ckhirnigs113
Headphoneus Supremus
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Quicksilver Audio Headphone Amplifier any opinions?
- Thread starter newtophones07
- Start date
ksorota
1000+ Head-Fier
Thanks for the posting but the amp has sold.
Not sure what I’m replacing it with yet…doing a year end purge. Have a mjolnir 2 i think I’m going to list. My path forward is less clear, but may be devoid of tubes. The quicksilver is a great piece of gear and i will miss it!
Would love to grab a 3F for the long term, not too many come up for sale though.
LeMoviedave
100+ Head-Fier
Anyone here have experience with the GSX-mini, and how it compares with the QHA? I know it is two different kinds of tech at two different price points, but I am starting to think my HE1000se might really benefit from tubes, and this is a lot cheaper than the Pendant, and with a lower output impedance. I can never make up my fracking mind!
ckhirnigs113
Headphoneus Supremus
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Had a feeling yours would go fast! I’d also love to pickup a 3F as a TOTL SS amp to complement my Quicksilver. I think I read there are some plans to produce them again in the future. Word on the street is the next iteration of the 3F will be cheaper as well. The last mention I saw of this was back in May, so I’m not sure of the timeline.
ksorota
1000+ Head-Fier
I’m holding out hope for this as well, hoping it comes in under 2k! Really i would love to just have SS as i can get obsessed with hunting down tubes!
I might just get a wa11 to fill the time while i decide on my path.
ckhirnigs113
Headphoneus Supremus
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I know the feeling. I was on the prowl daily for tubes there for a while. I finally tried enough that I could be happy with my current setup. A great tube-like SS amp would be so much easier. That’s what I have gathered the 3F is from those that have it.
jonathan c
Headphoneus Supremus
What is the full name of the ‘3F’?
Marlowe10
New Head-Fier
Hey, I'm from little old NZ too, I asked Mike about it and cause it's a more of a pre rather than an amplifier, a basic step down transformer of 100 watts will be fine, only about $100 or so
dematted
100+ Head-Fier
Some notes from tube-rolling. Chain is Roon via Pi2aes - Bifrost 2 - Quicksilver HPA - HD 650
Some have remarked that this amp sounds good with the stock tubes. I agree. A few of these have remarked that there's not much difference between stock tubes and NOS. To this, I disagree - this amp changed pretty drastically with tube rolling; though it did maintain a somewhat similar character tonally, its technical abilities were changed significantly by tube rolling. In short, putting in NOS tubes elevated the sound. Previously, I thought this amp was pretty much worth its price-point. With NOS tubes, though it doesn't quite get to the <2000 ToTL level, it is disturbingly close.
So far, I've tried two sets of inputs and two sets of drivers. Let's talk inputs first.
RCA (or possibly CBS) 12ax7 made for Lowrey Organs: The best mid-range tone I've heard on the amp so far, with a spooky, holographic stage. Also quite dark, with rolled treble and little air in the top octave. Great bass quality, too, with a very robust sounding bottom end. This tube really elevated the amp's dynamics and timbre, at the cost of making it a notch or two darker. Quite fun, but occassionally one wants the sound to be more open. Though extremely textured and revealing of small note nuances, can be somewhat muddy and unclear due to lack of air. Despite the warmth, has a somewhat harder, grittier, more exciting sound than stock. Upper midrange and lower treble can be a tad fatiguing despite roll-off; treble isn't always presented naturally. Highly Recommend.
Raytheon 12ax7 made for Baldwin: Huge contrast to the RCA. Exceedingly good micro-dynamics; poor macrodynamics. Bass feels somewhat woolly and not particularly robust, but treble is far better extended and also has a more natural timbre in the upper octaves. Despite the relative "brightness" of this tube, the sound is actually more relaxed due to both the depth of staging and a lack of "bite" and "tactility". In fact, this tube overall has a "softer", "smoother" sound than the RCA, with quicker decay but also rounder leading edges to notes. Is a much clearer and more mild, pleasant sounding tube, with a better sense of openness and less fatigue, but also tends to not have the same texture and sense of atmospherics of the RCA. Lacks some "magic". Recommend tentatively.
Finally, the power tubes. I could hear less of a difference swapping between these, but it was still there.
RCA 7189: Elevates the technicalities of the amp without significantly changing tone. Things are brought more into focus, and dynamics, particularly on the macro scale, sound noticeably more intelligible. Generally has a neutral tone with some small roll-off in the very top octaves. Somewhat "soft" sounding. Highly Recommend.
Mullard EL84 New Production: Makes the sound somewhat less soft and more tactile, but at the cost of technical abilities. Just does not have the sense of staging, dynamics, or detail as the RCA 7189 NOS tubes. Do not recommend.
Some have remarked that this amp sounds good with the stock tubes. I agree. A few of these have remarked that there's not much difference between stock tubes and NOS. To this, I disagree - this amp changed pretty drastically with tube rolling; though it did maintain a somewhat similar character tonally, its technical abilities were changed significantly by tube rolling. In short, putting in NOS tubes elevated the sound. Previously, I thought this amp was pretty much worth its price-point. With NOS tubes, though it doesn't quite get to the <2000 ToTL level, it is disturbingly close.
So far, I've tried two sets of inputs and two sets of drivers. Let's talk inputs first.
RCA (or possibly CBS) 12ax7 made for Lowrey Organs: The best mid-range tone I've heard on the amp so far, with a spooky, holographic stage. Also quite dark, with rolled treble and little air in the top octave. Great bass quality, too, with a very robust sounding bottom end. This tube really elevated the amp's dynamics and timbre, at the cost of making it a notch or two darker. Quite fun, but occassionally one wants the sound to be more open. Though extremely textured and revealing of small note nuances, can be somewhat muddy and unclear due to lack of air. Despite the warmth, has a somewhat harder, grittier, more exciting sound than stock. Upper midrange and lower treble can be a tad fatiguing despite roll-off; treble isn't always presented naturally. Highly Recommend.
Raytheon 12ax7 made for Baldwin: Huge contrast to the RCA. Exceedingly good micro-dynamics; poor macrodynamics. Bass feels somewhat woolly and not particularly robust, but treble is far better extended and also has a more natural timbre in the upper octaves. Despite the relative "brightness" of this tube, the sound is actually more relaxed due to both the depth of staging and a lack of "bite" and "tactility". In fact, this tube overall has a "softer", "smoother" sound than the RCA, with quicker decay but also rounder leading edges to notes. Is a much clearer and more mild, pleasant sounding tube, with a better sense of openness and less fatigue, but also tends to not have the same texture and sense of atmospherics of the RCA. Lacks some "magic". Recommend tentatively.
Finally, the power tubes. I could hear less of a difference swapping between these, but it was still there.
RCA 7189: Elevates the technicalities of the amp without significantly changing tone. Things are brought more into focus, and dynamics, particularly on the macro scale, sound noticeably more intelligible. Generally has a neutral tone with some small roll-off in the very top octaves. Somewhat "soft" sounding. Highly Recommend.
Mullard EL84 New Production: Makes the sound somewhat less soft and more tactile, but at the cost of technical abilities. Just does not have the sense of staging, dynamics, or detail as the RCA 7189 NOS tubes. Do not recommend.
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LarsMan
Headphoneus Supremus
I had a QS tube headphone amp for a good part of 2021, and it's great. If you want a well-built, tube sounding tube amp, you cannot beat this as far as value for money. Sounded like bliss through my Utopias! I did upgrade the tubes, going with recommendations from Brent Jessee, and that was an improvement over stock. It's simple as can be - turn it on, plug in the headphones, turn up the volume, and listen! No other controls to deal with anyway. And that sucker has power to spare... I sold the QS amp as I upgraded to an Eddie Current Studio B...
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joshnor713
Headphoneus Supremus
Has anyone had experience ordering this via gcaudio? Ordered at the beginning of the month and no update yet. I can try hitting up the store for status but just wondering if the wait is normal. Like, do they have to wait until it's built? Thought they would've had it stock. Thanks.
LarsMan
Headphoneus Supremus
It would not surprise me if there is a wait; seems like it's that way for many small, hand-built (often by one person) amps. I ordered mine right from the QS website, but I've ordered other stuff from GC... Usually a store will give you an estimated date of arrival when you make the purchase; your's didn't have any info like that?
joshnor713
Headphoneus Supremus
Nope, they didn't provide any estimate info. If they didn't have it in stock, surprised they didn't specify a wait time upon ordering. Oh well. I'll contact them and find out the deal.
I’m very interested in the QSHA but also been checking out the Woo WA6…roughly the same price point (although the WA6 doesn’t come with a power cable). I know this is a QS thread but what are your thoughts between the two? I’m a bit new to the head-if scene so trying to learn as much a possible.
I have LCD-2C and Grado RS1x cans and will be using a Schiit dac (hopefully the BiFrost2…maybe a Modius or even Modi Multibit depending on how I feel, and if I can find a BF2 in a deal).
Any help & opinions appreciated.
I have LCD-2C and Grado RS1x cans and will be using a Schiit dac (hopefully the BiFrost2…maybe a Modius or even Modi Multibit depending on how I feel, and if I can find a BF2 in a deal).
Any help & opinions appreciated.
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