I am liking the 12at7 the most so far, and have tried a couple 6201’s I liked as well.
My current fav is the Raytheon 7728 for the input.
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@Wes_S I feel like we are driving on the same road! We both got VCs the same day, Sonnet Morpheus a day apart, and you got your new pendant the day before my Bigger Ben showed up.
I know you’re enjoying your new gear as much as I am, congrats!
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That’s awesome man! We both are experiencing some amazing sound no doubt, and I am definitely having a blast. 
I have been staying up late and waking up super early just get get as much listening time as I can, and I just can’t get enough.
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Just got the Walnut Burl base installed on my Pendant SE, and now the setup is complete. 
A big thanks to Zach and Bevin for getting me fixed up! ZMF sure knows how to take care of their customers.
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I preferred 12au7 for the input tubes on my Pendant. Lower noise floor and still a ton of gain available. The amp is a beast. My favorites were old school Amperex followed by Siemens and Telefunken. I also agree that switching up the input tube made the biggest difference in the overall sound.
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I keep hearing this repeated over and over again - what do people like about the Pendant + VC pairing?
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To me the Verite Closed is a fantastic headphone, but when I got it I was coming from the Auteur. Although the VC is much better at the technicals, it didn’t sound as musical (take that for what you will) as the Auteurs. Part of it, I think, has to do with the instrument separation and detail.
The Verites are too detailed for me for casual listening out of many solid state amps, especially if I’m tired. I just find myself listening to all the details and not getting lost in the music. With the pendant, the detail is still there (~95% to throw out a random number), but I do get lost in the music. I can’t pinpoint exactly why this is the case, but there it is. The instrument separation may also contribute to this.
The instrument separation is so good on the Verite that, to my ear, they become a little disconnected. The Pendant connects the instruments (too my ear). They are still just as separable, but the Pendant fills that space. When people refer to the ‘holographic’ sound of the Pendant, this is what I think they are talking about.
These are just my (poorly described) thoughts. Keep in mind, I have only had the Pendant for a month or so.
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The synergy between the 2 is as good as it gets, and the amp and headphone have similar strengths that become exponentially better when combined. Synergy is everything in this hobby, and the Pendant SE and Verite C are a match made in heaven. For instance, the open sounding stage of the VC, and the open sounding stage of the Pendant SE combined is insane. They both basically have similar “sound signatures” if you will, so they are not working against each other, which allows them both to run at their highest level of performance. When I am listening to this combo, I am continually amazed by how “perfect” everything sounds, and the headphones just disappear and sound seems to come from all around me, as if I was “there”. Just for reference, I am using a Sonnet Morpheus as my DAC, which also has a similar “sound sig”, and the synergy with these 3 pieces of gear is incredible. Also, if you roll in some good NOS tubes, it gets even better. 
In fact, I highly recommend moving away from the stock new production tubes asap.
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Totally agree with your statement @Wes_S. Synergy is the greatest lesson I’ve learned from my time in this great passion of ours.
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I’m currently looking at the Auteurs now. I’ve owned two pairs and I can agree with your assessment of them in regards to their musicality. The mids sound very smooth and lifelike but I found them too neutral for my tastes. Part of my quest for a new amp was to get one where I could tweak them to sound like the the Eikons I have now. What I love about them is their subbass. I was wondering if I could tweak the Pendant tubes enough to give me similar enough subbass for my Eikons. Detail is nice but like yourself, if engagement isn’t there than what’s the point?
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Keep in mind, all of the criticisms I have of the VCs are in degrees of grains of salt. The VCs with the Pendant is the most engaging sound I’ve heard from and headphone setup.
I thought the Auteurs were too neutral after listening to the Eikons, but after a while I grew addicted to them. The bass on the VCs isn’t as elevated but it is amazing in its control and extension.
I still have nostalgia for my old Auteurs and Eikons, but I haven’t ever thought of going back.
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In addition to the VC, the Pendant has had the most transformative impact on the Auteur for me, adding a dimension to the bass which gives it a more full sound and really bringing them to another level vs my previous amps.
I may just have to spring for one. I’m going to get another pair of Auteurs and pair it to my BHC. I have it dialed it now so I can easily see if I’d like the bass. If it matches or is similar enough to my BHC that it seems like a no brainer.
By the way - can you give me a reference of what amps you’ve used in the past with your Auteur?
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IFi Pro iCAN, TT2, Tuba, Valhalla 2, Hugo 2, Soektis 1421 were all of them, with the Tuba being the best match before the Pendant.
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So, it’s been a week now of burn in with my Pendant SE and I am nearing the 80 hour mark, and I have noticed a few things worth mentioning. First and foremost, the sound has become more refined and the bass really tightened up, and this amp has really good balance top to bottom. Next and more importantly, I know other’s have mentioned this and as someone who has played around with tube amps and tubes for years, this amp is VERY susceptible to noise. From the start, I have had a pretty significant hum from the high Z (100 ohm tap), that was so loud at the start that I could almost feel it, but knowing tube amps I was sure the hum would go down a bit after burn in and sure enough it has. I have even tried 4 different pairs of power tubes, 4 rectifiers, and 6 input tubes all with the same hum, including the stock JJ tubes. After rolling all those tubes without changing the hum, I just figured this was something I would have to live with, and the amp has been sounding so damn good I decided I was fine with it. During my quest to lower the hum, at one point I was checking all the connections in the back and making sure the power cords were not touching and things like that, and I was using a flashlight to see things. Crazy thing is, when the flashlight got close to the Pendant, I could here a higher pitched hum come and go as I powered the flashlight off and on, or moved it further away from the amp, and that just goes to show how susceptible to noise this amp really is?!
Now for the good part. . .Yesterday, I decided it was time for another roll, and I changed out the power tubes to another pair I have not tried yet, and to my surprise the amp was dead silent. The hum was just about completely gone on the high Z output and I even had to look back over at the amp, to make sure it was still powered on. Now, that the hum is just about completely gone, the sound of this amp is even more insane. The depth of the stage and micro details coming through, now that the background hum is gone is stunning, and this amp just went to a new level of performance. I had been learning to live with the hum, not realizing how much of the stage and details were suffering from it being so loud, and now that the hum is darn near completely gone I can hear much deeper into the recording. Long story short, if you are getting a hum, isolate the amp and keep changing power tubes until you find a quiet pair. I have never been a fan at all of new production tubes for various reasons, however I was a bit surprised that the loudest set of tubes I have are actually the stock JJ’s.
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Current tube combo that is blowing my mind, with the most expansive and immersive stage, and lifelike tonality I have ever heard. Talk about being “There”!
Raytheon 7730 Long Plate Square Getters 56’ (input)
Valvo Hamburg EL84 Dish Getters 53’ (power)
Mullard Blackburn EZ81 Square Getter 55’ (rectifier)
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I wish I knew why I’ve never had any hum on my Pendant OG, so that I could give people advice. Mine is 5 feet away from my router, and I have no hum on the 100 ohms output.
Maybe I’ve been lucky with the tubes, or my shielded cables have helped, or perhaps it’s the PS Audio Power Plant 3?
My current tube combo is not quite as rare as yours, but it too has been blowing my mind over the last couple of days. The Brimar CV4034 I recently bought was a tiny bit too warm on my Nautilus (or maybe I didn’t give it time to break in) but I’ve been using it with great success in the Pendant. It has nudged the Pendant’s sound signature far enough away from the Nautilus that I have a reason to use both amps.
I’m basing this on memory, but the CV4034 is more of a full range tube than the Mullard 12au7 that I’d previously tried (and sent back). Maybe it doesn’t quite have as much of an emphasis on the lows, but it definitely has the highs that the Mullard was lacking.
This is my current tube combo, which results in a slightly warm sound, with wonderful liquid mids, and not too warm for the Aeolus:
Hammond EL84 power tubes (made by Amperex)
RFT EZ81 rectifier
Brimar CV4034 / 12au7
I also found a pair of Tungsram EL84’s in my collection of spares, which I didn’t realize I had, so I’ll be trying those soon.
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The 100 Ohm output is quieter than those of us that have the real originals w/ the 8 ohm/300 Ohm outs. My 300 ohm high Z is Very quiet but not completely silent (very low hiss, not perceptible in the music but there when all is silent).The Low Z is dead silent, not even a hint of hiss, nada. Meh…It’s tubes it happens.
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Nice man! The Brimar CV4034 is a great tube, and is definitely on the smoother side of things, and pairs well with clean and quick power tubes like the Amperex. Speaking of Amperex, the early version with D Getters from 58’ are my second favorite, just behind the Valvo’s. So far I have found 2 combos that are pretty much of equal caliber with different presentations of the stage.
#1 combo - Raytheon 7730 Long Plate Square Getter (input) > Valvo Hamburg EL84 Dish Getters 53’ (power) > Mullard EZ81 Blackburn Square Getter 55’ (rectifier)
#2 combo - Raytheon 7730 Long Plate Square Getter (input) > Amperex Holland EL84 D Getters 58’ (power) > G.E.C. U709 Black Plate Square Getter (rectifier)
After rolling a few combos and getting a feel for what each tube can do, I have to say I am loving being able to tweak the sound from 3 different angles, with the input, power and rectifier. I am hearing differences with all 3, and I am actually quite surprised with the differences in rectifiers the most, as I was not expecting much based off what I have read.
As far as rectifiers, the G.E.C. U709 has a very unique sound, and is tight, punchy, and holographic with good depth front to back. There is a bit of upper mid bass/lower mid bloom that can be a bit too much with warmer power and input tubes, but when paired with the Amperex EL84 D getters and Raytheon 7730, the sound is incredibly holographic and impactful with amazing detail. As for the Mullard Blackburn EZ81 Square Getter, that tube is clean and quick, with a wide stage and really good detail. I like to pair this tube with warmer power and input tubes.
After a week of rolling, burning in and listening, my number 1 tube recommendation is the Mullard EZ81 Blackburn Square Getter rectifier. This tube did wonders for cleaning up the sound and expanding the stage, compared to the stock JJ, and they can be found easily for around $50. This is my number 1 rec, as it is easy to find, affordable, and has a nice clean and wide sound with great balance top to bottom.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on those Tungsram’s. I have the earliest versions of all 3 tube types, but have not tried any yet in the Pendant.
Tungsrams in general and especially the early versions are very well balanced tubes with good midrange texture, but they are just a bit shy in the bass, so I like to pair them with warmer tubes.
Now that I have my noise issues all situated, and the background is quiet on high z, I am having a blast with this amp. I’ve got more tubes on the way, and more tube reviews coming shortly. 
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I have the 1959 version of those Amperex and so far it’s my favorite EL84 paid just as it was with the Tuba amp.
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