[earplay]

There seems to be some confusion over the revisions intended for the Glow 1 and the introduction of the Glow 2. These are not the same amps.

The poor performance of the dac in the Glow 1 is expected to be addressed in the second manufacturing run. That is NOT the Glow 2.

The Glow 2 is a different amp altogether. Higher power, etc.

The Glow 1 will continue to be manufactured, but the dac will be changed. Other changes are planned, too, according to the Glow site.

As it stands, tfarney is right to say the Glow 1 is NOT a one-box solution for good sound quality, as I have discovered. The amp section is great, but the dac performance suffers greatly in comparison.

FWIW, earplay

 

[[S]uds]

Sadly, I was told that the Revised Glow Amp One will cost more as well. Hopefully it won't be much, as I plan on getting one.

 

[tfarney]

Quote:

Originally Posted by uds /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sadly, I was told that the Revised Glow Amp One will cost more as well. Hopefully it won't be much, as I plan on getting one.

Personally, I'm ok with that. A great low-power integrated tube amp, a great tube headphone amp and a good 16-bit USB DAC are worth more than $488. And that's exactly what the Glow will be with a common Burr-Brown or Cirrus Logic DAC chip. If you don't intend to use it as a speaker amp or DAC, the price begins to look a little high compared with some Darkvoice and Little Dot products. But with all that functionality running on all cylinders, it's a steal.

Tim

 

[[S]uds]

Yeah, that's what I figure. As long as it isn't too much more, I will probably still pick one up. Like you said, it's a great all-in-one package at a great price.

 

[stlblues]

Quote:

Originally Posted by earplay /img/forum/go_quote.gif There seems to be some confusion over the revisions intended for the Glow 1 and the introduction of the Glow 2. These are not the same amps. The poor performance of the dac in the Glow 1 is expected to be addressed in the second manufacturing run. That is NOT the Glow 2. The Glow 2 is a different amp altogether. Higher power, etc. The Glow 1 will continue to be manufactured, but the dac will be changed. Other changes are planned, too, according to the Glow site. As it stands, tfarney is right to say the Glow 1 is NOT a one-box solution for good sound quality, as I have discovered. The amp section is great, but the dac performance suffers greatly in comparison. FWIW, earplay

Unless things have changed in the last few months, Patrick told me the Amp Two will have the same power (and IIRC same circuit) as the Amp One. It will be "turned" 90 degrees so that the front will be longer than the sides. It will have additional features (TBD at the time of our conversation), but be essentially the same amp.

 

[Vinylman98]

Sorry to butt in, but has anyone tried using any Stax models hooked up to the speaker outputs? Not sure how many watts might be required to drive one of the adapters.

John (sorta newbie but just to this conference)

 

[Vinylman98]

Anyone??

 

[Liquid3D]

I am finishng up a review on the GLOW Amp One and have been very happy. I am driving Abby's I would truly appreciate any input on other speakers (preferably under $1k) which play well with the Amp One, I don't get the bottom end I do with the Tecon Model "55" for example, so the amp is simply a bit less in the Bass or there are better speakers.

As far as the cost, your getting a USB-DAC, single ended pentode integrated amp, alps pot, beefy transformers point to point, and very decent sound, $488 is a steal.

When I first entered the High End world in 1990 a $500 integrated tube amp was non-existant unless it was a used vintage you found at a Flea Market. Decent sounding DACs were rare as well since it was still early in digital (of course we still don't hear ones and zeros) and single ended technology was almost non-existant, or at least not nearly as popular as they are today.

As for the headphone question I've never heard of connecting a headphone in such a manner, are the sonics of the speaker terminals different from that of the jack insofar as signal path?

I know probably a stupid question

 

[Watashi]

Hi,
I just purchased the AMP ONE that is on clearance sale at audio magus and like several headfiers I am experiencing a low freq hum issue. The hum is at a fixed volume and does not vary with source level or turning up/down the volume control. At the moment it is not very distracting, but ideally I hope there is no hum at all. I don't think it's a ground loop issue as my source is battery powered and not tied to the mains. It hums with HD580, SR80, and PK1. The hum is loudest with low impedance SR80. My tube upgrades will be arriving next week and I'll try them out to see if the hum goes away. I'm wondering if anyone is still experiencing this issue or it is considered 'normal' for the AMP ONE or any tube equipment. Thanks!

 

[tfarney]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Watashi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi, I just purchased the AMP ONE that is on clearance sale at audio magus and like several headfiers I am experiencing a low freq hum issue. The hum is at a fixed volume and does not vary with source level or turning up/down the volume control. At the moment it is not very distracting, but ideally I hope there is no hum at all. I don't think it's a ground loop issue as my source is battery powered and not tied to the mains. It hums with HD580, SR80, and PK1. The hum is loudest with low impedance SR80. My tube upgrades will be arriving next week and I'll try them out to see if the hum goes away. I'm wondering if anyone is still experiencing this issue or it is considered 'normal' for the AMP ONE or any tube equipment. Thanks!

When I had one here for a couple of weeks, I experienced no hum through my HD580s. I suspect it is a tube and hope it will be mitigated when you change them.

Tim

 

[SoundCheck88]

Sadly, I was told that the Revised Glow Amp One will cost more as well. Hopefully it won't be much, as I plan on getting one.

[/QUOTE hello the price of the Glow 2 will be $ 480.00.!! i hope the price is valid forone of the changes will be the on /o ff switch that will glow.very cool the amp .the will be selling January 1st 09 .you can pre order so when the amp is avaliable they will notify you.i hope this helps
Take care George.

 

[WittyzTH]

getglowamps

seems like $648??
-----

Oops! that's the new Glow One. -_-'

 

[Skylab]

I'm sorry but that is just far too high a price. You can get the unquestionably better Decware Zenhead for $795, WooAudio 6 for $600, and Ming-Da MC 84C for $550 (which also uses the same tube complement as the Glow PLUS a tube rectifier).

 

[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm sorry but that is just far too high a price. You can get the unquestionably better Decware Zenhead for $795, WooAudio 6 for $600, and Ming-Da MC 84C for $550 (which also uses the same tube complement as the Glow PLUS a tube rectifier).

After all is "said and done" you may end up being correct. However shouldn't we wait till the unit is compared side by side w/ the Decware/WooAudio/Ming-Da/Others before we kill the Glow? Just seems like we should wait before we crucify it.

 

[Lunchbox2]

wow those look like great amps.