Laconic Lab Night Blues Tube Transformer Coupled Amp

big thumbs up to @t3hwx9!
Thanks to him i got the amp delivered to France! I had to pay around 32% in import taxes... but I am pretty happy about this purchase.
The amp itself is as described... great piece of equipment regardless of value.

Thanks @t3hwx9 for your time and effort man!

Will try to post some impressions if am able to get some time in the coming days! I like it much more than the ZOTL2 which has its own qualities.

 

Some pics of the inside of my Night Blues Mini:

 

@philipmorgan : quick question, were you able to know why there are 2 inputs??

Thanks for the pics!!!

 

I think it's to let you keep 2 sources plugged in and just use whichever one you want. There's no switch between them. They appear to have a simple bare wire bus between the 2 inputs.

 

I was wondering about that myself in looking at your pics of the internals... It's a little hard to see how they've wired it, but I'm not sure I'd be willing to test that feature using my equipment.

 

Yeah, I just plug one source at a time into it. I use a Schiit Sys if I'm switching betwixt multiple sources.

 

Come to think of it, maybe it's also a "loop" thing, where you plug a source into one of the two RCA pairs and then use the other to feed some other component downstream? Ah... the mysteries lurking behind the Iron Curtain...

 

Looks similar to the loop on the black widow. Marv's explanation here.

 

hey guys, wasnt sure where to ask this but i figure this is the best place as any. So now that im getting one of these babies from russia and need to make sure i can listen to it proper here in the US, are there any quality step-up transformers you would recommend so i can power this (which im assuming is 220V) into the 110V here in the states?

i'm thinking of getting this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0022QOSDK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_8?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AU5MW0P13QZ5V

which i believe is 500watts capable. not sure if this is enough and also if this is quality enough of a step-up transformer. what would you guys recommend?

 

Update: I ended getting the transformer from amazon, just got the NBM in the mail, and it works just fine (though i had to put it on the side b/c the power cable of the laconic is an L shaped plug so it doesnt quite fit, may need to buy a straight 220V power plug).

That being said. Listening to the NBM right now with my HD580. OMG. This thing is friggin amazing. This may be blasphemous but i think i like it just as much if not a bit more than the EC super 7 i had (that had a bigger soundstage but slightly thinner / less "full bodied" than the laconic). This thing is organic, full bodied, plenty of slam, clear and detailed but still smooth and not sharp (all the good organic liquidness body of the tubes, without the thickness / syrup). Sound stage is also much better than the vali 2, not quite as good as the top end amps from what i've heard but its a nice midway point. This thing is far out way better than the valhalla 2 though from what i remember.

I'm only about 20 min into the burn in too. Im assuming this is gonna get even better over time~~ Super happy =) I think i may be good on amps for a while~ unless i get the the Torpedo III at somepoint, which from what i remember hearing, is basically everything here with a little more punch & detail & slightly more distinctive soundstage.

 

@t3hwx9 bought a Laconic Lab Night Blues Mini amplifier and sent it to Australia - wanted to make public his great service, especially when Russian customs knocked back the initial shipment. Many thanks!

Had an opportunity to try it today in my work rig (PC -> Audiophilleo 2 -> Metrum Octave -> Night Blues Mini -> HD800). Initial impressions are quite favourable:

- Great bass impact, much better than my custom 300B SET speaker amplifier jury-rigged for headphones - I guess this must be the value of a properly matched output transformer! One of my work colleagues who is a violinist in an orchestra but never listened to high end headphones was amazed at the bass.
- Great dynamics and tone - not as good as the EAR HP4 that I use at home, but close enough for me to not miss my home rig at work. Ditto for resolution.
- Reasonable soundstage width, not as much as depth though.

I'm quite amazed at the sound that this little amplifier can make - I quoted the total price of the amplifier and shipping to my workmates, and now some of my colleagues are interested in owning one!

 

While choosing which one to get - Valhalla2 or Mjolnir2 for HD650 - I have got into this thread... I saw Laconic earlier but never liked the design. But who cares if it sounds good.
So I decided to support local manufacturer and ordered this thing.
1 day delivery + spare tubes for a present. Very nice.
First impressions:
- HD650 sounds more open and clear, more engaging compared to Teac UD-503 (single ended). Feels like there's more power in the music. But overall difference is not like day and night.
- Sony Z7 still sounds much better with UD-503.

 

If one of those happened to pop up at the end of next month, I'd definitely be all about that. I'm certain I'm not the only one too.

 

Not sure if I'm late to the party, but seeing that more people seemed to have heard this amp since last I checked, is there a way for a non-Russian to get a hold of a NBM unit made for 220V (i.e. stock Russian unit)? I figure it will be easier since Russia also uses 220V.

 

Re: group buy. Not going to happen. At least not with the sane end customer price and/or delivery time. See below.
Re: per-unit forwarding. Russia is a mysterious place of unpredicted complications.
My smuggling status so far:
4 units total. Destinations: France, Singapore, Australia, USA.
Units 2 and 3 had been blocked by Aviation Security Service (not exactly customs, the packages were approved) and sent back to me.
Re-checked, re-shipped, paid the shipping fee again, filled the partial refund applications at EMS office. Unit 3: success, unit 2: fail.
Waiting for the package to arrive again (the initial shipment date was Jul 9).
Worst part, there are no other shipping options available. FedEx is insanely expensive (about $150-200), sea mail is insanely slow.
Financial stats:
Profit: ~$65-70
Partial loss (some of the shipping payments to be refunded): ~$170

Therefore, no new orders until I'll get the shipping fee refunds (or the exact quotes. Deadline is 1 of October).

 

Yall do know about this, right? http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...blues-transformer-coupled-tube-amp-tour.2418/

I don't mind my NBM being on the road for some months, so if any US-based amigos are wanting to hear it first hand, get thyself signed up.

When it returns from the loaner I'm going to try some mods @Hands has been suggesting to see what else this little amp is capable of.

 

@philipmorgan I say let's see how much room there is for a different pot. Even the Alps Blue. If the existing pot is the source of the channel imbalance I heard when you stopped in with the NBM, then it's got to go!

BTW, and this is based only on quick listens to both, the Vali sound signature reminded me a lot of the NBM.