I’m just surprised Craig hasn’t changed this during the various runs, it has to be a bigger issue for him than anyone. I assume the issue was the same PSU transformer issue that we’ve already seen?
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Yeah you’d think the blue loctite would be applied when he built them. If this is an issue with things backing themselves out. Or another method of securing them.
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all’s well that ends well? I guess with the shutting of the doors at EC this is a good thing to keep in mind. Probably an easy 15 minute mod to 1) secure the mounting bolts with loctite and 2) some type of backing material on the transformer itself to keep it from being able to move in the first place.
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Yes, from the description my buyer gave me it seemed like the same exact PSU issue.
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That’s a shame @NickMimi. Especially given how well you packed it (I know those pelican cases/foam aren’t cheap). Sorry to hear about that.
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I get the feeling maybe those screws are left loose on purpose. He states on his site to check them when it arrives, so it is a known “issue”.
But i wonder if they are purposely left that way so it moves more with the bumps of shipping and the screw takes the hit more than a rigid platform, or it getting ripped and stripped out of the chassis.
Tbh he is pretty confident in his customers and told me to open up the psu and amp chassis to check inside. Why not put stiff foam blocks under the big pieces to support them in shipping then have the customer remove them before use?
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old dog new tricks? IDK, but I’ve had this same thought too many times to care. seems easily preventable and still!
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@karangovil did you get any time with the bendix this week?
So I cleaned the pins and have been putting the hours and I believe its past the 100 hours mark last week. I feel like input tubes are less impactful in Studio B than the rectifier and 300Bs, at least to my ears. The Bendix have slightly better separation and imaging than the stock tube, perhaps slightly brighter leaning. I still prefer the Sperry gyroscope overall as I think it adds a bit more heft in the bass while still adding to the separation and imaging/holographic presentation. So overall for me, I think it’s Stock JAN < Bendix << Sperry 2C51.
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For me the input tube made a huge difference, going from stock to WE 396A/2C51. I have not gotten around to rolling the rectifier yet, but according to Craig it shouldn’t make any difference… I imagine that is a bit of a overstatement though
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I was trying to find the WE396A/2C51 from Brent Jesse but he didn’t have any at the time so he suggested the Sperry gyroscope Tung Sol 2C51 instead. Perhaps I should check back with him to see if he has any in stock yet.
Craig said the same thing about the rectifier to me as well but going to the metal base GZ34 made a significant difference to me. I had bought the metal base even before getting the amp so I only tried the stock rectifier for comparison and it wasn’t really even a question. The metal base did wonders on Stratus as well.
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this is where I got mine if you are interested, they still have some in stock
sweet! I really need to get on it, been procrastinating forever on rolling the recti, I’ll keep the metalbase GZ34 in mind for when I do
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Sweet! Thanks for the tip, order placed 
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A huge difference to my ears, maybe even more than the 300Bs. If you cant find or afford a metalbase Mullard GZ34, try looking for a '59 fatbase, I have not heard a metal base but I have a fat base and am very very happy with it.
Yes, I feel it was a good step up in the the detail, separation, imaging, and “cleanliness” (like using a cheap pint glass vs an expensive crystal wine glass, one you can tell is more solid and pure). You have me interested in the Sperry but im not sure Brent has stock now.
Try https://vintagetubeservices.com . I really like talking to Andy and he is extremely knowledgeable. He has a bunch of stuff not listed on his site. He will take a little to ship, but has always called me back before shipping to confirm my order and see if i want to add/remove anything. I got a used but testing as new WE from him for $40, and honestly you cant beat that.
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Y’all should hit up billington tubes to see if they have anything too… Excellent service ime
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A friend of the forum was kind enough to exchange some equipment with me recently so we could both try something different for a while. We both so very much enjoyed our time recently experimenting and trying various equipment combos with the MOJO Mystique DAC that we wanted to keep the momentum, joy and experiences gained with some variety going in both our set ups. 
Eddie Current Black Widow 2 in my home for a while and man does this solid state amplifier sync stupidly well with my Sonnett Pasithea DAC and various HP’s🤌
This is a dream amp with Grado’s, all the character traits needed by a Grado to shine with none of the tube related inconvenience 
Next up are a few Audeze pre-fazor models and so far I am grooving, toe tapping and appreciating this old warhorse of an amp. I so wish Craig had another 10 years of development, building and sales in him 
the man builds equipment I really enjoy 
I can’t wait to get to my Kennerton, & ATH HP’s !
The East Coast crew is rocking, I think a few of us are getting into a groove here, may we play well together and continue to develop friendships that last a lifetime
This photo is of the internals I pulled off the internet
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It doesn’t have to be a lonely hobby. I didn’t even know there was a SS EC amp! Glad to see you’re back home and listening.
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Sold my EC Studio B to a guy who is fairly new to the hobby. He’s looking for a dac in the $1-2k price range that would pair well with it. Any suggestions? He’s currently using the HD650 and HD800S. May pick up a ZMF.
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What’s he looking for signature wise.
My usual red in that range is an OG Yggy, but you don’t see them listed as much anymore.
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Lampi Amber 3 in that range secondhand would be my pick from personal experience 
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