[xchagg]

I just bought a used MG Head. I'm enjoying it tremendously, but I find the sound too bright. The output is even brighter than my MINT w/ 8620s. Soundstage is soo much better now though, and nice bass too hehe.

Source: Laptop Headphone Out, PCDP Line-Out, Iriver H320 Line Out
Headphones: ER-4Ps w/ adaptor cable (used with and without the cable)
Tubes used: 2 unmarked (probably new-production) EL84s,
Tung-Sol 5751, Philips ECG JAN 12AX7WA, Sylvania Triple Mica Black Plate 5751.

I rolled with the above tubes, and still ended up having to bump up the bass in FB2K, than auto level so that the music doesn't sound like a drill going through my head. Can't EQ the PCDP, and the output is really bright.... with choral music the soprano parts can kill . . . . I never had to EQ when using a MINT or Go-Vibe (w/8620 too)

I'm planning to get a pair of Senn H650s sometime soon so that extra high end sizzle will match well with my listening preferences . . . But with Ety 4s this isn't a very nice match

Any suggestions to get rid of the excess treble so that I don't nd to use the EQ? Will the supposedly bassier Ei EL84s help somewhat tame the highs? Or maybe Teles hehe?

 

[mkmelt]

I would reserve judging the MG Head DT until you have the headphones you intend to use with the amplifier most if not all of the time. The HD-580 or HD-600 would both be a good choice for use with the MG Head DT. Take the money you'll save vs. buying the HD-650 and buy some better tubes and possibly upgrade the amplifier to a later MG Head version, one with the output transformerless (OTL) option, if your MG Head does not have this feature.

A limitation of the original MG Head DT design is that the OTL output option was not provided. The OTL feature added to later units bypasses the weakest part of the MG Head design, the output transformers. The audio signal passed by these output transformers is significantly attenuated at both ends of the audio spectrum. Think of an upside down smiley-face ( : centered at 1KHz and you'll get some idea of the frequency response of the amplifier when the output transformers are part of the final output stage. Even so, if you primarily listen to vocals or acoustic music the midrange will sound very fine indeed when the output transformers are used and the missing upper and lower frequencies may not be noticed.

When the headphones are connected to the OTL connection the output transformers are not used. This can only be done when using high impedance headphones such as the HD-580/600/650. In this case the frequency response of the MG Head can be essentially flat from below 50 Hz to above 10KHz. Still not world class performance but good enough for most purposes. Then it would be worth investing in some good vintage tubes until you find some that give you the sound you like best.