[mrarroyo]

OK, last night after having logged 250 hours of burn in with the stock Chinese tubes I decided to swap them with NOS tubes. I installed:

- Two (2) GE GL5670
- Two (2) matched Siemens CV2975 287 (EL84 equivalent) thanks Skylab!

IMO the sound is clearer and more detailed with a bit more treble extension. Currently listening to Mimi Fox and her notes on the guitar come through with excellent dynamics, punch, and authority.

It is very hard to do a back to back comparison. By the time I lower the volume, turn off the amp, allow the tubes to cool off, and then install the new tubes, and wait for them to warm up a good 10-15 minutes have lapsed. I honestly can not say it is a night and day improvement but perhaps more along the line of a 15% to 20%. Is it worth it? well in my case since I bought the GE GL5670 for $0.50 a piece at a HAMFEST and the matched pair of Siemens for $45 including S&H w/ very low hours the answer is yes.

However if I had paid $140 for the Siemens and $15-$20 a piece for the GE GL5670 then I would have to say no. This speaks very well for the stock Chinese tubes that the Glow Amp One ships out with. Much better than other Chinese tubes I have listened to.

 

[mrarroyo]

Success! finally got my old laptop to recognize a PCMCIA USB V2.0 card.

I am currently feeding the Glow Amp One via an USB Cable.

Currently I am using Windows Media Player Version 9, with the music coming from the on-board CD-ROM. For music I am using Chet Baker's In Paris CD.

Of course now comes the painstaking and slow process of burning in the USB DAC in the Glow Amp One.

Since CanJam is only 6 days away the best it will have is a bit over 60 hours since I will not leave this old laptop playing 24 hours a day continuously for the next 6 days. Why? because I am afraid it might catch on fire!

Give me a couple of days to post some impressions, I figure at least 24 hours of burn-in would allow me to get a better feel for the USB DAC. Initial impressions with less than one hour are:

- Smooth and mellow
- Nice soundstage
- Very nice mids
- Good detail and clarity

 

[tfarney]

Quote:

Give me a couple of days to post some impressions, I figure at least 24 hours of burn-in would allow me to get a better feel for the USB DAC. Initial impressions with less than one hour are: - Smooth and mellow - Nice soundstage - Very nice mids - Good detail and clarity

You just had to say that didn't you? And you had to use Chet Baker as an example? Tease. How's the bass from the Glow? It's probably shallow and flabby and makes a kick drum sound like a cardboard box, yes?

Tim

 

[psc001]

Hi mrarroyo, how the burning Dac/USB going ? Is it making any changes ?

 

[tfarney]

Lemme see, I now have a line out from my iBook to get around the op amp, I just ordered a Trends UD-10, if I pick up a Glow, I could do the first "inexpensive-DAC-chip-as an add-on afterthought" shootout!

This is a joke, of course. I have no idea what DAC chip is in my Mac, other than that it is on a TI sound card, but I think the Burr-Brown in the Trends and the DAC in the Glow are more than respectable.

On 16 bit material (all ripped cds, all I really care about), I suspect the big audible differences between the respectable DAC chip as an add-on and even a fairly expensive dedicated outboard DAC is in the sound signature (ie: color) of the output stage. I intend to test the theory.

Tim

 

[Dominat0r]

looking forward to hearing this marrayo...ill be seeing you this weekend.

Please let use know if you have notice any changes in sound after some break in time.

How much power are the speaker connections rated for?

 

[tfarney]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HighLife /img/forum/go_quote.gif looking forward to hearing this marrayo...ill be seeing you this weekend. Please let use know if you have notice any changes in sound after some break in time. How much power are the speaker connections rated for?

I believe the speakers get 5 watts, the headphone jack 500 milliwatts.

Tim

 

[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by psc001 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi mrarroyo, how the burning Dac/USB going ? Is it making any changes ?

It is going so-so, right now it has about 15 hours of burn in. The problem is the POS laptop, which is from about 1999 and thus very slow. If you only new the specs you would laugh (Pentium 233 w/ 160 Mb of RAM). Please stop laughing!

Quote:

Originally Posted by tfarney /img/forum/go_quote.gif Lemme see, I now have a line out from my iBook to get around the op amp, I just ordered a Trends UD-10, if I pick up a Glow, I could do the first "inexpensive-DAC-chip-as an add-on afterthought" shootout! This is a joke, of course. I have no idea what DAC chip is in my Mac, other than that it is on a TI sound card, but I think the Burr-Brown in the Trends and the DAC in the Glow are more than respectable. On 16 bit material (all ripped cds, all I really care about), I suspect the big audible differences between the respectable DAC chip as an add-on and even a fairly expensive dedicated outboard DAC is in the sound signature (ie: color) of the output stage. I intend to test the theory. Tim

Tim, this may sound crazy but if you pay for the S&H w/ insurance I might be talked into sending you the amp w/ the stock tubes. The only problem is that the only one happy will be the carrier because this is one heavy amp. PM me to discuss if you are interested, although it would not happen until afte CanJam.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HighLife /img/forum/go_quote.gif looking forward to hearing this marrayo...ill be seeing you this weekend. Please let use know if you have notice any changes in sound after some break in time. How much power are the speaker connections rated for?

If I get my MPX3 from Mikhail I would bring it as well as the Glow Amp One so you would be able to listen to it fed from a CD player. Now if the MPX3 does not get in I may decide on a different approach.

 

[tfarney]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrarroyo /img/forum/go_quote.gif It is going so-so, right now it has about 15 hours of burn in. The problem is the POS laptop, which is from about 1999 and thus very slow. If you only new the specs you would laugh (Pentium 233 w/ 160 Mb of RAM). Please stop laughing! Tim, this may sound crazy but if you pay for the S&H w/ insurance I might be talked into sending you the amp w/ the stock tubes. The only problem is that the only one happy will be the carrier because this is one heavy amp. PM me to discuss if you are interested, although it would not happen until afte CanJam. If I get my MPX3 from Mikhail I would bring it as well as the Glow Amp One so you would be able to listen to it fed from a CD player. Now if the MPX3 does not get in I may decide on a different approach.

You've got mail. Migel, have you had a chance to A/B the Glow with it's own DAC against the Glow through your Oretek?

Tim

 

[psc001]

I just got my Glow amp today!!! It kinda sounds little muddy but it's just starting! What do you guys recommend for the speaker since for now I'm using my Audioengine 5 active speakers. Also, my low fidelity mp3 files don't sound good at all!!!

 

[tfarney]

Quote:

Originally Posted by psc001 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just got my Glow amp today!!! It kinda sounds little muddy but it's just starting! What do you guys recommend for the speaker since for now I'm using my Audioengine 5 active speakers. Also, my low fidelity mp3 files don't sound good at all!!!

I'd say with a good 5 watts coming out of the Glow you need to look for speakers with an efficiency rating of 90 db or better, depending on the room you'll play in. I'd also ask what kind of music you play. Most single-driver systems are very efficient and a great match to small tube amps. I've nearly pulled the trigger on a pair of these a couple of times, but I've chickened out because I keep reading that, while they have a wonderful, coherent midrange that excels at vocals, acoustic jazz, etc., they aren't suited for denser, louder more complex music. If you want to listen to Miles, Krall, and acoustic stuff, go for it. If you want a room full of rock with a huge, dynamic sound (though not what one would call accurate or neutral) on just 5 watts, go for horns. Klispch, Altec, that sort of thing. In a nearfield setup, anything reasonably efficient should work.

Tim

 

[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tfarney /img/forum/go_quote.gif You've got mail. Migel, have you had a chance to A/B the Glow with it's own DAC against the Glow through your Oretek? Tim

Tim, I have not been able to test that way. the Oritek is connected to a different computer. Today I did a brief session with the USB DAC fed from 128 kbs mp3s versus a cd. Major difference and not really a fair one, the cd sounds very nice and I am very happy with the sound. The cans were an stock Beyer DT880 ('03) and a V3 re-cable by APureSound of an HFI-780.

 

[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by psc001 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just got my Glow amp today!!! It kinda sounds little muddy but it's just starting! What do you guys recommend for the speaker since for now I'm using my Audioengine 5 active speakers. Also, my low fidelity mp3 files don't sound good at all!!!

I am now looking at ACOUSTECH speakers model HT-64 and HT-63. They are supposed to sound very close to the Klipsch, pretty good bass extension with the passive radiators, and at $179 a pair appear to be a great buy. They are rated at 96 db SPL.

Here ia a link to a site that has them on sale:
HT-63: BIC Acoustech Cinema Series HT-63
HT-64: BIC Acoustech HT-64 Speakers Free Shipping!

Anyone here heard them?

 

[Ragonix]

Alright, I got my glow amp via fedex today. This is my first amp. I have it hooked up to a Marantz cd 5001 and I'm using DT880s. I really like the sound so far. Compared to the sound straight out of the headphone jack, the sound is more detailed like I can hear things more clearly and everything just sounds like it has more umph to it. Also, there's a nice warm glaze over the sound where as before it sounded kinda cold. I ordered a pair of Xindak AC-03s but DHL is holding them up for some reason. In the mean time I'm using my old playstation 1 av cables to connect the amp to my marantz. I wonder what it'll sound like when I get my Xindak cables.


Some caveats though, when I start the amp up it hums for about 3-5 seconds, but it stays silent afterwards. When I turn the amp off, I hear some somewhat disturbing noises in my right earcup. It sounds like a "ding" sound, like the sound of glass cracking. I hear about 3-4 "dings" and that's it. Anybody else get that? Also my amp came with the volume knob turned up all the way to the max, being the noob that I am, I thought that maybe this particular amp goes right to left with the volume. I wasn't wearing the headphones, but when I turned everything on my DT 880s got loud as hell and I immediately turned stopped the track from playing. I hope that doesn't damage the headphone drivers or anything.

 

[Kees]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ragonix /img/forum/go_quote.gif ... Some caveats though, when I start the amp up it hums for about 3-5 seconds, but it stays silent afterwards. When I turn the amp off, I hear some somewhat disturbing noises in my right earcup. It sounds like a "ding" sound, like the sound of glass cracking. I hear about 3-4 "dings" and that's it. Anybody else get that?

That is the sound of the tubes starting up and cooling down. Quite normal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ragonix /img/forum/go_quote.gif Also my amp came with the volume knob turned up all the way to the max, being the noob that I am, I thought that maybe this particular amp goes right to left with the volume. I wasn't wearing the headphones, but when I turned everything on my DT 880s got loud as hell and I immediately turned stopped the track from playing. I hope that doesn't damage the headphone drivers or anything.

As long as you don't wear them when it happens...

The phones will be allright, they won't die on you that easily.