It's great to know the person who conceptualized the Minute EL34 headamp, Kanit. It is a brilliant idea, and the transformer for electrostatic headphones as well.
w clean it sounds while driving the speaker.
Today I received new speakers today, ERA D4. I had to upgrade because my previous speakers were not good enough to match the performance of the Minute. There are so many good reviews about this speaker, and I saw a special deal on Audiogon for a new pair in a discontinued color. Even without breaking in, I know all the positive reviews are true. This is a great little performer with phenomenal imaging and bass. Importantly, it is 6 ohms and only 84 dB sensitive. On paper, the Minute EL34 should have a hard time driving it. But in reality, the Minute could make it sound too loud in my small room, which supports the manufacturer's claim that this amp maintains a flat frequency response and pretty low distortions even near full output power. Most amps sound quite strained way before it reaches its power rating, but not this one.
Today I have confirmed once again the excellence of this amp. First I received Genelax reissue KT66 tubes. It's so quiet that that I have a hard time hearing self-noise even with my very sensitive HD595. And the sound is very smooth, as charismatic as Tung-Sol 6L6G reissue even without burn-in. What I am describing is kind of insane, because I am using a 104 dB/mW = 134 dB/W headphone to listen to an amp that can drive 84 dB/W speakers, and hardly hearing any self-noise. Now just imagine how clean the speaker sound is (that's what I call inner resolution!).
I am curious to know how Minute EL34 compares to the Minute 300B. My guess is that EL34 will sound more neutral and cleaner, and 300B a lot warmer and tubey. Some people really love the fat and tubey sound, while I am always a fan of the clean tube sound, just like Ray Samuel's Raptor amp.
It's just my guess, but I think what makes the Minute EL34 sound so great has to be the cathode feedback. I remember there was a audio forum in Indonesia that posted some people doing a shoot-out of the older Minute EL34 (2006 model, discontinued) against five 300B amps that cost much more. And the Minute was the clear winner. Now the second-generation Minute EL34 is probably even more remarkable. Once I borrowed for several weeks an Almarro A205 amp using EL84 in pentode mode. It had a great output transformer and sounds really pristine in its first 1-2 watts (max ~5 watts, ~$900), with great reviews everywhere. But for the same price, Minute EL34 has better tone, lower noise, louder output, and drives all kinds of headphones in the most convincing manner. Again, no comparison.
I think Thai audiophiles are really lucky to have a company like SAC Thailand that is dedicated to developing unique hi-end products, not just copying foreign designs. SAC manufactures its own transformers, which I think is the key to its success in tube audio. Congratulations to Kanit and Kittipol, this amp has real potentials to become an audio classic.