EC Aficionado (was: The Studio Jr.)

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

  1. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I'd like to add my two cents here on socket adapters / savers: they are generally a bad idea for the following reasons:
    1. Amp explosions (it would appear that more than a few people have blown up their amps from "bad" such socket adapters / savers, myself included).
    2. The sockets in the amp are just fine. The notion that they wear out or break with regular normal use is nonsense. If the pins fit loosely, you can push the springs back a bit on the socket. If you are an extreme roller, and prefer to listen to 50 tubes instead of 50 albums, then your gear should be destroyed anyway.
    3. Except under very limited unique circumstances, using a socket adapter to use a tube that was not specified for your amp will result in shittier sound.
    4. Tubes run high voltages, and because of this, you don't want another set of contact points if you can help it. More, possibly loose contacts, means more resistance. V=IR and you guys figure out the rest.
    5. This stuff is made in China and just horrible quality that seems to be getting worse.
     
  2. nachocheese70

    nachocheese70 Facebook Friend

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    All this discussion on socket adapter issues makes me think about rewiring the driver socket from a 6C45 wiring config to a 5842 config, instead of using a socket adapter. I’m very happy with the WE417A driver tubes and have no plans to ever return to 6C45. The socket adapters appear to be working fine so far, but who knows what’ll happen a few years down the road.
     
  3. Maxx134

    Maxx134 Dunning–Kruger effect poster boy

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    That reminds me of tube pins.
    Sometimes I have tubes with dull pins.
    Someone showed me this nice glass tip pen that perfect for cleaning tube pins.
    Glass pen.PNG
    Not sure if this is known, or if there is more optimal solutions,
    So thought I like to share.
     
  4. Taverius

    Taverius Smells like sausages

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    Was gonna get some practice with caps now that the amp is dry on its own after a week of FedEx. I figured make my mistakes now when I ain't risking much.

    Made a cap discharge tool (2 gators and a 10w 5.6k res) forgot to grab a cable to let me hook to actual ground though; too lazy now, will get it done tomorrow.

    Also, Craig seems to be out of black screws, one of mine is silver. Centered in the back of the bottom plate thankfully, so it doesn't trigger my OCD much ...
     
  5. BillOhio

    BillOhio Friend

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    That's your ground screw... or something
     
  6. JoshMorr

    JoshMorr Friend

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    Don't quote me on this, but I believe its for grounding
     
  7. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    Exit stage left....
    which of these 3 5AR4 tubes require a socket adapter in the power supply unit for the Af ?
    IME, the fat base Mullard would not fit through the narrow hole-cut-out casing of the power supply, thus necessitating a socket saver.
     
  8. cskippy

    cskippy Creamy warmpoo

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    None of those I mention need a socket saver. My Mullard is a brown base and the base is pretty much flush with the glass so it still fits in the socket nicely. If your Mullard has a wider base then I don't know the best way to use it, sorry.

    Use @purr1n 's word of caution with the socket savers.
     
  9. JK47

    JK47 Guest

    AF Jupiter vs AF Duelund copper/silver... guess who won?

    IMG_0913.JPG
    I don't know, I was to busy busy drinking beer and bullshitting with Ed and @BobOhio to care. Really it was so close, tubes were probably the deciding factor, and even then it was negligible.

    Don't mention the last Jedi when @BobOhio is in house...

    EDIT: Changed to @BobOhio to appease his Duelund majesty
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 20, 2018
  10. BillOhio

    BillOhio Friend

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    Just call me Sir BobOhio...
     
    Last edited: May 20, 2018
  11. Maxx134

    Maxx134 Dunning–Kruger effect poster boy

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    Maybe you can add more drunken master impressions?

    Its great to know that they are close .
     
  12. insidious meme

    insidious meme Ambivalent Kumquat

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    You left out the barbecue and the Stanley Cup playoff game going on in the background.

    Honestly, alot of micro meets in the area end up like this. It's lots of fun and should be encouraging to those who live in the area but seem too intimidated by the regulars on here to meet in person.

    That said the Af shootout was done using speakers. As JK47 said, it was pretty close.
     
  13. BillOhio

    BillOhio Friend

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    From JK's speakers with a CD player as a source, the two amps sounded very very similar. I'm not sure I heard any difference between the two. JK seemed to think there was a slight difference but it wasn't a perfect experiment as the two amps were running different tubes. I personally think I heard more of a difference in going from EH 2A3's to JJ's on my amp than I heard between my Duelund capped Af vs. JK's Jupiter capped Af. I'm guessing had we been swapping the same tubes back and forth between the amps that we'd have had a really hard time telling the two Aficionados apart.

    My takeaway from this particular very casual comparison is that for the price difference between the Jupiters and Duelunds you're probably better off going with the Jupiter caps and investing the cost difference into tubes. I like the JJ2A3's but haven't heard Fivres, Sophias or EMLs, among many others.

    Aside from that, Thanks to JK for having us over and the hospitality. Very cool to hang out and drink some beers with a couple of Dudes, JK and Ed, especially as I was heading to JK's place after another weird online dating mini-adventure. There was some chatter about getting some people together again, possibly in Glendale and hopefully that plays out.
     
  14. kirayamato

    kirayamato Friend

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    @BillOhio what rectifiers you using? any rolling you did for that?
     
  15. BillOhio

    BillOhio Friend

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    I haven't rolled the rectifier. Marvey didn't seem to think it made much difference. I have a Sovtek and another tube with most of the label warn off so I'm not sure which brand. It's the tube with the warn off brand that I'm using. I can switch to the Sovtek if you want, to see if I hear any difference.
     
  16. kirayamato

    kirayamato Friend

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  17. Maxx134

    Maxx134 Dunning–Kruger effect poster boy

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    Not sure if anyone noticed from the pic.
    This scenario is actually shows why...

    Judging from the pic, those speakers don't look optimally placed from walls or furniture,
    and there is also non optimal, sound absorbing carpeting in the room.
    Definitely detail deadening conditions.

    Also,
    Then the inevitable trouble of switching speaker cables from one Aficionado unit to the other,
    Would be very time consuming and disadvantageous for auditory memory.

    All that effort and handicap would have been avoided with a
    quick easy swap of a set of Headphones...
    So much easier to evaluate differences...

    Throw into the mix, alcohol, conversation, and flagrant good times,
    Further reduces concentration to the level of elevator music.
    Ha.
    :p
     
  18. JK47

    JK47 Guest

    You completeley missed the point of that meet...
     
  19. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I know those speaker drivers and those enclosures. They aren't the kind of speaker that you place in the middle of the room. They also beam, so side boundaries have less of an impact to imaging and creating too much of a diffuse field response. I would also argue that floor carpeting is advantageous - it almost always is.

    The need for optimal rooms with treatments Is often overstated. Such myths need to die. It's just bare rooms or weirdo rooms that tend to be bad.

    Headphones are better than speakers for evaluating one aspect: resolution. Speakers, even in normal people rooms (as opposed to specially setup audiophile rooms that look like rape dungeons) are better for evaluating all other aspects.
     
    Last edited: May 27, 2018
  20. dmckean44

    dmckean44 In a Sherwood S6040CP relationship

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    The idea that beaming is bad needs to die too. Sure, it sucks in the pro audio or commercial theater world, but I don't really understand what the downside is in normal sized home listening room.
     

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