EC Aficionado (was: The Studio Jr.)

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

  1. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Understood. It's why I tell people to just be happy with the SE output from the Yggdrasil and only give scant details on how a CMLI-15 should be wired up.
     
  2. m17xr2b

    m17xr2b Friend

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    I would much prefer XLR inputs with integrated input transformers for the following reasons:
    1. DC blocking and isolation, yggdrasil damaged the volume pot on the stratus because it had a fault and was sending DC out of the single ended output. This caused a noticeable scratching sound when adjusting the volume. Donald actually figured it out.
    2. I would rather trust the manufacturer to choose the transformers with validated values and synergy than me buying the standard jensen ones.
    3. Using an external box implies another set of cables and if my favourite cable is expensive getting another one is hard to swallow. My view is solid core wire is best and should be the same as used in the amp where IC cables are mostly litz. Why have extra connectors when you can solder from the transformer to the volume pot.
    4. It's hard to justify getting a dac with better single ended input. I'm using the Pavane where single ended is done by using internal transformers so at this price point why not use a better solution to convert the balanced signal. Better would be Dave so no thank you.
    5. I'd hate to see people rolling input transformers like tubes, best to lock down that option.

    Ideally if it's not too much trouble for the builder it should be up to the customer if they want input transformers as an option.
    Is lower cost and associated complexity the main reason for not having it?
     
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2019
  3. Overkill Red

    Overkill Red Friend

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    Hesitant to echo all the impressions in this thread, but I'm really enjoying the AF..! Few days worth of impressions as follows:

    Configuration:
    • Audiocap PPT Theta 0.22uF
    • Feedback mod
    • RCA Wavy Black Plate 2A3
    • WE396A
    • Amperex 5AR4
    • DAC: Yggdrasil A2 Gen5
    With the HD800 (SDR + SBAF carpet liner mods):
    • Huge sound, yet doesn't sound diffused at all, which is very impressive. Individual instruments are defined very well and it sounds realistic/not overly spaced out. Overall the AF's sound is very wide and pretty deep as well.
    • Sound is very balanced. The 6kHz peak on the HD800 isn't being accentuated, which is nice. I also like how there's a good amount of bass, and that the balance between the subbass and midbass is there. I would rate this as slightly warmer than neutral, and what I'd consider tastefully balanced. Timbre seems spot on.
    Some current dislikes:
    • The AF sounds very energetic and engaging, even with the feedback, but with the HD800 I think I would definitely prefer a little bit more warmth and immediacy, like I got with the ZMF Pendant. Sounds like the non-feedback version of the AF would suit many HD800 owners more? I did get this configuration with the Vérité in mind, though, and I think that will work out nicely once it arrives. Will report back..?
    • I miss the nice growl I got from the ZMF Pendant with guitars and female vocals. In this regard the AF is more neutral versus the Pendant's (IMO) tasteful coloration, and overall I prefer the AF, but with rock music I sometimes find myself wishing I still had the Pendant. Maybe a slightly warmer 2A3 tube might fix this, but that's a dangerous thought.

    Overall I'm really enjoying the amp. I've never heard this level of resolution and imaging before, and it's fun having my mind blown every time I hit play on old songs. Please note that my dislikes are mainly with the HD800 - AF pairing, and are more personal preference than anything. My expected main headphone will be the Vérité, with the HD800 as a backup/palate cleanser.

    I've picked up some other, cheaper driver tubes I plan to roll and compare to the WE396A, but from reading this thread I have a feeling they wouldn't come out on top.
     
    Last edited: Mar 15, 2019
  4. cskippy

    cskippy Creamy warmpoo

    Pyrate MZR
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    Aficionado, especially in your current configuration, excels at dynamics, resolution and air. It won't have the typical tube sound that even Pendant leans towards. I recently A/Bed a Pendant with my Aficionado in the exact same configuration and greatly preferred the less colored AF.

    HD800 is the weak link here....not saying it's a bad headphone, as I'm also currently using one SDR modded waiting on Verite, but HD800's frequency response isn't doing your rock guitars any favors. Try a HD650 or HD600 for that.

    Also, that Amperex, if it's like mine, is slightly v shaped so there will be a suckout in the midrange where guitars live, and it won't pair as well with the similarly tuned HD800. Try a Mullard or even the stock rectifier.
     
  5. Overkill Red

    Overkill Red Friend

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    Thanks for the input; I agree with you that the HD800 isn't the best headphone for rock. Have been wanting to try a HD600 but want to wait for my Vérité before taking the plunge.

    Also agree with the slight V shape in the Amperex vs the stock rectifier. I got the Amperex because I feel it would pair well with the Vérité, which I got to hear at Canjam NYC. I do feel that the stock rectifier, even after a whole day at work, has a veil or haze to the sound that the Amperex does away with. Would love to try a Mullard one day and see how that goes, but from limited past experience with Mullard they're going to be a bit warmer and mid forward than I'd like with the Vérité.
     
  6. cskippy

    cskippy Creamy warmpoo

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    I agree with your assessment of the Mullard and stock rectifier. Still looking for a rectifier that has the same balance as stock but without that haze.
     
  7. raif

    raif Man made lobster/plankton

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    Wassup folks. So i developed this hum in one of the channels in the AF. It is a really low level feedback sounding hum that is unaffected by the volume knob. If I switch the 2a3 tubes, the hum switches channels as well.

    My guess is that I have a bad tube, which is sad because this are RCA 2a3s and costed a pretty penny and I only got about 100 hours of listening out of them.

    Anyways, I am just posting here because I was curious if a small hum signifies that the tube is going bad or maybe if it means that one tube is more microphonic than the other and picking up issues, possibly in the building's power.

    What do the experts here think? If the issue is power, I am wondering if anyone has any reasonably priced solutions for cleaning the power?
     
  8. Boops

    Boops Friend

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    I'm no expert, but in case it helps: I had something similar caused by the power supply being too close to the amp, causing the transformers to couple, which was creating hum. One of my tubes was more sensitive to this, so depending on location of the power supply, and which socket that tube was in, it would switch channels. Solved by moving the power supply further away from the amp.
     
  9. raif

    raif Man made lobster/plankton

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    Hey @Boops,

    I appreciate the advice. Funny story, when I got the amp, I had that issue and read your original post and was able to solve the hum. However, this new hum developed in the last week or so and doesn't respond to amp placement at all unfortunately.
     
  10. cskippy

    cskippy Creamy warmpoo

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    I've had tubes do some strange things. The driver tube can have a hiss or white noise type of sound if it isn't seated just right. I'll nudge it and it will go away. Two pairs of RCA 2A3s I bought had noise or developed noise shortly after use. They also give off external noise in the room. Deoxit might help...
     
  11. Thenewerguy009

    Thenewerguy009 Friend

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    You could also try tube dampers.
     
  12. raif

    raif Man made lobster/plankton

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    I know i'm not supposed to do it, but if I give the tube a tiny tap, the hum(or ring) goes away then builds back up within a few seconds.

    It is definitely related to one specific tube and happens in whatever channel the tube is in.

    That being said, i still think it might be dirty power, just that one tube is more susceptible. I tried plugging into a different outlet and I didn't hear the hum for awhile. I tried this once before and the hum returned, so maybe something new is going on in the office.

    Would folks recommend a power conditioner for the Aficionado?
     
  13. Thenewerguy009

    Thenewerguy009 Friend

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    Tubes are just finicky like that. I had tubes that were dead quite for hours & then have some intermittent pinging & buzzing.
    Other tubes that had humming that would go away some days & then after several days would return. It's all based off the tubes quality. I had this happen to tubes that supposedly tested perfect & considered NOS. Only solution is to buy another tube & hope it is of better quality.
     
    Last edited: Mar 28, 2019
  14. Taverius

    Taverius Smells like sausages

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    So, one of my EML 2A3s died the other day.

    I returned it to Jac Music, who replaced it under warranty but said it failed because the heater voltage was under 2.5v.

    Sounds strange, but its possible, so can anyone point me at the where I can measure the heater voltage on the 2A3s?

    My voltmeter is decent, I think - a Keysight U1231A someone gave me as a hand-me-down - so I should be able to measure it?
     
  15. Jokerman7

    Jokerman7 New

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    It's not unusual that due to sample variation the actual filament impedance can be all over the places. Depends on the regulation of the filament supply, the actual voltage may vary with a different load.

    That's the reason for what I posted in a previous reply - to ensure the longest life for those expensive tubes, filament voltage need to be fine tuned with the specific tube fully operating under thermal equilibrium.

    If you want to measure it, it will be the voltage across the two terminals on the tube socket where the two thicker pins on the tube plug in. Cheap pocket meters can not measure ultrasonic AC accurately for obvious reason, you might want to check the manual to find out.
     
  16. m17xr2b

    m17xr2b Friend

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    Any multimeter would do but you should find out if the heaters are DC or AC. Then just measure between the fat pins if I'm not mistaken.

    You also need to measure your mains voltage. And yes low heater voltage tends to wear out DHT tubes.
     
  17. famish99

    famish99 Friend

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    I believe the heaters are at 40 kHz. The U1231A seems to only be rated to measure ACV up to 1 kHz.
     
  18. Boops

    Boops Friend

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    Question: I just moved my AF home from my office to set up a new 2ch system. Got everything plugged in, turned everything on and no music. Checked switches and connections and still no music. Realized after about 2 minutes of playback that I had not inserted the driver tube in the amp. I am a moron. All seems to be working fine now, but did I potentially do any lasting damage to amp or tubes by doing this?
     
  19. atomicbob

    atomicbob dScope Yoda

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    This specification from the Keysight U1231A manual would infer AC measurements to 50KHz:
    Keysight U1231A AC voltage measurement sensitivity.png
    Note minimum threshold of 0.6Vac on the 6Vac range.
     
  20. famish99

    famish99 Friend

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    Well that's good, dunno how I managed to pull up such a different data sheet.
     

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