MicroZOTL 2

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by richard51, Dec 10, 2015.

  1. richard51

    richard51 Mr. Sorbothane

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    There is a cult like status about David Berning amplifiers...I had read all about his design on the internet (very difficult reading for a non scientist)... In a nutshell the topology of the ZOTL amp are completely new design, not cosmetic changes nor minor originalities of design. I had not read a single truely negative impression.... Nothing except praise... He is not very known except about some informed few in audio circle because all was hand made by him ... that has changed with the microzotl2....i know nothing in this field but it was no brainer for the ratio/quality/ price to buy one for 1100 dollars...i will...in the meantime if some others are curious, read about and if you buy one report here ... thanks very much for this one of a kind forum
     
  2. thegunner100

    thegunner100 Hentai Master Chief

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    There was one at the NY audio show and the NY head-fi meet. Sadly I didn't get the chance to listen to it. There is a dealer in NJ that carries it, but I'm not interested enough to drive out for an audition :p
     
  3. richard51

    richard51 Mr. Sorbothane

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    Hence you must read about this little marvel...and like me you will be interested...Berning had handscraft made amp for 50 years and if you read reviews , impression, the less praising one are glowing of satisfaction...the holy grail of amplification if this thing exist is not necesseraly a very known artefact like shiit, stax, etc
     
  4. richard51

    richard51 Mr. Sorbothane

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  5. thegunner100

    thegunner100 Hentai Master Chief

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    Hmm. Comparisons would have to be made to other amps to have a better idea of how the microZOTL 2 sounds. Are you in the market for an amp?
     
  6. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    Gotta say that I'd be curious to hear one, but given I don't tend to trust 99% of people on HF ("hype-fi," everything is awesome, etc.), ain't no way I'm going to buy one myself. Maybe if there's a dealer in Denver I'll try to check it out next time I'm up there.
     
  7. Shaffer

    Shaffer Acquaintance

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  8. Ishcabible

    Ishcabible Friend

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    I thought the ZOTL was a very interesting pair with the HD800. I don't know how much the Exogal Comet played a role but the HD800 was stock but it somehow warm sounding but not necessarily syrupy. The bass sounded a little off to me though.
     
  9. Works 4 Me

    Works 4 Me New

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    Well, that 'the stock' HD800 sounded warm & more importantly "not syrupy" (which too many people like to use to "dumb down" the stock HD800 flaws) is a good sign !

    I think you can assign the weird bass as being a characteristic of the stock HD800. (Sennheiser won't allow this driver to perform to it's optimal low frequency potential as it will distract from the huge soundfield that they are 'voiced' to produce; even if the soundfield doesn't exist that way on the recording)
     
  10. Colgin

    Colgin Friend

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    I listened to it very briefly at the meet but I think they had it paired with the Nighthawk, which I do not like, so could not make any judgments on the amp unfortunately.
     
  11. Ishcabible

    Ishcabible Friend

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    The bass characteristic is a bit different from what normal HD800 bass sounds like. The ZOTL adds bass to the headphones I tried to it and it sounded a little unnatural.
     
  12. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I read the patent and don't totally get it, but the "ZOTL" thing looks like some kind of high frequency switcher with MOSFETs. His name has been around for a while; and every now and then, it seems that some minion announces it as the second coming that will render all transformer or cap coupled tube amps to the garbage bin. Would be funny if it sounded like a tube / Class D amp hybrid.
     
  13. Bourne Perfect

    Bourne Perfect Friend

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    That thread was the same 3 individuals singing the sames praises 500 times.

    So, Head-Fi.
     
  14. Smitty

    Smitty Too good for bad vodka - Friend

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    Heard one twice, once at a regional meet and once at CAF 2015. It's strange, the sound is kinda grainy. The staging was also funky, but it was too long ago to state exactly what I heard. I don't really feel like giving it another shot, the amps I had at CAF were more satisfying to me.
     
  15. richard51

    richard51 Mr. Sorbothane

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    thanks for all your interesting comments... I am in the market to buy an amplifier end game this year... and the praise for this "second coming" is not an "head fi" thing, i had discovered the microzotl existence on many another articles on the net....And if someone does not understand the topology, it is not his defect intellect, simply the Zotl tech was a complete novelty in amp technology... this is why i am interested in that thing....the price and the revolutionary design by Berning ( a physicist by the way ) is a necessary and sufficient reason to be curious of personal experience.... I am not here to "sing" the praise of Berning, i dont have experience with his amplifiers but i am here because there is " expertise" independant of "hype" here , i want to hear about experimented ears here who knows the product or was curious to experiment with it.... A question : How many tube amp comnpany exist that break completely with the usual tube design topology? this is THE REASON of my interest to opinions illuminated by experience....
     
  16. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    The appeal of tube amps has always been their simplicity. Tube and passive component, whether that be tube and capacitor or tube and transformer. This ZOTL approach is quite novel, but it's best thought of as a hybrid approach (rather than a revolutionary break from usual tube amp topology) with a tube and high-frequency switcher. Personally, I think the ZOTL nomenclature smacks a little bit of false advertisement. Basically what this guy did was add a whole bunch of shit, and I really do mean a whole bunch of shit like more transformers, diodes, oscillators, and MOSFETs at the end of a tube. And this sort of defeats the simplicity of tube amp circuits. I mean one could attach one transistor to the output of tube and name it the ZOMG transformer-less solution.

    Like with any hybrid approaches, it could be the best of both worlds, the worst of both worlds, or more likely a mis-mash of both. The patents have already run out on it, and if this approach were really ZOMG, everyone would be using it. There is a reason why the four-stroke engine has been around so long, and will be around for years more, despite the advent of battery powered electric motors.
     
    Last edited: Dec 10, 2015
  17. richard51

    richard51 Mr. Sorbothane

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    i am no expert but this is probably not the worst of both world.....No mediocre technology create cultlike status devotion for 20 years...the only reason if i read correctly because this technology is relatively unknown is that the designer made each amp himself, not a recipe to be known or rich.. it is only for less than a year now that the amp are industrially made... we cannot study the zotl phenomenon like a " hype" product ( i will not give name ) ... I think that at his price, with the credentials of Berning, and with no hype phenomenon attached to it like almost all products discussed on the net, and a cult like status for the few people who have owned this zotl tech, it is interesting to read some more experimented audiophile amateur... here is the place for that , i will wait for these reviews by you or other audio expert here... thanks for your interest and time...by the way i dont think that "Basically what this guy did was add a whole bunch of shit, and I really mean a whole bunch of shit, at the end of a tube" is a fair description of a patent that is difficult to understand by your own saying...I will hope for more serious analysis... Or is it necessary here also to speak only about very well known market product?
     
  18. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Pretty much. Real impressions here are much more valued than marketing speak from manufacturers.

    BTW, here is the circuit. I wouldn't call this a tube amp.
    ZOTL.png
     
  19. richard51

    richard51 Mr. Sorbothane

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    hence i will wait for the real impressions....not devaluation of a " new " design without knowing it.... thanks
     
  20. richard51

    richard51 Mr. Sorbothane

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    i want to buy a very good amplifier.... but i dont have much money and error is not an option for me....I read alot before buying..... this forum seems more in experimenting without the hyping factor crowd....
     

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