Quicksilver Headphone Amp

ckhirnigs · March 26, 2021, 5:51pm

That’s great to hear! I was very close to getting the Auteur but needed a closed back so I ponied up for a VC.

Souldriver · March 26, 2021, 6:21pm

This is some good insight. I am building my bhc+sb basically for my hd6xx and nothing else can really use it. And i do want it for a very tube, non-solidstate sound.

Yes there are things like the mlp that play nice with my planars, but having an all tube headphone amp do it all intrigues me.

I want to take logical snd slightly bigger steps and savor each one. If not, or if the quick could of been used as a preamp, then this comes across as some good kit.

M0N · March 26, 2021, 8:05pm

If you are looking for something that has that fairly heavy richer tone overall with the expected otl sound, and a logical upgrade to a crack, I would point you toward a decware csp3. It’s also somewhat got a similar look too lol, and pre outs. It has the rounded and pronounced bass, really thick tonal density, a softer tone, forgiving of some music, and also a bit exaggerated stage. Technical step forward from the crack, and pairs similarly well headphone wise, although it doesn’t do a great job with lower impedance and planar either (on the decware side of things you would want to move up to the taboo mk4 but that’s outside of the price class)

Souldriver · March 26, 2021, 8:53pm

Oh darn, yeah when the pic popped up i thought it was one of the higher end bottle head amps. Similar look and it seems the offer some customization too.

I will keep these in mind but im trying to stay away from purchases. I want to put all my money on getting that house and a nice 2ch set up. But a tube headphone amp like that can let me keep the hd6xx in the room for headphone sessions and warm or change the flavor of the 2ch. All extremely preliminary.

bruhmanfromthefifflo · March 27, 2021, 3:56pm

Actually I was curious about something now that you mentioned the Rupert Neve RNHP. Some people say the Little Labs Monotor is a better buy overall. What do you think about it?

M0N · March 27, 2021, 4:01pm

It depends, I like both of them alot. It will really come down to synergy and preference, I don’t think one is a higher level than the other, some more thoughts pulled from another thread

Little Labs Monotor Amp

If I had to pull some thoughts (which are based off a short amount of time and limited headphone selection), it would potentially be in between a rnhp and g111 in terms of signature, it was very studio neutral (not neutral smooth like the g111 nor neutral-natural like the rnhp), it’s stage was accurate but not overstated (wasn’t as deep and sharp placement wise as the neve, but nor as wide and spacious as the g111 can be, but the neve can sound somewhat more intimate and the g111 more artificially wide and lack placement accuracy), it’s timbre was solid but not stand out (neve was more timbrally and tonally accurate, g111 is prob more an equal here), detail wise most likely on par with the rnhp and lake people imo, for tonal density it was a slight bit dry but not an issue. It does sound better extended in the bass than the neve and better extended in the treble than the g111 (both of which though can be compensated with the proper dac pairing, same goes for other qualms mentioned with the rnhp and g111).

To me the more stand out thing about it was the control and impact it had, while still having very good microdynamics, it really did punch fairly hard and made dynamics pretty easy to judge. It felt very fast and tight especially in the bass, the g111 has more raw impact but the little labs more likely had more control

Little Labs Monotor Amp

So far, it really feels like an inbetween rnhp and g111 but more forward than both, so very solid, so another great option in this price range. If I had some qualms, it might be that it sometimes sounds a bit over emphasized in it’s resolving power and can sound a bit unnatural at times but that’s not really a downside more just a trait to note. For out of the 3, you really can’t go wrong as long as you pay attention to what cans you are using, as all 3 of them have compelling reasons over each other and it will just come down to preference so far.

To quickly touch on dac pairing, this is somewhat picky about what dac you use, not as much as the neve is, but it’s not as forgiving as the g111. So far, I’ve had the best experiences with dacs that lean either a touch warmer or are reasonably neutral, going too far analytical ends up being overwhelming and isn’t that enjoyable imo. Having the dac be a slight bit relaxed would also be a bonus. It did scale fairly well and let though some of the characteristics of a higher end dacs like the neve, so it’s fairly transparent there for the price

So basically, it’s going to be a toss up in my head and will come down to what headphones and source you have and what your preferences are

Edit: I should also add that with more time on the little labs, it might eek out more detail in the treble and bass than the neve

Delta9K · March 27, 2021, 4:04pm

I hate this thread
Just when I think I am good to go and settling in for a while, something intriguing like this opens up…

Seriously - I am learning a lot from the discussion and it is appreciated.

ericg · March 27, 2021, 4:51pm

Wait for the new tube amp from Schiit?

M0N · March 27, 2021, 6:15pm

Will be curious to see what they come out with as well. Personally haven’t been a fan of any of the full tube amps schiit has put out so far (but their hybrids have been good like the lyr 3 and vali 2+), but given the really great releases lately like the bf2 and asgard 3 it should be pretty promising hopefully

11_Clouds · March 27, 2021, 7:42pm

@M0N you can articulate this stuff so well, I really appreciate all the insight on this thread

M0N · March 27, 2021, 7:43pm

It’s not fancy wording or super well written but if it gets the point across I guess it works lol

ckhirnigs · April 4, 2021, 10:38pm

Just an update, I pulled the trigger and ordered the Quicksilver. I’ll be pairing it with my Bifrost 2 and Verite Closed. The vendor I ordered from said he had just sold his last unit, so it might be a few weeks before he gets his next batch in. It seems like this amp is getting more and more popular as word spreads about it.

I also have the elusive SW51+ on order. The current batch is still being assembled, and then it will have to ship from Russia, so I’ll likely receive the Quicksilver first. I look forward to comparing these two amps head to head!

Souldriver · April 8, 2021, 9:30pm

Its funny as i never heard of decware before your mention in this thread. Now im slowly seeing it pop up a bunch in youtube videos and such.

M0N · April 8, 2021, 10:01pm

They’ve been around for awhile, never super hyped but it seems they are getting more attention now I guess?

Hazi59 · April 12, 2021, 1:32pm

I’ve had this amp for a little over 2 weeks now. This is a truly enjoyable amp and I’m pretty sure that these could sell for much more and still be worth it.

It is versatile and works well with lower impedance dynamic driver headphones. It also works well with non demanding planar magnetic headphones like the Hifiman Edition X V2.

Everything that M0N referenced above is true. I have been blown away by the performance of this amp from the moment it arrived. The performance of this amp competes at a level much higher than it’s price point. If anybody is on the fence about buying one, I can highly recommend this amp.

Below are a few pictures. I took one top down next to the bhc for scale purposes.

EDIT: I forgot to state how amazing my ZMF Auteur sound on this amp. It is by far the best my Auteur have sounded on any amp so far. Also for reference, I am running my Bifrost 2 to it.

ckhirnigs · April 12, 2021, 1:46pm

@Hazi59 I was about to ask if you’d tried it with a ZMF, and then I saw your edit. This makes me even more excited to get mine to try with my Verite Closed and Bifrost 2!

Also, what other tube amps have you tried, and how would you say it compares to your BHC?

Hazi59 · April 12, 2021, 2:56pm

It is a lot more dry of a tube amp compared to the bhc. Not overly dry, but dry in comparison to the BHC. I like having both for just that reason. The Quicksilver is Transformer Coupled, so it can play nice with lower impedance and some planars, while the bhc being a true OTL, it is really only going to sound good with higher impedance.

I the past I’ve owned a Darkvoice 336se and a Hagerman Audio Labs Tuba…but one of my friends is an audio engineer in the gaming industry and he has tons of tube amps that I’ve heard (Pathos Aurium, Kenzie OG, etc). The Aurium is a good example of an amp that costs $1400 msrp and the Quicksilver is a much better amp imo. The performance you get from the Quicksilver at $995 is purely amazing.

ckhirnigs · April 12, 2021, 3:18pm

Would you say the Hagerman Tuba was voiced similarly, but the Quicksilver is the better amp? I almost bought the Tuba on a number of occasions but instead ordered the SW51+ and the Quicksilver. I have a feeling I’ll only be keeping one of them.

Hazi59 · April 12, 2021, 3:30pm

I think that is a safe statement. The Quicksilver does everything better than the Tuba. I feel it is a significant step up from the Tuba. That isn’t a knock on the Tuba but a testament to how good the Quicksilver is.

ckhirnigs · April 12, 2021, 3:37pm

Last question and then I’ll leave you alone for awhile! Have you been using the stock tubes or have your rolled in some NOS tubes? From what I’ve read, most owners of the Quicksilver have been so satisfied with the stock tubes that they haven’t felt the need to tube roll.