Torpedo 1 Impressions (Comparison to AGD C2)

Background:
While I've had a passing interest in tubes and tube amplifiers, I've shied away from them in the past due to several factors:

• Cost + effort in acquiring tubes: I've no stomach for spending hundreds of dollars in tubes and the effort going into finding 'just the right set' is something that turns me right the hell off
• Compromises: Among the "usual suspects" for tube amplifiers under $500, there's always an air of compromise around the products (e.g Vali 2 = hybrid, Crack = High Z-Out OTL, Project whatever = Hybrid, Valh 2 = OTL...etc)
• Tonality Conflict: Through much trial and error, I've found that I much prefer a rather strict neutral signature, with clean extension at both ends, and would tolerate more sibilance (up to a point) in exchange for more clarity, therefore, the "bloominess" that is a prevailing characteristic of the tube amps above doesn't appeal to me. At all.

It was then that a cheap listing for a Torpedo 1 Amplifier surfaced, being the much less talked about sibling to the Torpedo 3. A brief look at the product page showed that it had 1) Cheap tubes (6J6s are well under $10/pair) 2) OTC (i.e no "compromise") and several people whose opinions I care about recommended it. So I took the plunge.

I've had the Torpedo 1 Amplifier in my possession for around a week as of this writing, and have had the chance to compare it with the AGD C2 amplifier (also in my possession) in this time with (primarily) two headphones: HD800SDR and TH-X00 Mahogany, with the Geek Out 450 acting as a line out. All listening is done with the low-Z (10 ohm) setting and 6J6A tubes, the high-Z (110 ohm) doesn't work well with the 2 headphones for me.


Listening Impressions:

• Noticeably leaner and/or brighter than the AGD C2 amp, especially evident with the HD800, if there's any warmth inherent in this amplifier, I am not detecting it.
• Headstage is somewhat bigger and more 3D than the C2, it's not crazy out-of-head like some of the setups I heard in the past, but the amp showcases great separation and imaging within its projected stage regardless.
• Rather aggressive/upfront presentation, which brings microdetail/nuances within the recordings more into focus than the AGD C2 does, make notes seem crisper as well
• The bass is surprisingly nicely done on the Torpedo 1, paired with the HD800, it has great punch, little/no detectable roll off into the subbass, and keeps up with with busy basslines well. The only shortfall it has compared to the AGD C2 is a tendency to "simplify" bass notes, which can mask the textures of the notes down low. Paired with the TH-X00, there is a more pronounced difference, the bass is clearly looser, more pronounced and there's less control down low than the AGD C2, it makes for a fun, if somewhat colored and muddy experience.
• Moving up to the mids, as mentioned above, there's not much warmth on display, with the C2 being noticeably warmer. The more aggressive presentation makes details easier to spot on the Torpedo, and I suspect there's more resolution on display as well. Unfortunately, with the X00, the lack of control in the bass leads to some bleed into the lower mids, which wasn't present with the C2, which negates some of those advantages.
• Moving on to the treble, I suspect there may be a (very) slight emphasis in that area from the Torpedo, but it's done in a tasteful way, with no noticeable unevenness that can mess with timbre. In comparison, the AGD C2 is somewhat shelved in that area, which makes it seem less airy, this is accentuated by the more expansive staging of the Torpedo.
• Away from the sound, there's audible hiss out of my particular Torpedo amp, with both headphones, I am not particularly sure what's causing this, but I am hoping its not something inherent to the topology.

Conclusion/TL;DR:

The Torpedo 1 is a great introduction to tube amplifiers, with a relatively uncolored sound and (IMO) outstanding technicalities for the price they can be found for. While not the most versatile in terms of headphone pairings, they are an excellent match with high-Z dynamic headphones.

With HD800 - Torp 1 >> AGD C2
With TH-X00 - AGD C2 > Torp 1 (I suspect lack of damping factor is a problem here)

 

Nice to see the T1 getting some love. But do try the HD800's on the high setting again - it is where they should work the best.