tyrion
Can Jam '08 Lead Organizer
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2003
- Posts
- 10,930
- Likes
- 115
Well, I finally decided to give it a try. I never thought I would post a review as I do not feel comfortable describing what I am listening to in words on paper. I really think this is a talent that others on this site have and I don't. Despite that I will give it a try, so bear with me.
The amp arrived the same day as my MPX3. That was about 3 1/2 weeks ago. I had the amps side by side so I could switch between them easily. The problem that developed is that I found myself plugged into the E/C most of the time. The MPX3 is a sweet amp, both in sound and appearance. But for the E/C, I would be enjoying my MPX3 at the moment. I just found myself drawn to the E/C. From it's industrial look to its deep lush soundstage, I couldn't stop listening. The amp came in a crate that acts as the amps stand. The crate is custom padded on the inside for this amp. The outside of the crate has moths or cicadas burnt in and is very cool.
The amp is cased in a Moth S45i case. It is based on 2 2A3 tubes and with a 6sn7 tube. It has a tube rectified power supply. The tube is a Sovtek 5u4g. I know nothing about the electronics or what makes it tick. I did open it up and to my layman eyes looked like it was built by someone who knows his way around the inside of an amp. This is a prototype and was built by Craig for the meet I hosted on 10/23. I never expected to buy it but when he offered, I jumped at it. I can't fail to mention that this amp weighs a ton.
I began the review by picking out some different types of music to use for the review. I started out with Norah Jones - Come Away With Me. I believe she has a beautiful voice, just slightly throaty and sexy. I also enjoy her piano playing but she is no Keith Jarrett. Her vocals really shine with this amp. You can hear every nuance in her voice. You can hear her lips coming together at the end of a phrase. I hear that on other amps, but on the E/C is sounds so real. Her vocals are clear, crisp yet rich sounding. The amp really takes advantage of the the cd3000's ability to seperate instruments from her vocals. You get the sense that she is in front of you, sitting at her piano with you, an audience of one. On a side note, the cd3000's only arrived a few days ago and my MS2's are being borrowed by rsaavedra. I like the cd3000's more and more, each time I listen. The soundstage they produce is better than any headphone I have owned and the E/C doesn't hold them back. The only headphones that were better, not surpisingly, were Gene's (agile_one) R10's. The only amp that outdid the E/C at the meet with the R10's was Gene's Maestro.
I next moved to my bass test. I always use Victor Wooten's Live in America - Miller Time for my bass test. To me bass isn't just deep pounding sound. It is the deep sound produced by the plucking of the bass strings. It shoud be deep and clear, without distortion. The cd3000's are not the bass monsters that my HD-650's were. They are not up with the MS-2's either but they do produce bass. At least enough for my tastes. The E/C produces a deep, but not overwhelming bass. It produced the notes as I've come to expect them from listening to Miller Time so many times.
Moving next to a new favorite of mine, Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette's Out of Towners. I love this stuff. These guys can play. The amp and cans excel with piano. The amp is fast and keeps up with Keith Jarrett's sometimes very fast piano playing. The same holds true with my MS2's. Jack DeJohnette's drums sound like they are supposed to. Clean and crisp. If I went into my son's room and hit his cymbals or snare drum that is the sound I hear from this amp with either set of headphones. I know this sounds a lot like a combo amp and headphone review but I don't know how else to do it. The cymbals are not overly metallic. The note starts and ends as it should. It rings out just enough. I did notice that Gary Peacock's bass sounded a bit subdued. I decided to listen a bit with my Magnepan's, probably the cd3000's of the speaker world and got the same result. My conclusion is this is the recording and not caused by the amp. I am listening to another live album by this trio, Always Let Me Go, and Mr. Peacock's bass has come alive. This is with the cd3000's mind you.
I listen mostly to jazz but still love rock. I picked Led Zeppelin II vinyl for the review. Mostly because it sounds so good on my Rega P3 and for Jimmy Page's guitar playing. On a side note, playing vinyl with this amp is a huge plus compared to the MPX3. I don't know if it because of the gain settings or that the E/C is just that much more powerful. The MPX3 just doesn't have the volume range to keep up with the E/C when I am using the tt. Now to the reason I picked this album and song, there is a guitar solo in Heartbreaker that I have always loved. It shined with this amp. The amp had no trouble keeping up with Jimmy Page's lightening fast fingers. Each note was just where I remembered it from listening to this album as a kid and this song in particular.
Moving to another guitar great, I put Jeff Beck's Blow by Blow album in vinyl on the tt. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite albums to listen to, next to Blood, Sweat and Tears. All I can say is wow!. This is where amp, cans and source come together to make some beautiful music. Listening to the first song, "You Know What I Mean" it sounds as if each member of the band is standing just where he is supposed to be. Again, the amp has no problem keeping up with Beck's blistering guitar work. You can hear as he bends each note and lets it ring out before moving to the next. The song has a lot going on between the keyboards, guitar, bass and drums and the amp and cans never let it get confusing.
Some general comments. The amp is built like a tank and weighs as much. It's look may not be for everyone, but again, it is a prototype and is consistent with the classic look of Moth and Eddie Current products. For me, it works. The amp produces a deep lush soundstage. It does not lack in the detail. It produces the the highs, lows and mids to my satisfaction and does it better than the MPX3 but not as good as the Maestro. The tube are 2 2A3 Sovteks and a Sylvania GTB 6sn7. The amp does produce some microphonics which according to Craig is caused by the Sovtek tubes. It is not bothersome at all, it's just there if you tap on the case or the tubes themselves. Craig said that other 2A3 tubes will be better in this regard. I ordered some EH 2A3's that received a nice write up in Stereophile. They have not arrived yet so I can't comment.
I am done for now. Please go easy on me, this is my first. This was not easy for me but I felt I needed to get one under my belt. I hope you enjoy. Here are some pics of the amp:
Courtesy of Guru.
The amp arrived the same day as my MPX3. That was about 3 1/2 weeks ago. I had the amps side by side so I could switch between them easily. The problem that developed is that I found myself plugged into the E/C most of the time. The MPX3 is a sweet amp, both in sound and appearance. But for the E/C, I would be enjoying my MPX3 at the moment. I just found myself drawn to the E/C. From it's industrial look to its deep lush soundstage, I couldn't stop listening. The amp came in a crate that acts as the amps stand. The crate is custom padded on the inside for this amp. The outside of the crate has moths or cicadas burnt in and is very cool.
The amp is cased in a Moth S45i case. It is based on 2 2A3 tubes and with a 6sn7 tube. It has a tube rectified power supply. The tube is a Sovtek 5u4g. I know nothing about the electronics or what makes it tick. I did open it up and to my layman eyes looked like it was built by someone who knows his way around the inside of an amp. This is a prototype and was built by Craig for the meet I hosted on 10/23. I never expected to buy it but when he offered, I jumped at it. I can't fail to mention that this amp weighs a ton.
I began the review by picking out some different types of music to use for the review. I started out with Norah Jones - Come Away With Me. I believe she has a beautiful voice, just slightly throaty and sexy. I also enjoy her piano playing but she is no Keith Jarrett. Her vocals really shine with this amp. You can hear every nuance in her voice. You can hear her lips coming together at the end of a phrase. I hear that on other amps, but on the E/C is sounds so real. Her vocals are clear, crisp yet rich sounding. The amp really takes advantage of the the cd3000's ability to seperate instruments from her vocals. You get the sense that she is in front of you, sitting at her piano with you, an audience of one. On a side note, the cd3000's only arrived a few days ago and my MS2's are being borrowed by rsaavedra. I like the cd3000's more and more, each time I listen. The soundstage they produce is better than any headphone I have owned and the E/C doesn't hold them back. The only headphones that were better, not surpisingly, were Gene's (agile_one) R10's. The only amp that outdid the E/C at the meet with the R10's was Gene's Maestro.
I next moved to my bass test. I always use Victor Wooten's Live in America - Miller Time for my bass test. To me bass isn't just deep pounding sound. It is the deep sound produced by the plucking of the bass strings. It shoud be deep and clear, without distortion. The cd3000's are not the bass monsters that my HD-650's were. They are not up with the MS-2's either but they do produce bass. At least enough for my tastes. The E/C produces a deep, but not overwhelming bass. It produced the notes as I've come to expect them from listening to Miller Time so many times.
Moving next to a new favorite of mine, Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette's Out of Towners. I love this stuff. These guys can play. The amp and cans excel with piano. The amp is fast and keeps up with Keith Jarrett's sometimes very fast piano playing. The same holds true with my MS2's. Jack DeJohnette's drums sound like they are supposed to. Clean and crisp. If I went into my son's room and hit his cymbals or snare drum that is the sound I hear from this amp with either set of headphones. I know this sounds a lot like a combo amp and headphone review but I don't know how else to do it. The cymbals are not overly metallic. The note starts and ends as it should. It rings out just enough. I did notice that Gary Peacock's bass sounded a bit subdued. I decided to listen a bit with my Magnepan's, probably the cd3000's of the speaker world and got the same result. My conclusion is this is the recording and not caused by the amp. I am listening to another live album by this trio, Always Let Me Go, and Mr. Peacock's bass has come alive. This is with the cd3000's mind you.
I listen mostly to jazz but still love rock. I picked Led Zeppelin II vinyl for the review. Mostly because it sounds so good on my Rega P3 and for Jimmy Page's guitar playing. On a side note, playing vinyl with this amp is a huge plus compared to the MPX3. I don't know if it because of the gain settings or that the E/C is just that much more powerful. The MPX3 just doesn't have the volume range to keep up with the E/C when I am using the tt. Now to the reason I picked this album and song, there is a guitar solo in Heartbreaker that I have always loved. It shined with this amp. The amp had no trouble keeping up with Jimmy Page's lightening fast fingers. Each note was just where I remembered it from listening to this album as a kid and this song in particular.
Moving to another guitar great, I put Jeff Beck's Blow by Blow album in vinyl on the tt. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite albums to listen to, next to Blood, Sweat and Tears. All I can say is wow!. This is where amp, cans and source come together to make some beautiful music. Listening to the first song, "You Know What I Mean" it sounds as if each member of the band is standing just where he is supposed to be. Again, the amp has no problem keeping up with Beck's blistering guitar work. You can hear as he bends each note and lets it ring out before moving to the next. The song has a lot going on between the keyboards, guitar, bass and drums and the amp and cans never let it get confusing.
Some general comments. The amp is built like a tank and weighs as much. It's look may not be for everyone, but again, it is a prototype and is consistent with the classic look of Moth and Eddie Current products. For me, it works. The amp produces a deep lush soundstage. It does not lack in the detail. It produces the the highs, lows and mids to my satisfaction and does it better than the MPX3 but not as good as the Maestro. The tube are 2 2A3 Sovteks and a Sylvania GTB 6sn7. The amp does produce some microphonics which according to Craig is caused by the Sovtek tubes. It is not bothersome at all, it's just there if you tap on the case or the tubes themselves. Craig said that other 2A3 tubes will be better in this regard. I ordered some EH 2A3's that received a nice write up in Stereophile. They have not arrived yet so I can't comment.
I am done for now. Please go easy on me, this is my first. This was not easy for me but I felt I needed to get one under my belt. I hope you enjoy. Here are some pics of the amp:
