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I didn't find another thread so I thought I'd start my own! This thread is for impressions/thoughts/questions on the AmpsandSound Kenzie Headphone amplifier and the Mogwai Headphone/Speaker amplifier.
I'll redirect you here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/802346/ampsandsound-aka-amps-sound/30#post_12473400I would really dig hearing some impressions of the Mogwai - that's an intriguing amp.
What is "old school SET sound?"
Means Single ended without regulators, feedback or modern techniques… Think 1950s tube sound… super warm, musical without a dry/modern more analytic sound. We take old circuits and reuse, but spec the highest tolerance components we can so its old school sound with modern material sciences.
How does the sound of the Mogwai differ from the Kenzie? The Mogwai has a more neutral voicing, perhaps it’s the difference between triode strapped vs a true triode, or modern power tubes vs old power tubes, but the Mogwai is more balanced and more powerful. Its possible to find the limit of the Kenzie’s power, but Mogwai is powerful enough that even the most non-compliant headphones have dynamic range. The Mogwai has enough power output to include a speaker out… an asked for feature making the amp more versatile.
I'm slowly working on a review of the Mogwai that I purchased. It's crunch time at work, so I can't guarantee when I'll actually get around to posting it.
I think only one or two others have purchased one at this point, so almost all impressions will be from CanJam.
From Justin:
The sonic translation to me is that the Mogwai is super vintage sounding. It encapsulates rich, romantic euphony in the best possible way. With KT88 tubes, you can get the lush midrange warmth coupled with excellent extension both into the bass and treble.
It's very responsive to tube rolling. With JJ 6CA7 tubes, I get the organic midrange with a softer treble and less bass extension. With JJ KT88s, you get a bit of bass compression so it actually punches harder than you might be used to in a tube, but it also has great treble extension without any fatiguing peaks. With Russian 6P3S-E tubes,you can extract extra detail and high end. 6550 Winged C tubes give you crazy extension but also have an upper mid peak I personally dislike.
Input tube rolling with 6SL7 and equivalent can help you combo into whatever results you're looking for. My personal favorite thus far is GE JAN 6SL7WGT input tubes with current production JJ KT88 power tubes. Great extension, but very smooth highs and powerful bass, coupled with a full liquid midrange.
I've toyed around with a bunch of random tube amps and never found anything under ~$2000 that I could say I clearly preferred to the Garage1217 Project Horizon III. There seems to be a dead zone between something like the Lyr 2/Mjolnir 2 (I like the Horizon better) and something like the Eddie Current Zana Deux S ($2300) or Cavalli Liquid Glass ($3500).
Most of the amps I've tried didn't match my preferences. I like musical, warm, euphonic sound. I favor toe-tapping and head-bobbing much more than detail and clarity. The Mogwai gives me want I want, and if I want more detail to hear further into the music, I can roll tubes for that (go all-Russian NOS if you love analytical treble. 6H9C Melz -> 5881 for example).
Have you tried the Mogwai with speakers?
Anyone else gonna be at the Show?