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EC Aficionado (was: The Studio Jr.)

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by AppleheadMay, Nov 10, 2015.

Page 5 of 63
  1. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Hmmm...
     
    purr1n, Mar 8, 2017
    #81
  2. jelt2359

    jelt2359 Friend

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    This amp is ridiculously gorgeous!! Well done sir!
     
    jelt2359, Mar 8, 2017
    #82
  3. TomNC

    TomNC Friend

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    This looks exactly like one model of the old Moth 2a3 amps.
     
    TomNC, Mar 8, 2017
    #83
  4. philipmorgan

    philipmorgan Member of the month

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    What's the succession plan? I know Nick in his interview of Craig said the company would be passed on to someone who would keep things running. Just wondering if that's still the plan?
     
    philipmorgan, Mar 29, 2017
    #84
  5. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    SBAF community supported DIY. Maybe with a list of suppliers and assemblers. Small royalties to Craig for each amp built. I know he does not want to support it.
     
    purr1n, Mar 29, 2017
    #85
  6. TwoEars

    TwoEars Friend

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    I have always thought of Donald North as the spiritual successor to Craig, maybe something to consider?
     
    TwoEars, Mar 29, 2017
    #86
  7. HitmanFluffy

    HitmanFluffy Hoping to see real genitals someday!

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    Different sound and approach to builds really.
     
    HitmanFluffy, Mar 29, 2017
    #87
  8. iDesign

    iDesign Almost "Made"

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    I'm surprised Craig isn't selling the company and staying on as a consultant like most founders of small companies when they retire. It would be great to see Eddie Current continue and still provide warranty and service to its loyal customers. The Aficionado sounds promising as one of Craig's final editions and I hope it looks every bit as special as the 2A3 amp posted earlier in the thread.
     
    iDesign, Mar 29, 2017
    #88
  9. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    Exit stage left....
    am curious what lead to the EC decision for the 2C51/349A tubes in driver stage-
    availability + great sound + less-insane pricing?
    electrical or circuit ideas / optimizations ?

    to confirm a few notions:
    1. the 2c51/349A family of tubes (and related, not talking adapters) are the only 2 rollable tubes?
    2. Matched pair tubes recommended in the driver stage.
    3. balanced inputs are a go?
    4. voicing/testing to include the Utopia very much appreciated. Utopia requires little power, seems to like low Z.

    cheers to Craig and Marv for development efforts to date.
     
    jexby, Apr 5, 2017
    #89
  10. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    availability + sound + less-insane pricing + gain (even though would like more) + Craig likes to try different things.

    6SL7 is being tested right now to compare against [5670 W396a 2C51 6N3P]. Trying to shoot for tone like ZDS and resolution close to Studio. That's the target. Still trying to find a vendor for small batch of EI core power transformers.
     
    purr1n, Apr 5, 2017
    #90
  11. brencho

    brencho Friend

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    that would be very exciting indeed, and might force my hand to do something fiscally dumb like buy one. thank christ i decided to rid myself of the notion of multiple chains, makes it easier to justify large purchases :)
     
    brencho, Apr 5, 2017
    #91
  12. Changeling

    Changeling Tube Slut

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    Nice! 6SL7 means that the loktal base 7F7 would work too... very cheap and easy to find still.
     
    Changeling, Apr 6, 2017
    #92
  13. bazelio

    bazelio Friend

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    As well as one's existing zds tube collection...
     
    bazelio, Apr 6, 2017
    #93
  14. Comzee

    Comzee Facebook Friend

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    Completely noob question, what are the advantages to use 6sl7 over 6sn7, cheaper?
    Also, for anybody using 6sl7 this guy is selling round plate 6c8g (6sl7 equiv) pairs for cheap, best 6sl7 I've heard or 6**7 in general. They're par with the sought after ts 6sn7 rounds. Just need an adapter.
     
    Comzee, Apr 6, 2017
    #94
  15. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Different part. 6SL7 has more gain, at the expense of super high plate impedance. You can generally swap them, the amp won't explode, but no guarantees that the amp will be working as intended.
     
    purr1n, Apr 6, 2017
    #95
  16. Boops

    Boops Friend

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    +1 to this bit.
     
    Boops, Apr 6, 2017
    #96
  17. zonto

    zonto Friend

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    -2 to this bit. If the Aficionado is not voiced for Utopia that means I can justify selling mine to buy one.
     
    zonto, Apr 6, 2017
    #97
  18. brencho

    brencho Friend

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    LOL but its not as though the Utopia is as difficult to find synergies with gear as say the hd800. legends tell it sounds amazing with the ZDS (actually so does the hd800 and hd650 when i heard those combos) so I'm sure it'll be a versatile enough amp to manage. also tubes. the torpedo i had sounded pretty great with the utopia, just wished for some more meat/body/fullness. but yeah its certainly the case that it would be sad if it DIDNT work well with the utopes. i'm selfishly hoping it can handle utopes and something more difficult to drive like the code-x.
     
    brencho, Apr 6, 2017
    #98
  19. gbeast

    gbeast Mighty Moral Power Ranger

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    gbeast, Apr 6, 2017
    #99
  20. brencho

    brencho Friend

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    to quote @HitmanFluffy, a 2a3 per channel ought to be enough (personal communication).
     
    brencho, Apr 6, 2017
    #100
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