Ampsandsound Mogwai

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

  1. gbeast

    gbeast Mighty Moral Power Ranger

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    Thanks!

    • DNA and EC costs a lot more and the Mogwai handily beat my HE-9 in dynamics and musicality all while sounding almost as clear.
    • DNA takes forever to wait for and I am super impatient
    • do have some more tube amp reviews coming.
     
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2017
  2. gbeast

    gbeast Mighty Moral Power Ranger

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    an update to this post: My amp has upgraded caps and tubes so my perspective of the unit now is a little different.

    I loved the amplifier with the KT150 tubes. They opened the Mogwai up and made the sound extremely appealing to me. The only problem is that those tubes drew too much current and Justin is saying that the amplifier can't use those tubes because they the filaments take too much current and overwork the amp and its power supply. In the end, smoke came out of the amplifier and had to be sent back for repair(Spotless customer service).

    That really blows because compared to the PSVANE KT88MKIIs the KT150s sounded much more open, lively, and clear in the treble with much better extension. If anyone knows a comparable tube lemme know because I will buy them ASAP. My KT150s tested well after this occurred but I can't use them in the Mogwai anymore.

    Kind of disheartening to say the least. Makes me want to buy an amp just to use those tubes in; the differences were not small.
     
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2017
  3. Walderstorn

    Walderstorn Friend

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    Sad indeed mate butt hopefully you'll find similar tubes. But also we can't forget that those tubes may not sound as good in other amps so keep your chin up.
     
  4. murphythecat

    murphythecat GRU-powered uniformed trumpkin

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  5. gbeast

    gbeast Mighty Moral Power Ranger

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    Most likely not. I guess next to try is the Kenzie Encore(new). I can probably get a review unit for that in June if I am lucky.
     
  6. Mithrandir41

    Mithrandir41 Friend

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    I will get be getting my Encore in a couple weeks. I'll be interested in your impressions
     
  7. murphythecat

    murphythecat GRU-powered uniformed trumpkin

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  8. gbeast

    gbeast Mighty Moral Power Ranger

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    Don't think so
     
  9. Mithrandir41

    Mithrandir41 Friend

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    No. It features the headphone amp section of the original Kenzie, plus preamp capability. Two RCA inputs and one pair of outputs.
     
  10. gbeast

    gbeast Mighty Moral Power Ranger

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    I think that sounds more ideal for me. Id much rather have a preamp than speaker amp. I don't imagine the Mogwai lasting that long here because of that, if the Encore sounds as good as my Mogwai with upgraded caps.
     
  11. Mithrandir41

    Mithrandir41 Friend

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    The Kenzie sounds Damn good. As a headphone amp I prefer it to the Mogwai. The 12SL7/1626 combo sounds terrific. I prefer more neutral input tubes. NOS Raytheons, for instance, sound way too dark and slow, but some might prefer a more stereotypical "tubey" sound.
     
  12. gbeast

    gbeast Mighty Moral Power Ranger

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    People keep mentioning that but I do not know why Justin was so adamant about recommending me the Mogwai over the Kenzie. I think he knows how much I like bass. With upgraded caps and tubes it sounds different though. I hear the Kenzie is better at tonality and the Mogwai is the more punchy and powerful.

    Is that how you hear the Mogwai compared to the Kenzie? which one sounds more punchy to you?
     
  13. Mithrandir41

    Mithrandir41 Friend

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    I always found the Kenzie to have great bass. For the 650 fans, it has great synergy. I think the main benefit of the Mogwai is the speaker taps for those that want them. I run desktop monitors so I just need a preamp. Justin is in love with efficient horn speakers. For me, I'm more of a RAAL /AMT tweeter guy.
     
    Last edited: Apr 16, 2017
  14. Mithrandir41

    Mithrandir41 Friend

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    I should mention that the Encore is noticeably quieter than the original, and with the input transformers, is punchier and more dynamic. This was with the mrspeakers Aeon.
     
  15. thoth

    thoth Acquaintance

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    @gbeast Thanks for info on this amp!

    I just got a Mogwai from classifieds. What tubes would you recommend for Atticus/Eikon?
     
  16. gbeast

    gbeast Mighty Moral Power Ranger

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    ^can't call it right now. It depends on what headphones you want to use. Sorry for the late response. The tubes I loved in them draw too much current so I am at odds now with what tubes to recommend.

    RE Kenzie Amp
    Post Edit

    Kenzie is better with high impedance headphones like the Atticus for sure. I will have a full review later on different pairings. I prefer my Odin through my Auris HA2 SE over both Ampsandsound amps.
     
    Last edited: May 5, 2017
  17. Mithrandir41

    Mithrandir41 Friend

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    Justin sent me this pic of my encore: he's pretty proud of the work on this. IMG_1741.JPG
    Impressions to come later this week
     
  18. gbeast

    gbeast Mighty Moral Power Ranger

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    Just thought I should report my findings.

    I really liked the Mogwai a lot as I found it more resolving than the Torpedo III maxed but not as controlled. My Auris HA2 SE amplifier, the same thing. I procrastinated big time on getting speaker taps for headphones to take advantage of the 8ohm jack and reviewed it from the 32 ohm jack.

    Results with Utopia, Atticus:
    • The thick and rich sound of the Mogwai becomes much more controlled and sounds slightly faster.
    • The attacks have more definition and sound less fuzzy now making having the Auris questionable. The Auris still has a smidgen more control but now the differences are negligible.
    • The bass presence lessens
    • The soundstage width decreases
    • Separation increases
    • Decay is quicker
    • It sounds less open and a little more compressed
    Results with HD650:
    • The bass is less bold (not a good thing in my opinion) and doesn't slam as hard
    • The treble is more crisp and detailed
    • The images are smaller
     
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2017
  19. murphythecat

    murphythecat GRU-powered uniformed trumpkin

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    so gbeast, i gather your finally keeping the mogwai and will sell the auris?
    which would you recommend, auris or mogwai?
     
  20. gbeast

    gbeast Mighty Moral Power Ranger

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    The Mogwai has more resolution and is more scalable but My mogwai is not stock and has upgraded caps. I would go with the Mogwai(with upgraded caps) in the end though. I don't know how stock Mogwai compares to the Auris.

    The real story though is that I would have been happy with both and had them both for sale and just decided to keep the one that didn't sell.
     
    Last edited: Jul 14, 2017

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