Good question, it was mostly used as a standalone integrated amp and only briefly used with a pre-amp. The only dedicated pre-amp I have that serves no other purpose is the musical paradise mp-701 mk2. I tried it with the emotiva but found it wasn’t needed since the basx 100 already had a slightly warm tone and good separation/dynamics which the mp is good at adding to solid-state amps that lack it, when I did add the MP it didn’t make too much of a difference other than increase the line gain a bit and add some roll-off/resonance to certain sounds, giving it a little more dimension but is more of a lateral change in taste than increase in quality from my perspective and might not be suited to all genres.
The volume pot on the basx is really good too and was smooth/controlled without any spikes/distortion. It is my Kitchen amp tied to a Bluetooth receiver powering some Klipsch RP150M. It gets daily use and I love how it sounds with the Klipsch.
I use the preamp as the volume control on my primary Modius/MP-701/Jot R/SR1a setup because I like the feel of the MP pot over the Jot R but that is also so I get to look at the MP on my desk, I love the slight glow from the tubes
Good to hear that the Emotiva stood toe to toe with the separate MP preamp. I have a Basx 300 that does well with low sensitivity 85 dB 4 ohm speakers, but I’d like to introduce a tube preamp into the chain.
Some (including Audiophiliac Steve Guttenberg) say that Grado headphones sound like Klipsch horns. Klipsch are on my list of speakers to add.
That’s a nice chain and I bet the MP has a great non-audible sensory factor (volume touch and sight). I’d be interested if you’ve compared the MP to the Schiit Freya +.
Let me know if you’re ever open to loaning gear in exchange for bottles (secured with collateral is up for discussion)
I have not heard a Freya yet so wouldn’t be able to comment on that.
And I think the Grado comment is more in line with older modern Klipsch horns prior to their Refererence Premier series coming out in the last 8 or so years with a reworked waveguide and crossover and smoothing them out a bit. Grado/Klipsch have been accused of being “shouty” I guess the word would be. I have only owned Grado sr80 about 10 years ago and they were ok, but really didn’t have meat to the sound with too much emphasis on treble clarity from my experience.
For gear, I am quick to return/sell anything that won’t get active use so I wouldn’t be a good candidate to do the loaning myself. Otherwise, I would have to gut my HT/Listening room, bedroom, kitchen or desktop/near-field setup and with how much I’m home lately that is a no go.
True about the Grado comment. I think Grado/Klipsch have a sound signature that suits some ears and types of music just fine (although maybe sometimes too much treble for regular listening for my preference). The Klipsch’s high sensitivity, rock out nature, and speed/dynamics of the driver have it on my wish list.
Thanks for the response. Interesting thoughts on hd800. My only impressions of tubes with hd800 was that it made it a bit too warm for my liking. I’ve heard there are neutral-ish tube amps that only impart a bit of warmth whilst enhancing the sense of space and separation and from what I’ve read so far the starlett and t4 seem to fit that bill. I’m deciding purely based on what I’ve read so it is not an easy choice to make.
Are there other amps around the 2-2.5k you think I should consider as well?
The ZMF Pendant amp definitely leans on the more neutral side, and is highly responsive to tube rolling. I have a Phonitor E (very neutral sounding) as well as the Pendant, and the Pendant is only slightly warmer than it with the stock tubes. That’s using the High Z output. Using the Low Z, it’s essentially solid state sounding, though there is a higher noise floor on both outputs compared to the Phonitor, which is silent.
Might be able to try the Euphoria. Did not know about the pendant but it seems like a popular choice among zmf owners and the review is very positive. Now if only there’s an easy way to compare all of them
That’s interesting. Seems like a very versatile amp that could match low output impedance planars which is a huge consideration for future proofing. Another consideration is the wait times. The DNA and ECP amps are hand made and there seem to be a queue for both of them so I suspect the waiting times to be long. I suspect the same for the pendant. Might check with Zach to see if there’s a queue for the pendant.
I’m in the process of choosing between the DNA Starlett and ZMF Pendant. When I contacted ampandsound Justin for a demo of the Pendant in Southern CA, he said there are none as they are shipped right after being built with the high demand.
I also considered Decware, Feliks, Linear Tube Audio (I need preamp outputs which narrows the selection). Good luck.
Justin shipped a bunch of Pendants to ZMF last Friday, but I don’t know if they were already spoken for. Now might be a good time to reach out to Zach to see if he has any ready to ship.
Thanks, yes, ECP is in the mix. Interestingly, when I asked Donald who else he thinks is making quality amps, he specifically mentioned Eddie Current and ECP.
At present (no final decision made yet), I believe I’m leaning toward the DNA Stratus. I believe I’m on board with the DNA sound, and if/when making this next non-hybrid tube amp purchase, I’ll look to choose between the trinity of 300B/2A3/(8)45 based amps. I’m in the process of identifying 300B and (8)45 amps to consider (without breaking the bank).
