Not at all, they were quite balanced. A slight drop in the low-to-mid transition might make some people feel they are bottom-heavy, but they don't sound that way to me. OTOH, I use mine with a straight-as-a-ruler solid-state amp at work. The one time I tried them at home with the Lyr 3 I didn't quite like the pairing, it felt kind of hollow compared with the Ether C Flows. But I should try again with different tubes and more patience. BTW, Ether C Flows with the 1.1 damping upgrade (black foam) are unreal for jazz and voices, at least with the Apex Peak amp + Psvane tube. Next weekend I hope to have some time to try different DAC/amp/tube/headphone combos (the combinatorics are daunting if I want to go whole hog: 4 DACS, 3 headamps (2 with 6SN7 tubes), several tubes, two headphones) and share more info here.
Ken-Rad microphonics? I had not listened to my Ken-Rad tube for a while. When I got the Apex Peak amp, I tried it with the Ken-Rad and I had a lot of noise, including loud clicks. First I thought the amp was busted, but then I plugged in my Psvane and the Peak performed beautifully. Just now, I decided to test the Ken-Rad on my Lyr 3. It sounds good, but when I touch the volume knob or the enclosure, I hear a gentle "boing." I did not have that problem when I got the Ken-Rad originally. The Lyr 3 is connected to power and DAC exactly as before.
As a side effect of these experiments, I tried some nice Baroque music (harpsichord + strings) on 1) Metrum Onyx>Apex Peak+Psvane vs 2) Holo Spring>Lyr 3+Ken-Rad. 1) sounds better defined, more layered, more spacious than 2). Earlier experiments comparing the two DACs with the same amp (Peak) leaned slightly toward the Onyx, but not for all material. From memory, Peak + Psvane is slightly more liquid and more spacious than Lyr 3 + Psvane. Nothing huge, and it's quite possible it would go the other way with different headphones than the fairly easy to drive Ether C Flows, as the Lyr 3 has about 6x more power (because of the Continuity design) than the pure class A Peak.
Yeah, I need a nice pair of good closed back cans and they seem to be highly regarded. I was hesitant because: 1) Bill likes them and he's a metal-head, and 2) I thought they might be too warm and bottom-heavy. Seeing that you own the HF HEX v2 and still like the AFC sound profile, it looks like they may be the way to go for my situation.
AFC’s aren’t warm or bottom heavy at all. Pretty neutral. My 400i is warmer and so are my AFOs. That said, when it comes to sub bass, they have more extension than the 400i or AFO (IMHO). Their best features are very detailed and great clarity + great isolation.
Everyone knows (well except you, apparently) that anything that makes metal sound good makes everything sound good. This common knowledge is perhaps not inclusive of your main staple (Captain and Tenille), but there are exceptions to most everything.
Everyone knows (well except you, apparently) that anything that makes metal sound good makes everything sound good. This common knowledge is perhaps not inclusive of your main staple (Captain and Tenille), but there are exceptions to most everything.
I bought a 3 hole bad boy. The seller still hasn't given a tracking number, and it's been 6 days. I have the worst luck with trying to get good tubes. I hope the sale doesn't fall through.
So money is quite tight and I will be needing to sell of most of my tubes like my Ken-rad vt-231 and wh d getter, 57 sylvania 6sn7 gtb, 56 Raytheon, and 58 foton. I will only be keeping my reflektor I think.
So money is quite tight and I will be needing to sell of most of my tubes like my Ken-rad vt-231 and wh d getter, 57 sylvania 6sn7 gtb, 56 Raytheon, and 58 foton. I will only be keeping my reflektor I think.
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