[tfarney]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stlblues /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for checking, but I have spades and the cables are as thick as my pinky...thoughts? Thanks again.

Pinky diet.

Tim

 

[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stlblues /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for checking, but I have spades and the cables are as thick as my pinky...thoughts? Thanks again.

I will check tomorrow and will take pictures.

 

[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NDamiani /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey guys, my name is Nick, I've been lurking around for quite a while...finally decided to register (sure will make performing searches easier...) My bank account may not appreciate my membership here, but my ears sure do. In possibly one of my more impulsive purchases, this forum convinced me to seek out a set of Grado RS-1's which I received a couple weeks ago. Not long after you guys had me looking at amps. Much of my music is on my computer which is where the bulk of my listening occurs. The RS-1's being driven through my sound card just wasn't cutting it. Sure, it sounded ok...I'm no audiophile by any means (I am very new to all of this) but I do have sensitive ears which can appreciate and distinguish good sound from poor. I read up a little in regards to tube amps, and I also read up a little in regards to DAC's. I eventually stumbled upon the Glow Amp One. I thought it was pretty cool, and it seemed to suit my needs/wants perfectly. It has tubes, it has a DAC, and it has a pretty cool style in my opinion. I did more research on it (as much as I could being that there is still very little info on this amp so far save for a couple reviews...) and I watched this thread evolve a bit more. Last week I decided to bite the bullet and order one up. Black on black. It was hooked up to my computer in a matter of seconds after ripping the packaging off for what seemed like hours. It seamlessly integrated with my computer; pouring sound into my ears as soon as I plugged in my headphones. Improvements in sound clarity were immediately noticed (compared to being driven by my sound card.) It has been quite interesting hearing the sound evolve as the burn in process has taken place. At first the sound was somewhat light and airy; lacking substance. The lows, the bass, the filling sound just wasn't there. My sound card produced much better lows by comparison. As it has burned in though, I have definitely noticed a significant change in the sound output. The lows are better. The bass is better and the sound emanating from the phones is much more substantial. I've put a good amount of hours on this amp so far, and I'd like to say the burn-in process is nearing its end. I am still not fully satisfied with the lows, but upon reading the more recent posts, I am beginning to wonder if it is due to the type of tubes used (or maybe even the DAC...being new to this, I'm not so sure how much of an effect it has on the values of sound that it reproduces.) So, to temporarily resolve this issue until more information comes to fruition I have been messing around with EQ settings to improve the low end. I have still yet to run the amp on anything besides my computer. I am interested to hear how it reproduces sound through the receiver hooked up to our entertainment center (with both speakers and headphones) in terms of listening to music, movies, and video games (which I also use my headphones for in conjunction with my PS3.) In the meantime, I'm enjoying my music more than ever....Especially my FLAC files being played through Foobar/ASIO; another thing my ears greatly appreciate after spending some time setting it up after reading up on it from this forum.

NDamiani, before you start buying a lot of stuff try a couple of simpler solutions like:

1. How solid is the base where you have the amp on?
2. Are you using the stock power cord? If yes do you have an inexpensive Volex 14 gauge available.
3. I find that w/ Grado's if I stick a 75 ohm resistor in each channel their performance improves. There are various DIY'ers here that would be you one for little money.
4. Also is the power in your house clean? Dirty power would affect any amps performance.
5. No need to go crazy with tubes, you should be able to pick a pair of NOS GE GL5670 for about $20 and a pair of NOS EL84 for another $40.
6. The DAC in the Glow may be good but if you have a nice CD-Player try it feeding the Glow Amp One using RCA to RCA interconnects.

Good luck.

 

[mrarroyo]

Here is more information on the 5wpc output for speakers. The power output of an amp can go a long way depending on not only the speaker efficiency but also on:

1. Room Volume
2. Furnishings in the room both in quantity and material. Some will absorb and others will reflect
3. Volume which is comfortable for you and if you are allowed to play loud (condo type restrictions)
4. Dynamic range of the music. Personally I like to have at least 3 dB of head room which translates to basically doubling the power.

I say all of this because I was looking at the Glow Amp One specification of 5 wpc and their recommendation of an speaker with an efficiency of 90 dB per watt at one meter. This would mean that I could theoretically be playing a pair of speakers at a volume of 93 dB with 4 dBs of head room. Or at 96 dBs w/ 1 dB of head room.

Since I live in a condo 93 dB of average sound pressure level would way to LOUD and chances are the police would be called in.

For someone who likes it loud or has a huge music room it would not be loud enough.

However if the user had a pair of Klipsch RB-81 ( RB-81 ) that have an efficiency of 97 dB with 1 W at 1 meter he could drive them to 100 dB of sound pressure level w/ 2 watts or to 103 dB with 4 watts. Either one should be more than loud enough.

Of course I have yet to connect the amp as an speaker amp so the above is written mostly as a discussion point rather than an absolute. So please provide comments. Note: I am also wondering how this amp would sound with a single driver speaker like a Compact Hemp by Omega Loudspeaker ( Omega Speakers Compact Hemp ).

Finally, although I still want to listen to the Glow Amp One with NOS tubes I researched the tubes it comes with. I found out the Beijing 6P14 (EL84) chosen for the amp is reported to sound as good as the EH or sovtek. It is also supposed to have a more balanced tone than the JJs. This would have to be corroborated by someone with all those tubes.

As far as the sound is concerned the Glow Audio One has opened up since I first turned it on. Now it has a total of 24 hours of burn in the sligth constriction I heard before is not there anymore. The bass has improved as well as the bass. IMO the cohesiveness and overall presentation is still not at the level that I like in my amps. There seems to be a lack of airiness in the amps presentation.

However these are minor items which I believe will improve w/ additional burn in. It is also my believe that a set of US made NOS tubes will help this amp, just as much as such a set would help any other tube amp.

Since I am complaining I will say that the volume know indicator should have a more visible mark. For us older guys w/ poor eyesight it is hard to see.

 

[stlblues]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrarroyo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I will check tomorrow and will take pictures.

Most appreciated. Mahalo!

 

[tfarney]

Quote:

I am also wondering how this amp would sound with a single driver speaker

Me too. I'm specifically wondering how it would do with a pair of Fostex 4.5"-based Tekton sitting up on my desk in a near field arrangement. Perhaps with a small powered sub under the desk.

How's that DAC? Have you had a chance to compare lossless files through it to CDs using the DAC of the CDP?

Tim

 

[NDamiani]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrarroyo /img/forum/go_quote.gif NDamiani, before you start buying a lot of stuff try a couple of simpler solutions like: 1. How solid is the base where you have the amp on?Right now it is sitting on top of my computer. How much does the placement of the amp affect output? 2. Are you using the stock power cord? If yes do you have an inexpensive Volex 14 gauge available.I'm utilizing the stock cord right now...don't really have access to anything else. I would like to look into another cord though (or a different way of connection/placement) because right now I do receive a noticeable and consistent humming coming from my headphones when the amp is on. It sounds like it would be coming from the main source rather than the amp itself, granted, I don't know much about deciphering when sounds like that stem from. 3. I find that w/ Grado's if I stick a 75 ohm resistor in each channel their performance improves. There are various DIY'ers here that would be you one for little money.Interesting...I'll definitely have to look in to this and research it a bit more... 4. Also is the power in your house clean? Dirty power would affect any amps performance.I'd say the power is pretty clean. The biggest issue is the wifi on this computer. With my speakers I would receive a ton of wifi interference. When I plugged my headphones into the sound card I would still receive a bit of interference through them...not nearly as bad or noticeable as the speakers. With the amp plugged in to my computer and my headphones running through the amp I hear very little, if any interference whatsoever. I don't know if I could benefit even more from a higher quality USB cable (if there even is such a thing.) I have the amp plugged in to a surge protector right now as well. Not so sure if that is better, worse, or if it makes no difference. 5. No need to go crazy with tubes, you should be able to pick a pair of NOS GE GL5670 for about $20 and a pair of NOS EL84 for another $40.Heh...I figured decent tubes probably ran at least a c-note or more, and after just having purchased a brand new amp I didn't like the idea of having to drop that kind of coin on it. Once I found out good tubes were much more reasonably priced I was relieved. 6. The DAC in the Glow may be good but if you have a nice CD-Player try it feeding the Glow Amp One using RCA to RCA interconnects. I'm definitely going to change up the audio sources tonight and listen in on the differences. I'm very interested to hear how it sounds compared to being run through the DAC. Good luck.

Thanks for the tips....I had a few questions and comments which I added in red to the quote.

 

[Pianoman]

I have used the Glow Amp with Snell Model "M" minimonitors. They are NOT too efficient (89db I believe), But the sound was absolutely beautiful and full. I was playing Mahler's Symphony 1, 1st movement by the Concergebouw/Chailly (starts very quietly and lasts 10 minutes!) I even heard (though very faint) the bass drum at the 5:00 mark...
I am thinking of purchasing Klipsch RB-81's if the review process finds this amp to be worth it. I appreciate all the comments, it helps me to learn from all of you.

 

[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NDamiani /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the tips....I had a few questions and comments which I added in red to the quote.

Vibration and RFI will kill any amp. So if you are going to keep the amp on top of the computer you may want to spend some money on isolation. You do not have to spend lots of money, Todd the Vinyl Junkie sells a set of four (4) Sound Quest Isolation for $20 plus S&H. ( Sound Quest Isolation Feet - $19.95 : TTVJ, Todd The Vinyl Junkie )

A beefier and shielded 14 gage power cord would be of benefit. As I stated you do not have to spend a lot of money, a Volex 14 gage shielded sells for little money, at one time under $10 plus S&H.

Contact Alex at APureSound he makes the resistors in a plug, see: APureSound - Where The Music Is Always Pure You could also contact other vendors or DIYers to get it.

Good luck.

 

[tfarney]

I want to test one of these out so bad I can taste it. I'm not even sure why. Anything short of a very esoteric tube amp, while it may deliver lush warmth, isn't likely to come close to neutrality or deliver really well-controlled bass. And the DAC chip in a $488 tube amp really can't be up to the quality of the Apogee Duet, which has been my target up to this point.

But it looks soooooooo good.

And I have visions of it hooked up to my Cambridge Soundworks model sixes in a nearfield configuration. At 90 db efficiency, they're on the cusp for this amp, but they'd probably do fine, and they have this crisp, controlled presentation that I suspect would just bloom beautifully under the influence of tubes.

Can I have my headphone system and eat desktop high-end on the cheap too? That, my friends, is the question.

Tim

 

[Skylab]

The DAC may or may not be good, but at this price, it shouldn't be hard to make a decent sounding amp using EL84's and 5670's. And I bet it's more neutral and controlled than you might think. None of the tube amps I have owned, including the under $300 ones, sounded like an old table radio. They did have varying degrees of lushness in the midrange, but all were more or less neutral, and in general delivered good to excellent bass performance (I am speaking of headphone amps of course). I do prefer tube amps, but agree with many others here that modern tube amps are not as different sounding from SS as some people think.

So go for it, man!

 

[tfarney]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif The DAC may or may not be good, but at this price, it shouldn't be hard to make a decent sounding amp using EL84's and 5670's. And I bet it's more neutral and controlled than you might think. None of the tube amps I have owned, including the under $300 ones, sounded like an old table radio. They did have varying degrees of lushness in the midrange, but all were more or less neutral, and in general delivered good to excellent bass performance (I am speaking of headphone amps of course). I do prefer tube amps, but agree with many others here that modern tube amps are not as different sounding from SS as some people think. So go for it, man!

Well, if you were Boomana, I'd call you a temptress...as it is, tempter? Whatever. Thing is, I've kinda has this focus on the Apogee Duet, because I'm a Mac laptop user, and that would give me a really good DAC/amp with reportedly a fair amount of drive, that would move around with me from room to room in my house (I'm out on the screened porch now. The earth is damp with rain. Birds are singing in the trees high above. It doesn't suck.) And then I could add an AC amp later, maybe tubes, no DAC necessary. Then again, I'm pretty much a believer that medium upgrades usually deliver very small audible results in the audio world, and the Glow, with DAC is about the same money as the Duet alone, and maybe that built-in DAC is just fine...

Really, it's a good thing I'm between gigs right now or I would have pulled the trigger far too early. As it is, I'm waiting for full reports on the Glow. And money, of course.

Tim

 

[psc001]

Hmm... does Apogee Duet support PC or does it just work with only Macs ? It seems like Apogee Duet and Amp one are totally different products for different applications.

 

[tfarney]

Quote:

Originally Posted by psc001 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hmm... does Apogee Duet support PC or does it just work with only Macs ? It seems like Apogee Duet and Amp one are totally different products for different applications.

The Duet only works on the Mac. Yes, the Duet is built for field recording, but it is, essentially, an Apogee DAC with a built-in headphone amp that draws power (12 volts) from the Mac via firewire, and the Amp One is a tube DAC/Headphone/integrated amp. But I can get the same stuff out of both of them, I'd just have to choose powered monitors for the Duet instead of high-eff speakers for the Amp One.

Very different approaches to some of the same tasks.

Tim

 

[mrarroyo]

I have had the Glow Amp One since Wednesday, 4/9 and I have logged about 45 hours of burn in since using an Oritek 4.1 DAC. I believe any good amp benefits from a good burn in and this one is at least 200 hours away from being fully burnt in. But I can say that with +/-45 hour the amp has improved in taking most of the rough edges off.

The bass although not fully tight is much better than straight out of the box. The mids continue to mature nicely, impact wise it is good but it is still a bit way off my fully modded X-Can V2. Nonetheless the overall presentation is both tighter, and a bit more musical.

If you go to the DIY forum you will see I just finished the passive mod on my Lite DAC-AH. Well I placed it besides the Glow Amp One and now I can hear an slight hum whith the source off and the volume pot at 2:30 o'clock or higher. Before I did not hear this, wonder what is causing it? May have to move the Lite DAC-AH out of the area or perhaps it the power cord feeding the Lite DAC-AH going over the input cables feeding the Glow Amp One.

FYI, a pair of matched Siemens EL84 have been secured and should be here in by next Friday or so.

tfarney, where are you located?