Yes indeed.
I have been using some form of damping device since the mid 1980's. From Ensemble Tube Sox, to viscoelastic polymer rings (that fused themselves to the tubes with heat of use - not really a good thing if you want to put the tube back in a box...) and these RX-9's are the best I've used - most effective without adding something unwanted of their own.
Definitely have some interest in this amp (and the Lyr+ too for that matter).
How well does either pair with the HD650? How fatiguing are they? Are the highs overly bright for people with severe treble allergies? How much glare in the highs is there? Atm I'm using a Lyr 2 and there is definitely quite a lot of glare to the highs even with various different tubes, and this is with an OG Bifrost 2 source. It's got a lot of slam but I'm less interested in slam and more in comfortable long-term listening, since this will be used as a daily driver system.
Owned 600, 650, 650 w/CC mod for years. For me, they’re wonderful cans, but all can present an upper midrange glare at times. My Tuba, with Acopian Linear power supply and Polam EL84s, tames this edge. Yet if one listens into the music, all the detail and true timbre is there. The only other amp that had this personality for me was the RNHP. Digital front end is Dante/XLR fed Yggy.
For me, those [healthy] extra measures of fine detail, tonal nuance/subtlety and dynamic dexterity set the Hagerman Tuba singularly apart and make it a "keeper" for sure.
At this point I would much rather "do with" the Tuba than manage the prospect of "doing without" it..
However, I do consider a power supply upgrade [e.g. the iFi iPower Elite] essential to tapping the potential of this fine amplifier.
[I'm still ambivalent about the combination power switch/volume knob, though.]
For me, those [healthy] extra measures of fine detail, tonal nuance/subtlety and dynamic dexterity set the Hagerman Tuba singularly apart and make it a "keeper" for sure.
At this point I would much rather "do with" the Tuba than manage the prospect of "doing without" it..
However, I do consider a power supply upgrade [e.g. the iFi iPower Elite] essential to tapping the potential of this fine amplifier.
[I'm still ambivalent about the combination power switch/volume knob, though.]
I just noticed that price for tuba amp has increased by almost USD300. Wow I wonder what caused the price hike? Fortunately, i bought mine when it was USD789.
Wow!
Didn't catch that, but EVERYTHING costs a lot more (typically by 30-40%) now. The HAL website still lists the Tuba for $789.
The Tuba sold for $649 back in 2019.
Add an upgraded power supply, after-market power cord and a decent set of EL84s and . . . I'm not sure I could justify the expenditure anymore.
Wow!
Didn't catch that, but EVERYTHING costs a lot more (typically by 30-40%) now. The HAL website still lists the Tuba for $789.
The Tuba sold for $649 back in 2019.
Add an upgraded power supply, after-market power cord and a decent set of EL84s and . . . I'm not sure I could justify the expenditure anymore.
. . . and for several hundred dollars less, an amp like the Schiit LYR+ offers excellent sound, more versatility and a better price-to-performance ratio.
HOWEVER, if we go strictly by the metric of value...high end audio no longer exists...so.... (I would suggest there still is great value in this product and price is not necessarily the only arbiter of this. A price range, with varying Qualities are up for choice...one thing is not the same as another...)
I have only heard good things about Hagerman. Experienced audiophiles and trained musicians love their old phono preamps, living with their stuff for the long term. The better stuff is definitely out of my price range right now though. I still wonder how they sound.
Just ordered the iFi iPower X 15v/1.5A.
Will a/b vs. the Elite 15v/2.0A.
Have read from some iPower users that, except for DAC applications, the X can equal (or even better) the Elite.
[A potential savings of $190, too.]
Currently running the Tuba with a pair of Russian 6N14N and the 15v/1.5A iFi iPower X, driving the MM-500.
Sounds quite good: lively, full, 3-dimensional, dynamic and detailed.
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