ECP Torpedo III [indexed in first post]

Yeah, I've noticed what I wondered was a phase issue or an issue with my brain, the mix, etc. I've noticed it with some acoustic guitar tracks, but not others. When I did take note, it sounded like the higher chords were spatially separated from the lower chords which was oddly unnatural and distracting - and yes there was only one guitar haha. Whatever the cause, it did create incoherency, but it's so inconsistent that I'd written it up to me being a weak minded fool... And now I'm going back to a few tracks that made it stand out for me previously, but I'm not hearing it the same way I remember it. *shrug*. Who knows.

Soundstage (as noted by @zonto ) ... I agree this is an area to nitpick with the T3. Particularly left to right (width). Let's see if other folks that upgrade to CCS boards can comment on their affect on soundstage width. I'm not hearing much change there, but my pre-CCS music memory is shot now.

 

Yeah, I use DSP to control soundstage width and I've notice that I usually set it about 3-5% wider with the TIII to get the same width. Not a big deal to me, since I always use this anyway, but noticeable nonetheless.

I've noticed what you describe with acoustic guitars, and I think it's notable that the same doesn't hold true for electric guitars (which are almost always miced from an amp at close distance). Most studio acoustic guitars are recorded with a mix of microphone and piezo pickups and I think what you were hearing is differential distance from the mic on the acoustic guitars. A lot of producers EQ the piezo to provide more of the high frequencies and the microphone to capture more of the low frequencies. What I think is going on is that the TIII is making this difference more audible. Just my guess though.

 

Maybe those specific recordings are out of phase? If you can name specific albums and they are on Tidal, I could take a listen with and without the phase inverter enabled on the Yggdrasil (though I suppose you could also do this inversion with software).

 

I went home for "lunch"...been living at the office for the last two weeks. Prepared everything for some surgery. The first impressions (without critical listening), the amp got more open/less congested, clearer, more upfront presentation. Headstage possibly got smaller. Possibly brighter or bass is tighter. I think the amp gets a lot hotter.

Edit:
I expect an amp with this presentation style to punch hard and have a lot of body behind it. This thing really punches hard after the output CCS; it's intense.


Test tracks:
Massive Attack - Risingson (test bass punch, weight)
Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy (test bass punch, detect fatigue)
Infected Mushroom - Sailing in Sea of Mushroom (test cymbal resolve, attack, decay, detect fatigue)
Korn - Hey Daddy (test cymbal resolve, layering)
Vanessa Williams - Gracious Good Sheppard (my known hot track to detect sibilance, HF etch/grain)

 

Yeah, I have a phase inversion switch and it's not that. Also usually phase makes left-rate placement ambiguous, to my ears at least, but doesn't really impact depth perception. This is more that forward to back differences are exaggerated. It's like how some headphones very crisply define L/R, this super crisply defines front/back. The more I'm getting used to it, it is a net positive. But it does tend to exacerbate issues with singers who don't sing into the mic. I thought I was through being annoyed by that when I stopped doing live sound work. Now the TIII returns to haunt me with it, haha. It also makes how an instrument was mic'd seem more obvious to me.

I was also listening to a recording earlier (can't remember what it was) and they put different reverb on the drums than the lead singer's vocals. It was much more obvious and disconcerting than on my other setups. It's one of my biggest pet peeves when producers do that, and now it gets in my nerves even more.

But yeah, overall this effect is a positive. i love precise layering. And this does that to an extreme level. Also I think it's becoming less disorienting as my brain gets used to it more. This setup is becoming more and more like a speaker setup, without the chest impact (or the angry neighbors).

 

Honestly this is decreasing the appeal of the Bottlehead Crack + SB as my first DIY amp project just from reading this thread, think this is as easy to DIY as the BH Crack? I don't want something too challenging and lengthy

 

I've never done a point to point project like a crack before, but i have built many other solid state projects. The torpedo has a bunch of attributes that make it good project and provide a few challenge.

100% complete kit - down to the completely finished chassis, nuts and screws. No wood work, staining, finishing. Solder it together, drop into chassis and it's looking like a retail product.

Top notch documentation and support. Crack is well documented also.

Mainly through hole, point to point seems harder but I guess you would just melt wires if you messed up rather than lift pads. 2 surface mount snubbers, custom bending of parafeed caps, and CCS board prep imo most difficult part. Low parts count but extremely compact board makes changing parts later a pita.

Modest entry price, 550 bucks for base model which can be upgraded later.

 

The BH Crack was my first real amp and building the Torpedo III was much easier than the crack.

But the crack and torpedo III sounds very different, the crack is a warmer tube amp (a lot of second harmonic). while the torpedo III is leaner and neutral with stock tubes, better clarity , dynamics, details, treble extension, leaner and solid bass with good control, wider sound stage, (the crack channel seperation isn't as good so it seems narrow).

Crack has a good warm tube tone that I couldn't replicate with the torpedo III. The sound stage although not very wide it goes deep, torpedo III probably matches that deep sound stage though.

Can't go wrong with either choice because the crack is much cheaper if it fits your budget, but the Torpedo III is the better amp. I sold my crack after building the T3.

A better comparison would be the bh mainline and T1 or T3 since they are all parafeed amps.

 

Interesting amp. Have any owners of the Torpedo III used the amp with ZMF Omni (semi open) headphones?

I emailed the maker via his website, he'd never heard the ZMF Omni.

 

I haven't heard the pairing myself, but the TIII isn't considered to be a good match for inefficient planars, which the T50RP certainly is.

 

I've demo'd @JoshMorr 's ZMF Blackwood, which is more or less the same, with the T3 and can confirm @fjrabon 's suspicion. It is very difficult to drive, evidenced by the fact that I could listen to some tracks at 100% volume level on the T3's low Z setting.

 

Can anyone offer impressions of this amp with an efficient planar like the Ether C? Or guidance as to whether or not it would be a good pairing.

I read that the T3 has had issues with HFMs, but I have yet to find any feedback on the Ether C.

I emailed TomB and he suggested I ask here. Thanks.

 

It's good with the HE400i.

 

No problem with the ETHER-C. Easy to drive, etc. Though I do find the ETHER-C disappointing in its ability or lack thereof to reveal the results of T3 tweaks like caps, resistors, etc while they are readily apparent with HD6x0.

 

Elear and T3 is a combination I'd want to hear or read impressions of.

 

Yep.. me too.. @bazelio has the Elear on order, so we should be getting some thoughts on how a souped up TIII pairs with it.. eventually (seems not many Elears & Utopias are out in the wild yet).

 

I was in on the elear early, but they gave me the option for a refund or replacement during the first batch recall and the whole situation made me a bit uneasy so I took the refund. Kinda sorta regret it now, but I'm still blown away by TIII HD800 on a daily basis.

 

Hey guys, long time no see. Been busy rocking out with the T3 ;D Looks like I have a lot of posts to catch up on in this thread!

Problem I'm hoping I could get some help with (apologies if it's been talked about in the 600ish posts I've missed): I get an audible buzz/hum from the amp itself. It's very directional - actually reminds me a lot of the sound I could hear from my plasma TV when I turned my head a certain way. The sound doesn't come through to headphones. My guess is that I've left the amp on a bit too long a few times and the PT should be replaced, but I wanted to run it by everyone here first. Maybe even the Raytheon 12az7's I've come to enjoy most in the T3...maybe too much heater current?

I also sometimes get a very high pitched, very soft sound in one ear (actually not sure if I'm just imagining it). I haven't done any troubleshooting like moving tubes around or anything - figured it wouldn't hurt to mention since I'm already posting about a problem (I probably caused).

 

First problem is probably a bad PT, i had one as well. And the replacement one is still a bit noisy. Second problem i reckon is just a noisy tube, see if swapping tubes around also swaps around the noise.