[Frihed89]

Yes, when I had the amp; it was an RCA black plate.  It sounded darker than the 6414 or 7062, but I liked the tone, particularly with guitar music.
 
Quote:

Has anybody rolled a 12AY7 into their EAR?  If so, what brand, and what did you think?
 
--Ken

 

[getintechtom]

Does anyone know what version this is? (The post said it was the Ear+ Purist HD2 but I couldn't find any info)  I just purchased it but haven't received it yet.
 

 
Thanks in advance.
Tom

 

[rehabitat]

Ask the maker Dr Peppard. I emailed him a serial number prior to a purchase. He kindly gave me what info he had, which included a pdf of the schematic of a related model.

 

[lbj]

I'm thinking about the Ear+ HD kit.  I love to build kits and this seems right up my alley.  My current headphones are the Denon D2000, which people seem to agree pairs well with the MAD amp.  However an upgrade path I'm considering for the future is orthodynamic.  Anyone have both the Ear+ HD and a set of orthos like the Hifiman or Audeze phones?  How well does the standard Ear+ drive orthos?  Sorry if this has been covered, I skimmed the thread and didn't see anything.  I asked Dr Peppard and he said that while he didn't have direct experience with orthos, or feedback from customers, he believed that the amp would be more than capable.

 

[rattesp]

You could send a PM to sokolov91. He has my MAD and I'm pretty sure he tried it with his LCD-2.

 

[eucariote]

You could also ask Macedonian Hero, he has both LCD-2 and Mad Ear+HD.  I can check the pairing tonight with a Mad Ear+ HD and Denon D5000 if you'd like.  I found that the D7000 can clip a little on jagged highs (saxophone) so I tend to use an SS amp with them now.

 

[lbj]

Thanks guys, pms sent.  Eucariote, if you could try your Denons with the amp that'd be great, I'd be very interested to hear what you think.

 

[Olias of Sunhillow]

I have a pair of LA2000 Lites (modded D2000s). I much prefer them with SS amps (I've tried Concerto, G'Lite, KICAS standard) to either my recently sold MAD Ear+ HD or current Super II. With the tube amps, bass becomes too diffuse and slow, and the overall sound becomes too warm (and I'm a fan of warm-sounding amps and cans). I haven't heard a pair of stock D2000s, so I can't comment on them specifically, but I suspect the LA2000 Lites provide a reasonably similar experience.
 
That said, building an Ear+ HD from a kit sounds like an excellent task. Once my soldering skills reach a certain level, I'll probably do the same.

 

[getintechtom]

Has anyone listened to the EAR+ HD(2) with the Beyerdynamic DT990's (600ohm)? If so, any feedback would be appreciated.
 
 
Thanks
Thomas

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

I'm thinking about the Ear+ HD kit.  I love to build kits and this seems right up my alley.  My current headphones are the Denon D2000, which people seem to agree pairs well with the MAD amp.  However an upgrade path I'm considering for the future is orthodynamic.  Anyone have both the Ear+ HD and a set of orthos like the Hifiman or Audeze phones?  How well does the standard Ear+ drive orthos?  Sorry if this has been covered, I skimmed the thread and didn't see anything.  I asked Dr Peppard and he said that while he didn't have direct experience with orthos, or feedback from customers, he believed that the amp would be more than capable.

 
Quote:

You could send a PM to sokolov91. He has my MAD and I'm pretty sure he tried it with his LCD-2.

Quote:

You could also ask Macedonian Hero, he has both LCD-2 and Mad Ear+HD.  I can check the pairing tonight with a Mad Ear+ HD and Denon D5000 if you'd like.  I found that the D7000 can clip a little on jagged highs (saxophone) so I tend to use an SS amp with them now.

 

Sorry guys...long night getting the kids to bed. My 3 year old son has got an ear infection...made for a really long evening.

 
Here are my thoughts (very similar to Olias of Sunhillow and eucariote) with regards to the D7000s (sorry I only heard or owned the D7000s)....I preferred them with SS amps. A bit too wooley and sloppy with my MAD tube amp. I much preferred my Concerto with them.
 
With regards to the LCD-2s, while the MAD does sound quite nice (but really I only recommend using the 12AX7 tube for the added 30% gain), I find the MAD Ear+HD a very tubey tube amp. So a brilliant match for my RS1i and Edition 8LEs (helps with the treble on both quite a bit), but with the LCD-2s, a bit too warm with a smaller sound stage (and a bit too stuffy). The mids though are INCREDIBLY silky smooth. But the treble does get pushed back a bit too much for my liking and the bass doesn't seem as tight as with my Concerto or WA2.
 
Hope this helps.

 

[eucariote]

Quote:

Thanks guys, pms sent.  Eucariote, if you could try your Denons with the amp that'd be great, I'd be very interested to hear what you think.

Tried the D7000/D5000 with that problematic passage I mentioned earlier- actually a trombone solo on Coltrane's Blue Train and didn't have the problems with the D7000 this time.  With both headphones, the main difference between the MAD Ear +, with the tube I happen to be using (Sylvania gray plate 5751) and the SS amp on a Lavry dac/amp is that the treble is softened.  Out the Lavry, the treble has more extension and sizzle, which also gives instruments have a bit more of an attack.  The mellowed treble is not a bad thing with Denons, which are a bit v-shaped in their signature.

 

[lbj]

I understand about the kids, I have 4 yr old and a 1 yr old myself.  They have a penchant for waking up at odd hours, which is why I'm typing this at 3:30am.

 
Thanks to everybody for their input.  It's very very helpful.  I'd been reading about how people have been enjoying their Denons with this amp, so all the comments about the overly warm sound has been a wakeup call.  I enjoy a rich seductive sound, so (hopefully) the tubey signature of the amp won't bother me.  And it sounds like the amp can handle the LCD-2, even if it's kind of borderline.
 
The other amp that's on my mind right now is the new Lyr.  That one seems to tick all the right boxes, and it's sure priced right.  I'd love to build an Ear+ HD and definitely may still do so, but part of me wants to wait just a little bit and see how the new Schiit pans out.

 

[lbj]

Just to follow up, I bought the Ear+ HD kit!  The pull of DIY was too strong and the recommendations on this board were too convincing to go any other direction.  Thanks again all.

 

[tme110]

I  just picked one up too.  Though even after reading all of these threads I just realized I'm still not completely sure about one thing.  I was just assuming the EAR+ HD had a pre-out...but now that I'm looking it doesn't look like it?  If not, is it an option and at what price?
 
I absolutely can't wait though!

 

[dongringo]

 
Quote:

With regards to the LCD-2s, while the MAD does sound quite nice (but really I only recommend using the 12AX7 tube for the added 30% gain), I find the MAD Ear+HD a very tubey tube amp. So a brilliant match for my RS1i and Edition 8LEs (helps with the treble on both quite a bit), but with the LCD-2s, a bit too warm with a smaller sound stage (and a bit too stuffy). The mids though are INCREDIBLY silky smooth. But the treble does get pushed back a bit too much for my liking and the bass doesn't seem as tight as with my Concerto or WA2.  
Hope this helps.

Interesting, because I've experienced exactly the opposite with the LCD-2/Ear+ as compared to my brother's Concerto. This is with a sylvania 5751 bp tm or Raytheon bp windmill, both 1950s nos. The bass is punchier, not bloated, the treble perfect, and the mids actually more forward than with the Concerto...just the way I like it. I've tried several tubes including a 12AX7 and imo the quality of the tube is more important than the gain. But hey, that's just me.

 
Edit: I should probably mention that my Ear+ is equipped with the black gate filter capacitors in the power supply, which is something Mr. Peppard claims yields a better bass response. I haven't heard the stock filter caps, but this just might account for my experience with this combo.