Quicksilver Audio Headphone Amplifier

Does someone know if this amp is working well with Grado headphones?

 

I just submitted my payment to Mike, so I can officially say that I'm part of the club now

 

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Looking forward to hearing what you and @Darkstar1 and @YtseJammer think of the Quicksilver.

 

Still waiting on my amp. Quicksilver ran out of a part and it had to be ordered. Dealer processed payment yesterday and told me it was shipping out of CA. Not sure if it will come straight to me or make a pit stop in NJ first. I think by next weekend I should have the amp hopefully. I know 3-4 people are waiting on this amp right now.

In the meantime I picked up a Woo WA6 on craiglist so that adds to the amps I can compare QS amp. I am thinking I have 2 months at least before I see the shortest way amp.

 

Happy Friday.....

First impressions of the quicksilver: Fast, Dynamic, Punchy bass and neutral sounding.

It makes the Woo WA6 sound very SLOW.

These are impressions are from the 6xx

They both were just turned on with new tubes so we will let it cook a bit,

 

Comparing Vioelectric v281, Woo WA6, Quicksilver

Build Quality:

All pretty solid amps. No worries based on how they are constructed or feel in operation.

V281: looks like a piece of studio equipment that would not look out of place in a professional application.

WA6: looks like your wife helped you pick it out. Would not feel out of place in a nice living room. Shows off the tubes nicely. For looks alone in a residential setting this amp wins. This amp also has a tank like case pretty impressive really.

Quicksilver: Looks and feels like you would get it from someone who has been in the hobby forever. Their total focus is SQ without much regard to aesthetic design or layout.

Versatility:

V281 is solid state and feature packed and wins here, Preamp, Balance/SE, Balance control, Gain options, Remote (most expensive amp here)

Both WA6 and Quicksilver are (1) source and (1) SE phone jack. The WA6 does have an impendence switch. Both SET point to point wiring. (both much cheaper amps than the v281)

Sounds:

Lets start with the WA6. This amp has the least headroom/power by far. I feel it could limit the headphones that could be used with the amp. This amp is said to be very influenced by tubes both rectifier and signal tubes. With the tubes I used this amp was the warmest on the list. In general I like a slightly warm sound but do think the woo goes a tad bit to far. Sometimes I thought the tone sounded a little bit wonky due to excessive warmth. The soundstage was pretty nice and musical with good depth. I however thought the treble was way to rolled off and the bass lacking control and punch This amp has the weakest dynamics of the bunch. It does have a way of pulling vocals forward out of the mix and presenting them in a very pleasing way. This amp has info on mods on the internets and tube rolling will help. With the looks and construction being top notch it may be worth worth while to to make it work. Or just maybe purchase a WA6 SE to add power and them match with better tubes.

V281 Vs Quicksilver

Both these amps are what I call pleasant neutral. Meaning both don't stray to far from neutral but lean a little warm with a touch of smoothness added. These amps present music in different ways

The quicksilver has the bigger soundstage. More space between instruments. While the violectric has a smaller stage the imaging is much more defined. This becomes obvious with the utopia which becomes more mellow with a larger stage on the quicksilver. The v281 with the utopia becomes less mellow, much faster and just laser focused on the imaging in the tighter space. The v281 soundstage is much more dependent on recording becoming distant at times and then with some music to close (using the utopia) other times perfect placing. While the quicksilver seems to put music at a great spot most of the time. 10 rows back. You can see the whole stage but never feels to far away or too close.

Treble wise both these amp are smooth and never glary at all. Very similar. The quicksilver maybe having a bit more treble energy. The bass is presented differently with the quicksilver having rounded base but still staying impactful. I prefer the tighter bass from the v281 but the bass is controlled and has a nice punch on the QS. It does not become overly bloated still just a bit rounded. Also I notice the QS has a strong ability to catch the air around drum strikes. For people who wanted a bigger stage and a little bit more meat on the bass using the Utopia the QS fits the bill. I prefer the quicker laser sharp image presentation the v281 provides with the Utopia.

Detail wise I feel that the amps focus on different aspects of sound. The v281 can pull some really specific detailed information on notes and sounds associated with its ability to image precisely. You can hear where the note starts and stops, the texture of the sound in a magnifying glass kind of way. In contrast the quicksilver focuses on different sets of details which lend itself to create the large soundstage and more room between instruments.

Overall both are great amps imo. The quicksilver is more involving and able to provide very pleasing tone. The v281 is very involving for a solid state and can get you totally sucked in but it takes a bit more focus on my part. The QS does this a bit more effortlessly. The v281 is going to be faster a bit more dynamic and tighter bass and better imaging, capable of a lot of layering and depth. While the QS has a bigger sound more relaxed and can really suck you into the sound. It would be hard for me to pick one over the other. If I am using the Utopia I would chose the V281. With the 6XX I would prefer to go with the quicksilver. The LCD X is a toss up. I don't feel either amp out classes the other just different and both very good.

 

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C'mon man, this isn't Head-Fi. Post some impressions or something, otherwise this is just noise.

 

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@Darkstar1: I wish you could write up some impressions comparing Utopia, LCD X, and 6XX. Is your LCD X current version?

 

Don't want to derail Santex's Quicksilver thread but more then willing to provide feedback. Message me for what your are specifically interested in. My LCD X are a creator package purchased new in 2019.

 

Great write-up @Darkstar1 ! I had the v281 before the Quicksilver and there is no doubt it is a very good SS amp. The build quality is very impressive and I can see it being a great pairing with the Utopia. The V281 is fast and powerful so it accentuates the Utopias strengths while taming the treble a bit which can sometimes be an issue on the Utopia. I am currently running the ZMF Aeolus and I find the more organic presentation of the Quicksilver is a better fit for those than the V281. The V281 was a little boring on the ZMF. I have a few other tube amps incoming. Going to be interesting to see how the Quicksilver stacks up against those.

 

Your are correct V850 and V281 completely tame the treble of the Utopia. No metallic timbre which turned me off from the Clear during a in store audition.

Matching headphones and amps is so important. The V281 is staying put. I am thinking that the quicksilver will stay as well. Looks like we are going to get some comparisons between it and the Shortest Way and the amp you are waiting on. I am liking the Quicksilver with the 6XX and LCD X.

I have only heard ZMF at canjam NYC. I really did like the Atticus and I wish I would have paid attention to the Aeolus as I am sure I would like it as well.

 

I'm seriously tempted by this amp but would like to hear opinions on how it performs against the WA6se if anyone had a chance to compare both. Thank you.

 

I thought I would chime in since I’ve had a few weeks with my Quicksilver now. I’m using it with a Bifrost 2 and Verite Closed. I got it around the same time I got my SW51+, but as fate would have it, my BF2 died on me. That took a few weeks to straighten out, but once I had my whole chain back in place I have been enjoying myself immensely.

I listened for a few weeks with the stock tubes, but I couldn’t resist and rolled some recommended tubes in the Quicksilver, EI 6BQ5 and Gold Lion 12AX7. To be clear, I had no complaints with the stock tubes. I have very little experience with tube amps, with these two being my first introductions. A few owners recommended these two relatively cheap “upgrades,” so I thought why not.

The first few days with the new tubes made me think I had made a mistake. The highs seemed etched and piercing versus the stock tubes, and I almost took them out. I had heard it takes tubes a bit of time to “settle in,” so I gave them a few days of use. I’m glad I did! The highs smoothed out, and the whole sound got more dynamic and engaging.

If asked to describe the sound I’m getting in a few words I’d use the following adjectives: clean, effortless, dynamic, smooth, resolving and enveloping. I feel like I’m hearing all the nuances in the recording. I also think I finally understand the description of tubes sounding “3D.” I haven’t plugged my VC’s into my JDS EL Amp II since getting these tube amps, but I expect the sound would be more two-dimentional. I’m not sure if it would just be my expectation bias verifying this, but I can say I like what I’m hearing enough to be content at the moment. That’s saying something in this hobby.

 

Thanks for the update. More I listen to the QS the more I appreciate it. I agree with many of your descriptions. Not much of a warm tube amp. More like a SS amp with tube layers and soundstage. Hell I might try to find some warm combo of tubes to see what it does. I am now getting into DIY because really the prices are so crazy and to do better you are really are chasing the dragon.

 

This is one of the best values among tube headphone amps imo.

 

snatex - Did you receive your Decware Zen Triode OTL yet? Would love to hear your impressions/comparison to the QS.

 

Hey guys, I have been rocking the QS for a week or so now and found bliss with it. I have had a whole love hate relationship with tube amps, but this one has hit the sweet spot for me.

I have been reading about the cap upgrades people have done, and since it is something that I do to most of my amps I started looking into it. I ordered the Jupiter 600v .12 uf caps as the closest analog of the coupling caps, but they should be .12uf.

I started talking to Jupiter about some .12uf caps since all they had were the .15s and they said they will be winding new ones next week and can do a batch of .12s for us Quicksilver people.

They are going to do a few extras, but I was told I should offer them here so that they can make enough for anyone interested.

So if you are looking to do the Jupiter cap swap with the copper foil wax, now would be a good time to get a capacitance match set.

The winding starts next week, so be good to get all those who are interested to make it known by tomorrow. Oct. 1