For me it was 4 wood screws…Jim will tell you the size…just measure, cut, sand, finish, layout, pre drill holes in wood, be carfeful not to drill thru!! Attach with the 4 wood screws…the wood doesnt carry the weight of the amp…its standing on its feet…so when you locate the holes keep that in mind…so the wood panels float etc…
Pretty easy.
Alex
Now I’m fantasizing that you might conduct a Clear mega-comparison with similar priced tube amps:
Ha!! That would be nice, but I would need to have all these here at the same time…and that never seems to work out…
Love to do this!
Alex
Note: I did pick the BH Mainline over the “nicer” looking Woo WA6…I would take the Lyr 3 out of this bunch…just because it works well with most everything…but the TUBA is a classic clean EL84 amp that punches way about $649 etc…
I said it was my fantasy! Let me dream! 
Given published reviews, the outcome might be predictable on the warmness-clarity-neutrality scale. However, what really matters is the look of the tubes sticking out the top. Big, honking tubes must be better than small ones. Who needs tube cages? On that basis the Woo probably wins outright, but Bottlehead has the best logo.
I just want to jump in here. This afternoon I received the Hagerman Tuba, got home from work, set it up, let it warm up over dinner and then began listening to the Focal Clear and some long time favorite albums. Two albums in (Steely Dan Gaucho & Supertramp Crime of the Century) and I am just floored by the pairing of the Tuba & Clear. So clean, so “musical.” I love the Clears - they are just so good. But, I’ve never loved them this much.
I am so digging what I am hearing and hoping it gets even better as the tubes burn in a bit.
I have some other headphones I really want to try on the Tuba, but I don’t think I’ll be able to pry the Clears off of my head for a good long while.
A thanks to all on this thread! I never would have found this treasure without all of your input and sharing!
Yes when I first was contacted by Jim to take a listen I was skeptical, I already had a BH Crack and a BH Mainline, which are two very good tube amps totally different in design and capabilities.
The Crack with no output transformaers and the Mainline with them and the a Mainline being a parafeed type of amp.
The Tuba I mentioned in my review is a parafeed amp design as well so the comparisons were very interesting IMO.
The Clears are to me the “Gold Standard” of dynamic headphones. We all have opinions and hear differently and have different tastes for sure. Its like the “three bears” story of headphones! LOL.
Tonally its close to perfect for me and others like Tyll at Innerfidelity when that was “around”.
So when I first heard the Clears with the TUBA I was floored at the experience beacuse of what your experiencing…they are so clean and “musical” and their are differing defintitions of what the nebulous term “musical” means…IMO its the music sounds like music…strings sound like real strings , percussion is bright and crisps like they are when you stand beside a high hat and it gets whacked real hard…its a bit bright, for sure its bright in the real world standing besides a high hat!!! So what would you expect! ? !
So when u plug in Clears to such a clean amp, yes a tube amp all that tubey gooey stuff is not there like in many “euphonic” tube amps…
Many times I was looking for that BH Crack sound…its not there with the TUBA. It was often like hey this is a SS amp its so clean…but as you listen with it the sound and experience with great headphones it comes apparent how neutral this amp is…and then its the source material coming throught good bad or indefferent.
Glad you like the TUBA…its another classic amp for only $649!! And Jim is just about to release a matching PHONO preamp as well…so if your into vinyl this will be a very, very setup with a nice SOL turntable from Schiit!!!
Enjoy the Music!
Alex
My only knock on the Tuba is the stock new issue mullard tubes, they really are pretty much the worst tubes I tried in it, and that includes other new issue tubes (though they certainly don’t sound terrible).
If your amenable to swapping tubes there is a better experience to be had I liked the following El84’s in order of preference Tungsram NOS, EI NOS, PSVane New, RCA NOS.
Tastes vary, but I found the stock Mullards to sound anemic, even the new JJ’s sounded better to my ear.
This rabbit hole is deep and unrelenting - and oh so wonderful (at times).
Last night as it was getting later/earlier (I don’t work on Tuesdays) and I am experiencing the TUBA and my Clears for the first time I am also rereading this thread from the beginning. I shook my head as I read some of the sentiments that the TUBA could actually be better than what I was experiencing!?! “How could this be?” So I did the only thing a reasonable man could do - I got on line and purchased a set of the EI NOS as you suggest. I mean, after all, they were made in Serbia and I am 100% Serb(Go Jokic and the Nuggets!!!). That’s my current justification.
Funny story!!
I tested a bunch of tubes in my tube tester and beleive it or not the stock re-issue tubes tested the strongest!!!
Alex
I bought Psvane for mine, but haven’t put them in yet as my bifrost 2 showed up the same day as the tubes, so I decided to wait a week to get a feel for the stock tubes with the bifrost so I could tell what changes came from the dac and what came from the tubes. New tubes going in tomorrow.
The PSVane take forever to burn in, but do sound good in the end.
They transitions from pretty good to bad to better to good to very good over about 100+ hours.
They are in. Definitely a work in progress, but I attribute that to the fact that the stock Mullards are pretty good.
A little muddy in the mids, but already hearing more in the bottom end. Separation/resolution, not boom.
Their big brother took a couple of weeks to really open up in my Lyr3, so I’ll be patient.
So just a couple quick impressions…
I have finally been able to forceabley pry the Clears off of my head and spend some time listening to a few other headphones in my collection through the Tuba.
One of the appealing aspects of the Tuba was its ability to power such a broad spectrum of impedances. Well, I have been listening out of pure curiosity tonight to the, by far, least listened to headphones that I own - the Nighthawk Carbons and Grado 325’s - two VERY different sounding headphones. Full disclosure, I am listening via Roon using Oratory’s EQ’s on both 'phones. And, so surprisingly, these two sound GREAT! Especially startling are the Nighthawks?! I am really enjoying these!
Does everything sound better through the Tuba? Have you guys had any similar surprises?
Ha…I always liked th elight saber accuracy of the Clears and the Tuba.
Interesting the Grados that you have i had for awhile and you like them with the Tuba. The Tuba should be able to drive these nicely for sure.
Glad your liking the setup!
Enjoy the Music!
Alex
Use my Nighthawk Carbons with a Hagerman Audio Castanet. This is the first headphone amp Jim Hagerman built and the predecessor to the Tuba. They sound
very much alike. I have found that there’s a great synergy between the Castanet and
the Nighthawk Carbon, so I am not surprised that the Tuba also has that
synergy with the Carbon. Glad that you’re enjoying your Tuba! It’s a great headphone
amp.
Thanks @jb77 for the opportunity to listen to this very unique amp! It is pretty great! I think I prefer my T4, but for almost a 1/4 of the price this gets dang close! Plus with tube rolling you can dial it in a little more.
I had both the T4 and the Tuba here…both great amps for sure…
The folks that build these ancient tube dinosaurs are cut from the same cloth…
At the time I could not afford either, but bought a TUBA when my “hobby” funds allowed it!! LOL
For $649 and a 10 year warranty the TUBA shines very well…
Class A running wide open, parafeed etc…great design…
T4 is up a notch for sure…
Alex
I had the 325s, traded them up for the PS500e’s. They sound great with the Hagerman. Just bought some HIFIMAN Ananda’s and they are even more enjoyable, although they don’t have the openess that I love in the Grados.
Its a Meze Emperyean + Hagermans TUBA with some NOS Ip Matched Pair Soviet Military 6P14P-EV = 7189 6BQ5 EL84 E84L tubes.
A really very nice pairing…the drum whacks from Fleetwood Macs Live 1979 recording of “I’m So Afraid” are Stellar!!!
Alex
