[tunes]

Does this amp get hot enough to fry an egg in the morning? What is the ideal warm up time before optimal SQ?

 

[AppleheadMay]

Does this amp get hot enough to fry an egg in the morning? What is the ideal warm up time before optimal SQ?

 
I'd say minimum warm up time half an hour. Should be fine after that but if you're really picky take an hour.
I promise you by then the MIG-25 tubes will have comfortably warmed up your room unless you live on Mt. Everest, about the altitude they were meant to be used at.
DO NOT touch the big tubes. Other tubes hurt as well but those leave a burn mark for the rest of your life. I don't have one but Mr. Craig himself has one on his hand.

 

[songmic]

Has anyone tried Focal Elear or Utopia with Zana Deux?

 

[AppleheadMay]

  Has anyone tried Focal Elear or Utopia with Zana Deux?

 
Don't think many people heard them yet, let alone have them.

 

[BobG55]

Got my ZDS, #89, on Tuesday; bought from a fellow Head-fier.  Well I've owned a few high-end headphone amps, in my estimation anyways e.g. Headlamp GS-X MKII, Auralic Taurus MK2, Headamp GS-1 w/ Dynalo & DACT Stepped attenuator and a few more nice amps.  There always seemed to be something missing though & I could never quite put my finger/ ear on it.  
 
I believe that I've finally found what I've been looking for.  Mostly the ZDS complements my favourite HPs which have always been the HD6X0 siblings & the T1 Gen.1.  Maybe in the future I'll try the HD800 again though I never could warm up to their overall sound but again I never did try them w/ the ZDS.  
 
I'm at the end of my quest, search, patience, energy but mostly money.  I've been in this hobby for the past five years buying, selling (always at a loss), buying again e.g. same headphone or amp I'd previously sold, etc. & I just can't do it anymore, mentaly and fiscally.  My wife has also been more than understanding.
 
Where am I going with this ? Well, the ZDS is by far the best & most impressive sounding amp I've had the pleasure, privilege to own.  I'm not gifted when it comes to describe what I'm hearing so I'll just simply say, again, this is the best sounding amp I've come across in five years & many $$$$$$$$ spent & lost.  
 
The only two more things I see myself possibly getting is : 1-) A quality Mullard.  2-) A used pair of HD800 & that's a BIG MAYBE (I've owned, briefly the  HD800 S & did not like them one bit)             
                                               
But even the purchase of the Mullard won't happen until next Spring or Summer because now it's time to pay the Piper.  Being retired with a fairly good yet not rich by any means pension it's time to call it quits (some have another term for this quest, I believe it's called "End Game") and start being reasonable.  Again "to these ears" this amp is the best I've heard; it's detailed, clear, musical, warm not harsh, without sibilance, I think some use the term organic (??????) or this : I feel I'm not missing any details yet the sound isn't clinical.  I can't remember which song I was listening to yesterday but it struck me that when the drummer was hitting the tom, the deep reverberation from the deepest bottom inside of the drum could be clearly heard and I know I've never heard that from any other amp before.  Just one of many little gems this amp is able to replicate.
 
Anyways I'm rambling.  I've waited 1.5 yrs to decide and buy this amp and it was worth the wait.  BTW thanks to all of the members of this thread for your posts which I've followed, read & re-read religiously for the past few months.  Your comments and exchanges have helped me tremendously & if not for your writings and frank opinions I may not have taken the plunge. 

 

 

[Liu Junyuan]

Got my ZDS, #89, on Tuesday; bought from a fellow Head-fier.  Well I've owned a few high-end headphone amps, in my estimation anyways e.g. Headlamp GS-X MKII, Auralic Taurus MK2, Headamp GS-1 w/ Dynalo & DACT Stepped attenuator and a few more nice amps.  There always seemed to be something missing though & I could never quite put my finger/ ear on it.  

I believe that I've finally found what I've been looking for.  Mostly the ZDS complements my favourite HPs which have always been the HD6X0 siblings & the T1 Gen.1.  Maybe in the future I'll try the HD800 again though I never could warm up to their overall sound but again I never did try them w/ the ZDS.  

I'm at the end of my quest, search, patience, energy but mostly money.  I've been in this hobby for the past five years buying, selling (always at a loss), buying again e.g. same headphone or amp I'd previously sold, etc. & I just can't do it anymore, mentaly and fiscally.  My wife has also been more than understanding.

Where am I going with this ? Well, the ZDS is by far the best & most impressive sounding amp I've had the pleasure, privilege to own.  I'm not gifted when it comes to describe what I'm hearing so I'll just simply say, again, this is the best sounding amp I've come across in five years & many $$$$$$$$ spent & lost.  

The only two more things I see myself possibly getting is : 1-) A quality Mullard.  2-) A used pair of HD800 & that's a BIG MAYBE (I've owned, briefly the  HD800 S & did not like them one bit)             
                                               
But even the purchase of the Mullard won't happen until next Spring or Summer because now it's time to pay the Piper.  Being retired with a fairly good yet not rich by any means pension it's time to call it quits (some have another term for this quest, I believe it's called "End Game") and start being reasonable.  Again "to these ears" this amp is the best I've heard; it's detailed, clear, musical, warm not harsh, without sibilance, I think some use the term organic (??????) or this : I feel I'm not missing any details yet the sound isn't clinical.  I can't remember which song I was listening to yesterday but it struck me that when the drummer was hitting the tom, the deep reverberation from the deepest bottom inside of the drum could be clearly heard and I know I've never heard that from any other amp before.  Just one of many little gems this amp is able to replicate.

Anyways I'm rambling.  I've waited 1.5 yrs to decide and buy this amp and it was worth the wait.  BTW thanks to all of the members of this thread for your posts which I've followed, read & re-read religiously for the past few months.  Your comments and exchanges have helped me tremendously & if not for your writings and frank opinions I may not have taken the plunge.   

This is a beautiful, honest post. Not rambling at all.
I completely agree with you on all fronts.

The Mullard is great, but there are certainly fantastic options much cheaper, such as Tung-sol 6SU7GTY, which I adore, and the RCA 5691 red base, which I imagine would be lovely with the T1 you own particularly and do play nicely with the HD650s as well.

I appreciate you historicizing the progress of your journey thus far and agree completely that, with your preferred headphones, the ZDS could be the final headamp you will need for a long time. Its timbre remains clear, spacious, resolving, yet non-etched and lush.

I have even been "blown away" recently with its performance with my CA Andromeda iem on low gain, which I thought would not be very good at all. I was most impressed by its stage-depth, FR cohesion, its sweet yet resolving treble, and improved dynamics. Just incredible.

I think the HD800 classic has never sounded better for me out of the ZDS, but with that headphone, it is still recording dependent. I am not sure how that compares with your T1.1.

Perhaps it is worth it to see impressions of the Focal Elear's pairing with the ZDS as well. I myself am interested in how this, and other OTL amps, will pair with the relatively low impedance of the Elear.

 

[AppleheadMay]

  Got my ZDS, #89, on Tuesday; bought from a fellow Head-fier.  Well I've owned a few high-end headphone amps, in my estimation anyways e.g. Headlamp GS-X MKII, Auralic Taurus MK2, Headamp GS-1 w/ Dynalo & DACT Stepped attenuator and a few more nice amps.  There always seemed to be something missing though & I could never quite put my finger/ ear on it.  
 
I believe that I've finally found what I've been looking for.  Mostly the ZDS complements my favourite HPs which have always been the HD6X0 siblings & the T1 Gen.1.  Maybe in the future I'll try the HD800 again though I never could warm up to their overall sound but again I never did try them w/ the ZDS.  
 
I'm at the end of my quest, search, patience, energy but mostly money.  I've been in this hobby for the past five years buying, selling (always at a loss), buying again e.g. same headphone or amp I'd previously sold, etc. & I just can't do it anymore, mentaly and fiscally.  My wife has also been more than understanding.
 
Where am I going with this ? Well, the ZDS is by far the best & most impressive sounding amp I've had the pleasure, privilege to own.  I'm not gifted when it comes to describe what I'm hearing so I'll just simply say, again, this is the best sounding amp I've come across in five years & many $$$$$$$$ spent & lost.  
 
The only two more things I see myself possibly getting is : 1-) A quality Mullard.  2-) A used pair of HD800 & that's a BIG MAYBE (I've owned, briefly the  HD800 S & did not like them one bit)             
                                               
But even the purchase of the Mullard won't happen until next Spring or Summer because now it's time to pay the Piper.  Being retired with a fairly good yet not rich by any means pension it's time to call it quits (some have another term for this quest, I believe it's called "End Game") and start being reasonable.  Again "to these ears" this amp is the best I've heard; it's detailed, clear, musical, warm not harsh, without sibilance, I think some use the term organic (??????) or this : I feel I'm not missing any details yet the sound isn't clinical.  I can't remember which song I was listening to yesterday but it struck me that when the drummer was hitting the tom, the deep reverberation from the deepest bottom inside of the drum could be clearly heard and I know I've never heard that from any other amp before.  Just one of many little gems this amp is able to replicate.
 
Anyways I'm rambling.  I've waited 1.5 yrs to decide and buy this amp and it was worth the wait.  BTW thanks to all of the members of this thread for your posts which I've followed, read & re-read religiously for the past few months.  Your comments and exchanges have helped me tremendously & if not for your writings and frank opinions I may not have taken the plunge. 

 

 
In the same camp here. Zana remains endgame to me and I've had much more expensive amps. My second zana in 5 years.
Must tell you the new Black Widow comes close at half price for those that want the ease of use of SS. I have and keep both.
Quest pretty much ended here as well. Those two EC amps + HD650, LA-900 and SEM1.
Sources are and will always remain Marantz (Dac, TT and tuner), heard a lot of more expansive stuff and wasn't worth the difference.
 
Stiil experimenting with some vintage gear, have all I need fully restored and think I will sell it when I'm done. I get you on the mentally exhausting part.
I think for me my modest cinema setup, nice but not excessive speaker setup and great headphone stup should be enough, the cost en energy of keeping all that vintage gear is too much of a good thing to me. Plus I have photography as another hobby.
 
As to tubes the 3 worth mentioning are Mullard ECC35, 6SU7GTY BGRP and brand new Sophia Electric, not necessarily in that order.
You're still using it with the stock driuver? A biy of a shame really.
Power and rectifiers not worth rolling.
 
Don't know if the right term is organic, I simply have called the Zana magic for 5 years.
Enjoy the setup you have now, like you I'm living happily with the thought (or knowledge) there isn't much more.  

 

 

[BobG55]

Hey AppleheadMay, I believe you've hit the nail right on the head : the sound is magical as opposed to organic.  This amp truly is "magic" without exaggerating.      

​
 
BTW thanks for the tubes tips & suggestions, I'll file those away.

 

[AppleheadMay]

 
Hey AppleheadMay, I believe you've hit the nail right on the head : the sound is magical as opposed to organic.  This amp truly is "magic" without exaggerating.      

​
 
BTW thanks the tubes tips & suggestions, I'll file those away.

You're wellcome Bob. I enjoyed your post just as much by the way!

 

[BobG55]

 

 
Hey AppleheadMay, I believe you've hit the nail right on the head : the sound is magical as opposed to organic.  This amp truly is "magic" without exaggerating.      

​
 
BTW thanks the tubes tips & suggestions, I'll file those away.

You're wellcome Bob. I enjoyed your post just as much by the way!

 

[Liu Junyuan]

In the same camp here. Zana remains endgame to me and I've had much more expensive amps. My second zana in 5 years.
Must tell you the new Black Widow comes close at half price for those that want the ease of use of SS. I have and keep both.
Quest pretty much ended here as well. Those two EC amps + HD650, LA-900 and SEM1.
Sources are and will always remain Marantz (Dac, TT and tuner), heard a lot of more expansive stuff and wasn't worth the difference.

Stiil experimenting with some vintage gear, have all I need fully restored and think I will sell it when I'm done. I get you on the mentally exhausting part.
I think for me my modest cinema setup, nice but not excessive speaker setup and great headphone stup should be enough, the cost en energy of keeping all that vintage gear is too much of a good thing to me. Plus I have photography as another hobby.

As to tubes the 3 worth mentioning are Mullard ECC35, 6SU7GTY BGRP and brand new Sophia Electric, not necessarily in that order.
You're still using it with the stock driuver? A biy of a shame really.
Power and rectifiers not worth rolling.

Don't know if the right term is organic, I simply have called the Zana magic for 5 years.
Enjoy the setup you have now, like you I'm living happily with the thought (or knowledge) there isn't much more.    

I still need to try the Sophia.

And sorry for getting the title of the Tung-sol 6SU7GTY wrong--been a long day and I am travelling away from my Zana

 

[AppleheadMay]

I still need to try the Sophia.

And sorry for getting the title of the Tung-sol 6SU7GTY wrong--been a long day and I am travelling away from my Zana

 
Do try the Sophia and buy the A-grade or whatever they call it, wouldn't go for less with an amp like the Zana.
Ah, I thought so. I was thinking what is he babbling about 6SL7, nothing special bout the stock tube or even other NOS versions.

 

[Liu Junyuan]

Do try the Sophia and buy the A-grade or whatever they call it, wouldn't go for less with an amp like the Zana.
Ah, I thought so. I was thinking what is he babbling about 6SL7, nothing special bout the stock tube or even other NOS versions.

Especially ironic since I have five of those tubes already, three of which are unused and I will probably need to sell to finance other projects, or tubes.

I ordered the Sophia Electric Grade A, finally. Thank you for the "nudge"; yes, the Zana deserves the best grade.

 

[AppleheadMay]

Especially ironic since I have five of those tubes already, three of which are unused and I will probably need to sell to finance other projects, or tubes.

I ordered the Sophia Electric Grade A, finally. Thank you for the "nudge"; yes, the Zana deserves the best grade.

 
PM'd.

 

[foo_me]

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