[Deleeh]

Hello,

How good are his amplifiers in the headphone range compared to other amplifiers?

I'm thinking about having something built by him.
I hope he also makes something for Eu people and that there are no problems with customs.

I would like to use Zmf headphones with it.
Maybe other headphones later, we'll see.

 

[Zachik]

How good are his amplifiers in the headphone range compared to other amplifiers?

Eric's amps are awesome, and provide amazing value for their price!

I hope he also makes something for Eu people and that there are no problems with customs.

I am in the US, but Eric ships (from Australia) to anywhere in the world. You'll have to pay customs in your country.

 

[Deleeh]

Sounds good.Thanks
I've written to him and we'll see what comes.

Does anyone know what kind of transformers he uses?

 

[UntilThen]

Does anyone know what kind of transformers he uses?

Eric designs his own transformers and have them made in China. He calls them timE or parE. Alternatively he also use Silk transformers from Thailand if customers want to pay more for it. They are quite well known. These comes with covers. http://www.sacthailand.com/

Eric is in the midst of making a 6Y6G, 6DQ5 and a parallel 6BX7 headphone amps that also drives efficient speakers. They are about 3w in power output. I've heard the 6BX7 and it's quiet and will also drive most headphones. Susvara too if you don't need to crank it too much.

I'll be auditioning those amps in a few weeks time.

 

[Zachik]

Does anyone know what kind of transformers he uses?

When I ordered my custom amp from him, he gave me 2 different options to choose from. One was new, and the other was a re-used transformer from old radio (from the 70s, I think). That means whatever he got may be "seasonal"

 

[Deleeh]

Okay doesn't necessarily sound wrong.
I'll let myself be surprised and see if what I have in mind can be built.

Thanks for the information.

Are you otherwise satisfied with your amplifiers?
And have you ever tried to use Zmf headphones with them?

@UntilThen
You used to have the Studio 6 before i supose, how does it compare to Eric's amps?

 

[Zachik]

Are you otherwise satisfied with your amplifiers?

VERY.

And have you ever tried to use Zmf headphones with them?

Mine is optimized for IEMs. Low power and super quiet (no audible noise floor). Did not bother to test with ZMF...

 

[UntilThen]

Okay doesn't necessarily sound wrong.
I'll let myself be surprised and see if what I have in mind can be built.

Thanks for the information.

Are you otherwise satisfied with your amplifiers?
And have you ever tried to use Zmf headphones with them?

@UntilThen
You used to have the Studio 6 before i supose, how does it compare to Eric's amps?

There are a few caveats. My 300b amp is a speaker amp but also has headphone output. With the very inefficient Susvara there is no noise at all. I’m happy with that and it has more than enough power to drive Susvara. With the very efficient He1000se, there is moderate noise that drowns out when music plays.

With Eric’s headphones amps, they are all quiet with any headphones I use, including super efficient Grados. These are between 2 to 3w and that should drive almost any headphones ZMF included.

Studio Six was quite a while ago for me but it’s rated at 1w. McChanson headphone amps have more punch and impact. Cosmetically the Six wins. Eric’s amps have an old school look. If that doesn’t bother you, it’s superb value.

Eric has been making tubes amps as a sideline all his life. He has a Masters in Mathematics and used to teach in college. A very unassuming person, he loves to experiment. He has make an amp using Hasimoto transformers before in a wooden chassis.

@rollinbr has a KT170 amp from Eric and he’s thinking of getting another Universal amp.

 

[bcowen]

Mine is optimized for IEMs. Low power and super quiet (no audible noise floor). Did not bother to test with ZMF...

Why? Don't you have like 17 ZMF's?

 

[Zachik]

Why? Don't you have like 17 ZMF's?

But I also got about 115 IEMs, so.......

 

[Deleeh]

Hello,

@UntilThen

Because of the look, I have roughly communicated what I have in mind.
Preferably a wooden chassis that matches the zmf headphones.
Otherwise I would have no problem with the look.

With the rest it sounds interesting and I'm also happy that he is open for experiments if he allows it.
In terms of tubes, it would be similar to the Studio6 I have in mind or something with 2A3\12Au7 as a base.
I'm still thinking about the Hashimoto, it's not cheap but could be worth it.

With the rest I think I'll probably leave it all up to him.
The only thing I could imagine would be pure copper wiring instead of silver.
With the capacitors I would probably be open to it, but maybe Duelund wouldn't be wrong, but I could still do that if it fits the values.

The most important thing would be that he does it and is open to it.
Since it's the middle of the night in Australia, I'll have to wait a bit.

I have looked at his amplifiers on Ebay, 1-2
They didn't look bad.

I would rather have something built specifically for headphones.
For stereo operation I would want something separate.
Maybe something from him that is on Ebay.

His CV is really impressive and it's nice to hear that he's open to crazy things.
I'm curious what he thinks and will say about it.
I've been looking for something that goes up another level for a long time and also something where you can still use the good piece in 10 years.

 

[UntilThen]

Eric did a 2a3/45 amp for a client recently and that client is a friend of mine. I was at his home only a few weeks ago and we listened to classical and jazz vinyl with McChanson parallel 6as7 and the 2a3 amp on very efficient horn speakers. Unfortunately I didn’t get to try out headphones with them.

The amps in quick snap photo.

 

[Deleeh]

Thanks again for your great impressions,

Sounds good what your friend had built.
Hope it sounded good on the horn speakers.

I don't know if my refurbished Elac would do it.

Would prefer a pure tube headphone amp for now, anything else would be nice to have of course.

Is this actually the amp on Ebay from your friend Eric?
They look similar somehow.

I've never heard of 2a3 before, I'd be jumping in at the deep end so to speak.
I originally came from the Feliks Euforia, or rather I still have it.
I have some good tubes here, but it's time to spend less money on them, even if the Euforia can still offer one or two things with adapters.

I know that 2a3 are also expensive but you hear good things about them and maybe 2-3 pairs are enough to be happy in the long run.
And the price for a 2a3 amplifier is pretty sexy at Eric's, I must say.
I've seen others like Dna, Auris opera consonance that aren't exactly cheap.

The second option I suggested would be a bit more versatile but still good from a long-term perspective.
I will let myself be surprised by Eric's answers and feasibility studies.

 

[UntilThen]

I would go for the Mini 6bx7 amp instead. @hikaru12 has one in wooden chassis and he is happy with with both headphones and speakers.

 

[Deleeh]

Hello,

Eric has replied that he doesn't seem too enthusiastic about my suggestion.
Otherwise he was generally objective and honest, which I didn't expect otherwise.

But I will have a look at his other suggestions.

I looked at 6bx7 tubes earlier, there aren't very many of them, so that's not really what I want.
Among other things, because of the price monopoly that could occur in 5 years.
Unless you buy them now and have peace of mind.

I'll give it some more thought, as his answers were also extensive.

I'll see what comes out.