Eddie Current Zana Deux S

Hello SBAF friends? i would like a piece of advice from you guys. I had a very good experience with a schiit valhalla (friend) and i want to feel the tube magic in my system. Today i have a ragnarok and yggdrasil with focal utopia and hd 800.
Thinking in pure music joy and bliss (money now is available for both choices), what's the best choice:

1. Buy EC zana deux
2. Buy schiit freya with good tubes and use it with the ragnarok

your senior help its very wellcome

 

I would recommend Option 1 one thousand times over. Freya in active tube mode will add color to the chain, losing detail in the process. Has its ourposes, great connectivity if you really need balanced in/out etc.

Zds is known to be fantastic pairing with utopia and hd800. You will get the big blown out stage and slightly laid back tune sound You are going for. You can also try Zds as pre amp before Ragnarok in the chain if you want to add tube flavor to things.

 

I'm basically echoing what @JoshMorr already said, but if Utopia and HD800 are your weapons of choice ZDS is a fantastic option. ZDS does a great job with a wide involving stage, controls the treble really well, and has rich but not wildly colored signature. You may be sacrificing ultimate resolution as well as some bass slam (ZDS has good bass quantity, but it hits soft). It has many similar qualities to Valhalla 2 with hd800, but in a supped up, and richer manner.

If that sounds like a good tradeoff I would recommend trying it. ZDS/800 is my system and has put my nervosa to rest, and ZDS/Utopia is probably the most impressive pairing I've ever heard (meet conditions, blah blah blah).

2 things worth mentioning as I ramble:
-ZDS runs hot and can warm up a room, especially in warm climates, altho this is true of many amps in this tier. I feel like this doesn't get mentioned enough
- This is the ZDS thread, where mainly current and former owners reside, which may skew responses towards the positive and miss other good gear recomendations (true of any gear specific thread)

 

@David De Lucena given that you're asking the question in the ZDS thread, you're probably getting a certain type of response. Not a whole lot of folks drop in to talk about how shitty the ZDS is, and Psalm is banned.

ZDS is going to sound very different from what you've got. It certainly is colored with a rich and full sound, broad soundstage, and has noticeable OTL traits. But it is the best OTL you'll ever hear IMO. And with that said I should let you know that for me, the Yggdrasil, Rag, HD800/Utopia combo invokes a fingernails on chalkboard sensation. So personal preferences and all that.

When you're ready to sell those 6SN7s, let me know. I'd like to know what you've got.

 

Thank you all for the great input. It’s nice to receive this kind of help.
I did asked the same question in the big advice thread with no response...
Sorry to ask , but English it’s my third language.. Lol
So when you said “how shitty ZDS is” I didn’t understood. I remember Psalm opinions and he was kind of anarchy guy... I liked him thought
So, shitty, for me is full of shit... a bad sound.. did I get it correct. Psalm thought ZDS was a bad amp?? No way dude... how come?

 

Shitty. adj
Low quality. Inferior. Covered in excrement.

 

@David De Lucena - @Marvey banned Psalm for the very reason you are asking about. Marv was concerned that people unfamiliar with Psalm's strong convictions based on (sometimes) very little exposure would get unreliable impressions. (This is on the forum somewhere. I can't find it, atm.)

Edit: Mistake on my part. I remembered the impression I got from this (and the next post):
https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...plement-the-jotunheim.4079/page-4#post-136435
And forgot the posts that followed.

 

In my experience, the bass slam of the ZDS can go from limp all the way to fully erect, depending on the characteristics of the DAC and the 6SL7 tube being used. For example, if I’m running Theta Basic IIIa -> ZDS w/ Mullard ECC35, the bass hit likes a pillow. But plug in Theta Progeny -> ZDS w/ Philips 6SL7WGT (green lettering) or RCA 5691 redbase and the bass slams like a mf’in jackhammer. I will admit that (in my experience) more DAC/tube combos on the ZDS will give that softer bass than vice versa, though.

IIRC, you were running the MJ2 prior to getting your ZDS? That’s an amp I’ve always wanted to try.

 

Right yeah Mjo2 was my primary amp before, which is the ultimate authority in bass slam, so yeah I noticed the softness maybe more than most on that switch. But it is an oft cited characteristic and would still say its softer than most other headamps I have heard.

ZDS slays the staging of Mjo2, and also handles the treble better on the hd800, but yeah Mjo2 kicks like a mule and was a fun amp. (I wrote some impressions comparing the two when I made the switch in this thread somewhere). The Mullard ECC35 you mentioned is my main tube, and I have a few others, and they are all variations of soft. Will maybe have to try one of those you mentioned for kicks

 

just to echo what others have said, if you use the utopia and hd800 and want some magic, get the EC ZDS. you won't be sorry. sure there are some that dislike it because their priorities are different and even those that do can recognize certain flaws but overall it is super enjoyable. especially with utopia. cost no object and if i listened to headphones more, the utopia zds pairing would be on my short list and only pricier amps like the Aficionado would top it.

 

well it's not NOT true... hahaha my wife's least favorite joke genre but one of my favorites. anyhow just f'ing with you Marvihno.

 

Sorry Marv. That was how I remembered it. Maybe I got the "calling on it" and the "banning" jumbled up in my mind.

 

Yah, I remember that. He went off the walls about odin or something, and said my job at Boeing was causing m3 brain cancer due to the F18s flying over it (and no, I don't have brain cancer. My doc thought there was a tumor on my pituitary. I was cleared as "all good" from the MRI.)

This is really off topic though, so I'm good with deleting this message if you want me to.

 

I have not. I have:

- Philips 6SL7WGT green lettering
Stage is very up front and wide, lacking a bit of depth. Clarity is top notch, as well as extension at both ends. Bass slam is the best out of what I’ve tried. Most “solid state sounding” tube I’ve tried, but the holographic nature is still in full effect. Fantastic tube for HD650 and PMx2 for example, but a bit forward sounding for brighter headphones.

- RCA 5691 red bass white lettering
More forward sounding than the others listed below, but relatively warm sounding. Stage has less width than Philips but better depth. Tones down treble a bit. Good bass extension and slam, if a bit tubbier than the Philips. For a good “warm” tube, give me this over the ECC35 IMO.

- Tung Sol 6SU7GTY Black glass round plate
The most “neutral” tube I’ve tried. Subbass rolloff and slightly less bass quantity than the others listed. Good clarity, if not a bit dry sounding? Stage is well balanced between width and depth. Can be a good tube for wetter or tubby sounding chains.

- Mullard ECC35 short brown base
This tube is a bit of an enigma. The stage is smaller than any of the others listed, but the actual quality of staging / imaging is really good. Slight subbass rolloff and a bit of mid-bass / Lower mid lushness. Treble is smooth but can sometimes sound shouty to me? Idk this one is weird. I’ve had some really good listening sessions with it, but it seems to prefer live acoustic and other recordings in which staging is important.

 

I keep reading this thread and I'm going to end up with my current Black Widow and the ZDS. Too much??

 

You can always trade your Black Widow for my Zana Deux.