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Black Widow [Update] - Second round official, 100 amps total, single chassis

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by purr1n, Oct 5, 2015.

Page 25 of 49
  1. SeaCasey

    SeaCasey New

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    Anyone at the top of the order list received their's yet? Must be getting pretty close to first batch being out and getting broken in - would be good to read some impressions as I wait for mine to come from the bottom of the list...
     
    SeaCasey, May 23, 2016
    #481
  2. joeexp

    joeexp Don't ship this man FD-X1 ever

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    Are they being send out yet?
    What's the status?
     
    joeexp, May 24, 2016
    #482
  3. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    ZDS can be more neutral (still warm), more impact, more resolving, and stages deeper. The difference from BW becomes more stark with better source. You can get similar warmth and bloom to BW by rolling 6SL7 tube.
     
    purr1n, May 24, 2016
    #483
  4. dllmsch

    dllmsch Friend

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    Hey Marv, what's the downside for ZDS to drive lowZ (+low efficient?) dynamic headphones?
     
    dllmsch, May 24, 2016
    #484
  5. Faker

    Faker New

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    What price point would I be looking at for a fully maxed out ZDS setup (with the 6SL7 tube rolled as you suggested) Marv?
     
    Faker, May 24, 2016
    #485
  6. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    No orthos that need power. Some low Z dynamics OK (TH-XX, Grado, etc.)
     
    purr1n, May 24, 2016
    #486
  7. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    6SL7s are fairly cheap. $50-$100. ZDS already comes maxxed out. There are no upgrades. I'd be happy to buy boutique caps and inductors for hundreds and hundreds of dollars and charge you extra for them though.
     
    purr1n, May 24, 2016
    #487
  8. dllmsch

    dllmsch Friend

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    So people have been saying K7XX is identical to K702 65th, but on Tyll's measurement the K702 65th needs almost double the power of K7XX's to reach 90dBSPL.
    Is it fair to say that 7XX will sound better than 702 65th out of ZDS?
     
    dllmsch, May 24, 2016
    #488
  9. gbeast

    gbeast Mighty Moral Power Ranger

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    I have come to the conclusion that my HD800S will be funding the black widow. Only the HD650 will rock with me until re-up on headphones. I want to list it FS now but don't know when I will be asked to pay for that sucker so I want to wait unil my Pavane shows up. Hopefully I don't get caught with my pants down.

    BTW how does the black widow sound compared to the Auralic Taurus MK11? Does anyone know? not considering purchasing the Taurus instead but curious since the amp I had here was said to be very close in performance. Just trying to get a bearing.

    Or better yet, is there a solid comparison of the Black widow compared to the Ragnarok?
     
    gbeast, May 24, 2016
    #489
  10. JK47

    JK47 Guest

    Not a direct head to head comparison, but a nice run down on a few of the amps you mentioned.

    http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/big-sound-2015-wrap-my-take-headphone-amps
     
    JK47, May 24, 2016
    #490
  11. Faker

    Faker New

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    I think I misspoke regarding "upgrades." I meant to ask the price of a "maxed out" tube setup for the ZDS :p

    The Stratus in comparison requires about an additional $500-1000 in tubes to make the most of that amp.
     
    Faker, May 25, 2016
    #491
  12. HitmanFluffy

    HitmanFluffy Hoping to see real genitals someday!

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    He is talking about the tube setup.
     
    HitmanFluffy, May 25, 2016
    #492
  13. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    The 6SL7 is still fairly cheap with good availability. I don't think there is the "one tube to rule them all". There might be some expensive Brimars or Mullards, but I generally avoid them. If you do decide you want a ZDS, listen to it first with some $20 old stock tubes and then we can discuss and go from there. Tubes are a very personal thing and I hesitate to suggest anything without you first listening to the amp with the headphones and source of your choice.

    As far as the MIG-25 6C33C radar output tubes, they are from Russia and really the only one. This is what is awesome about the ZDS. You don't have to worry about this crap and end up like a loser who listens to tubes and not music. There is an audiophoolistic version of those output tubes without the nipples on the top, but those suck, and I don't even know if they are made anymore. Rolling the rectifiers won't make much of a difference in the ZDS as there is a ton of filtering with two sets of bigass film caps and chokes. It's not like there is any choice with the 6D22S anyways.

    And finally, please just use the right tubes. Just because there is a hole or holes that you can stick things in doesn't mean that you should do so. Someone did just this with an Eddie Current Super 7 and gave it a disease. The Super 7 started acting funny and required a transplantation of parts to get it work again. You would be amazed how many people screw up their tube amps by plugging in random shit that just happens to fit. It doesn't work that way.
     
    Last edited: May 25, 2016
    purr1n, May 25, 2016
    #493
  14. Artasia

    Artasia Friend

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    Added this quote to my signature for posterity.
     
    Last edited: May 25, 2016
    Artasia, May 25, 2016
    #494
  15. Storytime

    Storytime Acquaintance

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    To continue the ZDS discussion for a bit longer:

    I just got my shipping notification from Craig (yea!) and had a quick question regarding setup: What is the preferred burn-in protocol? Given how hot the ZDS runs, I’m hesitant to leave it on when I’m asleep or when I'm not at home (or when I'm not keeping an eye on my kids…). How much burn-in does Eddie Current do on the ZDS before shipping it out?
     
    Storytime, May 26, 2016
    #495
  16. RiddleyWalker

    RiddleyWalker Friend

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    Torpedo III or BW for HD650?
     
    RiddleyWalker, May 27, 2016
    #496
  17. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

    Staff Member Pyrate MZR
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    Modded Torpedo III for high impedance dynamics like the HD650.
     
    Hands, May 27, 2016
    #497
  18. Thenewerguy009

    Thenewerguy009 Friend

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    Isn't it fine as long as the tube being rolled has a filament voltage rating equal or less than the specific tube it is designed for?
    Using a much lower filament voltage than what is recommended would normally just result in you getting much less power & sound.

    I do know using a much higher filament volt tube than what is recommended can burn out the tube or mess with the insides of an amp.

    A site you can search tubes & what their filament voltage
    http://www.radiomuseum.org/dsp_searchtubes.cfm
     
    Thenewerguy009, May 27, 2016
    #498
  19. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Absolutely not. Stop listening to morons.
     
    purr1n, May 27, 2016
    #499
  20. bazelio

    bazelio Friend

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    Just listen to the damn thing after cooking some tubes for 5 minutes. At least that's what I did. Can't say I regret or anything. I didn't experience some kind of mystical transformation 100 hours later either.

    It does get toasty, but so does a light bulb. LED bulbs, even. Ever touch the ballast? If you're not afraid of unattended light bulbs, then you probably don't need to be afraid of an unattended ZDS. That said, I haven't yet found a good reason to leave either on all day and all night....
     
    bazelio, May 28, 2016
    #500
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