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- Jan 17, 2003
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Drew from Shellbrook Audio lent me a Hybrid Head prototype for the NY Head-Fi meet on June 18. Unfortunately, I was not able to get it running properly for the meet due to the fact that the bias had to be adjusted and being a tube neophyte, I had no idea of what to do to get rid of the distortion I was hearing. Once I got in touch with Drew he told me how to adjust the bias and I've been listening to the amp for the past week and a half. I used a volt meter and set it to 12 volts.
Keep in mind that the amp he sent me is a prototype, but according to Drew the components are the same as the production model. This amp differs only in the casing, but because of that I am not going to comment on the aesthetics or build quality. There is nothing wrong with this amp - actually, it's quite interesting as it has wood panels on the top and sides - it's just not the same casing Shellbrook currently sells. You will get a better idea of the look and feel of the amp from the website.
I had ideas of writing a full length review but I just don't have the time right now to finish one and if I don't write something now, I'll probably never do it. I'll try to get right to the point.
Equipment:
SlimX IMP-550
Radio Shack optical cable
HeadRoom Overture DAC
Shellbrook Audio Hybrid Head (GE 12FK6 tubes)
Beyerdynamic DT 931
ATH-EW9
HD 25-1 with HeadPhile replacement cable
Ray Samuels XP-7 (AD797 opamps) - for comparison
Music:
The Soul Cages - Sting
Jazz at the Pawn Shop - Various Artists
Wandering Spirit - Mick Jagger
Handel's "Messiah" - Altanta Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Chorus
Chill Brazil 2 - Various Artists
Bitches Brew - Miles Davis
Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine
Sound impressions:
Really impactful bass. Some say the DT 931 lacks bass. Not with this combination. At times, it almost felt like I could feel the bass throughout my body. I sometimes use a 120 ohm adapter with the DT 931 to get some more bass. The adapter did nothing to improve the sound with this amp. Although bass was more abundant it did not at all seem sloppy or even "bloomy".
Smooth midrange. Electric guitars were almost liquid, although some sounded better than others. Guitars on Rage Against the Machine sounded awesome. Guitar on Bitches Brew sounded a bit too dirty but that may just be a function of the tube amplifier being used by John McLaughlin (I have no idea what kind of equipment either guitar player uses). Choruses on Messiah were spacious and detailed.
Smooth but slightly grainy treble. This amp seemed to have very good synergy with the DT 931 on the high end. The DT 931 can sound bright and sometimes harsh on complex passages with lots of highs, especially rock music with lots of cymbals. With this amp I never really felt like the highs were at all fatiguing or harsh. However, it did seem to take away some of the detail. I'm calling this grainy but I'm not sure that's the right term. What it sounds like to me is the harmonic distortion from the tubes creating a warmer mellower sound at the expense of some extreme detail. Which is fine with me because I have always found the DT 931 to be on the "hyper detailed" side. The tradeoff is well worth it in this case.
Bottom Line:
This seems like an affordable home amp that is on par with something like the Gilmore Lite (I demoed that amp too) and while I really like the Gilmore, this gives a different sound. I don't know anything about tube amps but I'm assuming that's what gives the amp some of its unique sound characteristics. I don't want to say the sound is "warm", "mellow" or "rolled off" because there is still plenty of high frequency information and lots of detail, but there is something smooth about this amp. It is particularly synergistic with the DT 931 - so much so that I am now rethinking my decision to get rid of it in favor of something like the HD595. Now, if only I can somehow justify having another amp around just for the DT 931!
Keep in mind that the amp he sent me is a prototype, but according to Drew the components are the same as the production model. This amp differs only in the casing, but because of that I am not going to comment on the aesthetics or build quality. There is nothing wrong with this amp - actually, it's quite interesting as it has wood panels on the top and sides - it's just not the same casing Shellbrook currently sells. You will get a better idea of the look and feel of the amp from the website.
I had ideas of writing a full length review but I just don't have the time right now to finish one and if I don't write something now, I'll probably never do it. I'll try to get right to the point.
Equipment:
SlimX IMP-550
Radio Shack optical cable
HeadRoom Overture DAC
Shellbrook Audio Hybrid Head (GE 12FK6 tubes)
Beyerdynamic DT 931
ATH-EW9
HD 25-1 with HeadPhile replacement cable
Ray Samuels XP-7 (AD797 opamps) - for comparison
Music:
The Soul Cages - Sting
Jazz at the Pawn Shop - Various Artists
Wandering Spirit - Mick Jagger
Handel's "Messiah" - Altanta Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Chorus
Chill Brazil 2 - Various Artists
Bitches Brew - Miles Davis
Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine
Sound impressions:
Really impactful bass. Some say the DT 931 lacks bass. Not with this combination. At times, it almost felt like I could feel the bass throughout my body. I sometimes use a 120 ohm adapter with the DT 931 to get some more bass. The adapter did nothing to improve the sound with this amp. Although bass was more abundant it did not at all seem sloppy or even "bloomy".
Smooth midrange. Electric guitars were almost liquid, although some sounded better than others. Guitars on Rage Against the Machine sounded awesome. Guitar on Bitches Brew sounded a bit too dirty but that may just be a function of the tube amplifier being used by John McLaughlin (I have no idea what kind of equipment either guitar player uses). Choruses on Messiah were spacious and detailed.
Smooth but slightly grainy treble. This amp seemed to have very good synergy with the DT 931 on the high end. The DT 931 can sound bright and sometimes harsh on complex passages with lots of highs, especially rock music with lots of cymbals. With this amp I never really felt like the highs were at all fatiguing or harsh. However, it did seem to take away some of the detail. I'm calling this grainy but I'm not sure that's the right term. What it sounds like to me is the harmonic distortion from the tubes creating a warmer mellower sound at the expense of some extreme detail. Which is fine with me because I have always found the DT 931 to be on the "hyper detailed" side. The tradeoff is well worth it in this case.
Bottom Line:
This seems like an affordable home amp that is on par with something like the Gilmore Lite (I demoed that amp too) and while I really like the Gilmore, this gives a different sound. I don't know anything about tube amps but I'm assuming that's what gives the amp some of its unique sound characteristics. I don't want to say the sound is "warm", "mellow" or "rolled off" because there is still plenty of high frequency information and lots of detail, but there is something smooth about this amp. It is particularly synergistic with the DT 931 - so much so that I am now rethinking my decision to get rid of it in favor of something like the HD595. Now, if only I can somehow justify having another amp around just for the DT 931!
