I haven't posted in years. Shame on me. I just wanted Dr. Peppard to know his Ear+ has given me countless hours of joy. Not just pleasure, JOY.
As far as tubes, I have several dozen laying around. Sylvania Gold Pins, Amperex, RCA Command, Siemens, you name it. But for my particular set up, (and don't listen to what anybody says unless they have a setup similar to yours) The GE 5751 triple mica, black plate, 5 star is far and away the best. And guess what? If you listen to as much music as I do, you will easily realize, that when you use tubes, every one is unique. That is the curse, but much more, the beauty of tubes.
In my case, I have 4 of the GE's. Not grey plates (they are a bit more fuzzy, not enough resolution for my taste), and each one is subtly different. At its best, the GE triple mica, black plate, 5 star is perfectly clear, with that elusive characteristic called balance. My source is Oppo's unbeatable listening value, the BDP 105. My headphones are Ultrasone Edition 9's which are considered here to be not well balanced. Well, "they" are right. But I'm not as young as I used to be and their so called failings, suit my ears perfectly. They are easy to drive and are a bit forward with a bit of emphasis in the bass. Sounds like Grados at their best, doesn't it? The Ultrasones are a bit smoother than the Grados I"ve known, but still with that forward presentation that Grados give.
Back to the Mad Ear+. The tubes remove any hint of graininess that your headphones may give while letting saxes, voices, and guitars stay at the front of the stage. Many have condemned the Ear+ for being a bit loose in the bass. If you listen to rock, blues, smooth jazz, etc, this is a damning criticism and one the Ear + deserves. But in my experience the GE tubes (must be black plate, triple mica, 5 star) tightens up the bass beautifully while maintaining that smooth forward mid to upper range that grabs your heart and says hang on, your ears and soul are in for a trip nothing else can give.
Tubes are praised for their smoothness, but they can be fast as well. I have Cream's Reunion at Royal Albert Hall blu ray on as I write this. Ginger Baker is in the midst of his drum solo. While Baker isn't Neil Pert or Keith Moon, he's still one of the rock greats. And the Ear + and GE is fast enough to not degrade the concussion of the kick drum or the splash or the cymbals. The drums simply sound real. Jack Bruce's bass is defined and clear to the point you know he is playing fretless. Clapton's guitar wails a plaintive sweetness.
I have several headphone amps, including 2 legendary, hand built Beta 22's, the class A balanced amp that could likely drive any of the speakers any of you own. Needless to say it effortlessly grabs your headphone drivers and bends them to its will. Yet when I have the urge for listening to headphones I fire up my Ear+. Why? Simply put, because it is the most real presentation of music, that lets me just disappear into the mind of the writer, composer and performer.
Dr. Peppard, I'd like to thank you for the many years of listening pleasure you've given me. GE, while, you've forgotten your tube production skills, I'd like to thank you. And Ultrasone, thank you for a headphone that matches my ears' particular flaws.
And that's what we search for, not the perfect headphone, perfect source or perfect amp, but the perfect combination that works with our flawed perception of sound to give us as perfect an experience as we are capable of.
And thank you headfi for providing a forum for us all to share our unique listening experiences.
