Massdrop Cavalli Tube Hybrid Amp

I said fuggit and ordered it from AliExpress for $90 + $18.75 shipping to Taiwan by EMS (post office express parcel). They said it'll ship in three days, so hopefully I'll have it by the end of next week.

 

I had contacted MD regarding some intermittent hiss on the right channel. This is what they said as part of their reply:

It has also been brought to my attention, that these units may blow the tube if they are not connected to a power source almost indefinitely. Unplugging them from the power source seems to cause the tube to no longer work properly

TBH I find it hard to believe that a tube can be damaged this way, but since it came from them, I decided to not take on their offer to take the amp back for a refund.

 

Acopian A28MT300 today.

It was evident at first play that this is now just one notch up or subtle at all. It is like 2 or three steps up as performance. I don't even think it sounds like same amp. After scanning a few tracks I had to,pick my jaw off the floor. That's how much.

Now lemme wipe the drool off...

MCTH + LPS has more:

• Bass
• Slam
• Space
• Soundstage
• Details

And the only thing it loses is noise.

The personality and somewhat drier presentation is still there. But now with more authority all over filling the spectrum from the top to the botrom. Listening to the same tracks, I just hear more bass, but also more texture all around. This sharpens everything.

Still, for my HD650's the Valhalla 2 was slightly better, clearer, and more liquid smooth low end. The all tube amp is just has that a touch more lushness that is so great. The MCTH + LPS is just a bit more narrower and just not quite as clean and clear, but oh so close - WAY closer than without LPS.

Highly recommended. Especially if you can pick up for less than $60 used. A new one for $220 makes it worth about what it is and less of a deal. And of course, YMMV.

 

Does anyone have any comments on how the MCTH pairs with the TH-X00 Mahogany?

 

Awesome. I suggest you buy three of each, skippy.

 

Maybe these people were unplugging the PSU while the amp was on

@CEE TEE can you shed any light on this?

 

Please read the thread before asking questions like this.
The TH-X00 pairing was discussed only a few pages back.

A summary of my experience with the pairing:
- It goes from loud to louder.
- There is no quiet.
- Moderate does not exist.

The gain is too high. The headphones are too sensitive. No bueno.

 

Pretty much.

I will say it takes up to slightly louder than I want to get out of the pot imbalance at low volume my AH-D2000's.

Other than that, it works fine IMO. Although the Vali 2 is probably better suited to these headphones.

 

Hmmm...this is news to me. I am looking into this. Customer Service replied this way?

Not good practice to unplug the amp while the power is on generally, but the tube does not have to be "connected indefinitely to a power source" to be okay.

 

Hey SqueakyHammer,
Can you let me know via PM what your email address is so I can look into your ticket?

 

Hey CEE TEE, my ticket has already been taken care of. The unit is on its way back to you guys. Thank you for checking. (Sorry, I mis-typed above. I DID take the option of returning the unit for a refund)

 

I picked up the Massdrop Cavalli Tube Hybrid from @JK47 yesterday. I've been squeaking by since having to sell of most of my gear by transporting the RME ADI-2 DAC between work and home on a daily basis.

Living with that unit has revealed that the amp is great for IEMs at work, but the ADI-2 DAC's amp leaves me woefully underwhelmed on Sennheiser HD650s. I all but stopped listening to music at home.

I miss the Cavalli Liquid Crimson more than any other amp I've owned after having to sell it. I wish I fought harder to keep it when funds were required, but that's neither here nor there.

Anyway... the MCTH is surprisingly good. It absolutely outperforms the price by a fair margin. In its stock form, I'd take it over almost anything I've heard under $1000 with rare exception. Excellent blackground, clarity, and air. Some tube magic without any grave offenses.

As it happens, I've been on a bit of a vintage linear power supply quick of late as well. The only one I have working well right now is the Power Designs TW8050D, so that's what I hooked it up to today after listening to it with the SMPS last night.

A good linear PSU really pushes the MCTH out of "good amp for the money" territory right into "good amp" with some change to spare. This is impressing the hell out of me. Is it a Liquid Crimson? Nope, but for the price of admission, it's impossible to complain. The slight hiss I could detect when maxing out the volume before is gone. Everything else is "more betterness."

With a used MCTH and ancient LPSU, I was able to keep the budget to ~$250 with outstanding results.

The setup:

• [$999] RME ADI-2 DAC
• [$107] Sonnet Allegro Pro USB 3.0 PCIe Card
• [$185] Massdrop Cavalli Tube Hybrid [Used]
• [$70] Power Designs TW8050D Linear Power Supply [Used]
• [$199?] Sennheiser HD650 (no idea what tohse go for these days--Massdrop HD6xx is $200 though)
• Odds & Ends: A sacrificed power cable, DC connector, XLR connectors for the cans
• In the end, it's a ~$1600 setup that sounds like almost twice that to my ears.

 

I know people don't think that the MCTH is the greatest HD800 amp, with both being somewhat bright... and that people don't like tube rolling it because it apparently has some really good synergy with the stock EH tube (which I suspect is the source of the brightness).... but has anyone had good success tube rolling to something more agreeable for the HD800? I am thinking about ditching Vali 2 in favor of the MCTH.

 

My Massdrop CTH started to have noise issues last week, mostly in the right channel. Thinking it was a tube issue, I tried rolling 9 other tubes in, including an uber rare Amperex pinch waist, but they all had some noise to one degree or another. In fact, one of the Amperex orange globes was crackling so loud I had to rip the headphones off my head. Also, when you touch the tube it makes crackling noises in both channels, but more so in the left. My guess is that there is, at the very least, a/some bad solder joint(s) or a short at the tube socket. It also seems probable that one of the power supply caps or opamps in the right channel is buggered. Unfortunately, it does not seem possible to take the case apart to get a look. I guess we'll see how good the Massdrop warranty is...

On another note, for those who say that tube rolling doesn't make a difference, I would beg to differ! After trying out 9 different tubes in it yesterday in an attempt to fix the noises, I noticed a clear difference using the very sensitive Meze 99 classics. Using the the pinch waist Amperex, the 99 Classics had such punchy bass that I could feel it inside me, almost like a sub was turned on beside me! Switching to a Mullard CV2493, the bass got loose and flabby and the sound became more strident. Kind of the opposite you would expect from a Mullard. Once I switched to the Mad Dog Alpha Primes, these differences were much less evident so clearly, as they say, YMMV, depending on your headphones in use.

 

I have Vali 2, MCTH and Lyr 3. For my HD800SDR, Lyr 3 is a much better match and upgrade from Vali 2. I listened to HD800SDR with MCTH/LPS and still preferred the smoother top end of Vali 2 for HD800.

 

I love that the Vali 2 doesn't embarrass itself in this lineup.

I listen to my Lyr 3 at home and love it, of course. But coming back to the Vali 2 at work keeps reminding me that it's more than enough to be satisfied.

 

Took delivery of the MCTH yesterday, and Acopian A28MT210 earlier today... quick and dirty impressions with HD600 (stock):

MCTH w/stock PS
- Looks purdy. The case has a nice finish to it, like the sooty inside of a well-loved grill.
- Too much talk about sound and not enough about the silky smooth volume pot. Mhhmmm.
- No tube goop, this is a pretty neutral sounding amp. A little bit shy on bass as others have pointed out, but everything else is well balanced.
- Definitely not a fan of the included EH 6922 out of the box (I realize it's supposed to need 100hrs of burn-in, will get to that when I have more time/patience). Pretty strident treble that does not agree with the HD600 or my ears, but it has some really nice lower mid/bass punchiness. Very interested to see how it's sounding after some burn-in.
- My usual favorite 6DJ8/6922 compatible tube, early GE 5-star 5670 (D-getter) has some nice, warm lower mids and smooth treble, but the bass is a bit flabby. Turns my HD600 into something resembling a spider cage modded HD650. Not really a bad thing.
-Amperex 6922 is my favorite so far. A bit more bass heft than the others, more balanced across the rest of the spectrum. Sweet, crisp and more layered. Like a nice Baklava.

w/Acopian LPS
Don't sneeze at a good power supply (don't sneeze at electronics in general, especially with exposed wiring). It for sure gives the bass more balls (and by balls I mean quantity, slam and control). Definitely the number one thing I was looking to get out of a better power supply and by gosh it delivered. Aside from that it really wakes the amp up in general - more dynamic, better staging... Luckbad's summary is perfect. More betterness. It makes for a very similar experience to what I remember from the Mjolnir 2. Which considering what I paid ($250 for MCTH and $70 for used Acopian) makes me a happy boy.

Thanks to @atomicbob in particular for taking the time to share his findings with us. For anyone with the knowhow looking to get a crapload out of $320ish bucks this is well worth your time.

EDIT: Been listening through some Muse albums, and holy sh*t I've never heard the HD600 kick like this. Always wondered what people talking about 'slam' on the HD6x0 were smoking. Turns out they just had better amps than I did.

 

I think the Lyr 3 is a bit much right now while I should be saving for end-game, but no doubt it looks incredible. I also have too much Schiit at this point hahah, Saga/Vidar, Eitr/Modi MB/Vali 2/Magni 3. I was mostly looking for a more budget-friendly backup amp to my Bottlehead Crack for HD800 and Atticus. The Crack is fully pimped out and legit af with the HD800, but Atticus shows a little more of the high output impedance and sounds a little soft/loose at times. Vali 2 is....alright. It's fine. Then again, I'm still on the stock tube, waiting on my adapters (12AU7/6SN7) from Hong Kong. I previously ordered some and they got shipped to my old address.

 

Quoting myself...

You want anything apart from the stock tube if you're using HD800 (I am using HD800 myself). But ideally, just mod the HD800 as well and you get even better results.

If you do consider MCTH, I'd say... as mentioned by many in this thread: connect it to a LPS. It's highly recommended, though not exactly "necessary" per se, but the improvements are nice and welcome for HD800.

Also I think you have to take into account your DAC as well. I know my DAC is on the warmer side so it didn't spotlight MCTH's peakiness as much.