[starck86]

@KC2020 and the rest of the people who have tried this amp - anyone try it with IEMs? Thanks for your help : )

 

[KC2020]

Yes I have. The Campfire Audio Andromeda and the Audeze LCD i4 TOTL. They both sounded great but then everything I have tried does with the Quicksilver amp.

What IEMs do you have ?

 

[starck86]

At the moment,

Dunu Luna, Dunu DK-4001, Dunu 17th Anniversary
ortofon e-q7, ortofon e-q5
Audeze iSine 10


Need to get some cans too haha

 

[KC2020]

Well the Ortofon and the Audeze will definitely sound good with the Quicksilver. I haven't heard the Dunus but I don't think there's anything that would sound good on this amp.

 

[starck86]

Thanks. What tubes are you using?

 

[KC2020]

It came with Sovteks and the amp sounds so good I'm not going to try anything else.

I've had a pair of Quicksilver monoblocks for 15 years, running Teslas, the tubes he ships with the amps. Mike Sanders makes amps sound good with affordable and readily available tubes. That's part of his skillset !

 

[starck86]

Hey thanks for all of your advice. One other question for now - any idea how you think it might compare to something like the RNHP?

 

[KC2020]

Hey thanks for all of your advice. One other question for now - any idea how you think it might compare to something like the RNHP?

It'll blow the doors off the RNHP. The two have very different sounds.

The Quicksilver will have a bigger soundstage, more detail and bass control.

When the RNHP amp came out the debate in recording studios was been between it and the Little Labs Monotor. The LLM kills the RNHP but it's not widely marketed outside the Pro world.

I owned a Neve console for a couple of decades. I know that sound and it's a great sound, but it's not a modern sound, IMHO.

 

[starck86]

It'll blow the doors off the RNHP. The two have very different sounds.

The Quicksilver will have a bigger soundstage, more detail and bass control.

When the RNHP amp came out the debate in recording studios was been between it and the Little Labs Monotor. The LLM kills the RNHP but it's not widely marketed outside the Pro world.

I owned a Neve console for a couple of decades. I know that sound and it's a great sound, but it's not a modern sound, IMHO.

Thanks for your thoughtful comparisons!

So, I’ve yet to try a tube headphone amp in detail except for a Cayin model at canjam. That being said, I have some restored 50’s tube gear for home audio that I’m quite familiar with.

I wonder if the description you’re providing re: soundstage improvements is similar to what I’ve experienced with home audio tube vs. solid state gear.

Anyways - any DACs you liked in particular with this amp? I saw you had recommended a pro one earlier and was wondering if you got the chance to try out anything else.

Man is this thing tempting. My monoblocks run 6SN7s...

 

[starck86]

Ok I got one.

@KC2020 - and everyone else in the thread - was right. I’m in love with this amplifier.

I’ll post some more in-depth impressions later. To be honest I fell asleep last night listening to it, and woke up at 2am, so I’m a little tired. No regrets.

This amp had some of the craziest (best) imaging I’ve heard so far for a headphone amplifier. I want to say it sounds better than stuff 2-3x the price. (But I’ve listened to only a couple of those at CanJam at that price). It seems to sound more layered and nuanced when compared to the Fidelice Precision DAC (which I really, really liked at CanJam). I like this more.

Yesterday was:
DAC: Cayin N6ii + E02 line out
Music: Ott.
IEM: Dunu Luna
Me: heaven.

Can’t wait to play around with some other DACs with the Quicksilver.

More detailed impressions to follow when I’m fully awake and get some more time with it.

I’m very surprised there’s not more attention on this amp...I love it.

TLDR: I’m blown away by this amp.

Edit: I’m still half awake and can’t seem to type, apologies!

 

[Ralf Hutter]

Can anyone tell me the actual size of this, length x width?

The only info I could find say 6" high x 15" wide x 11" deep, but that can't possibly be correct.

Thanks!

 

[ScornDefeat]

Can anyone tell me the actual size of this, length x width?

The only info I could find say 6" high x 15" wide x 11" deep, but that can't possibly be correct.

Thanks!

The dimensions are 12" deep by 6" high and 7" wide but the front panel is 8" wide.

 

[Oddiofyl]

I have the RNHP, it was my first real Headphone amp . It’s a great amp but the Quicksilver is in a different league altogether . It is such a great sounding amp for the money it’s silly. And the build quality is typical Quicksilver. They built it exactly like their big amps.

 

[Oddiofyl]

So based on several very positive reviews about the RME ADI-2DAC , I bought one . It’s awesome and the combination of the DAC and the Quicksilver amp is awesome!!! My Klipsch HP3 have never sounded better. Incredible bass from a headphone system. The RME also serves as the DAC in my main system and it’s quite good and right at home with components several times it’s price.

 

[starck86]

Same here re: the RNHP. I upgraded the caps in the rnhp slightly (better nichicons), and while it helped a little bit, the Quicksilver is just hands down in another league.

I’m probably going to swap some Mundorf EVO SilverGoldOil caps in the Quicksilver soon. I’ve had outstanding results with these caps in other applications. I can only seem to find .15uF though. Original caps appear to be polypropylene .12uF caps, for anyone who is interested.

I’ve had my eye on the RME DAC to pair with this amp - glad to hear it’s a good pairing. So damn tempting. You’re not helping! What would you compare the RME to?