[forcecommand]

I'm going to buy a headphone amp for my AKG k601 and Sennheiser HD650 within $2000, which one is better?
1.Eddie Current Zana Deux
2.Singlepower Extreme with some upgrades
3.Singlepower MPX3 with some upgrades
Please give your recommadation. Thanks.

P.S. If you recommand Singlepower amps , please give your configuration and rough price, thanks.

 

[sacd lover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by forcecommand /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm going to buy a headphone amp for my AKG k601 and Sennheiser HD650 within $2000, which one is better? 1.Eddie Current Zana Deux 2.Singlepower Extreme with some upgrades 3.Singlepower MPX3 with some upgrades Please give your recommadation. Thanks. P.S. If you recommand Singlepower amps , please give your configuration and rough price, thanks.

First, the Zana Deux is now $2500.

Secondly, all of these amps sound really good with 650s. I think the Extreme sounds the best with the K601//701. The Extreme I have is a stock unit with a 14 amp transformer. The ZD and Extreme are more a little more SS sounding than the MPX3. The MPX3 I own is basically stock but uses the 5687 output tubes.

 

[Sture]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sacd lover /img/forum/go_quote.gif First, the Zana Deux is now $2500.

Wow.

I wonder what improvements are made? When the price has risen a lot.

 

[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sture /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow. I wonder what improvements are made? When the price has risen a lot.

Everything has gone up! Some more than others. The Zana I listen too was a very nice unit, two things held me back. First and most importantly I did not have the space to put it in. Secondly and less of an issue is the amount of heat it puts out.

If you get one you will be very happy.

 

[Happy Camper]

A few of us get the opportunity to listen to both the ZD and an Extreme Platinum (first edition) w/Black Gate output caps.

We will have many of the currently made top end hps. there so you could keep an eye on the thoughts.

re: Dayton meet Oct. 18

 

[nghows]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrarroyo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Everything has gone up! Some more than others. The Zana I listen too was a very nice unit, two things held me back. First and most importantly I did not have the space to put it in. Secondly and less of an issue is the amount of heat it puts out. If you get one you will be very happy.

2 issues and none of them sonic..... that's gotta say something. I personally haven't heard the SPs but a neighbour of mine has one.... may just mosie on down there for a mini shoot out (ZD in tow obviously)

mrarroyo, you are right about the size and heat. There is the additional issue of the power supply. But does it sound great? yes......

 

[twestby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrarroyo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Everything has gone up! Some more than others. The Zana I listen too was a very nice unit, two things held me back. First and most importantly I did not have the space to put it in. Secondly and less of an issue is the amount of heat it puts out. If you get one you will be very happy.

I will second the "you will be very happy" statement. I don't see how the heat issue is relevant at all though. As long as you're not wearing your Zana Deux as a hat, it shouldn't be a problem. Tim

 

[Sture]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrarroyo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Everything has gone up! Some more than others. The Zana I listen too was a very nice unit, two things held me back. First and most importantly I did not have the space to put it in. Secondly and less of an issue is the amount of heat it puts out. If you get one you will be very happy.

I am a happy owner of the ZD.

Besides, here in Finland is cold and dark so we need heat, light and good-sounding music that I would remain spry through the dark and long winter . And the ZD is precisely those characteristics.

 

[jp11801]

Of the three amps mentioned I would rank them as follow
Zana
MPX3
Extreme

The Zana at $2500 is a still a good value considering parts/assembly costs. The Zana does exactly what I want an amp to do get out of the way.
The MPX3 (se) is a really nice amp that for me may be my favorite singlepower standard builds. Lots of tube rolling potential but the amp does (imho) tip towards the lush side of the road.

I am not a fan of the extreme in most of the iterations I have heard. Boomana has a great version of it that sounds very different than any other version I have heard. Most of the makes of this amp sound sonically compressed with punched up mids that make a nice first impression but over time grate on me. YMMV

 

[Skylab]

The Extreme needs the right tubes to sound it's best IMO. I like mine, using a ECC32 driver and GEC 6AS7G's immensely.

I have heard a Zana several times, and thought it sounded great, but not really much better than either my Extreme or MPX3, both of which are basically stock except for the level 1 cap upgrades. Extreme is a little faster and lighter, the MPX3 a little lusher and darker. Both are very powerful.

However, Singlepower is difficult to deal with, so unless you plan to buy used, you need to take that into account.

 

[purk]

Why not buy a used Supra? I sold my SP Supra to Muveling for around $1800 and it is more dynamics sounding than the Zana, IMO. The Zana might be more neutral but the Supra with high voltage upgrade has better slam and dynamics with wider soundstage. I have yet to find any single-end tube amp that sound better than my SP SDS w/ upgrades. FYI, I prefer the Zana & Supra over the Woo 5.

 

[Sherwood]

"Some" here prefer the Woo Audio 6 maxxxxxxed to even the ZD, given that they both have the right tubes.

That fits pretty nicely within your budget, and is pretty immediately obtainable.

 

[sacd lover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jp11801 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Of the three amps mentioned I would rank them as follow Zana MPX3 Extreme The Zana at $2500 is a still a good value considering parts/assembly costs. The Zana does exactly what I want an amp to do get out of the way. The MPX3 (se) is a really nice amp that for me may be my favorite singlepower standard builds. Lots of tube rolling potential but the amp does (imho) tip towards the lush side of the road. I am not a fan of the extreme in most of the iterations I have heard. Boomana has a great version of it that sounds very different than any other version I have heard. Most of the makes of this amp sound sonically compressed with punched up mids that make a nice first impression but over time grate on me. YMMV

First, I think you need to specify what you are comparing before you can make a blanket statement like this. What MPX3? One with 6sn7 output tubes for a lush smooth sound with high impedance headphones, one with 5687 output tubes for a more dynamic and cleaner sound or one with high voltage 6bl7gta/6bx7gt output tubes for high power and the ability to drive ANY high or low impedance headphone with authority and complete control. This also does not take into account the large number of really good gain tubes you can use for the SP amps. You can fine tune the MPX3 with a wide range of gain tubes that vary from warm and lush like the RCA 6/12sn7gt .... to fast, clean and clear like the Tung Sol 2c51.

Secondly, if you dont hear good things from the Extreme like the compression you describe, I am with Skylab, you dont have the right tube match. A lot of people use 6sn7s for gain duty and like them. However, I think the Extreme does much better with a clean sounding high mu tube like the 6414/ 7062. The 6414/7062 etc... give the amp the necessary voltage gain to open up and a noticeably more neutral character.

For comparisons sake, the ZD uses a 6sl7gt with a mu of 70 to drive 6c33s that have a mu around 2. The Extreme uses a 6as7 output tube, also with a mu of 2 .... and expecting a 6sn7 with a mu of 20 to have enough voltage swing to drive 6as7s without distorting with dynamic music just doesnt work well. The Extreme doesnt have the ZDs extensive use of negative feedback (= eats up gain) so a tube with a mu of 35-50 for the Extreme vs a mu of 70 with the ZD works about perfectly in the Extreme despite the respective output tubes each having a gain/ mu of 2.

Once you have a gain tube with some voltage output the Extreme is a completely different beast and can go toe to toe with the ZD for sound quality. To me, the main choice is between the more tubelike sound of the MPX3 vs the more neutral sound of the ZD or Extreme. From there .... the Extreme has 2-2.5 x the power of the ZD, far more tuberolling options that are less expensive and the last I knew the amp is a full $1000 less expensive. Personally, I like the Extremes sound slightly better although my experience is limited to the original ZD prototype. But for value the Extreme has to get the nod.

Back to the MPX3, the SLAM SE version with high output 6bl7gtas combined with a 2c51 for gain is absolutely amazing with my Alessandro MS2S or woodied MS1s.

 

[909]

I've heard the following...

Zana
MPX3 (NOS 6SN7 and 5687 tubes selected by Mikhail)
Extreme Platinum (again tubes selected by Mikhail)

I've heard many ZDs. Three to four MPX3s, but spent substantial time with two under ideal listening conditions and two Extreme Platinums, the second under near ideal listening conditions. The tubes in the SP amps were selected by Mikhail for his customers. As for the headphones, the HD650s, HD600s, RS-1, SR225, L3000s, K-701s and a few others.

We all are biased, but my ear greatly preferred the ZD because it offers that rare and special musical enjoyment along with the refined kind of harmonic, timbral and dynamic nuance I did not hear in the other amps.

Words and terms are used in audio impressions all the time rarely with suitable definitions. Musicality can be a bad word for super analytic audiophiles, implying smoothing-over details attempting to achieve an easy to listen to component. Others, like to say musicality is subjective--whatever they like could be called musical, however it sounds. Musical to me means it sounds wholly organic, seamless and moves air and conveys emotion without sacrificing the nuances of detail, harmonics, timing, and microdynamics -- essential for lifelike reproduction of sound. The ZD is the only amp out of the three that gets all of this right at the same time, which is a rare feat.

 

[mikeymad]

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