Frihed89

Don't knock the doc. The original HD+ was/is a very nice headamp whose sonics shine only with 5751 3MBPs from the likes of RCA, Raytheon and Sylvania ($70-$120 a tube). Mine drives both my old 100 Ohm HD-595s and my AKG K-701s, so it was no slouch on power even with a 5751 driver. I am sure this will be a nice-sounding unit, green eyes and all!

On the SBH vs. Graham Slee amp. if my memory serves me correctly, Al Wylie at Blue Circle had this amp and it was Al's interest in head amps that in part prompted Gibert Yeung to develop the SBH. I think Al's words were, "no contest". I have heard a lot of head amps and I own some pretty good ones. The SBH is a very good headphone amp, sonically, its ability to drive a wide range of headphones, its build, and how it tests. The power supply makes a big difference.

Philodox. Thanks very much for the help/replies/update. I want to try out the new SS head/pre by Blue Circle before I put any more time or moeny into the PL-12. Why both pre and head amp listening at the same time? I have a hearing problem and I listen to the head amp. My wife has perfect hearing. She likes the speakers. We listen together a lot. Wow, you're the first person who has told me that they also had wobbley tube and "internals" problems. Very interesting. What's the story with this guy anyway? I can't figure him out.

It will of course work in my MPX3 SE Slam, but I am not sure about my McAlister PL-12 Pre. But, as I said before, I am taking Peter's advice and not playing with the tubes. I wanted a neutral tube and it is pretty neutral.

Peter told me that this circuit is "immune" to tube rolling in the sense that it doesn't affect the sonics. Also does the 6GU7 have the same base as the 6SN7? I didn't buy the preamp for its headphone capability as I already had 2 good tube headphone amps (MAD and SP), but what it is not so nice about it, is that when I plug in the headphones it attenuates the preamp signal and crushes the life out of it. I did put a somewhat more expensive pot in there (2 of them in fact) and it didn't really improve the situation, so I think the real problem is excess gain, but I am not 100% sure. I am hesitant to add a decent attenuator because of the additional cost. Here's what I had to do so far (actually most of the work was done either by a metal smith or an ET): 1. Change and properly ground the Vol and balance pots to the case in the preamp. 2. Replace and reposition a huge capacitor that was almost in contact with the preamp case. 3. Weld brackets on the inside of the power supply case so it could be better secured by case bolts. 4. Replace, redrill all case bolts and add a few to the power supply case. 5. Replace the rubber isolation-insulation matting in the power supply case under the 3 transformers with the correct rubber insulating material. 6. Replace all the transformer bolts so they could be secured to the bottom of the power supply case. 7. Replace and re-wire 4 power tube sockets in the main amplifier case. 8. Re-wire some caps in the main amplifier case and reposition them so they would not short on the case or other components. 9. Replace some wiring and insulate it with teflon for the same reason.

yes the better MPX-3 models are a tube rollers dream. You actually can roll many more tubes into this amp if you have the high voltage option than the extreme. Also, being able to use the 6SN7 in either position is a real blessing. Everyone thinks the 6SN7 has no slam as an ouput tube. Try a Slyvania, Raytheon or GE 12AT7WA (TMBP) with 2 x Raytheon 6SN7GT flat plates.

Peter didn't really give me a choice and I didn't know enough to ask for different tubes. I wanted a neutral preamp. I got one. The head amp section isn't bad (now that the hearing my right ear has been restored), either. However, I have the same issue as I do with my MPX-3 Slam SE preamp - either too much gain or a crummy volume pot makes it hard to go past 7-8 o'clock. The PP130 (like the PP150 with different outputs) has very high gain. Peter should knock that down some.

You mean my preamp or power amp? In my preamp, I have some RCA 6SN7GTs clear glass early post WWII vintage. I was given these tubes. I tried a bunch of high-end WWII vintage 6SN7s and, like Peter said, they made abolsutely no difference whatsoever. The tube suit in my preamp are: 2x 27GB5, 2x 6SN7, and a 12BQ6. The power amp uses: 4x 24JE6/24LQ6, a 6AX4, and 4 x 6EA7/6EM7. I have never rolled the tubes. It sounds great as is. Both units arrived with a number of construction/fabrication mistakes, indicative of poor planning, less than ideal inventories of parts and sloppy workmanship. I had a very hard time getting things in reliable working order. Too bad. Both units are very nice sounding for the price, but I suspect the average buyer would not be willing to put up with this. Because I live in Denmark, I really had no choice, but to fix the mistakes here or scrap them. I'm glad I fixed them.

The MAD HD1 is a very capable tube headamp with the right NOS 5751, and it is much cheaper than the MPX3 models and up. I think they also re-sell pretty well. Tube rolling is a blessing and a curse. The curse is the $1000s you can spend on tubes without batting an eye.

I believe the best ladder attenuators on the market are made by Shallco. Two of these would fit inside the M?stro, but I am not sure he could get two in the other models. MY MPX3 Slam SE is configured as a preamp, but a) it is not very neutral and there is either too much gain in the amp and preamp combo And/OR the volume controls are shitty. I thought my model had some better R and L volume attenuators, but I can't run this as a preamp much above 7-8 o'clock. I do have a small room. Hopefully this problem will be solved by the preamp that is coming in my BC SBH unit. By the way, I talked with Mikhail at about 0830 Danish time. That's 0030 in Denver! So hopefully, he's closer to getting someone unit out the door.

I think everyone has a right to demand good service and take appropriate action if they don't get it. Often, people get angry at you if you do complain and others if you don't. But it is always good to leave your feedback so there is an internet trail that goes back to the mfr. good or bad. That's what others look for.

The curse you understand: it is you angry people. The blessing: he has work and maybe even some of your money. I shouldn't assume too much. Sorry.

Actually, i was not thinking about you guys at all and when i wrote that i had other people in mind who are not even on headfi or here. Yes, i am sure there are people with perfectly legit complaints, but i do not know any of you. Sorry. reall I am.

Gilbert Yeung designs his amps and preamps with both discrete and opamp output stages. The SBH employs an opamp output stage. I guess that's one reason it doesn't cost more. I didn't think about the circuit when i bought it. I had to listen to it for 5 minutes before I decided to buy it. Each time I came back to listen I discovered something new. It was exactly like the experience I had with Singlepower at RMAF the previous year, but $1200 less expensive (not including tube cost).

All the Quicksilver amps have the same basic sonic signature - smooth, well balanced. As you go up the ladder, the bass and dynamics improve, the treble is more open and extended and the amps are more transparent, but if you play fairly simple music, it really is hard for me to tell a minifrom a V-4. Of course. the more power the better the speakers. But the minis drive my LS3/5As effortlessly for $998

Those are not ICs. They are leads from test equipment to confirm various measurements. Every amp that leaves BC is tested and then run-in for several days and then tested again.

I have some pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/20989038@N04/sets/72157603216939944/ I ordered at RMAF2007 after a short audition. I currently have an SP MPX3 SE Slam, a MAD HD1, a McAlister Preamp/headphone amp (PL 12, I think). I don't think my hearing is good enough to really distinguish the important differences between the three, and I am also not sure I can put what I hear into words, but I will review the SBH after I get it broken in and used to it both as a headphone amp and a preamp. I have excessive gain with both my MPX3 and PL 12 preamp sections. The SBH will have lo and hi gain operation. It can also be operated as both a preamp and headphone amp simultaneously and there are seperate master volume controls for each, but common L-R channel gain controls. It's hard for me to imagine a headamp that doesn't have tubes, but this one sounds really, really good.

I personally have never had a problem with Mikhail. He delivered my amp a few weeks late. Tube orders have always been on time. I hear stories, but I often have to consider the source. Mikhail, like many small mfrs, can't aford to expand very much because his demand is highly variable. His back log is both a curse and a blessing. In my book Mikhail is still pretty saintly and I am very happy with my amp. I have had bad experiences with some small builders, but not Mikhail and never with Blue Circle, Quicksilver Audio, Len (6SN7s), Amherst Audio, Jim McShane, Ralph at the Tube Shop on EBay from whom I have bought much of my equipment.