Massdrop x Eddie Current ZDT Jr. (Official Thread)

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by Hands, Nov 15, 2017.

  1. e.schell

    e.schell Friend

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    I heard it on the loaner tour and regret not ordering one...Now i'm hoping for extra or canceled orders to buy one once they get into the country or one on the second hand market. Really loved it with my HD6xxK.
     
  2. SPAZ

    SPAZ New

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    Yeah wish I knew about it when it was first available. I'm in the same boat as you. I would be willing to order if an opportunity comes up.
     
  3. AllanMarcus

    AllanMarcus Friend

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    well, I'm tried of waiting. I'm out. Just curious how long MD will take to issue me a refund.

    On off-topic note, Tesla is building the model 3 with the same cost model as MD. The initial deposits funded the first batch and Tesla just opened orders to huge new group of buyers that need to plunk dow a non-refundable $2500 (I'm in this list, but haven't decided to get one). I wonder how far consumer crowdfunding will go.
     
  4. I_want_all_the_tacos

    I_want_all_the_tacos Friend

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    Yeah this is getting really annoying. I was hesitant even joining the drop knowing it would be 6+ months wait, and I understand that delays are common, but the fact that after all this time they can't even give us a ballpark timeline is really disheartening. And why wait until it was supposed to ship to even tell us that it is getting delayed by potentially months? I really want this amp and I don't need the money so I'll probably just stick with it, but this will probably be the last time I join a MD drop on a first run with a huge lead time.
     
  5. slankoe

    slankoe Tongue tastes of LH butthole

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    Like everyone else in the drop should've, I just got an email update. In it, a rather promising photo of the amps all packed up and ready to be loaded on the airplane, but also with news that it might take a while to actually get it loaded and in the air.

    Honestly I've been coping with the wait this whole time by forgetting this drop even exists. Now I'm just hoping that Massdrop can deliver the goods in a timely manner and by the looks of things, at least it won't be quite Christmas time when they finally do. We'll see. ;)
     
  6. Ringingears

    Ringingears Honorary BFF

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    At last some positive news.
     
  7. Ringingears

    Ringingears Honorary BFF

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    Looks like they will finally be shipping at the end of next week.
     
  8. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    Listening to mine right now. Eitr > the new modi MB I just ordered from Schiit > Modded HD800 and I’m really enjoying this setup. I can’t even wrap my head around how cheap this is compared to comparable rigs from even a few years ago.
     
  9. atomicbob

    atomicbob dScope Yoda

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    We live in a very special time where what was mid hifi is rapidly closing in on the highest echelons.
     
  10. randytsuch

    randytsuch Friend

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    Just got shipping notice email from Massdrop, although fedex tracking doesn't show anything yet.
    Hopefully will have it by the weekend.

    EDIT at 12:30 pacific time: Now shows up in fedex tracking as label created
     
    Last edited: Jul 17, 2018
  11. pigfoot

    pigfoot New

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    Waiting for DHL shipping. May 6AK5/EF95 directly replace 6Zh1P on ZDT Jr. ? Want to collect some tubes before arrive. Thanks!
     
  12. h2rulz

    h2rulz New

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    Wow, got mine a day early! The JAN 5654W tubes just arrived as well.
    Looking forward to see how it compares to the BW2,
     
  13. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    Spent a day with fresh off the boat ZDT Jr. thru HD650M. So far, the best way I can describe ZDT Jr. directly compared to Lyr3 (Psvane UK-6SN7) is more "from whole cloth" especially in the upper midrange and lower treble, similarly with regards to the imaging/headstage. Caveat: My ZDT likely needs a few more hours on it to break in the tubes (5654Ws), and there's some grit and grime, or fuzz, in the upper bass into the midrange. Compared to Lyr3, it sounds a touch rolled off with less sub bass slam, but ZDT Jr. has more lower midbass/upper bass punch.

    Moving up the frequency spectrum, the best simile I can come up with so far is that the ZDT presents midrange to lower treble like the warp and weft of woven fibers; where each thread from one part of the frequency response is connected to the next above or below, whereas the smoothness of the Lyr3 presents more homogeneously, like it's a sheet of plastic. Lyr3 is less specific, maybe more "generic" sounding in the upper midrange, and is more "lit from top down" where the ZDT Jr. is more "lit from the middle out".

    I don't feel either is glossing over detail or microdetail; the resolution between both is wonderful and neither are fatiguing in the least. But the ZDT Jr. seems to edge the Lyr3 out in upper midrange texture. And it does the whole "tone" or "body" thing more convincingly than Lyr3. Horses. Courses. Looking forward to spending more time with both amps.
     
  14. Ringingears

    Ringingears Honorary BFF

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    Mine is on the Pony Express that is FedExDumbPost. 7/27 delivery. Sorry off topic.

    @yotacowboy, nice description I like “whole cloth” analogie. I was part of the loaner, but I always had trouble describing what I found so enticing about the amp. Give it some break-in and you will find other gems. IMHO.

    Edit; Just read my impressions. Didn’t have as much trouble describing as I remember. :confused:
     
    Last edited: Jul 20, 2018
  15. MeltyGoblin

    MeltyGoblin New

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    I just got mine in the mail yesterday. I'm waiting to get the tubes broken in before I make my final decisions, but overall my impressions are really positive. As others have said the resolution on this amp is out of this world for a $400 amp. The amp sounds a lot like the ZDS. It's lacking the soundstage and some of the finer details that amp has to offer, but overall the tone and resolution are there. I was also surprised by the bass this amp has to offer. Based on reviews on the NBM I expected the bass to be lacking, but it is very much there. It is strongest in the midbass, and it doesn't have a ton of subbass, but what it has is very clean.

    Overall I've really been enjoying this amp, Looking forward to getting more time with it so I can have some cohesive opinions on it.
     
  16. Orkney

    Orkney Acquaintance

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    Mine arrived last week but only had a chance to set it up this aft. The finishing on my unit is pretty hair-shirt (ding in one of the trans covers, terrible powder-coating) but the sound is already very good, with overall detail and tone (though not bass texture or slam) approaching that of my beloved 1st-gen ZD. Looking forward to hearing it over the next few days but I already prefer it to the CTH I flipped earlier this year, and the sound, aesthetics and build q remind me of the golden age of Brit-Fi, right down to the fingerprints on the sides. O British Fidelity, Onix and Royd Acoustics, wherefore art thou?
     
  17. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    /JEDI HAND WAVE

    This is not the amp you're looking for.

    You can go about your business sell it to me ...

    (Well, not the one that's dinged).
     
  18. Orkney

    Orkney Acquaintance

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    It's a very small ding. A character ding. Lends the little fella some gravitas.

    Sounding very good and running quiet and cool. It's a keeper.
     
  19. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    You coming to the meet this Sunday? Bring that along if you can make it!
     
  20. Orkney

    Orkney Acquaintance

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    Would love to but back to the UK this week -- maybe another time.

    One more quick note: wWith the Gumbah as source and the 650s my usable range is between 6 and maybe 10:30 on the V/C, at either lo- or hi-Z. Will play around with other phones but this is a significant diff from my ZD. I do tend to listen at lower volumes, so YMMV.
     

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