Wait for the new tube amp from Schiit?
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
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@M0N you can articulate this stuff so well, I really appreciate all the insight on this thread
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It’s not fancy wording or super well written but if it gets the point across I guess it works lol
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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!
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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.
They’ve been around for awhile, never super hyped but it seems they are getting more attention now I guess?
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.
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@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?
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.
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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.
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.
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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.
Honestly, this amp sounds great with the stock tubes (JJ EL84 and Mullard 12AX7, both new production tubes). But you will gain a little performance increase with NOS tubes. So far, my favorite combination is the Sylvania 7189 (EL84 compatible) and RCA 12AX7A tubes that I just received today.
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It certainly has filled a spot in my amp stable that was missing…a neutral but fun sounding tube amp. Now it’s time to save up for an eventual dac and ss amp upgrade.
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How does this amp pair with Utopia, ZMFVC, and Hifiman HEKse? Why aren’t the stock tubes good enough?
I should know pretty soon how it pairs with the VC. I have a Quicksilver on order, and the VC is my primary headphone. I’ll be sure to report back.
Excellent.
Please tell us your impression once it burns on.
How do your proposed tube substitution change the sound signature ?