[Orpheus]

yeah... i really don't trust the techs at Divergent now. it is possible that the buzz was solved by the time they got it.... i mean, very unlikely ...but who knows.... maybe the shipping banged things around a bit and voila.... fixed!

heh he... but really, the crooked faceplate is EXTREMELY obvious. all my friends that glanced at the amp sitting, next to my monitors, wondered, "Did you know that it's crooked?" ...and like i said, the Tech at Holm Audio even said it's broke! now wouldn't you think Divergent would take a closer look before calling me a liar?

...and they don't seem to really give a damn that the feet are uneven. is that what you want a company that makes $5000 amps to say?

...anyway, Born2bwire, i wouldn't hesitate to return that amp... even though Holm could lose money again. it's Holm's decision to carry ASL stuff... if i were them, i'd just say screw ASL... and stop carrying their stuff. they'll learn.

and everyone else who owns defective ASL stuff.... call Divergent and give them a piece of your mind!

dean

 

[fredpb]

People who buy the MG Head usually tube roll, which cost extra money.

I personally think the Headroom Premium equipped Little is better. I have both.

 

[kelly]

There are a good number of people who already have tuberolled the MG Head so zero'ing in on your preferences wouldn't be too difficult. The tube I like is the Raytheon 5751 which Nick got for $25.

I would FAR prefer the MG Head to the Little.

 

[Gallaine]

I am posting to this thread not because I have had problems with my MG Head, but because I haven't. The face plate is square and level and there doesn't appear to be any channel balance problems at low to moderate levels. The only thing I found troubling is that I get alot of static when I turn the volume knob - but it goes away as soon I stop turning it. I bought mine brand new from a seller on Ebay.

The problems brought up here do concern me though. I recently had to sell my entire system, except my CD player and headphones, in order to overcome a few of life's no so pleasant issues. Music is very important to me, so I was able to save enough money from the sale to purchase a modest headphone amp. After reading alot of the reviews here, and because I like tubes, I bought the ASL MG Head. But like I mentioned earlier I've haven't had any problems. In fact, I really like the amp in stock form (I want to wait until I am familiar with it before tuberolling).

What concerns me most is Divergent's attitude. They are touted as a company offering high-performance components at a reasonable price. And that they do. But if a reasonable price comes with crappy service I'll gladly spend a little more. Don't get me wrong, I haven't given up on Divergent yet. But a small seed of doubt has been planted

.

 

[Nick Dangerous]

I haven't purchased anything directly from Divergent, but Tash did ship us a Twin Head for the last Head-Fi meeting. I was very grateful for that... very few are available for review as of yet!

 

[Orpheus]

welp, i just talked to Holm Audio.... and their tech checked my new unit out before they shipped it. guess what?--the faceplate was also crooked again!!! but he said on that one he was able to adjust it enought to make it straight. my old one was so crooked, there was no way to adjust it... but i guess this one was okay. the feet weren't level either, but i guess i can put some washers in to adjust them.

...i also talked to him a bit... and he said that on the lower end ASL stuff, like the $200 monoblocks and the MG Head, the construction is incredibly bad... though the higher-end stuff like the $5000 power amps are constructed much better. but he agreed with me, that no matter what the company should put the same amount of care into each product they make.

anyway... i didn't receive the unit yet... i'll let you know if it's any better. but one thing for sure, i'll never buy another ASL again!

dean

 

[Orpheus]

just got the amp back today (well, it's actually a new replacement.) and it seems everything was fixed! the feet are level, the faceplate is not noticeably crooked (it's still maybe off by a couple millimeters comparing the left and right sides... but that's being overly critical) and the buzz is nearly gone. there's still a little noise... definately more than directly from the headphone jack built into the CD player... but very acceptable. near silent, but not quite.

i'm very happy... what a relief!

and also... it seems ASL made quite a few changes since my first MG Head OTL...

1. the two headphone jacks have a black plastic ring around them... the original was all metal.
2. the feedback switch has a flanged? washer between it and a second washer
3. the feeback switch's orientation has been reversed
4. all the jacks and switches have been relabeled, for the most part correctly indicating their function (before, the labels were all jibberish)
5. the printed title is now MG Head OTL (rather than MG Head DT)
6. the tube jacks have the types of tubes printed below them (my old one just had the jack numbers)
7. the volume knob is no longer indented... it turns smoothly now (i like this much more... the indentation originally were too large, and it was hard to find the perfect volume)

...this time, i only have one complaint: some of the lettering was scratched off. but overall, it's SO SO SO MUCH BETTER than my old one!

one of the tubes arrived cracked, but luckily i had replacements.

dean

 

[Orpheus]

the left channel on my mg head fades away faster than the right when i turn down the volume... also the stereo image is shifted a little to the right compared to the headphone jacks on my console and CD player. could changing tube fix this problem?

thanks,
dean

 

[Born2bwire]

I have the exact same problem with my amp. The tech is looking at it, but in the meantime I decided to start up another thread about this to see if anyone else is having this problem. I got mine from Holm as well and the tech said that he checked one of the new ones that they got in and he said it had the same problem!!! This wouldn't bother me if I didn't listen to the amplifier at the levels in which the balance is skewed. This is a source of great annoyance, especially since I specifically upgraded to get the OTL and feedback switch and I can't even use them.

 

[Orpheus]

hmm... yes... if i turn up the volume pretty high, then the stereo image is okay. but in normal listening levels... (i don't want to blow my ear drums)... the stereo image is skewed to the right.

is this your problem?

thanks,
dean

 

[Born2bwire]

Yes!! Exactly my problem.

 

[Orpheus]

interesting.... yeah, i bought from holm audio too. i dunno if you read the rest of this thread... but my current amp is a new replacement from holm audio, and they made quite a few changes to the old mg head otl. but apprently they goofed something up again... if we both have the same problem.

anyway, let me know what holm says. i told them about my problem and Dave said he was gonn call me back after he talks to his tech. didn't mention that others were having this problem though. but at least the guy's nice about it.

thanks,
dean

 

[Orpheus]

...welp, my second "new" amp went back to the store "again!"

this time it seems that all the new MG Heads were made with a defective trim pot that attenuates the left and right channels unequally. they really should do a recall.......

anyway.... just letting any prospective buyer know... MAKE SURE THE LEFT AND RIGHT CHANNELS ARE EQUAL AT LOW VOLUMES BEFORE YOU BUY!

alright... waiting for my THIRD mg head!

dean

 

[fyrfytrhoges]

orpheus, since when has this problem existed, I received my mg head sept. 3rd. I have tried backing the volume down very slowly and cannot discern if this happens with my amp, if it does it is so slight so as not to be noticed, however I do seem to notice the shift however that too is so slight I really have to pay particular attention to it to really get the effect of it. My mg however came from headroom if that makes any difference at all???

 

[Orpheus]

well, i got mine like 2 weeks ago... i don't know the specifics... i'm just relaying what Holm Audio told me... i think they spoke to Divergent. so, i wouldn't know what vintage was affected... just that it's a batch of new amps. the problem is in the smooth pot... my old mg head with the stepped attenuator did not have this problem.

if you really have to listen for the stereo shift, then you're probably safe. the problem i have is pretty obvious at low volumes. so, if you don't really hear it, don't sweat it--your amp is probably free of THAT defect.

just don't go out and buy a second one right now.... heh he.

dean