Aegis DIY Headphone Amp

Discussion in 'DIY' started by TheloniuSnoop, May 19, 2023.

  1. RestoredSparda

    RestoredSparda Friend

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    Ok, after a member asked me to share impressions, I wrote this up on my phone after a few months with this amp. I ended up selling it as it just wasn't doing what I wanted in the end.

    I had a hard time with the DIY Aegis. I put a lot of time, money and effort into it.

    While it is exceptional in a lot of areas, I still ended up finding it to be a bit aggravating and fatiguing to listen to. I'm not sure why. Possibly it is the level of attack, sharpness of note edges.

    Stratus does the beautiful trick of being insanely dynamic, extended in the treble but with slightly rounded leading edges that make any music pleasant to listen to.

    No matter what tubes, I couldn't get the Aegis to settle down and relax. There is a possibility that different (Capacitors) rectifiers or input tubes would have got me there, but after a bunch of pairs of tubes my wallet said enough is enough.

    I also tried different dacs, but in the end the Aegis wasn't for me.

    I suspect that the ZMF version might hit the sweet spot compared to the DIY. The DIY high impedance setting is still quite low, but the ZMF version gives a higher impedance, as well as low and medium to tweak to your preferences and particular cans.

    With most of my ZMFs and senns I always prefer high impedance. I was hoping I could tube roll my way around this with the DIY version, but alas, no.

    From what I heard, the DIY Aegis is very resolving and extends to the furthest reaches of the low and high frequencies.

    It is also unrelenting and will unabashedly show you what is wrong with any recording. Excellent recordings sound incredible to me, but poor quality recordings were nearly unlistenable. Too fatiguing. That's a no no for me. If I can't enjoy crappy recordings than I bow out. Too much nervosa is then caused worrying about picking the 'wrong' music.

    It may be a different case when paired with, say, a planar headphone, but with dynamic drivers (300ohm) I know there are better amp pairings, and for less money.

    It's also fair to say it's just a very truthful and neutral amp. I know I prefer warmer, bloomier (to taste) and fuller sounding amps. Hence the eventual sale.

    Is it a bad amp? Hell no. It's just not for me and my tastes.
     
    Last edited: Aug 27, 2024
  2. ckhirnigs

    ckhirnigs Friend

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    Sorry the DIY Aegis didn’t work out for you. I must say, I was really impressed with your build! I’ve got the ZMF version myself, and I really do like having all the different output impedance options between the two headphone jacks. I’ve had great luck matching the amp with both my 300-ohm ZMF dynamics and my 32-ohm Meze Elite. I’ve tried a lot of tubes, and I’ve had a hard time finding a bad combination. Even the stock tubes sound great.

    My favorite tube roll at present is Tung Sol 6SU7GTY inputs, Ei KT-90 outputs, and an RCA 5U4G/VT-244 rectifier. It has strong impactful bass as well as a refined treble that never gets harsh. Vocals are incredibly life-like and detailed. Soundstage is very three-dimensional and imaging is precise. The amp does reveal the quality of the recording, but I have no trouble enjoying the less-than-perfect stuff as well. This might in fact be a difference between the DIY and ZMF versions. It would certainly be interesting to compare the two with the same tubes to see how they differ.
     
  3. RestoredSparda

    RestoredSparda Friend

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    Yes, there are more than a few variables between the amps. Capacitors used, Lundahl vs. custom wound transformers by Cayin, output impedance, etc. I have not written off the ZMF Aegis and would love to hear one some day!
     
  4. theveterans

    theveterans Facebook Friend

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    I just realized based on @RestoredSparda impressions why I really like the DIY Aegis with the MIB. On its own, MIB doesn't emphasize anything on any areas at all and as such can come across as less dynamic or less slammy compared to other Yggdrasil flavors. DIY Aegis does magic pixies on MIB's sound signature and thus the combo is never ever fatiguing or sharp while having slam, dynamics, resolution and immediacy for days. Just for context, I listen to a lot of K-Pop and J-Rock genre which are known to be poorly mastered and harsh sounding on revealing headphones like the Susvara

    For reference, the tubes I currently use with the DIY Aegis are the Svetlana (not Winged C) KT88, TJ Full Music 6SL7s, Mullard GZ32 along with Schiit Saga OG with Ray Tubes Reserve 6SN7
     
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    Last edited: Aug 27, 2024
  5. internethandle

    internethandle Almost "Made"

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    That's a good triangulation, thanks. Always sort of thought the MIB sounded like it would be a little softer/subtler/less emphatic based on other folks' impressions -- still haven't heard it. Will help me if I do end up trying it, since right now I have things dialed in to compliment the pretty slammy/incisive A1/GS.
     
  6. gaspasser

    gaspasser Flatulence Maestro

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    I’m still getting a feel and letting my caps burn in on my DIY Aegis but my experiences mirror @theveterans since I also use MIB. Triangulating from @RestoredSparda experiences, some of the difference is coming from DAC but I think the biggest share is from the Jupiter caps he used. I have experience with the same caps when i installed them in EC Aficionado. I remember them as thin and harsh at first until the long break-in period was done. I went with VCap ODAMs in my build which may also account for my different impressions thus far.

    My local friend and I got together and compared his ZMF Aegis and my DIY Aegis. Interestingly despite all of the differences in iron and caps, the amps sound pretty similar. TBH tube changes are noticeable but not earth shattering. It is more finding which tubes synergize best with which headphones.

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  7. RestoredSparda

    RestoredSparda Friend

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    It's possible the Jupiter's just suck. I had more than 500 hours on em so they should have been broken in. Idk.
     
  8. gbeast

    gbeast Mighty Moral Power Ranger

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    What’s good, just wanted to share some first impressions:

    not sure if anybody’s heard the Ragnarok2 but that has a bigger (wider) soundstage than both of these amps with good bass but less clarity, and is a darker amp. My phonitor XE (compared to both of the amps below) is slightly brighter, less punchy, less dynamic, and is less realistic in terms of the image size and how free the music sounds. Also, both tube amps have bigger sound stages than the XE which is not considerably small. All of them are resolving enough for me.

    The XE comes alive with the XLR output. The ZMF Aegis feels the most flexible since the XLR output has a higher impedance and also lower impedances. The Rag2 seems also consistently punchy and controlled with all the headphones, yet not as rich and full as the tube amps.

    Both the Mogwai SE MK2 and the ZMF Aegis have a similar tonality. They have good bass, bass extension, good mids, nice treble for my tastes. The Ampsandsound is a little more wide in soundstage and the image is less focused and more diffuse so it feels a little ( I do mean a little) less in the middle of your head with the center vocals. The Ampsandsound gives the center image a little more height, whereas the Aegis is right between your ears.

    I swappes tubes all around and still haven’t gotten to try all of them so I just kept the stock ones in for most listening. Those Sophias didn’t make a huge difference.

    So how do they compare? Well…first let me say I like the AmpsandSound Mogwai latest version, BUT the Aegis has:
    - Snappier transients
    - Better Macrodynamics
    - More grip and control on the attacks and is punchier so even pianos and voices are more tangible. While on the Mogwai they can sound slightly less dense and sharp.
    - Has better microdynamics.
    - a little more resolution but is definitely less soft around the edges.

    When a vocalist sings they sound dead focused and locked in with good projection and range on the Aegis. Things sound crisp like my XE but with more bite and engagement, yet still with the fullness of a good tube amp.

    Going back to the A&S doesn’t all dissappoint. It sounds a bit bigger and grander(just a little). It is very transparent and about tied with the Aegis. It works well with my LCD-4 on the high impedance where it feels like a good match. It is a more powerful amp I believe and drives planars well( not to say the Aegis does bad). The Elites pair with the ZMF Aegis really well. They can be good with bass rumble and clarity, but arent the last word in being engaging and the Aegis brings them alive more than the other amps here and gives them that bite and snap they miss being an inherently polite headphone. I haven’t really tried my dynamics in my comparison but I like both amps for my Gjallerhorn JM MK2. Actually I like it with all 4 amps I have here except the Rag2 makes it sound too muffled since it already does a bad job with male vocals.

    Anyway, that was all over the place but I would definitely take the Aegis over the Mogwai SE MK2 (I am calling it MK2, I don’t know what it is except its a revision of the latest Se version).
     
    Last edited: Sep 21, 2024

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