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Oblivion | UltraSonic Studios
Dec 14, 2021 at 6:50 AM Post #4,396 of 7,539
UntilThen said:
Alright @audiargent let's answer your questions but first I got distracted when I power on Oblivion and start listening with LCD4 which I have not use for a few weeks. Both amp and headphone. Mate this is a very good pairing. Oblivion just opens up LCD4 more and gives it a lot more air and space.

Question 1 : How do KT88 sound? In everything there is a base reference when describing sound. Where EL34 is more relaxed and euphonic, KT88 is more aggressive, tighter and less warm than EL34. In Odyssey that is biased on KT88, you get the best of everything because you get to use these 2 very contrasting power tubes. In essence you could have just gone with these tubes and you will be very happy. These tubes have very nice and expensive NOS variety. I didn't get the GEC KT88 because it's a brand new pair and I know if I were to buy it, I'll end up keeping it. :) However I did have some nice NOS EL34. The metal base and the Philips Miniwatt EL34 xf2. That's enough. On top of that I have the Telefunken EL12 spez and that is a very special tube. Absolutely gorgeous sound. I even prefer it over the EL34 metal base but not by much.

Psvane KT88 Tii sounds just like a KT88 but it's also smooth. Without any ragged edges. I like it enough not to have to spend on the GEC KT88. Of course if I get to hear the GEC, I would probably reshuffle my preference. :wink:

Comparing LCD4 and He6se. Prior to He6se arrival, my 2 main headphones are He1000se and LCD4. These could not have been more contrasting. I chose them because they are like ying and yang. He1000se is very open and airy with a top end bite. Some will find it too much but when I listen to He1000se with Odyssey, the combination is just right. Tube amps does wonders. LCD4 is more dense and has a thicker texture but it has very good clarity. Bass is where I fell in love with this headphone. LCD-3f bass has more bloom whereas LCD4 bass is tighter. However when you compare LCD4 bass with He6se then you will find LCD4 bass has more bloom whereas bass on the He6se is tighter and obviously without any bloom. He6se is in some ways similar to He1000se but He6se is tighter and punchier than He1000se. More tight fisted slam. I do have a preference for headphones that are revealing, airier and with a very good soundstage. So at this point I prefer He6se and He1000se over LCD4 but on some bass tracks that's where LCD4 shines. Vocals are lovely on the LCD4.

When you get Odyssey (also Oblivion) you will find that headphones responds very well with those amps. You will end up having several headphones. Now I have HD800, He1000se, LCD4 and He6se v2. Probably stop here while I enjoy them. I am thinking of Susvara though to replace them all. :xf_cool:
Click to expand...
Can't have been more helpful. Will keep my watch on any LCD-4s then!

I was thinking of doing a full PSVANE TII set with 274Bs, KT88s or 6CA7s and CV-181s.
 
Dec 14, 2021 at 1:01 PM Post #4,398 of 7,539
Ah, Psvanes with orange base. I like them. I also made some pictures with them. Here KT88-TII with CV181-TII.

KT88orange.jpg
 
Dec 14, 2021 at 2:11 PM Post #4,399 of 7,539
Dec 14, 2021 at 2:38 PM Post #4,400 of 7,539
OctavianH said:
Ah, Psvanes with orange base. I like them. I also made some pictures with them. Here KT88-TII with CV181-TII.

KT88orange.jpg
Click to expand...
That Eternity does still look fabulous, any updates on SQ? This is the model I'm most interested in. Nice mirror finish on the volume knob 🙂.
 
Dec 14, 2021 at 3:42 PM Post #4,403 of 7,539
baronbeehive said:
That Eternity does still look fabulous, any updates on SQ? This is the model I'm most interested in. Nice mirror finish on the volume knob 🙂.
Click to expand...
I do not think I can add more about it. After reading more and more about what others report I realize all these UltraSonic amplifiers have a common house sound. So a clean and detailed sound with a wide soundstage. No harsnhess, nothing grainy, I can call it a natural sound. And on top of this, small variations based on the model. Eternity I guess is the most coloured one, with the most distortion compared with the balanced models, but still, it remains somewhere between SS and classical tube designs borrowing the speed of the discrete components and some harmonics and euphony of a tube design. I do not think you can go wrong with it, it is close to neutral, clean, fast and responsive enough to rolling to be able to add a flavour you desire based on your other gear or musical preferences. One of the qualities I have started to appreciate more and more on an amplifier is flexibility. The ability to tune it so it will mask some flaws in the recording or enhance synergy with a specific headphone. Many users here prefer to collect several amplifiers and many pairs of headphones and just roll between them. I prefer to have one amplifier which is flexible and maybe 1-2 headphones and to adjust the signature based on my needs. Different approaches for the same thing, in my case the more equipment I gather, the more unused pairs I have because I tend to use only the one I consider the best.
UntilThen said:
Just remember to have your pants on when you take a photo.
Click to expand...
Judging by the fact that Eternity sits on my working desk, I doubt I will have that problem. I have a boring job but it is not related to web chatting. LOL

Later Edit: When I was referring at a common house sound I was taken into consideration Oblivion, Citadel, Infinity and Eternity. Odyssey is a different animal, as far as I know that one is a classic tube design with some quality components. So that one might be in a different category.
 
Last edited:
Dec 14, 2021 at 4:23 PM Post #4,405 of 7,539
OctavianH said:
I do not think you can go wrong with it, it is close to neutral, clean, fast and responsive enough to rolling to be able to add a flavour you desire based on your other gear or musical preferences.
Click to expand...
👍.
OctavianH said:
One of the qualities I have started to appreciate more and more on an amplifier is flexibility. The ability to tune it so it will mask some flaws in the recording or enhance synergy with a specific headphone. Many users here prefer to collect several amplifiers and many pairs of headphones and just roll between them. I prefer to have one amplifier which is flexible and maybe 1-2 headphones and to adjust the signature based on my needs. Different approaches for the same thing, in my case the more equipment I gather, the more unused pairs I have because I tend to use only the one I consider the best.
Click to expand...
That's my preference, less to think about, less knobs to twiddle, just you and the music to enjoy! I appreciate hearing others views though and their various equipment choices.
 
Dec 14, 2021 at 4:24 PM Post #4,406 of 7,539
Dec 14, 2021 at 4:28 PM Post #4,407 of 7,539
UntilThen said:
Alright @audiargent let's answer your questions but first I got distracted when I power on Oblivion and start listening with LCD4 which I have not use for a few weeks. Both amp and headphone. Mate this is a very good pairing. Oblivion just opens up LCD4 more and gives it a lot more air and space.

Question 1 : How do KT88 sound? In everything there is a base reference when describing sound. Where EL34 is more relaxed and euphonic, KT88 is more aggressive, tighter and less warm than EL34. In Odyssey that is biased on KT88, you get the best of everything because you get to use these 2 very contrasting power tubes. In essence you could have just gone with these tubes and you will be very happy. These tubes have very nice and expensive NOS variety. I didn't get the GEC KT88 because it's a brand new pair and I know if I were to buy it, I'll end up keeping it. :) However I did have some nice NOS EL34. The metal base and the Philips Miniwatt EL34 xf2. That's enough. On top of that I have the Telefunken EL12 spez and that is a very special tube. Absolutely gorgeous sound. I even prefer it over the EL34 metal base but not by much.

Psvane KT88 Tii sounds just like a KT88 but it's also smooth. Without any ragged edges. I like it enough not to have to spend on the GEC KT88. Of course if I get to hear the GEC, I would probably reshuffle my preference. :wink:

Comparing LCD4 and He6se. Prior to He6se arrival, my 2 main headphones are He1000se and LCD4. These could not have been more contrasting. I chose them because they are like ying and yang. He1000se is very open and airy with a top end bite. Some will find it too much but when I listen to He1000se with Odyssey, the combination is just right. Tube amps does wonders. LCD4 is more dense and has a thicker texture but it has very good clarity. Bass is where I fell in love with this headphone. LCD-3f bass has more bloom whereas LCD4 bass is tighter. However when you compare LCD4 bass with He6se then you will find LCD4 bass has more bloom whereas bass on the He6se is tighter and obviously without any bloom. He6se is in some ways similar to He1000se but He6se is tighter and punchier than He1000se. More tight fisted slam. I do have a preference for headphones that are revealing, airier and with a very good soundstage. So at this point I prefer He6se and He1000se over LCD4 but on some bass tracks that's where LCD4 shines. Vocals are lovely on the LCD4.

When you get Odyssey (also Oblivion) you will find that headphones responds very well with those amps. You will end up having several headphones. Now I have HD800, He1000se, LCD4 and He6se v2. Probably stop here while I enjoy them. I am thinking of Susvara though to replace them all. :xf_cool:
Click to expand...
So Matt, tell me how you feel about the EL156 tubes when you use them in Odyssey!
 
Dec 14, 2021 at 6:21 PM Post #4,408 of 7,539
Dec 14, 2021 at 7:18 PM Post #4,409 of 7,539
Dec 14, 2021 at 7:49 PM Post #4,410 of 7,539
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