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MrSpeakers Alpha Dog Revealed! - The World's First Production 3D-Printed Headphones
Feb 10, 2014 at 1:42 AM Post #5,686 of 9,071
As a general rule, tubes amplify with higher voltages and lower currents whereas transistors are the opposite, lower voltages and higher currents. The power (watts) delivered to the load (headphones in this case) is the product of the voltage multiplied by the current. Current flows easier through low impedance headphones (orthos/planers) and requires lower voltages to produce a specified power rating. Conversely, high impedance headphones generally require a higher voltage to produce enough current to achieve the same power output. OTL designs can't produce the necessary current into a low impedance load to reach satisfying power levels (volume).
 
Feb 10, 2014 at 1:50 AM Post #5,687 of 9,071
I built a OTL headphone amp from Aren Van Waarde's schematics on headwize back in the days before head-fi.  It uses a 6AS7G and a 6922 tube.  I can't answer your question technically because I really don't know but I can assembly and amp from the schematics and a parts list.  I can say that it sounded great on the HD-600 but crappy on Sony's and Grado's.
 
Feb 10, 2014 at 1:53 AM Post #5,688 of 9,071
pdrm360 said:
   
I've never had the Project Ember, so I cannot refute your post but the Lyr with orange globe tubes isn't a bad choice for the AD at all. 
Click to expand...

Blech I had a comparison typed then my internet crashed. Anyways I have not heard the Lyr, but there are some huge advantages to the Ember functionality wise.
 
For one the Ember can use 20+ different types of tubes (some of the codes in the manual are doubled so I guessed quite low) while the Lyr can only use 6 iirc, and that is without mentioning the Ember current supercharger being released soon to allow for even more tube selection. The ember also auto select the heater w/autobias so you do not have to fiddle with any settings, granted the Lyr is settingless too.. On top of that there is a slew of settings so you can customize the sound to your liking. These settings include high and low gain settings, bypass input connectors, and 3 resistance settings that change the power and the sound. However the peak power output of the Ember is 2.4W the Lyr is 6W. Schiit does have a better warranty at 5 years, but Garage 1217 does have a 3 year warranty. Another huge advantage is only using 1 tube vs pairs. You can swap them out faster, only have to replace one when one goes bad, and you can buy singles for tube rolling= a lot cheaper in the long run. The ember runs incredibly cool overall, and I hear the Lyr can run decently hot. The Ember has a smaller footprint, granted I do dislike its lack of weight for putting in inputs. The ember is also supposed to be easier to remove tubes as the chassis sits low, but you could just put tube sockets into the Lyr to override this. Both have pre-outs. The Ember built is $325 the Lyr is $449 excluding shipping for both. Most importantly the Ember also has an LED to light up the tube with user customizable RGB settings, and being able to turn it off and on. Ok that last one I was being sarcastic, but it is cool. 
 
Some items in comparison are minor but others are quite huge imo.
 
Sound quality wise I have heard they are pretty much on par. A few people hint that the Ember is better, but from their reviews I call it par. Most people have owned both have chosen the Ember due to the price and the extra functions.
 
Feb 10, 2014 at 3:07 AM Post #5,689 of 9,071
While we're slightly OT -- here is a DIY single tube hybrid amp that does quite well with orthos. It's called the Compact Tube Hybrid and was designed by Alex Cavalli and Chris Forster. Like the Ember, it's a tube rollers dream. It does 6v, 12v and two other heater voltages of your choice. It also has a pretty cool DC offset protection circuit to protect your headphones. It costs about ~$200 to build.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/416776/cavalli-compact-tube-hybrid-amp-a-review
 
Feb 10, 2014 at 5:31 PM Post #5,692 of 9,071
oldnslo said:
  MY DOGS ARE HERE!
 
Can't wait to get home!  Can't Wait!  Cannot.  Wait.
 
I ordered in early January, for those in line behind me.  
Click to expand...

Awesome.  Hope you get to enjoy them tonight. Let us know how they sound:)
 
Mine were just released from Canada customs.  So hopefully they will be here before Friday as I work out of town and leave on Fri.
 
Feb 11, 2014 at 1:33 AM Post #5,695 of 9,071
Finally got mine in. Took about 5 weeks so one week sooner.

First thing I did was make a couple of headphone cables for it. What a pain in the ass. Making a balanced cable from my basso pb2 for the alpha dogs was just an incredibly frustrating experience. Haha. Sure it will get easier but it sure took alot of patience. Looks like the factory cable is something similar to canary quad star. Would have been alot easier to use then the braided wire I used instead.

Can't say how good they sound. Seems in this case they do need to be broken in. They are very comfortable and much lighter then my Hifiman headphones. But once broken in they should be a really terrific all round headphone.
 
Feb 11, 2014 at 2:49 AM Post #5,696 of 9,071
turboman808 said:
Finally got mine in. Took about 5 weeks so one week sooner.

First thing I did was make a couple of headphone cables for it. What a pain in the ass. Making a balanced cable from my basso pb2 for the alpha dogs was just an incredibly frustrating experience. Haha. Sure it will get easier but it sure took alot of patience. Looks like the factory cable is something similar to canary quad star. Would have been alot easier to use then the braided wire I used instead.

Can't say how good they sound. Seems in this case they do need to be broken in. They are very comfortable and much lighter then my Hifiman headphones. But once broken in they should be a really terrific all round headphone.
Click to expand...

 
I've had mine for a bit over a month now and to be honest, I haven't really noticed much (if any) change from burn in.
 
Feb 11, 2014 at 9:27 AM Post #5,698 of 9,071
My only issue with the AD is the cable.  Not that it doesn't sound good but the weight and stiffness.  If I am correct, it is a Canare L-4E5C which is a great cable and extremely tough but a little heavy as a headphone cable.  It has a braided nickle plated copper shield that makes it very durable but a little stiff.  Plus the outer insulator is heavy and not that flexible.  Put the AD on your head without the cable attached and if feels like a different headphone.
 
Last night I broke down and removed the connectors from the stock cable and put them on my old Norse cable and also put a 1/8 TRS on for portable use.  The Norse cable feels like having no cable at all.  Now the AD is perfect.
 
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