinuate that you are suffering from the flavor of the month syndrome, but the gushing tone of your threads often leave me confused to which cans you really like and which you are going to continue to like. Just as all of us look forward to reading your opinions, your brevity and the emphatic nature of your conclusions lead people like me to believe that your comments about the superior nature of the given product is definitive and absolute.
Maybe if you could provide us with more accurate frames of reference, i.e. The beyer-EMA combo does such and such w.r.t accuracy, timbre, tonal quality, frequency response, musicality, and points of musical reference (types of music, specific tracks) it would make for a more objective review.