[4N6]

Quote:

Originally Posted by leberserkfury /img/forum/go_quote.gif thanks for the input.. I thought the balance act was SS not tube. let me be a little be more specific on the amp that i'm looking for. The top tier amp is somewhere between Zana and SDS-XLR in terms of sound quality and must be able to accept balanced input and outputs. tube amp preferred.

As mentioned, the TTVJ 307A seems to fit the bill perfectly. Balanced inputs. Single-ended, transformer coupled tube amp. Separate balanced, single ended, K1000, and IEM headphone output/settings. Very neutral sound, with tremendous unforced detail lacking any treble etch. Price ($6000) in between the ZD and SDS-XLR . Very high quality and does not take a long time to receive (about 1 month after order). Great customer service without the SP shenanigans.

The RSA B-52 is a balanced tube headphone amplifier that is also in the equation. The biggest benefit of this amp vs.the 307A is that it can also be used as a stereo preamplifier. It does sound VERY good, but is softer in the treble and slightly weaker in the deep bass. In other words, it has a more traditional tube amp sound vice the 307A which is more neutral. I also thought that the 307A was a little more detailed.

Unfortunately, I do not think there are many other top-line balanced tube headphone amplifier alternatives.

 

[leberserkfury]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4N6 /img/forum/go_quote.gif As mentioned, the TTVJ 307A seems to fit the bill perfectly. Balanced inputs. Single-ended, transformer coupled tube amp. Separate balanced, single ended, K1000, and IEM headphone output/settings. Very neutral sound, with tremendous unforced detail lacking any treble etch. Price ($6000) in between the ZD and SDS-XLR . Very high quality and does not take a long time to receive (about 1 month after order). Great customer service without the SP shenanigans. The RSA B-52 is a balanced tube headphone amplifier that is also in the equation. The biggest benefit of this amp vs.the 307A is that it can also be used as a stereo preamplifier. It does sound VERY good, but is softer in the treble and slightly weaker in the deep bass. In other words, it has a more traditional tube amp sound vice the 307A which is more neutral. I also thought that the 307A was a little more detailed. Unfortunately, I do not think there are many other top-line balanced tube headphone amplifier alternatives.

thanks! the TTVJ 307A seems awesome.

 

[mrarroyo]

The 307A is a sweet sounding amp. I tried various cans out of it at CanJam 08 and they all sounded fantastic! Too bad I do not have $6,000 to buy one.

 

[immtbiker]

Yup. It sounded great with everything that I could attach to it. Of course, having a $12,000 Meridian driving it, didn't hurt either.

It is a bit industrial looking and certainly not as "pretty" as Mikhail's offerings, but looks only play a small role in my choice of components, but it does play a role (spousal acceptance factor and all).

More on the lines of a Zana or Craig's Eddie Current, looks wise.

Picture from the TTVJ website:

 

[foo_me]

Quote:

Originally Posted by leberserkfury /img/forum/go_quote.gif thanks for the input.. I thought the balance act was SS not tube. let me be a little be more specific on the amp that i'm looking for. The top tier amp is somewhere between Zana and SDS-XLR in terms of sound quality and must be able to accept balanced input and outputs. tube amp preferred.

The BA is a balanced tube amp that will be able to accept different tubes since the topology will allow for that.
The prototypes have primarily been built with the 307a just like the TTVJ 307a, but it can also be built with the 300b and 45 tubes.
Craig is thinking about offering the AD1 tube, since it supposedly one of the best output tubes out there, but won't know until he can do a final build and compare side to side.

THere will hopefully be impressions of the final production version towards the end of january as well as a comparison of the various tubes.

The amp can act as a preamp like the Zana, however, while it will have balanced inputs not sure if it has balanced or just single ended outputs...something to ask Craig to confirm if needed.

 

[riceboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4N6 /img/forum/go_quote.gif As mentioned, the TTVJ 307A seems to fit the bill perfectly. Balanced inputs. Single-ended, transformer coupled tube amp. Separate balanced, single ended, K1000, and IEM headphone output/settings. Very neutral sound, with tremendous unforced detail lacking any treble etch. Price ($6000) in between the ZD and SDS-XLR . Very high quality and does not take a long time to receive (about 1 month after order). Great customer service without the SP shenanigans. The RSA B-52 is a balanced tube headphone amplifier that is also in the equation. The biggest benefit of this amp vs.the 307A is that it can also be used as a stereo preamplifier. It does sound VERY good, but is softer in the treble and slightly weaker in the deep bass. In other words, it has a more traditional tube amp sound vice the 307A which is more neutral. I also thought that the 307A was a little more detailed. Unfortunately, I do not think there are many other top-line balanced tube headphone amplifier alternatives.

I have spent time with 4n6s 307A and can say I've heard the same, especially with the R10s. It is a wonderful sounding amp overall and would be a great fit for the R10s that leberserkfury is looking for, but also many, many other cans

.

 

[Rob N]

I'm starting to get really p***ed off.All I've had is one fuzzy pic of my amp back in Nov 08

 

[tom hankins]

Mine is not working.

 

[Rob N]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tom hankins /img/forum/go_quote.gif Mine is not working.

This is another concern I have if I ever get it.

What went wrong?

 

[tom hankins]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob N /img/forum/go_quote.gif This is another concern I have if I ever get it. What went wrong?

Multiple issues. The headphone section doesnt seem to be hooked up right. Sound is shifted to the left channel to much. Mikhail says he will fly out here with my power supply and fix it. We will see.

 

[pabbi1]

Just reading this thread is like visiting a hospice patient.

 

[Rob N]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tom hankins /img/forum/go_quote.gif Multiple issues. The headphone section doesnt seem to be hooked up right. Sound is shifted to the left channel to much. Mikhail says he will fly out here with my power supply and fix it. We will see.

If he does fly out perhaps you can find out what exactly is wrong with SP.I won't hold by breath though.

 

[TreAdidas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by earwicker7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Is he really 94 years old, or is that one of those "ironic" MySpace pages? That's freaking sweet if he's still making amps at that age. My grandfather is going to be 102 if he makes it until next month, and he was going strong up until around 100 or so. Either way, those are some seriously beautiful amps... if I hadn't blown my audio wad on my new Transrotor 40/60/M, maybe I'd consider buying one of them. Too expensive for the time being, but maybe if the stock market recovers .

I've heard about this guy in the guitar circles... Form his pics, it appears he's in his 30's or so.

Maybe he's worth giving a call. Heh... he may be flooded with requests to fix these big black boxes form Denver.

 

[TreAdidas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pabbi1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just reading this thread is like visiting a hospice patient.

OK now that is funny.... You've tapped into my sick sense of humor.

 

[tom hankins]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob N /img/forum/go_quote.gif If he does fly out perhaps you can find out what exactly is wrong with SP.I won't hold by breath though.

I gave up on Mikhail a long, long, long, time ago.