REVIEW AND COMPARISON: Eddie Current Balancing Act and SUPER 7

[CEE TEE]

I believe that Marv had the EML300B Mesh plates in the BA, which also made the decision VERY easy to pull the trigger on the Super 7...all inexpensive tubes in the Super 7 and it was so close!

 

[IndieScent]

Quote:

Adapter. 
 

 
Quote:

 
You'll need an adapter. You can find them on Ebay. I think Woo makes some super special (teflon socket, gold pins, etc.) nice looking ones.
 

 
thanks for reply.
 
also I seem cant find it on ebay/at woo website.
 
on another note, how far apart the 6sn7 is? if you like put a Shuguang cv-181z for example, would it fit?

 

[redwarrior191]

great review purrin.. have you ever heard the zana deux?? any comparison of s7 with it??

 

[kiertijai]

 
 @Purrin   Thanks for your response and your consideration not to use expensive driver tube . It seems like you try to use
3 sets of 6SN7's with different sound characteristics for the warmer sets : KenRad for bass, Sylvania for neutrality
and the Russian Mullard or 1578 for bright sounding.  I found those are excellent idea, may be I try  National Union + Sylvania or Raytheon +
Westinghouse which may tone down a little bit or do you think the more different the tubes  =  better  result?
 @Stavros:     What is the 7N7 with triangular plate?
 @IndieScent :  Please try this one: ayumitubes.com on ebay.  I have purchased 6F8G/6SN7, 7N7/6SN7, 6N7/6SN7 adapters from Alex's site
with good quality.   I have found that Kenrad, Raytheon 6F8G's are excellent, May be I'll try to find the 7N7 with triangular plate (what I have
now is KenRad 7N7).  The 6N7 may not have enough power (what I have is the Visseaux which is very good too but other 6N7's do not have enough power)
 @Purrin & Anaxillus & CeeTee : I think the 6SL7 and 6F8G can be used for the power and driver tubes too, if that's the case the cost of the tubes will decrease.      I also hope the 7AF7, 6GU7, 6FQ7/6CG7 can be used too , that will markedly decrease the cost of 6SN7's

 

[rosgr63]

kiertijai, the 7AF7 tube is a low gain tube so it may not be suitable as an output tube but only as a driver.
The 7N7 later versions included tubes that have plates similar to the 6SN7GTB type plates.
The paltes are at an angle to each other.
Can the S7 handle ECC32's either as driver or output tubes?

 

[kiertijai]

@rosgr63   thanks for the info.   Those tubes mentioned are recommended by one of the head-fi members that
may replace the 6SN7's  but need more comments.   What I found is that I can use the 6SN7, 6SL7, 6F8G and 7N7
without any problem with the BA.  What I don't know is whether will those findings also applicable to the Super 7 .  The same
question with the Mullard ECC32 as driver tube.   It is evident that the 7AF7 and 6N7 do not have enough power
 
@IndieScent:  here is the link http://www.ebay.com/itm/Two-adapters-7N7-6SN7-tubes-amplifier-SUB-/250904865300?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item3a6b186a14
 
@Purrin : those pre-out and speaker post question appeared in the Venice meeting impressions : may be they're specifications wanted by the member , not the real specification.  So I would like to confirm ? it has one SE input and one 1/4" jack output and one 4 pin XLR output , is that correct?
It's all in one box and no separate PSU and the size is the same as the Balancing Act or ZDT.

 

[IndieScent]

Quote:

 
@IndieScent:  here is the link http://www.ebay.com/itm/Two-adapters-7N7-6SN7-tubes-amplifier-SUB-/250904865300?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item3a6b186a14
 

yah, I know that seller, I even got it on my saved seller list. and believe it or not I was checking his item list before asking the question and somehow missed that adapter

 

[purrin]

 
Quote:

yah, I know that seller, I even got it on my saved seller list. and believe it or not I was checking his item list before asking the question and somehow missed that adapter

 

That's who I bought my adapters from. They are good quality. I got them here in a few days from Taiwan.

Quote:

I believe that Marv had the EML300B Mesh plates in the BA, which also made the decision VERY easy to pull the trigger on the Super 7...all inexpensive tubes in the Super 7 and it was so close!

I had the solid plates. I believe a bunch of us BA owners are waiting for someone to try out the EML300B Mesh plates and report back.

 

[purrin]

 

great review purrin.. have you ever heard the zana deux?? any comparison of s7 with it??

I've heard the Zana Deux briefly so I can't comment on it. Because the ZD is an OTL amp, one thing I should point out about the S7 is that because of the paralleled output tubes, the output impedance very low (under 1 ohm - it could be even lower, but I don't remember what Craig said). I actually felt the S7 bass was a little bit tighter than the bass from the BA with EML300Bs. The BA output impedance is 16ohms.
 

 @Purrin   Thanks for your response and your consideration not to use expensive driver tube . It seems like you try to use
3 sets of 6SN7's with different sound characteristics for the warmer sets : KenRad for bass, Sylvania for neutrality
and the Russian Mullard or 1578 for bright sounding.  I found those are excellent idea, may be I try  National Union + Sylvania or Raytheon +
Westinghouse which may tone down a little bit or do you think the more different the tubes  =  better  result?

 
Those particular Russians 1578 are terrible - too strident for my tastes. They weren't the good ones with the circular holes in them. You assessment of the tube combos is correct and I think you are on to something with your proposed idea. Generally this was our approach with output tube selection on the S7:
 
1. KenRad = the bass tube, but with good clarity in the rest of the spectrum
2. EH = the bass tube that adds roundness (if used in a bad combo, makes thing muddy - never use more than ONE pair)
3. 7N7 = the laid back tube with great soundstage depth, solid bass, and silky treble
4. Sylvania GTA/GTB = the clarifying neutral tube with treble extension
5. Russian Tungsol = the filler tube that was OK (never use more than ONE pair)
6. Russian 1578 = the tube that should never be used unless we are running really dark headphones
 
 
EDIT: umm, some major corrections above.

 

[IndieScent]

Quote:

 

I've heard the Zana Deux briefly so I can't comment on it. Because the ZD is an OTL amp, one thing I should point out about the S7 is that because of the paralleled output tubes, the output impedance very low (under 1 ohm - it could be even lower, but I don't remember what Craig said). I actually felt the S7 bass was a little bit tighter than the bass from the BA with EML300Bs. The BA output impedance is 16ohms.
 
 
Those particular Russians 1578 are terrible - too strident for my tastes. They weren't the good ones with the circular holes in them. You assessment of the tube combos is correct and I think you are on to something with your proposed idea. Generally this was our approach with output tube selection on the S7:
 
1. KenRad = the bass tube, but with good clarity in the rest of the spectrum
2. EH = the bass tube that adds roundness (if used in a bad combo, makes thing muddy - never use more than 2 pairs)
3. 7N7 = the laid back tube with great soundstage depth, solid bass, and silky treble
4. Sylvania GTA/GTB = the clarifying neutral tube with treble extension
5. Russian Tungsol = the filler tube that was OK (never use more than 2 pairs)
6. Russian 1578 = the tube that should never be used unless we are running really dark headphones
 

so on super 7 the 6 output tube have more impact on sound than the single driver tube?
 
also are the tube separated enough to use the unusual shaped 6sn7 like shuguang cv181-z?

 

[purrin]

Quote:

@Purrin : those pre-out and speaker post question appeared in the Venice meeting impressions : may be they're specifications wanted by the member , not the real specification.  So I would like to confirm ? it has one SE input and one 1/4" jack output and one 4 pin XLR output , is that correct?
It's all in one box and no separate PSU and the size is the same as the Balancing Act or ZDT.

I know for sure that it will have an SE input, 1/4" jack output, and 4 pin XLR. Everything will be in one chassis - no external power supply box.
 
Quote:

so on super 7 the 6 output tube have more impact on sound than the single driver tube?
 
also are the tube separated enough to use the unusual shaped 6sn7 like shuguang cv181-z?

 
The driver is still critical because it provides the voltage gain and it's the first stage - I'm referring to the garbage in garbage out concept. The thing that's really different here is the combinations of tubes you can run on the output. It really is: "design your own output tube".
 
The Shuguang BT won't fit.

 

[Rob N]

How quiet is the Super 7?

 

[CEE TEE]

Ah, good question...the prototype Super 7 with my UERM was not as quiet as the BA.  With the HD800- silent.
 
I found the noise floor on Super 7 pretty quiet but also depended on tubes used.
 
I'm going to use HD800 so not an issue for me.
 
Will report back with production unit in hand later...

 

[purrin]

I had no problems with high sensitivity headphones such as the AD2000 or Grados on the Super7.

 

[audiosceptic]

Quote:

Q: I heard that the Eddie Current amps use cheap parts and had bad soldering jobs. Is this true?
A: We opened up all three amps we had on hand and didn’t see any bad soldering jobs or wires that were about to come off and fry something. Other than the S7 which is on a PCB, the 2A3 and BA are hand-made with point-to-point wiring. Things happen sometimes with point-to-point wiring and stuff made by hand - see this thread on the Leben: http://www.head-fi.org/t/575746/lebens-owners-request-what-i-found-inside-my-leben-cs-300x-limited We would definitely like to hear from any other owners of Eddie Current amps if things have been improperly soldered or blowing up.
 
As for the "cheap parts", last time we checked, the Electra-Print E-I output and Cinemag line level transformers weren’t exactly cheap. It’s true that Eddie Current does not use expensive “boutique” caps or parts, e.g. it appears there is a Solen serving as the interstage caps on the BA. I don’t think Eddie Current offers “supreme parts upgrade packages”, but you can always offer to give Eddie Current another $1150 or something to upgrade those to a V-cap and the PS caps to Blackgates if it makes you feel any better. (Eddie Current may still refuse.) I’ve given thought about swapping parts myself, but I’m happy with the voicing and don’t want to mess with it.
 
 

 
I bought a BA from Craig in June of 2010 with the PX4/300B setup and a RK50 volume pot. When I first received it the volume control was messed up and I had a bad hum on one channel. I sent it back to Craig and he repaired it stating that a wire had come loose. In June of this year my BA developed a problem with the Line\Can selector switch where the right channel went out whenever you moved the selector switch. Eventually the right channel went out altogether. I sent the BA back to Craig a second time and decided to sell it.
 
While I thought the BA sounded great I was disappointed with the repairs needed and lost confidence in the reliability of the product.
 
Just my experience since you stated you wanted to hear from others.