OTL toob amp to best Singlepower MPX3

Hi all,

I'd like to prod your brains a little on OTL tube amps that would rival/best my Singlepower MPX3.

A little backstory: I bought this MPX3 from Mikhail @ Singlepower before the whole thing went belly up. It's not one of the first ones, but also not one of the last, and while the inside is a mess, Mikhail used decent parts and the amp sounds wonderful.

This is a "maxxed out" model, with 2 RCA inputs and input switch on the front, preamp RCA outputs, stepped attenuator, and all sorts of cap upgrades I did myself.

It sounds absolutely fantastic with HD650s and Grados, but I've had it for over 10 years and I am curious to see what's out there that could rival it.

I would love some recommendations from people who have heard an MPX3 or Singlepower amps and can really stir me in the right direction.

Thanks in advance!

 

The mpx3 should still be a great amp, I wouldn't be quick to dismiss it compared to the modern stuff. To upgrade you will probably have to be looking for higher end $$$$ gear.

 

Don't get me wrong, it's an awesome amp and I am not looking to replace/sell it, I just have a bad case of upgraditis and want to see what people who've heard plenty of OTLs think would be a worthy upgrade.

Basically I want another toob amp I can sit next to my MPX3 and spend hours plugging tubes/headphones in and out and comparing and I'm willing to spend a divorce-worthy amount of money to get that done.

$$$$ wise, I am OK with options up to $5k.

To give you an example of my current (wallet destructing) train of thought, I am very curious to know if an EC Afficionado would rival/best the MPX3. Maybe a used ZDS?

 

simple, Apex Teton.

 

They may be all gone now but the Balancing Act had a big run of second hand amps pop up at the same time. If I had to choose BA or AF I would easily go BA. I only have heard the AF for a few hours and a few times though.

The ZDS offers less bang for buck in comparison, you're maybe getting a little better OTL performance, but these have gone up significantly in value in the secondary market from what I can tell.

 

Perfect, that's one I had never heard of. I will read up on it.

Yeah I've been staring at the EC website for a few weeks now... I'm also considering the Studio Jr. but there arent a whole lot of reviews/impressions out there yet.

 

Why would you prefer BA? Also, with what headphones?

 

DNA (is SET however).
Not sure what the wait times are like on these currently, or the prices since Donald seems to have taken those down.

Creme de la creme tube power

 

Thanks, Stellaris or Stratus or both when compared to an MPX3 (6sn7)?

 

The coles notes are that mpressions around here seem to be the Stratus is really, really impressive and tic on the warmer side of neutral...the Stellaris is surprising in that it is actually noticeably better and more technical.

I can't help how they would compare to your current amp I'm afraid.

 

Thank you, I appreciate the posts regardless.

 

Oh jesus christ. I fixed a single power mp3x for a friend. What a freaking nightmare. The thing is literally a fire hazard. It looked like this guy's amp except this one did not have the big solen capacitor. If I ever find the guy who made these things, I am gonna punch him.

Literally buy anything else. For 5K, I suggest you build your own amplifier. Even someone with no experience and a little bit of care and patience can make something a million times better than this bomb.

 

They were not all this bad, though mine is even messier than the one above.

 

Not too fixated, it's just my basis for comparison, I should've named this thread better. Im open to any and all suggestions from anyone who has heard Singlepower amps and thinks X Y or Z tube amp/preamp would be a worthwhile step up.

Mikhail did make awesome sounding amps but mine desperately needs servicing and converting from 220V to 110V, which unfortunately is no longer possible. This is probably the main reason I want a more reputable amp.

Really appreciate your post. The ZD is one of the top contenders on my list so far and it really helps to have some comparison of different versions to hone in on what I might enjoy best. I'm in no rush and if I have to hold out until a first version ZD pops up I am good with that. Is there a big difference in sound signature between the first version and a ZDS?

 

Please think about what you want. OTL has a specific sound I really enjoy, the bottlehead crack being a no brainer or the Teton as the peak of what OTL can give you from personal experience. Expanding to OPT and others leaves you with google as your only friend. The DNA Stellaris is indeed fantastic but...and there are alot of buts you need to find out about.

Statements such as open to any and all suggestions means nothing as far as being able to recommend gear. Get the first solid state or tube amp available in your budget. Helpful? Not really.

Regroup, rethink, read the whole of SBAF and HF then come back. Researching gear has always been a guilty pleasure of mine.

 

I've read some, but opinions are like assholes, everyone's got one and they all stink. Its helpful to get an idea of what other people who have been in this hobby awhile and heard a ton more gear than I have like best, especially when they have some background/knowledge of the engineering behind the gear, an area I am mostly clueless about. Doesn't mean I will blindly purchase whats recommended, but it gives me an idea of what to take a closer look at and what is potentially recognized as great sounding gear by trustworthy people. It also gives me an idea of who I should take seriously and who should be ignored.

I bought a Bottlehead Crack + speedball kit, because of recommendations such as the one you just made, and the research that followed. I havent received it yet, but I think its a safe bet that its going to sound excellent with the HD6XX.

I am not the most savvy at understanding the technical benefits of X or Y design and the repercussions that might have on the music. Im learning and reading up though, and building the Bottlehead will hopefully get me a little further in that direction, but there are many conflicting opinions in this hobby and it can sometimes be hard to discern hyped up overpriced garbage from great sounding gear.

HF can be a great resource but it can also be a waste of time and money. Reading well written and seemingly knowledgeable reviews that turn out to be biased (for many different reasons) happens there frequently (been on HF since 2005), and I've fallen victim to those enough times to be wary.

SABF has no filter. If someone comes in and sings the praises of gear that, by general consensus, is a piece of crap, they get called out on it. I like that.

 

I'm curious about this. What comes to mind?