I’d like it more than the adi 2, but I really don’t like the adi 2 for the money lol
I could see that improving things (I’d also assume a nice ddc improves sq too) but I have no idea what works with it, you’d have to check what it can take
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Thank you @M0N, as always very valuable help!
Definitely will get it as actually got a great price from a local distributor and plan to use it with an X-Spdif 2 through AES and probably get the ifi iPowerX too
Regards!
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Hmm yes the Adi is such a thing, you either like it or hate it.
He is not beginner friendly to be honest.
If you have patience and nerves for it an option.
I didn’t like the menu navigation at all and confusing.
It has nice gimmicks that are great but could be tidier in the menu.
The loudness function is great, I miss it on most headphone amps.
Also the internal eq setting is nice but not logical, you can do a lot wrong.
Also a point where premium manufacturers today have not yet managed to implement would just be a nice to have.
The rest is similar, the manual is a killer.
If you look up which function is which from the description, you get something completely different as an answer.
As a German, I’ll put it this way, anyone who has a lot to do with Siemens knows what I mean.
It’s also the case that if you read the instructions, they tell you more about what the product can do and what’s great about it, but not how to get to the function, neither what it really is nor what it can do.
You find out about it through a colleague, the Internet or a forum.
It’s a pity about the tree that was felled for this paper, and the employees who write such things should be fired.
Oh and the Rme support I have had bad experiences in Germany.
Unfriendly, spiteful, impatient and arrogant on the phone.
The forum is much friendlier and clearer when it comes to help.
As I said, you either love him or hate him.
In terms of sound, I have never heard Ac/Dc -Thunderstuck more authentic than on the Adi.and never heard it better since.
On some pieces of music it’s very good, on others it’s a matter of taste.
If you are more of an analogue type who likes to adjust, and has a better feel for it, then don’t buy it.
If you are the digital type, a freak who likes to play around and have patience, then it is okay.
As Mon has already pointed out, you can love it but not at this price.
I have to agree with him because as you have just read it is overpriced for what it can do and not beginner friendly.
It should be available in two versions, beginner-friendly and professional mode, at least selectable at the first switch-on until you have familiarised yourself with it.
Then it would be halfway OK and maybe worth the money.
I would listen to Mon frankly.
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It’s just one of those things where it is good and would serve someone well, if they would take advantage of it’s great dsp and features, but at least from my perspective I feel on it’s raw capability as a dac it is a bit behind given it’s price. But again it’s not that bad of a dac if you will actually take advantage of the extra things packed inside
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Hehe yes, totally agree about the RME I had it a while and as you say on some music sounds great but my general belief was that while very technically capable and feature rich, to me as a DAC was soulless and much ‘strict’ on its reproduction If you know what I mean.
Abolutely! @M0N Years saving people’s wallets or actually is the other way 
Cheers
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has anyone here heard the amps and sound Rockwell?
I missed a nontilus last night on headfi an the seller says he is getting ready to sell a rockwell that he actually prefers sus on over the nautilus and I am trying to nail down the voicing and SQ level. It apparently will hum on stuff over 100 mW/dB. He is asking 4k+shiping and tbh I just have no idea how any tube amps stack up in this price range. What I do know is that I liked the sound of a stock tube Mogwai OG and I also quite like my phantasy II (both with the d8kp, though I wish the phantasy ii was a hair sweeter). My plan was to get a Bigger ben because of this, but then this offer came up and now im trying to figure out how it will align with my tastes.
FWIW, I have D8KP, Soltaire P, HD800S, and the plan is to buy sus directly after canjam in 2-3 weeks. My main source will be the LO of my P6 Pro.
I very much doubt the Rockwell will drive the Susvara well. It’s going to be more along the lines of the other lower powered DHT amps at a guess.
I’d have concerns with the D8KP, but it might work really well, it’s tough to guess, 8 Ohms out is borderline on my Stratus for me, but output impedance isn’t everything, and if you liked the 8 Ohm out on the Mogwai who knows.
The Rockwell is the one A&S amp I’d consider FWIW, but the audible hum at any sensitivity would be an immediate no for me.
It’s probably not going to sound like the Mogwai, I’m not really familiar with 6B4G tubes so I wouldn’t want to guess at a signature.
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This was my initial guess as well. Unfortunately there is like 0 info out there on the rockwell, but the guy that wrote the (only) reviews says its a very very small slam difference between it and naut on sus (and that he prefers sus on rockwell subjectively). Now if you say the naut isnt go to slam particularly well in the first place that would make a lot more sense though.
8ohm on the mogwai OG was pretty great tonality wise for d8kp. The detail and texture was lacking but I suspect that was amp and a whole instead of just the tap.
This is what is killing me. TBH if that wasnt an issue I would have just bought it without asking here, but the solitaire and d8kp are both right on that line where it may be an issue and I don’t even own sus yet (though thats not far off at all).
Edit: Justin just confirmed for me that both should be completely fine as far as noise floor goes. His only realy issue has been focals apparently.
I think this is my real major question here. From the (flowerey love struck) descriptions of the sound online I think its going to fall a hair thinner than mogwai on the WA33 - WA8 line (which would be fine tbh), but I cant really tell.
Anyone familiar with the Decware anniversary mods (poly bypass and copper bypass) for the Zen Triode amps?
Also are these mainly used as integrated amps or do they benefit from a good separate preamp?
As far as the 25th anniversary upgrades go Steve has written detailed papers on them and given his opinion on the differences in caps a few times BUT with upgrades like that YMMV depending on your system. Also recently he switched up speaker cables and has been ranting about those for a short while now along with. DAC upgrade when using digital sources. My 341.5 has the mods but I hesitate to speak to them because I can’t easily do an apples to apples comparison vs not having them. I wanted them enough though that I included the mods in my TABOOmk4 that is in the build process. Having said all this, there are changes that you will hear while tube rolling.
I also have seen a pattern over the years and can hear it on my amp, in general with factory tubes mine runs a bit “lean” in sound. Very clean, very audiophile like sound, works well with the softer genre’s, I tube roll to “fatten” up the bottom end and to bring out some more “richnesss” when the mood calls for it.
To speak to what I quoted, the amplifiers usually come as integrated pieces which can work direct off your source. One of my current combos using a pre-amp though is sounding very rich and satisfying using a particular combo and the pre-amp is doing a wonderful job adding just enough something special to make the equipment combo very synergistic and pleasing to my tastes. All this info is very subjective to my listening preferences, speaker and chain along with room particulars. But yes a good quality pre-amp in my experience has shown me “better” results more often than not. Again a VERY subjective opinion. Hope this helps a tiny bit 
https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1535743887
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What I do with my pre-amp on integrated units:
In my limited experience a good pre-amp when mated to an integrated tube amp especially when used with speakers allows me to adjust the gain on the amplifier to the perfect setting where I can then adjust the volume using the pre only and I am able to avoid clipping, sometimes any hum that may be induced in the upper gain regions of the amplifier and it also gives me more control over the maximum volume relative to the speakers I am using. Thus allowing me to push smaller less volume capable speakers to the max knowing I won’t bottom them out or higher sensitivity speakers being run on a more powerful amp again safely to their maximum volume should I choose to do so.
I have also found that some pre-amplifiers, and they come in many varieties simply just work really well in some combos. Not every system chain needs to be as short and direct as possible. Again, YMMV and everything I say is subjective.
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Thanks Nick! I found Steve’s written thoughts on the mods and like yourself I think I’d choose to opt in. He mentions twice as good a few times lol. Improved speed and resolution and much improved power attributes.
Still unsure which piece I’ll try first but eventually I’ll have something from Decware.
Your 341.5 looks like it’s a beauty 
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https://www.decware.com/newsite/articles.html
Here is the page on his rambling thoughts…And the more i get to play with my own pieces the better i like them. I think i want the mystery amp next…there is still the choice of DAC in the air though and possibly 2 more pairs of speakers… 
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Bump…has anyone heard The King Mk2 to compare to Pass or anything else?
Not having heard the Sus but knowing of it’s power requirements, I’d say the Pass isn’t the best pairing.
Genrraly speaking, can one change the staging of a tube amp pretty drastically with just tube rolling? As in can one take a mogwai from an intimate to a vast sound or a WES the other way? Or are changes in stage from rolling typicaky going to be smaller than that? Both these amps today didn’t have stock tubes and im trying to figure out how much was the amp and how much was the tube
No you get some improvement, but realistically tubes of a specific type are supposed to have the same “specs”, you do get changes in speed and dynamics, and it can feel night and day, but the overall character doesn’t change IME.
I hate tube rolling, it’s very much about trade offs, once you get out of modern production vs NOS, I rolled a huge number of 12AX7’s into my preamp, when I first got it, I can honestly say I had the same wow that’s interesting vibe putting the original tube back in months later.
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Should I/we make threads for cheaper source gear? For example a Thread for the Little Dot II.
I ask this as a future reference for cheaper products, because I just posted my review of the LD2mk2 to HFGF, where it can actually help people, but I don’t imagine anyone in this forum is interested on that product because its too entry level, also its already available elsewhere, so idk.
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Not exactly a mod here, but idk why we wouldn’t welcome a thread with a propper review. Thiugh lots of us here have moved passed that tier there are still lots here who haven’t as well.
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Hey there friend. Please do so and know there is not an “entrance fee” here. We are only looking for hobbyists that are open-minded and willing to discuss. It’s somewhere I feel safe to talk about cables and gear that I like without getting ganged up on and people telling me how to spend my money.
There is no low-end vs. high-end here. We also have a different audience, so maybe you will be helping someone by posting here. I know both M0N and I have copied some info from there to here for future reference. Thank you for asking though.
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