Oh Sh#7! Eddie Current Studio B

I received a VC today and I am quite happy with how it sounds with the Studio B.



Still a bit early to give a proper feedback but the pairing with the Studio B definitely gives life to the VC compared to my portable QLS QA390.

Another interesting thing is that it looks like the VC can provide both a foot tapping experience and a relax/smooth/relaxing feeling (not at the same time of course but it's versatile enough to allow for this 2 types of listening experiences). This is something that i always found a bit difficult with the Utopia, which does not let me just relax with the music, it always drags me to listening the music with a bit of a critical mindset. Not the VC, and this does not mean that it lack technical capabilities.
Anyway I'll try to put more thoughts together later.

 

Question. I am now using the balanced and se headphone outputs. Have been only using se before this. It seems that changing the switch for se or balanced makes little difference in volume and sound coming out. If I have both plugged in I will be getting pretty equal sound out of the se and balanced at the same time. Have tried just one of them then turn switch to the opposite( if running se turn switch to balanced) and I still have sound and pretty much the same volume. Is this the way its suppose to work with this amount of crosstalk? Any thoughts or experience with this much appreciated.

 

I rarely post on audio forums anymore, but felt compelled to make a brief post. In this hobby, I've tried hundreds of headphone/amp combinations like many of you I'm sure, at several different price brackets. Only twice in that time have I felt like I've caught lightning in a bottle, a perfect synergistic pairing if you will, that not only brought the headphones to previously unheard of heights, but really transformed them into entirely different headphones almost. First time was the HD800 on the ZDSE, (with the right tubes). Even my Studio B couldn't transform them like that. My second time using the lowly two decade old AD2000s, with the Studio B (EML mesh 300Bs if that matters). Seriously, this combo is pure magic to my ears. The Studio puts the ATs nearly at the technical level of the HD800s an my ADX5000s...and is at least twice as enjoyable to my ears...to the point I actually sold my Senns, and am listing the ADX5000s tomorrow. Even selling my BHA-1 since that was mainly for the Senn's benefit. Once sold, I plan on taking a big leap to the Meze Elite, and hoping that manages to beat my $350 (used) AD2000s on the Studio B, kek.

Perhaps I'm deaf or crazy, but there it is.

 

I'm using adx5000 with aficionado now, and it's a great match.
And the eml mesh tubes DO matters, the mesh tubes provide a magical tremble, airy sweet almost electrostatic, which no hard plate does.
I have pair of eml kr and rca, while the hard plate ones give more punch and precision, the magical feeling of mesh plate is a totally different story.

 

Thanks. I got the EMLs right after I got the Studio B...had some cheap EH's for a brief time but not enough to compare. I'm definitely getting the newest reissued WE's to try at some point to. The EML and WE both have huge life expectancies too so helps offset the cost...should last a lifetime between them.

I put the ADX5000s up for sale as I mentioned, the just don't really do anything for me from the Studio nor the Bryston, and again the AD2000 has some INSANE synergy going on with the B, it's incredible-try it on the Aficianado sometime if the opportunity presents itself. I recognize the AD2000 are perhaps an acquired taste for some, and hardly neutral like the ADX5000 or HD800, but worth trying if possible on these amps in particular I feel. Synergy trumps everything imo, but of course ymmv etc ets.

Edit...to your point, the treble on these AD2000s on the Studio/meshes is indeed a pure delight...never hears treble this beautiful before on any headphone amp combo...and I've heard the ATs on many amps over the years...reminds me of remarks several have made regarding great 'stat rigs over the years at it relates to treble i.e. light, airy, delicate, nuanced, and entirely inoffensive. Loving my rig right now!

Fwiw worth my rig is Jay's Audio mk3 cd transport>>Eximus dp-1>>>Studio B.

 

^Makes sense...for a long time Craig used AD2000 and HD600 to test and tune things!

 

I do remember he used the AD2000 to listen for hum iirc due to it's sensitivity. I never felt it was the synergistic pairing with the ZDSE like it is with the Studio B. And opposite thoughts for the HD800 pairings imo.

 

I feel like it's because ad2000x has more color, and the adx5000 is much monitoring sound, like the hd800. While the older ec amps have more warmth and color, the new ones focus on balance and more monitoring, especially with the feedback. Thus comes the synergy.

My family send my hd800 to me last week and it should arrive in several days, Lets see the synergy then.

I actually bought a adx2000 5-6 years ago, it's my first onearphone back when I was still playing with portables. I matched it with a Sony d50 back then. I think it's the special temble that made me buy it, and that special color is still on the 5000. Didn't have a chance to plug it on my system now though.

 

100% this. Basically a mix of neutrality & color to synergize...but more to it of course. Impedance matching to a point as well.

 

Has anybody heard the 2a3 version yet? Curious about its sound versus the 300b version.

 

Loving the WE300Bs on the Studio...definitely more resolution than the EML mesh even straight out of the box. Looking forward to the WEs settling in over the next couple of months.

 

Question- I replaced the 100kohm pot with a 50kohm tkd pot. I have lost some power because of this its not a real problem. Wondering if I put a 100kphm tkd pot in,
1. would have twice the power?
2. would I loose clarity and space?
appreciate any thought from those who have knowledge about this
best,
Josh

 

The value of the pot shouldn't make any difference to the volume. It's the ratio of the resistances either side of the pot wiper that set the output level, not the absolute value of the pot.

If the original pot was logarithmic taper, and the pot you used to replace it is linear taper, then the new pot will be louder at settings below full volume. Log taper varies the volume by increasingly larger amounts to make up for the way our ears hear volume changes.

This may be what is going on.

 

Forgive my lack of knowledge. My past experience is that if I went down in OHM's I lost power but gained some clarity in all FR? Are you saying if I went up to a 100kohm for the 50 I would not gain power or lose clarity?. Im a noob with tech stuff so appreciate your thoughts.
best

 

thank you

 

Just picked up a Studio B and it my best purchase to date.

I read in an earlier post that @Ninja Pirate mentioned microphonic Gold Lion 300b tubes. What's an acceptable level of microphonics?

My Gold Lion tubes seem to be very microphonic. Even just lightly tapping on the headphone cable near the connector (say 6-8 inches away) results in ringing for a few seconds. Tapping on the chassis or tubes (with a pencil) is even more pronounced and ringing continues for 3-5 seconds.

Thanks

 

I may be wrong, but I believe microphonics are purely an end-user "can I live with it" question and not an operational concern.

Personally, I couldn't live with what you describe... especially given that my amp isn't far from my work surface and the stand gets jostled and the headphone cable is constantly moving around as I work.

 

Amp / preamp circuit design also has a huge part in microphonics. My Beepre 2 preamp has literally zero microphonics no matter the 300bs I put in it. The previous version of the Beepre was super microphonic regardless of tube.

But for sure, if you can personally live with it its not a problem. The original Schiit Vali was damn near unusable for me. Barely graze the volume knob and it would ring upwards of 20 seconds.