Unfortunately, I have no experience at all with ZMF headphones or (good) Sennheisers. ZMF is having it made specifically for its cans, so I imagine it must have a really great synergy there. If you want more in-depth thoughts on the Pendant, I suggest this review by @Torq , who has more headphone experience in his pinky finger than I do in total: ZMF Pendant - Tube Headphone Amplifier - Review – Headphones.com
4 Likes
I’m looking at 12AU7 tubes for that reason. I need to call Brent Jesse. I can actually drive to his store, so I wonder if there’s any benefit to going there in person.
I did a lot of research into custom made cables, looking for people who had a reputation for both quality and value for money, and were also willing and able to add the right angle connector. I like dealing with one-man boutique firms, so Cardas didn’t make my list, but if you’re interested in Cardas, @ToddR can get you a deal.
I ended up with 2 companies, both run by great individuals who patiently answered my questions, and also didn’t try to upsell me on unobtanium-plated blah blah blah. In fact both of them recommended products below my budget.
Douglas Connection for my interconnects. Doug has a ton of different cables and connectors, so once you give him your budget, he will tell you what he can do. He can also sell you the components if you want to make the cables yourself. For mine, he used OCC Furutech wire, with a Furutech connector on one end and Cardas right angle connector on the other. I have some pictures here. I just ordered some more (not right angle) cables today from Doug.
Cullen Cable for my power cable. Patrick Cullen was also great to work with, very down to earth. Pictures here.
Obviously this is only an option for you if you decide to keep the Pendant.
5 Likes
This is awesome. Thank you! If I do keep the Pendant, I will absolutely keep these folks in mind.
1 Like
You can go to this site and check out the tube specs. Compare these three tubes amplification factors. That is the gain information between AU, AT, And AX7. The 12A_7 has a slew of variants.
3 Likes
For anyone interested in a Pendant OG at a good price, here’s one that just popped up on eBay: ZMF Pendant Custom Tube Amplifier with Case and Accessories | eBay
2 Likes
Great resource, thank you!
2 Likes
I just got my WA5 LE 2d edition Wednesday and fired it up yesterday to play it through the Auteurs and HE1K 2nd Edition. Sounds amazing but as it relates to tube rolling I wouldn’t know where to begin. I’m new to tubes and I understand tubes can get expensive. Afraid to go down that rabbit hole.
2 Likes
Does it have the upgraded parts mod?
What tubes do you have in it now?
1 Like
@Torq has of a ton of experience with this amp (much more than me, for sure). I’ve done a fair bit of tube rolling in it, as well, so happy to help as much as possible. What are your sonic preferences?
1 Like
Hi Torq, this is the kiddie version that came with stock parts. When I first powered it up, the right channel was distorting but it calmed down 30 or so minutes later. Could it have been the tubes settling in?
I sort of like warmth with all the benefits of having tubes.
I do have a question though. If I’m playing it through the Auteurs should the impedance be set to high and when using the HE1000 the impedance should be set to low? Should I be aware of any other settings?
Thanks so much.
1 Like
As long as it isn’t doing that every time you fire it up (and isn’t still doing it now), then it is likely down to the tubes. Tubes can do all sorts of weird things in the first few dozen hours.
Use the “Hi” impedance setting for any headphone over 100 ohms, and “Lo” for anything under 100 ohms. So, yes you want “Hi” with the Auteurs and “Lo” for the HE1000. Though you can experiment with those settings to find a sound you like the best.
If it gives you enough range on the volume dial, use the “Hi” setting for level, as that removes some resistors from the audio path.
The “Lo” setting for “Power”, will generally sound better than “Hi” for efficient cans, and it changes between plate and cathode taps so go with whatever sounds best to you there.
Tube wise …
If there’s an amplifier that’s more sensitive to tube selection than the WA5-LE, then I don’t know what it is.
That said, I wouldn’t go nuts to begin with.
A cost effective, and very pretty (lots of glow) upgrade from the stock tubes, would be a set of Sophia Electric “mesh” (they are actually punched plate) 300B and 274B tubes. Those should run ~$475 for a matched pair of the 300B, and ~$398 for a matched pair of the 274B.
Steps up from there would come from Emission Labs, KR, Takatsuki and WE.
5 Likes
For 300B’s, I ended up really liking the Genelex Gold Lion 300B, which usually can be had for around $330 for the pair. I actually liked them more than Emission Labs’ 300B, which is twice the price. Haven’t heard the Sophias @Torq is suggesting, so no opinion there, but again, he knows a ton about this amp.
3 Likes
I like the Gold Lion 300B for its vivid, involving sound. If you like that sound, you will not like Sophia 300B meshies.
2 Likes
Yeah, I’m staying away from the mesh stuff, as I’ve generally heard they tend toward the warm and fuzzies (in relative terms). I feel like I’m good on 300B if and until I’m ready to take a major leap up to Takatsuki or new production Western Electric (if they ever decide to ship more tubes…).
1 Like
OMAGAWD! I decided to pop by their site since I brought it up AND I CAN ADD TO CART??? Oh, the temptation is real…
1 Like
Is that legit or a site error? I thought they were gone, or at least this run??