[moodyrn]

Well I can tell you that this amp has great synergy with my hd580s. The bass is very thigh(especially for a tube amp). At the same time having plenty of impact and extension. Sometimes I have to check to make sure non of my speakers aren't playing when I listen to them. And there's surprisingly plenty of detail, and voices sound so organic with plenty of texture. IMO you would love this amp with any of the 300 ohm senns.

 

[logwed]

Next year this amp will be mine. However, I just bought a Gilmore lite, so it's difficult for me to justify two amp purchases in less than a month.

 

[jsaliga]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spareribs /img/forum/go_quote.gif With the AKG K1000 speaker phone, it drove it decent but I am one of those people who believe that you need an amp with the right specs for it to really sing.

One other thing, and as you seem to be suggesting above...I don't think 5 watts is really enough for the K1000, at least not enough to intice me to buy the Ming Da as a K1000 amp. If it had 7 to 10 watts I would have been very interested.

--Jerome

 

[elbuzzard]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moodyrn /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well I can tell you that this amp has great synergy with my hd580s. The bass is very thigh(especially for a tube amp). At the same time having plenty of impact and extension. Sometimes I have to check to make sure non of my speakers aren't playing when I listen to them. And there's surprisingly plenty of detail, and voices sound so organic with plenty of texture. IMO you would love this amp with any of the 300 ohm senns.

thanks you! Im also using HD580. What speakers do you have paired with the MingDa?

 

[moodyrn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elbuzzard /img/forum/go_quote.gif thanks you! Im also using HD580. What speakers do you have paired with the MingDa?

I've tried my psb t65 towers, which uses three 6.5in drivers. Surprisingly it drove them fine, but they are 6ohms. Therefore, the headphone/speaker switch didn't work. Now I see why the manufacturer only recommend using 8ohm speakers. After that, I tried my 8ohm psb b15 bookshelf speakers, and the switch started back working. They sounded great. That 5 watts sure sounds like a lot more than 5 watts.

 

[TubeStack]

Thanks for the great pictures and review.

This one's on my radar, too...

 

[Spareribs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elbuzzard /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can you or skylab elaborate more on the synergy with Sennheisers Please? Maybe in relation to your EF1? Thanks dude! Oh and cool chewbaca animation.

It sounds great with Sennheisers. I like it better than my EF 1 but the EF 1 is still a very nice amp anyway. I think a Sennheiser fan will like the Ming Da. To me, the Ming Da is ideal for many budget audiophiles because it gives people the oppurtunity to own a tube headphone and speaker amp simultaneously. It's a brilliant amp and for less than $500. Bargain city brotha.

 

[Spareribs]

Strange but good update:

I kept noticing this quiet subtle hum on my right channel so I replaced my Philco 12ax7 right tube with a spare of the same exact brand and the hum disappeared. The strange thing is that with the K701 headphone, the hum is gone too and it has a 62 ohm impedance level which is considered low.
The hum still exists for the 32 ohm Grado though. Could this be a new version where the hum is gone for a 62 ohm headphone?

My feeling is that the hum is still there for the k701 but it is at such a low volume that it's hard for the human ear to detect it. I really cannot hear it. Could this be a new version of the Ming Da? And could this explain the price increase? It used to be $385 a month ago and now its $414.

 

[shasty]

I'm not contributing at all to this thread, but there's something phallic about this amp...
Got to get my mind out of the gutter.

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spareribs /img/forum/go_quote.gif Strange but good update: I kept noticing this quiet subtle hum on my right channel so I replaced my Philco 12ax7 right tube with a spare of the same exact brand and the hum disappeared. The strange thing is that with the K701 headphone, the hum is gone too and it has a 62 ohm impedance level which is considered low. The hum still exists for the 32 ohm Grado though. Could this be a new version where the hum is gone for a 62 ohm headphone? My feeling is that the hum is still there for the k701 but it is at such a low volume that it's hard for the human ear to detect it. I really cannot hear it. Could this be a new version of the Ming Da? And could this explain the price increase? It used to be $385 a month ago and now its $414.

I doubt the amps are different - tubes can make a difference in the amount of hum - with 5751's, I get almost no hum through the 80 ohm Beyers. But since I like the Mullard CV4004's better, and since I use mine with 600 ohm cans that have zero hum, I stick with the CV4004.

 

[Spareribs]

Thanks. I e-mailed Pacific Valve and told them about my curiosity and the company representative replied by saying the same thing that tubes can be a factor on the amount of hum. But anyways, I'm glad the hum is gone for my AKG.

 

[hvu]

I'm really glad to hear it sounds good with K701 and HD650 it just it encourages me more to get it, not I need just to find the funds for it.

 

[musicmind]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moodyrn /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've tried my psb t65 towers, which uses three 6.5in drivers. Surprisingly it drove them fine, but they are 6ohms. Therefore, the headphone/speaker switch didn't work. Now I see why the manufacturer only recommend using 8ohm speakers. After that, I tried my 8ohm psb b15 bookshelf speakers, and the switch started back working. They sounded great. That 5 watts sure sounds like a lot more than 5 watts.

Moodyrn, thanks for that info. Strange that your amp switch behaved differently, because the PSB website states that both the T65 and the B15 have nominal impedance of 6 ohms.

 

[koven]

beautiful amp! sonically, would this be an upgrade from the audiotailor jade or ef1?

 

[Born2bwire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BushGuy /img/forum/go_quote.gif It is pretty well-known that there will be hum with low ohm headphones - so k701-2, Darthbeyers, or Grado's are not good choices to match with it. The Ming Da IS abolutely at its' best with such k340, dt990/600ohm (or also with the other Beyer 600ohms). It is reported to do well with 250ohm headphones - I just don't own any of those. You ought to try orig. (not re-issues) Mullard EL84.....I like to sub. 12ax7 with Raytheon 5751/windmill (admittedly difficult to find, and expensive). The "magic eye" eg 6HU6 should not be forgotten - it indeed makes a difference - I use Amperex, others are equally happy with Sylvania, or Mullard. Yes, this amp is a bonified bargain if you want to drive headphones that are appropriate to it..........and it's a piece of audio art. Yes, I am enthusiastic about it .....as I am re Kicas Caliente, and Blue Circle SBH (especially the one box varient).

I had the Mullard EL84 and Raytheon 5751 in my MG Head. They made that amp absolutely sing! I also had a Sylvania blackplate too but I did not like it as much as the Raytheon. But man, I had a hell of a time finding those tubes, and this was 7 years ago. I got the Raytheon from a small website that is no longer selling them and the Mullard's I found in a box in the back of an audio store (we were having a meet there too, good find). I will mention that the Sylvania gave me a hum too I think. But there were problems with the MG Head, they ran the unshielded AC wall line from the back of the amp, where it plugged in, to the front for the on/off switch. Of course, this meant that the power line went right by one of the tubes and the tube would pick up the 60 Hz hum (and probably its harmonics too). I had that replaced with a shielded coax and that really fixed it.