Anders

I forgot the flight case that is included in the Anniversary, that and the tube quality are the differences that have been described between Anniversary and Silver models, not to forget looks! Earmax was design as a transportable tube headphone amplifier, therefore the transport box for the Anniversary. All Earmax Anniversary seem to be sold out in Europe and North America so those in Singapore could be the only available as new in the world. Seems to be a very nice shop you have in Singapore and this is also very unusual and gives you the important advantage of listening to the equipment before buying. I bought my Earmax Pro used. It is not sold in Sweden so, if I upgrade to the Silver, I will import a new one from Germany, or maybe Singapore! Hope you will be happy with your amp! /Anders

I returned to my Earmax Pro a few days ago after having not used it for a long time. I have liked it all the time but thought it was a little lacking in bass punch and detail. After upgrading my source it seems that the sound improved but it is still a little lacking in bass impact compared to my solid state amplifiers. Earmax Pro seems to work best with headphones like AKG K701 and Grado RS-1. Sennheiser HD650 sounds also good but can be too dark and dull. The strongest point of Earmax Pro is its natural presentation that concentrates on the essential elements in the performance rather than every minor detail. It is nothing for those who want maximum bass and slam. It is usually regarded as best for vocal music, classical and jazz. Earmax Silver has a bigger power supply and is said to have more bass and better control of bass. I am thinking of an upgrade. I like Earmax Pro very much and the upgrade hopefully improves its weak points. The Anniversary edition is very similar to the Silver. The Anniversary is a limited edition with a bigger power supply and NOS tubes that should be better than the standard tubes. Most of the Anniversary are sold out and then came the Silver model that also has the big power supply but is delivered with stock tubes. Tubes make a difference with Earmax that reflects the character of the tube. I don't know which stock tubes they use now but those used a few years ago did not belong to the best. Many users have liked NOS tubes from Siemens, Telefunken, Sylvania, Amperex and Sylvania. Telefunken and Siemens are probably the most neutral but others can give a sweeter touch. I and some other European users have had great results with Electro-Harmonix ECC81 and ECC88 gold pin (same as regular EH tube but with gold plated tube pins). Some think they are as good or even better than NOS and give a more lively and colorful presentation without sharpness. It is often a matter of taste and what batch (production place and year) the NOS tubes come from.