Oh Sh#7! Eddie Current Studio B

Has anyone compared the studio b to the AF, I am wondering how the 2a3 amp compares to the 300b amp? I own the studio b and have a bug in my head that the AF is better as I have always preferred the 2a3 to the 300b tube. I am loving the studio b just obsessive and want to ask In better meaning, less warm more snap and attack, faster notes starting and stopping.

 

how would you compare the studio b to the aficionado?

 

Im in ann arbor michigan if anyone with an AF is some what close to me

 

I completely agree. I've hoarded a pretty good stash of them over the years but my experience with them has been bittersweet. When they work, they sound sublime. Generally a little rounded with some roll off on the extremes but probably the most "live" sounding tubes I've heard.

That being, included in my experience with them are two shorted amps from faulty getters and a few of the most spectacular firework shows I've seen in a tube amp (things go boom when getters get stuck). Close to a 3rd of my tubes have failed in some way and with many of them coming dead on arrival.

 

I haven't had them in direct comparison, but I had them and the 445 within a small timeframe so I think I can talk to it a bit.

The AF I had was with the feedback mod switch. The AF was a much more dry listen, but it was also very energetic. The soundstage was a good deal wider than the Studio B. This was a fun amp due to its size of staging and its energetic nature, however, I found the tonality of it being cool and dry to be offputting to me. I sold due to this.

Studio B was a slightly more warm experience. It has a smaller stage than AF, but something about the micro and macro dynamics are lacking to me in comparison to the AF (and 445). This amp to me felt lifeless and very "studio". I imagine this is one of the most boring listens for me personally. I think this was a more detailed amp than the AF, but its lack of excitement and "lifeless" nature resulted in me selling it.

The 445 is pretty unobtainium, but I will touch on it anyways. I felt that the 445 has a more seductive tone and timbre. It is more warm and wet than the Studio B, but has the energy and is very technically capable. The staging is similar in size to the Studio B, but you are placed different in the soundscape.

If the AF is better than the Studio B is mainly up to your preference. You mention wanting less warm, more snap/attack and a quicker amp. This sounds to me like something that the AF had over the Studio B and imo would be something you could look into.

 

I've never heard the aficionado so I am not in a position to comment on that comparison.

 

After doing away with the Focal Utopia's because of comfort issues; I found myself in the same shoes you were in with my other headphones. Which was sad because both together are a sublime combination.

You can approach this different ways:

One is to purchase a 300B tube that gives you a bit more bite and is less warm. I purchased the EML 300Bs which gave it a more solid state sound compared to the ACME 300Bs. That will only take you so far though as it slightly helps with the transients portion (snap, attack, faster notes starting and stopping) of the amp.

Second, would be to ask if the NFB can be set lower or to none at all. This does have it's own drawbacks, it will make transients snappier but you may lose on microdynamics and who knows what else. Other people who have had this done can chime in.

Third, is to look at a different 300B amp. This again comes with it's own ups and downs. Each amp is different and you have to look at synergy. Me and @famish99 moved to the Elekit TU-8600s which has great transients and most of what makes the 300Bs great but for headphones it's a bit more limited than the ECs. It will run high ohm headphones (Sennheisers/ZMFs) beautifully but if you'd like to run any planars or Focals then you'll need to modify the board to make that happen. The EC amps don't have that issue and can run almost anything under the sun. Also, it's an amp that needs to be soldered together. You can also possibly trade for the AF with the feedback switch and see if that works. You can also look at what Marv mentioned and find something like ultralinear amp. Amp and Sound makes great sounding UL amps and SET amps (different tubes).

When you're spending this much money, it's best to look for something that really makes you happy. I had no complaints with the Focal and Studio B and as a matter of fact I still miss those two. But, with the rest of my headphones I had the same questions. So I went looking.

 

Because I have absolutely no experience... I'm asking what may be a stupid question.

I see the speak-on connections have different wiring for 8ohm vs 4ohm speakers. How anal does one need to be about this? Do I need to start looking at charts to see actual performance, or can I just go by the speaker manufacturer's impedance rating? (and what happens if its a 6 ohm speaker, which I've seen in the past... but can't remember where).

Also, are there any pre-made speakon cables out there for the two different wiring options? Or am I wiring up my own? Any recommendation on actual speaker cable? (I usually buy from BJC, but they don't offer speakon termination).

thanks...

 

I’m not aware of any preterminated speakon cables. I bought the speakons separately and bought BJC cables with one end unterminated. You’ll just need to strip the ends of your speaker wire, feed it into the appropriate holes in the connector, and tighten with a screwdriver. No soldering necessary. It’s not hard.

As for which one: I sent Craig an impedance graph for my speakers and asked for his recommendation.

 

When I looked a couple years ago, there were some pre-terminated cables but they didn’t look great. @Boops is right. It’s not hard at all.

Getting one unterminated end from BJC and attaching speak-ons is a great way to go. Just make sure to get the two pole speak-on connectors (not 4 pole). Saves the hassle of buying and connecting the other end and gives you choice of speaker wire.

Neutrik NL2FX 2-Pole speakON Cable Connector
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OVAXIB...abc_V6DMAESXHE3PQQ6YM0TC?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I watched this video (I know it says 4 pole, but works perfectly fine for 2 pole).

 

Zu Audio makes cables with SpeakOn connectors.

 

Benchmark as well: https://benchmarkmedia.com/products/benchmark-speaker-cable-nl2-to-banana-2-pole.

 

One clarification for pre-assembled cables like the Benchmarks: they are wired to the +1/-1 pins in the speakon and will connect to the 8ohm tap on the Studio B. If you want to run off the 4ohm tap, you need to be wired to the +2/-2 of the speakon so would need to disconnect the speakon from the wire and swap pins. Not sure if you can do this on the 2 pole speakon connector and might need the 4 pole for that reason. Smart people: please correct me if I’m wrong.

 

As @Phantaminum mentioned there's a bit to your question that lies in the "knowing what the f**k you want and what the f**k you're doing". I.e., how to take a certain amp and do things with it to get your preferred sound. I only have my experience to compare EC Af (with certain tweaks) with Elekit 8600 (with certain tweaks) to report that (for me!) the elekit after some mods does what I think you're looking for (greater or same incisiveness, punch, immediacy) but with better midrange lushness and similar bass tactility and extension, with a sacrifice of headstage. Again, this is all after fiddling with both amps (or having bought one that's been fiddled with) and farting around with tubes and caps. There's some points in this hobby where you're never gonna get a satisfactory answer to limit financial risk. It takes experimentation to get what you want, exactly. I think that's part of the "big boy pants" amp game.

 

good points. I just got my focals and the amp is singing with them, wow. I need to spend some real time listining and letting the LIM and the studio B fully break in. It sounds wonderful with the genelex 300b's

 

I just commented under Currawongs LCD-5 review on Youtube to sum up my experiences with TOTL stuffs, including my EC Studio Junior with 2A3 t00bz:

"Stop chasing detail retrieval people, before you buy any TOTL first try an HD600/650/6XX on your TOTL rig to see what an arguably, almost perfect tonality, timbre and frequency response sounds like to get your prioritys straight.
To put my money where my mouth is - now that my rig is done and tuned to almost perfection I bought the HD6XX for the third time (drop had a nice discount) and I have to say that it was one of the most eye-opening experiences in this hobby so far. The amount of livelyness and detail my rig managed to wring out was astonishing.
Modding it with dynamat even brought it up another level. I was enjoying myself as much as when I started this hobby and could not wait to get home listening with a big grin on my face again.
It is just crazy how good these cans can sound out of a decent system and put the whole TOTL range into perspective since almost nothing sounded so good before to my ears (owned HEK, HEKSE, Ether 2, LCD2, LCD2C, Utopia (best headphone I heard so far), HE500, Verite etc.)
With how Currawong describes these they should be my absolute favorite headphone of all time and I will buy them in the forseable future, but in the meantime I am more than happy with what a 220$ headphone can do. "

To sum it up, try out Sennheisers "midfi" flavors on your TOTL rigs first to gauge your tastes and prioritys and maybe even settle with it as your engame, it will bring you much pleasure and save you a lot of money*.
I finally undestand why people here love these so much.

*a serious fuckton of money(!)

 

my dam cable went out on the right side for the Utopias, I switched right to left and it works so its the cable, will try and find if theres a short
its one of the lemo wires, I will try to solder it not sure if I will be able to. way to small for these old eyes, waiting for another cable to arrive. will have to be patient