Guest dragonboy Report post Posted January 24, 2008 I tried the EARMAX PRO with my Ultrasone Ed.9 and felt that it was a fantastic match. The Earmax produces very natural separation, especially on the tone of vocals and is suberbly transparent. Had anyone tried the silver anniversary? As the Earmax is tube based, SE always had to run for at least abt half an hour B4 auditioning, so it maybe a bit troublesome for SE to hook up the silver anniversary, but if it is worth it.... I don't mind paying extra. Please also shed some light on the change of different tubes. And do they really make a difference? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chesterqw 0 Report post Posted January 24, 2008 little dot also have tube... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest dragonboy Report post Posted January 24, 2008 Yeah... Tried the Little Dot range but.. ...really cannot make it if compare with the EARMAX PRO... But of course i can't compare them since there's a wide diff in price and I'm not really looking at the little dot range. The last tube amp I tried was the MF X-can hybrid but vocals wasn't as natural & mellow as the EARMAX. It could be due to a mis-match with the ED9. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chesterqw 0 Report post Posted January 25, 2008 how much do they cost?? they look like a japanese brand design seh.... i rike it..but of course no moneys to buy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest dragonboy Report post Posted January 25, 2008 The EARMAX PRO that I tested at Stereo was SGD$1499 nett. And I was very impressed with it comparing with the Musical Fidelity X-can. EARMAX PRO definitely is not the cheapest tube amps but it was a total match with my ED.9 And the EARMAX is made in GERMANY but sold widely distributed in US. Bonus coming liao.... May also consider the Silver Anniversary at $2299. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anders 0 Report post Posted January 26, 2008 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. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest dragonboy Report post Posted January 27, 2008 Thanks Anders! That's a good one. I will try the anniversary edition since Stereo still got some stocks. I remember there was a tube amp in a big silver metallic box. Will try with my Ed.9 and hear what happens. Where did u buy your EARMAX Pro, local or US? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anders 0 Report post Posted January 27, 2008 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 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest dragonboy Report post Posted January 28, 2008 Thanks , Anders. You've been a great help.... lots of infomation. I'm sure Stereo have a few Anniversary Edition.... Coz I remember there was some metallic box lying around. The reason why I always visited this store was the friendly service, knowledgable staff & allowing me to try on most of their equipments before buying... Totally no sales pressure. Pobably will drop by this weekend and audition the Anniversary Edition. Cheers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stereo_Electronics 0 Report post Posted January 29, 2008 Thanks , Anders. You've been a great help.... lots of infomation. I'm sure Stereo have a few Anniversary Edition.... Coz I remember there was some metallic box lying around. The reason why I always visited this store was the friendly service, knowledgable staff & allowing me to try on most of their equipments before buying... Totally no sales pressure. Pobably will drop by this weekend and audition the Anniversary Edition. Cheers. Better to come during weekdays, you can inform me before lunch and audition right after lunch, if possible, bring along your headphone because my ED9 is brand new. I have only last 2 sets of the Anniversary left brand new, probably the last of the 100 sets. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest dragonboy Report post Posted January 29, 2008 Actually I intend to wait till the Chinese New Year Super TOTO prize... Anyway I'm also not the lucky type. I'll try to drop by this Friday during lunchtime. Mati, Mati must reserve for me. Since you had already ripped off my last year's bonus. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
heady 0 Report post Posted January 30, 2008 I heard one of the Earmax model during the Dec 2007 meet and I really like it a lot. It is quite surprising given the small size of the unit. Unfortunately, I am in Team Low-Budget which is why I am in Team DIY. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ckng 0 Report post Posted January 30, 2008 (edited) I heard one of the Earmax model during the Dec 2007 meet and I really like it a lot. It is quite surprising given the small size of the unit. Unfortunately, I am in Team Low-Budget which is why I am in Team DIY. I heard a friend's unit on his HD600 many years back and it sounded pretty nice. Also looks very nice, small and cute. The DIY version of this is supposedly the Morgan Jones headamp. I didn't remember that the Earmax/Earmax Pro is THAT expensive though. Prices must have went up significantly over the years. Regards CK Edited January 30, 2008 by ckng Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
heady 0 Report post Posted January 30, 2008 (edited) Thanks CK. Unfortunately, I am also in Team Electronics Challenged. So, I can only populate and solder pcb. Have placed an order for the Bijou so, maybe by this year end, it will be ready for the next meet?? Ooops OT already. Sorry. Should I warn myself? Edited January 30, 2008 by heady Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest dragonboy Report post Posted January 30, 2008 I had bad experience with DIY equipments, especially tubes. It's performance isn't very consistent and constant. The look-alike circuits of an Audio-Note MEISHU was put together by an audiophile engineer... but after months of burning-in, I discover intermittent hiss and sometimes background noise. Tried biasing, change power supply, change interconnect, ground, speaker cable, even my source.... in the end give up. It just doesn't sound close to the orginal Audio-Note. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
