MAZDA by Telefunken 12AX7 + Psvane CV181-TII ‘grey bottle’ on the photo.
ICON AUDIO HP8 MK2 Russian Bear Edition
ICON AUDIO HP8 MK2 Russian Bear Edition
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Where are the updates, modifications and improvements?Well the HP8 just works and is one fine amp. Nothing I have had has bettered it and I'm very happy with mine. I'll bet there are many content silent owners out there.
I'm not much of a modder. Usually just happy with whatever I choose to keep in my system. If it is not to my liking i will just buy something else rather than try to change it.
Probably you have not yet heard the real sound of the Icon......Nothing really to update on.
Mine is dead. Enjoyed for over 2 years. No mods but lots of tube rolling. I own over 100 vintage 6SN7 types and several hundred vintage 12AX7 types from every factory you can imagine. Telefunken to Mullard, all the Phillips factories, all the varied French tubes and even several 1948 NOS RCA 12AX7 that are some of the very first made period. Even have General Electric/Ken Rad factory engineering samples that are also late 40s!!
Anyway I killed a socket most likely via tube rolling. I started getting some noise I attributed to the tubes, and on the very next roll something ‘gave’ in the 12AX7 socket and now there is a major hum.
Took bottom access panel off, and all looks correct, but moving the tube in the ‘AX7 socket causes just a bit of movement in the parts array below the socket making a ‘spring-like’ sound that wasn’t there before. It looks like one of the socket Leads moves too much. More give than normal.
So I suspect all the sudden noise problems was never a tube, and I made it worse with one final tube roll that damaged the socket internals that connect tube pin to leads below.
Icon Audio referred me to the authorized dealer in US for repair. Of course Music Direct.
Music Direct won’t service it, though since I did not purchase it from them. Both Icon and MD suggested I find a local repairman. I have yet to have any luck after several promising looking options have not returned my calls yet.
MD DID give me the phone number to the repair center in Chicago that does all of their repair and upgrade work on Icon Amps. I haven’t called them yet.
My other option is of course do it myself. I have all the necessary tools including a pro variable solder station and I have what I would call average skill. But that scares me a bit.
Anyway I am doing the cap upgrade too but am confused by the values as well being quoted by Icon for the coupling caps. The value on the Solen MKP caps is specifically 0.33uF 630v. That’s not what folks are being told about the Jensen upgrade, though. The tech at MD did tell me the stock caps in the Hp8 MKII do NOT measure at their rated specs. Maybe that has something to do with it.
Finally, does anyone have a recommendation for a tech? Before I send to Chicago where it could sit for quite awhile low on priority list, or before I fire up my own equipment??
Thanks!
I highly recommend leaving the capacity of capacitors 0.33uF 630v. It is also necessary to double the capacity of all cathode capacitors. And the sound of the Icon will be at the highest level.Finally, does anyone have a recommendation for a tech?
Ok, got the correct capacitors soldered in. Stuck with the Mundorf Mcap supreme silver oil. Presently, burning in a pair of the new Sophia electric 6sn7 blue glass tubes and a 12ax7 also from Sophia.
I'm about 25 hours into the caps & tubes burn-in. Very much impressed with what I hear so far. Great detail and air to the sound signature. I know the term gets used alot, but I find this Icon Audio HP amp to be very musical. Also, I'm impressed with how black the amp is. Totally silent. Like, I hear zero distortion. In regards to power, this solidly built, hefty little amp has plenty of power. No issues at all driving my Sennheiser HD-6XX headphones with authority. Also, I did read a few prior comments regarding transformer noise/hum. I'm thankful that my unit is totally quite.
More to come as I get used to the amp and post caps and tubes burn-in. But this is really turning out to be a great amp.