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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    Yes.
     
  2. gaspasser

    gaspasser Flatulence Maestro

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    I’m enjoying Af no feedback tremendously with HD800SDR and HD600. I really like HD650K with Af tertiary feedback but need moar bass/impact/slam. Is there a headphone besides Verite that may do the trick with feedback running? Source is Yggdrasil A2. I would greatly appreciate any and all suggestions, thanks.
     
    Last edited: May 21, 2019
  3. Taverius

    Taverius Smells like sausages

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    Aeolus or Auteur with Universe Suede pads.

    Aeolus is the more 650-like, wins in detail slightly, Auteur is the more 600-like, wins in timbre.

    Havent compared directly, Aeolus might have the slightly better bass?

    Or a Clear, just be aware of Focal warranties as replacement headband is like 800 ameripesos out of warranty, and also it needs a fat copper cable as the stock one by many accounts causes temperamental treble.
     
  4. Maxx134

    Maxx134 Dunning–Kruger effect poster boy

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    You mentioned "Verite", so I assume your looking for a higher resolve than hd6xx types and others mentioned above.

    The Focal types are a step up but have their issues.

    I still recommend the Denon 9200 over them.
    Way, way overlooked and actually at a high resolving level.
     
  5. thoth

    thoth Acquaintance

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    Anyone had a chance to compare Mullard 5AR4 versions f31 (fat base) and f32, with Af?
     
  6. Rustin Cohle

    Rustin Cohle FKA jazztherapist

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    Just noticed the EC site indicates Af "Sold Out." Permanently?
     
  7. thoth

    thoth Acquaintance

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    Yes. It was superseded by Studio Jr. There's an Af in sales thread right now, if interested.
     
  8. Rustin Cohle

    Rustin Cohle FKA jazztherapist

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    Got one, just a bit surprised. Thanks.
     
  9. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    Exit stage left....
    ya know, since my Aficionado is still sitting right next to the DSHA-3F amp, let's connect up extra XLR cables so the Af is a pre to the 3F for the next few days.
    maybe unicorns will fly out and spit sparkle dust?

    sometimes audio is ridiculous.
     
  10. earnmyturns

    earnmyturns Smartest friend

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    I just bought this Aficionado from @Sanjeev Jain (who bought it from @foo_me who bought it from @JoshMorr who ...). It's my first full tube amp, and I only had 30 minutes to listen to it before I had to pack for a trip. Intended use: Yggdrasil A2 > Af > Verité silkwood. I might also use it it as preamp for a still to be figured out small room speaker system, or maybe even as the direct amp. I'll be digging into this thread more carefully to look for nuggets of Aficionado care/use, but any additional suggestions on care and feeding of the Aficionado would be appreciated.
     
  11. pavi

    pavi Almost "Made"

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    that’s a sweet chain... you’ll love it, as i do
     
  12. foo_me

    foo_me Friend

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    Welcome to the club! and it's the same chain that I have and love.
    I would try vintage 5AR4 mullard rectifier...it's noticeably better than stock and what everyone with an AF seems to end up with.
    Plus, it's a cheaper way to upgrade your sound without spending more on 2A3 tubes - though you can do that as well.
     
  13. gaspasser

    gaspasser Flatulence Maestro

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    I am (recently) enamored with the
    Yggdrasil A2 –> Af—> Verite combo as well!

    I prefer tertiary feedback engaged and stock Universe pads currently. What are everyone’s preferred configurations?

    @earnmyturns this chain is so good with small combo jazz. I’m very impressed with the different textures of piano and guitar that are readily apparent now with Verite.
     
  14. Overkill Red

    Overkill Red Friend

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    Personally running the tertiary feedback and using Universe Suede pads on my Ziricote Vérité. I find this headphone pretty fun + versatile and a great complement to the HD800.

    I currently run a WE396A with a pair of Fivre 2A3s. Switch off between a Mullard and a Amperex 5AR4 depending on mood. Hope you enjoy the setup @earnmyturns! It's made me sell almost all my portable gear and convert completely to desktop audio.
     
    Last edited: Aug 27, 2019
  15. earnmyturns

    earnmyturns Smartest friend

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    @Gaspasser suggested Verité pads to listen to Dave Holland's Quartet's magical Conference of the Birds on the Yggdrasil A2 > EC Af > Verité silkwood I've recently assembled. I've listened to this album 100s of times since its original vinyl release, and I thought I knew it. No way. The layering I'm getting from this combo (source 192/24 Qobuz remaster), the localization and solidity of Holland's bass in the back, the shimmer of Altschul's cymbals, Rivers's flute, Braxton's sax, they all pop out as if I was sitting front row at their rehearsal. Of it all, bass and drums are most striking, their materiality, clear edges, micro-detail (those bass strings have unique texture) is as good as I've ever experienced in recorded jazz. I love this album, it was my one-way door into a lifetime fascination with modern jazz, but I never thought I'd be this bowled over by something I thought I knew so well. Many thanks are due, to these amazing musicians, to ECM's recording chops, to Schiit, Eddie Current, and ZMF engineers, and to @Gaspasser for his great suggestion. Music rendered this magically inspires and heals.
     
  16. SmashBruh

    SmashBruh New

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    Awesome to hear that the Verite pairs well with the EC Af+Feedback mod!

    I have a little question regarding the EC Af in general though: How vulnerable to EMI and EFI would you say the amp is? I had a ZMF Pendant for a short while but it would have a constant background buzzing when I had my headphones plugged into the High Z out (which was a shame because that amp sounded awesome.) It turned out that it was picking some EMI/EFI from a nearby power line or something, which was strange since both my BH Mainline and MCTH don't suffer from this issue. Just wondering if you guys think it's worth even trying to pick one up...
     
    Last edited: Sep 17, 2019
  17. earnmyturns

    earnmyturns Smartest friend

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    Once it powers up fully, very clean background, at least in my setup. I take care to run good quality RCA cables well away from the (shielded Shunyata Venom) power cables for my DAC and various headphone amps.
     
  18. johnnypaddock

    johnnypaddock Facebook Friend

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    That might be an issue specific to the Pendant. I have the same amp and the exact same issue, a buzz/hum that is significantly more noticeable on the high z output. I had absolutely no noise with a Bottlehead Crack and a DNA Stratus in the same location with the same cables and equipment connected.

    I don't have experience with the Aficionado but I'm confident you would be fine.
     
  19. famish99

    famish99 Friend

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    I'd say you have to be somewhat careful of where you place the power supply of the Af relative to the rest of the amp. If your power is a bit noisy, then the EMI coming off the power trafo can be picked up by the output trafos, but largely it's easy enough to avoid as long as you don't put the two boxes side by side on the same shelf.
     
  20. earnmyturns

    earnmyturns Smartest friend

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    Mine are side-by-side (most convenient arrangement given available space and furniture), no problem at all.
     

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