Ram18 Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 23 minutes ago, R-Y74 said: i used one of these https://www.bunnings.com.au/craftright-11-piece-precision-screwdriver-set_p6060080 Thanks. Useful tool, will use it too.
MrBurns84 Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 3 hours ago, Ram18 said: Thanks. Useful tool, will use it too. Or a nice thick toothpick will do too . 2
Ram18 Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 7 hours ago, R-Y74 said: into Hahahah 12 minutes ago, Porkbuns69 said: Or a nice thick toothpick will do too . Hahahah 1
Ram18 Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 Just curious. Any one has differrent experiences with the MP 701 Mk2 with higher gains set at 1? And adjusting gains on your amp correspondingly. Am in the process of experimenting with either a tooth pick or a screw driver in adjusting gains currently
Ram18 Posted July 31, 2020 Posted July 31, 2020 Just wanna share about my new acquisition. My MP 701 Mk2. Got it two days ago. The tubes came with it intact.The packaging is excellent. Double boxed and well cushioned with foams and it came in perfect condition. Impressive! I must say the MP is a fine piece of build for the price. To me, it looks muscular with a certain presence on my deck. It has a solid feel and good stable connectors with quality parts. I initially had it at 4 lowest gain on the MP and then moved it up to 1 - the highest gain. Thanks to Porkbuns and R-Y74 managed to adjust it without removing the cover; an intricate process but doable. The other thing is, there is no light on the power switch. So the tubes lighting up is the only indication that the amp is on. The tubes light up quickly and warms up reasonably fast. It looks really nice lit up with the tinge of orange glow. Here are my initial impressions. As said earlier, I had the gain set on my MP at its highest. And adjusted the gain dial on my power amp about half way on my XTZ (class d) to match. I felt setting the gain at the highest for the MP was the best for my equipment. I run Klipsch speakers. Thereafter, I fiddled with the volume on the MP to vary the loudness. But do take precautions when adjusting gains; so have volumes (and if your power amps has gains) set it at min first before adjusting. I did not experience any difficulties as in I had no power load issues as one of them here had experienced. The amp is pretty quiet. No hum issues. So that was great. Having been used to Class D amps, the tube MP amp certainly gives a different feel. I would describe it as warm-neutral. Not very warm; slightly more than a hint perhaps. Largely its neutral. The sound is clear, has an airy feel and adequate bass. It shines best with jazz. I tried playing various genres on Tidal via my node 2i but jazz music seems to have the best feel. Its still early days, but one thing I didnt quite experience is the wide soundstage that others have experienced with the amp. My MP is all stock, and it hasnt run in properly as I just got it and these could be reasons why. With my class D ( node 2i direct to my XTZ power amp) I had pretty wide soundstage but connecting the node 2i via the MP to my power amp I feel the soundstage has considerably reduced. I find the vocals heavily focussed at the centre maybe too focussed; perhaps with some depth in soundstage but certainly the separation is not quite there with my Class D combo. Vocals sound pretty smooth. Bass wise its got a good punch, controlled feel and rather smooth. However with all Class D, I was getting a slightly stronger bass punch. Clarity wise the MP is quite there ( am sure better tubes will lead better results). The Class D which is my only comparison has a slight edge over the MP; ( but again its stock tubes and hardly being run in) However, in terms of smoothness, a certain warmish texture and airy holographic feel, the MP scores. Its non fatiguing and comes across as musical. Pleasant to immerse into. Highs are slighty rolled off but with better tubes it may be quite different. Well, I hope to run in more and experiment further. The only thing I am quite curious about is the lack of width in soundstage compared to what I have experienced previously with my node 2i and power amp; which is not supposed to be the case with this amp. Also a small issue is a slight drop in clarity. I expected the bass punch not to be as hardy as Class D for obvious reasons, but the MP holds its own, it doesnt fall very short. Hope these gets sorted when I run the MP longer. Well that kind of sums up my initial views. If you have any advice how I can improve the soundstage, do feel free to share. Will test this amp out more. Next stage is tube rolling. 2
MrBurns84 Posted July 31, 2020 Posted July 31, 2020 @Ram18 - thanks for the writeup and sharing this with us. If you can hold out, run the stock tubes in for a few weeks and see if you notice any changes (for the better or worst). 1
Ram18 Posted July 31, 2020 Posted July 31, 2020 Yes Porkbuns will run it a little longer with stocks. Its still early days and see how things develop. Hopefully for better 1
Ram18 Posted August 1, 2020 Posted August 1, 2020 By the way wondering if anyone tried to connect their sub to the MP. I did not connect my sub yet. My floorstanders seem to give good bass now. Just curious if anyone had a better response with the sub connected to the MP
Ram18 Posted August 3, 2020 Posted August 3, 2020 Hi Porkbuns Thanks for the chart. Rather informative. Will be useful down the road. My MP is opening up pretty well now and I got to say I am really enjoying the listening experience. Tried with the sub and without sub. Somehow without the sub seems cleaner. Low frequencies gets heavy with the sub. What I am really liking is the flowing smoothness of the amp, the lush holographic feel and rather clear crisp dynamics. Soundstage is getting much better too as the tubes are being run in. The separation is coming alive. It really makes me immerse in the music somethingI couldnt experience with my Class D set up. And the tubes are still stock. At this price, this amp is a keeper. I am just wondering how the 6h30 tubes are like as opposed to the 12 AU7s. Heard the 6H30 are pretty good too, even the more cost effective ones such as Electro Harmonix. May invest in them after I settle with my stock tubes. Any thoughts? 1
MrBurns84 Posted August 4, 2020 Posted August 4, 2020 Cant remember where i read it from, the 6H30H tube has a very low impedence output, so best used as a cathode follower tube. Seeing the layout on the board, would assume this is the third tube, in between the Obbligato/Mundorf caps near the outputs.
Ram18 Posted August 6, 2020 Posted August 6, 2020 Hi Porkbuns Thanks for the heads up and providing some detailed info. Never knew about the very low impedence of 6H30; only saw the good reviews. So this is good info. Does the 6N1P1 also fall in a similar category? This is another tube which had sound reviews.
demoiree Posted August 7, 2020 Author Posted August 7, 2020 (edited) @Porkbuns69 few weeks ago i asked Garry if we could mix and match same voltage signal tubes I.e 6922 for left right and 6n11 for the middle ? he said yes , but did not explain what each tube do. I am assuming left and right are driving the left and right channel ( as i had a 6922 developed microphonics and swapping sides followed the bad tube.) not sure that the middle tube do to the sound.. Edited August 7, 2020 by demoiree 1
DrMikeOz Posted August 12, 2020 Posted August 12, 2020 Glad more people are enjoying Musical Paradise gear. Garry’s stuff is really great value and he provides good after sales support. I don’t have this pre-amp but I’ve got the MK3 DAC and also his phono stage and they all use similar tubes and caps. I’ve really enjoyed the 6h23p tube https://www.thetubestore.com/6h23n-eb-6922 as well as a few different 6DJ8 and have found i really enjoyed all of them. I’ve upgraded most of the capacitors to Mundorf Silver Oil and also on the advice of @tntman some Jantzen Superior caps and some bypass caps. I think it sounds pretty damn good. 4
tntman Posted August 12, 2020 Posted August 12, 2020 @DrMikeOz I 2nd Mike's comments.. I've been doing a lot of tube rolling on the DAC that I have and I can't even settle for a sound that I can live with. The rectifier in my DAC has a huge affect on the overall sound, don't forget to get a nice rectifier tube! I do highly recommend a cheap $5 bypass cap! Adds a lot of air and sweetness to the topend. 3
Ram18 Posted August 12, 2020 Posted August 12, 2020 I am still with stock tubes, but having played the MP 701 MK2 for some time, I feel I still need to sort our my gain issues. My power amp also has a gain feature so its a constant fiddling for a mix and match of the gain settings of the MP and my power amp. I find at gain with 1 ( highest gain) of the MP it becomes a little harsh or in your face matched up with my XTZ Class D Power amp at 50% of its gain. But if I would lower the gain of my power amp then, am not getting the bass or dynamics. Now I have switched the gain to 2 in the MP amp and giving it a run with the same 50% gain setting on my power amp. Will have to experiment and see how this goes. Anyone else have similar experiences? What gains do you set the MP at? And if your power amp has a gain or volume knob how do you mix and match the gain settings to get the optimal sound. Appreciate your views.
demoiree Posted August 12, 2020 Author Posted August 12, 2020 47 minutes ago, tntman said: @DrMikeOz I 2nd Mike's comments.. I've been doing a lot of tube rolling on the DAC that I have and I can't even settle for a sound that I can live with. The rectifier in my DAC has a huge affect on the overall sound, don't forget to get a nice rectifier tube! I do highly recommend a cheap $5 bypass cap! Adds a lot of air and sweetness to the topend. Hi @tntmanpardon my ignorance , where is this bypass cap and which one do you recommend?
demoiree Posted August 12, 2020 Author Posted August 12, 2020 @ram18 when i still had my modwright , my setting was on the lowest dip switch 4 , volume gain on the MP701 about 12 o'clock gives me uncomfortably loud output on the speaker. Is your speaker too sensitive? maybe try with lower gain tubes ? 1
tntman Posted August 12, 2020 Posted August 12, 2020 @demoiree This is the cap combo that I recommend: https://speakerbug.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&path=32&product_id=211 and the bypass cap: (guarantee you this is the best $5 you will ever spend in HIFI) https://speakerbug.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&path=25_73&product_id=892 1
Ram18 Posted August 12, 2020 Posted August 12, 2020 57 minutes ago, demoiree said: @ram18 when i still had my modwright , my setting was on the lowest dip switch 4 , volume gain on the MP701 about 12 o'clock gives me uncomfortably loud output on the speaker. Is your speaker too sensitive? maybe try with lower gain tubes ? My speakers are Klipsch 6000f RP. Yes they are sensitive speakers. Does the lowest dip work at 4? I have mine on 2 now after I found 1 too sharp with my power amp combo. There is some level of sibilance; but tolerable. Just got the amp, so am thinking of using stocks to ride it out for a while first.
demoiree Posted August 12, 2020 Author Posted August 12, 2020 Thanks for the suggestion @tntman Btw where does the bypass cap goes in the mp701?
tntman Posted August 12, 2020 Posted August 12, 2020 I thought I attached a photo earlier.. Sorry! 1 2
demoiree Posted August 12, 2020 Author Posted August 12, 2020 @Ram18 I see , it could be due to the preamp now revealing more details you never heard before Yea it does work all the way down to 4
demoiree Posted August 12, 2020 Author Posted August 12, 2020 @tntman Thank you , will give that a go ! 1
tntman Posted August 12, 2020 Posted August 12, 2020 You don't need to change the cap to add the bypass cap.. it should still make a difference on any main cap you choose to upgrade later on. There are far more expensive bypass caps that will reveal even more details etc... but it comes down to how revealing your system is For $5, its worth a try 1
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