[pedalhead]

Quote:

Originally Posted by snejk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for your comments pedalhead! I completely understand your reluctance to a final comment on the combination, I often feel the same about giving audio-related advice. Since I haven't heard that many different combinations of amps and headphones it's hard to pass final/absolute judgements. The MAD certainly opened up a new world (not always necesarily better) compared to the Headline though, especially for the RS1, not as much for the GS1000. Come to think of it, I don't think I have tried my HD650 with the MAD yet, need to do that! Ooh, and slight OT regarding the PSU for the Headline, the only PSUs I have tried, and have, are the NAPSC2 and the Hicap (Olive). Switching between the two I could hear slight differences but not the "mindboggling" changes some people talk about. Maybe I have tin ears.... One funny thing though is that the Headline manages to drive my AKG K1000 a lot better than the MAD. I have the MAD Super which, if I'm not mistaken, has greater output (watts) than the regular MAD amps. Not sure about the specs for the Naim amp. The K1000 with the MAD is unlistenable but the Headline2 is quite decent up to a certain sound level but more than enough for me, sound level wize. Well, enough OT ranting, looking forward to further comments on the MAD/HD800/HF2!

Interesting comments about the Headline, I recently discovered those Teddy Cap third party PSUs & apparently they're meant to be pretty decent for the price.

Back onto the Ear+, I'm hoping for great things with the incoming HF2

.

 

[pedalhead]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blargman /img/forum/go_quote.gif Awesome pics btw pedalhead.

Cheers, although it'll look even better with a Headroom tower of power beside it! You've got a great system for a self-proclaimed "newbbie" (is the double "b" ironic?

). Obviously we're all sorry about your wallet

.

 

[blargman]

hah, yes after my purchase today of bagels and rca cables, my wallet is very sorry. all in all about 1500$ in my headphones right now. Which is nothing compared to your headroom tower there lol wow.

 

[diego]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ampersand /img/forum/go_quote.gif As this is a Special Edition item I'm not sure i understand the tone of your question, but i'll say this.. I'm excited about this for a few reasons. 1. I'm happy with my current MAD and support their products. 2. Only a few will be made, so that alone increases their value as a collector's item. 3. Tube rectification not found in my current MAD amp 4. New tubes incorporated in this edition. I have no idea if the new amp will sound better than the old Ear+ HD, but i can't wait to hear people's experience with the 250.

According to Dr. Peppard the HD 250 sounds a bit better than the Super. You also have to take into account that he's very conservative when he states something like this, so the difference is probably clear.

So far I have only seen the design but the changes are significant.

-The input stage is SRPP instead of Common Cathode. It also does not have a cathode bypass capacitor. These two changes are significant and can change the sound signature of the amp.

-The output tubes are EL84 instead of 12B4a. They are not only different but more powerful also. I think the amp is something like 30% more powerful than the Super. This can change the sound signature too.

-It has full tube rectification with a choke in the power supply. I don't know if this changes the sound but mine is similar and sounds great.

-Dr Peppard plans to make then with film capacitors only. The SRPP input stage leaves only the output caps in the amp circuit and the choke allows to use smaller film caps in the power supply. This can potentially have significant effects in the sound quality.

Overall I think the changes are very interesting and I would certainly like to hear the HD 250.

 

[SemiAudiophile]

Quote:

Originally Posted by diego /img/forum/go_quote.gif According to Dr. Peppard the HD 250 sounds a bit better than the Super. You also have to take into account that he's very conservative when he states something like this, so the difference is probably clear. So far I have only seen the design but the changes are significant. -The input stage is SRPP instead of Common Cathode. It also does not have a cathode bypass capacitor. These two changes are significant and can change the sound signature of the amp. -The output tubes are EL84 instead of 12B4a. They are not only different but more powerful also. I think the amp is something like 30% more powerful than the Super. This can change the sound signature too. -It has full tube rectification with a choke in the power supply. I don't know if this changes the sound but mine is similar and sounds great. -Dr Peppard plans to make then with film capacitors only. The SRPP input stage leaves only the output caps in the amp circuit and the choke allows to use smaller film caps in the power supply. This can potentially have significant effects in the sound quality. Overall I think the changes are very interesting and I would certainly like to hear the HD 250.

dang...that just sparked my interest in getting one too (or at least wanting to hear one).

there is no doubt in my mind that the HD250 is gonna be a world class amplifier along with the top tier likes of the WA6SEM, Zana Deux, etc. and it's just so beautiful..

i love my Purist though..and don't see myself parting with it any time soon.

whatever happen to afrikane and his impressions?..he's probably enjoying his too much.

 

[Afrikane]

My apologies for being slow with the impressions; unfortunately real life sometimes gets in the way and so I have had a limited opportunities for extended listening sessions. I also received a pair of HD800s recently so that too is a bit of a learning curve. I rather stupidly did not pay heed to the good Doctors advice and insisted on a stepper which I am now regretting as it does not have enough fine control so tomorrow surgery shall be performed and a TKD pot will be installed. More delayed gratification.

@SemiA, yes, I am indeed enjoying the amp very much; both the HD800 and the K1000 are sounding excellent to me. At this point I cannot think of single sonic aspect that I think is lacking and many that are excellent. For instance this amp is dead quiet, even at full volume, so detail retrieval and dynamics are excellent. I have also noticed that on the K1000 imaging is a little more precise than on most amps that I have tried it with. But more of that anon when I can get some serious listening under way and take proper notes.

Some guts and glory:

 

[robert]

My apologies for being slow with the impressions; unfortunately real life sometimes gets in the way and so I have had a limited opportunities for extended listening sessions. I also received a pair of HD800s recently so that too is a bit of a learning curve. I rather stupidly did not pay heed to the good Doctors advice and insisted on a stepper which I am now regretting as it does not have enough fine control so tomorrow surgery shall be performed and a TKD pot will be installed. More delayed gratification.

@SemiA, yes, I am indeed enjoying the amp very much; both the HD800 and the K1000 are sounding excellent to me. At this point I cannot think of single sonic aspect that I think is lacking and many that are excellent. For instance this amp is dead quiet, even at full volume, so detail retrieval and dynamics are excellent. I have also noticed that on the K1000 imaging is a little more precise than on most amps that I have tried it with. But more of that anon when I can get some serious listening under way and take proper notes.



The final one I built has the TKD 25mm pot. Had to rotate it 90 degrees; pins are too long. I asked for the power switch on the back, so the left side of the front panel was empty. Big AuriCaps!!!!!!!!! And a proper terminal strip.

I would miss the glow of the cathode in the 12B4A, though.

 

[BigAmish]

Hi all,

Does anyone have any impressions of the Groove Tubes GT-5751M pre-amp tube with the MAD EAR+ HD? I've been using one as a low-cost new production tube & have been enjoying it quite a bit more than I thought I would. Nice warm, enveloping sound with good detail levels. My only gripe so far is that the vocals can be a bit 'edgy' on some recordings but that may be due to poor digital mastering rather than the tube. So far, this and the Sylvania JAN 5751 Grey Plate are my favorite tubes on a budget.

Any other impressions?

Pic for those unfamiliar with it:

 

[sbulack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigAmish /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi all, Does anyone have any impressions of the Groove Tubes GT-5751M pre-amp tube with the MAD EAR+ HD? I've been using one as a low-cost new production tube & have been enjoying it quite a bit more than I thought I would. Nice warm, enveloping sound with good detail levels. ... So far, this and the Sylvania JAN 5751 Grey Plate are my favorite tubes on a budget. Any other impressions? ...

Thanks, BigAmish, for that impression of the Groove Tubes 5751. I bought one over a year ago. At the same time it came, a load of pricier NOS tubes came in also - with the result that I've never rolled the GT-5751M into the Mapletree Ear+ HD. I'm going to roll that tube in right now. I'll be back with my own impressions - probably in a few days. Groove Tubes goes through new production output, selecting the best batches to be re-badged under their brand. As I recently found with a particular "vintage" batch of Sovtek 12AX7 tubes, the best batches of new production tubes can give NOS tubes a good run for a good deal less $$$. Thanks again, BigAmish, for your reminder. I'll be back in a few days with my impressions of the GT-5751M.....

 

[BigAmish]

No problem sbulack. Had been using the GT for about 6 months straight & for no particular reason decided to swap back to one my 'go-to' Sylvania Grey Plates to note the differences. Was surprised how well the GT held up! The GT is definately a different beast than the Sylvania, but the sound characteristics were pleasing to my ear regardless.

I tried the same basic thing last summer, except instead of the GT, I used an Electro-harmonix 5751 Gold Pin (Sovtek clone), and it didn't hold up nearly as well after several months of constant use when compared to the Sylvania. Not bad, just not as good. Specifically, I recall an overall lack of depth & detail, but I seem to remember the EH having more oomph in the bass, but it wasn't as well defined as the Sylvania.

Wish I could pull the trigger on some high-end 5751 tubes, but I always get gun-shy at the prospect of buying an expensive tube without hearing it first. Some of these NOS tubes are more expensive than some amps!

 

[sbulack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigAmish /img/forum/go_quote.gif ... Wish I could pull the trigger on some high-end 5751 tubes, but I always get gun-shy at the prospect of buying an expensive tube without hearing it first. Some of these NOS tubes are more expensive than some amps!

You might like to do some tube-shopping at www.tubeworld.com. Brendan Biever, who runs the site, does some good reviewing of the different types of tubes he sells. I've found Brendan's reviews of tubes that I've purchased, used and had lots of listening experience with to be pretty good. It's not as good as listening to a tube in your own gear before buying, but where will you get that opportunity? Brendan's reviews are pretty close to the next best thing. If, when you find a particular tube you are interested in, and you find the tubeworld prices a bit to sticker-shock-y, you may want to check with Paul Lindemann on audiogon. I've had Paul find me several harder-to-get tubes, and he's found them and sold them to me for less money than I've been able to actually buy lesser tubes for in eBay auctions.

 

[mrarroyo]

For some reason I thought the HD250 could drive speakers as well as headphones. Just went to Dr. Lloyd's site and it is a headphone amp only. Kind of disappointed although I realized it is through no fault but my own.

 

[diego]

The HD250 prototype has speaker terminals for k1000 but I don't think it's powerful enough for speakers. I saw the one you mention and it's also different than the prototype. The main difference is that it's SS rectified.

 

[mrarroyo]

Thanks Diego, I thought I was going LOCO!

Cheers.

 

[xenithon]

Yes, the prototype has speaker taps at the request of the owner for that customization (fine Sir Afrikane

) to cater for the K1000's.