JJaudio 6080 SET tube amp

[phergus_25]

Well as we all know there are some real good buys out there, and there is always that person who took the chance on something and turned out to get a great deal. Well I am trying my hand at being that person with the new JJaudio 6080 Single Ended Class A OTL Tube Headphone and Pre Amplifier.

Manufactures provided specs:

Specification:
Inputs: One RCA pair (rear)
Outputs: One RCA pair (rear), 1 standard 0.25" (1/4") stereo headphone (front)
Control: Front on/off switch and large volume control
Frequency Response: 5Hz to 70kHz (+0/-3dB)
Tubes: preamp - 12AX7/ECC83 for pre-amplification, 6080/6AS7/6N5 for amplification
Operation: "Class A", OTL (Output Transformer Less)
Input Impedance: 100 kohms
Input Sensitivity: 550 mV
Output Power: 300 mW
Output Impedance: 40 ohm
Load Resistance: 30 to 600 ohm
Signal To Noise: 86dB
THD+N: <0.7% @ 100 mW, <1.5% @ 200 mW
Power Consumption: 60 Watts
Power Source: 110-117/220 and 240V,50/60Hz

From the internal pictures of the other amps jjaudio is selling I have reason to believe that the internals are well done; and, as he stated, he used Wima caps and an ALPS volume pot so the parts should be pretty high quality.

I am excited about the tubes that this amp uses as well since they are readily available. Tube rolling is inevitable. So this amp is going to replace my LD as my main amp and preamp.

The buying process:

Upon winning the auction the communication process was rather slow and cumbersome. I don’t believe that the fellow I was talking to spoke much English at all, so this would explain why it took so long. Due to this and other mix-ups in the communication I would not suggest anyone buy an amp till I get mine and give a report on if it was worth the hassle.
To make it clear I don’t think that the guy was intentionally being difficult; I just think that his poor English made it hard for us to understand each other.

To be continued:

The amp was shipped today, so I would expect I should have it by the end of next week. Stay tuned for updates.

 

[GreatDane]

Looks classy. Is that chrome?

Good luck...we shall be waiting.

 

[phergus_25]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreatDane Looks classy. Is that chrome? Good luck...we shall be waiting.

It is crome...dare I say bling bling?

 

[some1x]

Reminds me of the Woo3. Whats the price on this? Can you link to the pictures?

 

[phergus_25]

Quote:

Originally Posted by some1x Reminds me of the Woo3. Whats the price on this? Can you link to the pictures?

There has been some talk about it being a Woo3 clone, but I think that is really premature at this point. I hope to get to the bottom of its build when its in hand.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...0531&rd=1&rd=1

I got it for $220 shipped, but I'm not sure about the current price.

-greg

 

[agile_one]

phergus_25: Very admirable and appreciated for you to take one for the team by purchasing this amplifier. It is certainly an interesting, and somewhat upside down design - what with the 2x 12 ax7's and a single 6as7 (or equivalent) for output as opposed to the inverse (1 12ax and two 6as7's).

Is it really SET (Single Ended Triode)? For many, that is the holy grail of tubeness. See the Triode Guild for an extreme (?) example.

Looking forward to future reports.

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

Wonder how it compares to the LDII+. This certainly look sexier, and the P2P wiring...

Exciting stuff, man.

 

[phergus_25]

Quote:

Originally Posted by agile_one phergus_25: Very admirable and appreciated for you to take one for the team by purchasing this amplifier. It is certainly an interesting, and somewhat upside down design - what with the 2x 12 ax7's and a single 6as7 (or equivalent) for output as opposed to the inverse (1 12ax and two 6as7's). Is it really SET (Single Ended Triode)? For many, that is the holy grail of tubeness. See the Triode Guild for an extreme (?) example. Looking forward to future reports.

Hey, I'm going to consider it my public service and good deed of the week.

[but seriously thanks, I hope that it ends up being a great amp and worth what went into it]


Quote:

Originally Posted by Dept_of_Alchemy Wonder how it compares to the LDII+. This certainly look sexier, and the P2P wiring... Exciting stuff, man.

Thats actually exactly what I am thinking, the hope is that it can replace my LD. My gut feeling is that this is going to be quite a bit better and Im going to sell the LD really quick, but who knows.




-greg

 

[phergus_25]

Well shipping troubles have prevented me from getting the amp as of yet. The seller sent it through DHL so they wanted my actual physical address, and I gave them my PO box. But the trouble seems to have gotton worked out and the amp should be to me before the week is over.
-greg

 

[vcoheda]

Very interested in hearing your impressions. A very nice looking amp. And Class A OTL as well. Keep us updated.

 

[phergus_25]

The Build:

When I got the box it was obvious that the 6080 was deff a hefty amp. Probably about twice what the LD weights. The packing was really top notch and there wasnt a scratch on the box. It was also sent DHL which I think helped keep in in good shape.
The casing really looks even better than the pic on ebay, much more dynamic, and also is lacking the gold badges which I think is a good thing.
After 3 hours of use its really only warm, I wouldent be afraid to keep it on overnight, which I will probably do in the coming week.
There are two things that are slightly irritating about the build, the power button is slightly... slightly... not straight, its not really bad at all but I have a pretty artisticeye and that was picked out pretty quick. The transformer is also slightly off skew, but you really have to stare to find it.
My first real big suprise is that it has a stepped volume. A total of 22 steps, and acording to the auction its an ALPS. My only wondering is if its one of these... http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showt...threadid=11704
But either way I am very happy with the amp at the moment, and I'll get some shots of the POT when I take it apart for the internal shots.

The Sound:
I'm going to give it some time obvisly before I give any real auditory impressions, but I can say that the Little Dot is to be shipped tommorow.

-greg

 

[kramer5150]

Nice thanks for taking one for the team!!

Nice to know it arrived in one piece. Ive seen these sell for under $300, and I always pass on them because I'm affraid of shipping damage.

very interested in your impressions since we have similar cans. Can you evaluate the amp at very low listening volumes?... How stable is the L/R balance at very low volumes? Any wierd sonic characteristics at those listening levels?

Thanks!!... those A250s Love tube amps dont they?

Garrett

 

[phergus_25]

Ok well since you asked here are some of my first auditory impressions, Obvisly subject to change. O and before I get into that do any of your guitar amps use the 12ax7s? if so do you have a fav?

I'll write up a little something right now.
-greg

 

[phergus_25]

[size=large]Early Impressions[/size]

First off I'm going to say that all comparisons are to the Little Dot 2+.

The bass with the 6080 is much deeper and fuller than the LD, as of yet. The midbass is also pretty strong, but seems to have already calmed down from a early hump.

The mids are much smoother than the LD, more body and soul if that makes any since, over a warmer amp, with some imediate weirdness but that cleared up after about an hour of playing.

The highs are actualy alittle more layed back than the Ld, but there is added texture and sparkle. Not sure if its higher detail or the sparkle, but either way more of the music comes through.

The sound stage is much wider and seperation is alot more pronounced, with some nice slam. The only thing is the added seperationakes x-feed kinda nice at times.

The Pot seems to be decent with no obvious imbalance and 22 notches of volume. At low levels there seems to be alittle less of the mids, but im not sure, still sounds fine at low levels.

This is all subject to change, but I am deff verry happy.

I do plan to make a wood face plate at some point and replace the slightly crooked power button with a toggel switch.

-greg

 

[Gradofan2]

I don't suppose you can take a look inside and see what type of components it has (e.g. Rubycon caps, Wima Caps, etc.)?

Pictures of the inside would be great.