Quickie quick report

[Wanderer]

I have been using my headphone Quickie with my PCDP and AKG 240m headphones. Been thinking that it sounds okay but not mind blowing. I was playing with the idea that I needed to update the 'phones or perhaps there were limits to the sound of one triode gain stage and a $3 transformer.

Figuring that the unit is fully broken in, thought I'd try it on my phono rig - Merrill modified AR AX, SME IIIs, Audio Technica 440 MLa, Gram Amp II SE.

WHOLLY HOOPOLA!!!! This thing sounds great!!!

Time to aim the PCDP at the trash bin and look for an upgrade. 

All praise to the Quickie. Awesome!!     

[Dr. Toobz]

I also had a Quickie "revelation" - sound was good, but obviously had its limits, through headphones via the Specos. Feeling as though I never truly "drive" the driver sections of the triodes on the S.E.X. amp (esp. feeding it with the Seduction, which only has 40dB gain with the C4S boards), I placed it between. Sound was okay, but I noticed something funny about the bass notes and soundstage - it seemed as though something was dragging down the load, making for weak bass and anemic transients. Then I remembered that the Specos were still in the circuit. I clipped the leads as I listened, and the transformation was amazing! The soundstage was the same as the stock S.E.X. (that is, open, 3-dimensional, and airy), but the bass and "slam" of the notes was much better and more dynamic with the extra gain the Quickie provides. If I had let the thing sit on my computer desk and live its life as a headphone amp, I would have done it a disservice! After a re-finishing of the wooden base to match my other Bottlehead gear on my "main" system, it will take its rightful place in my rig.

In short, I encourage everyone not to judge the Quickie just through use as a headphone amp (with $3 OPT's, no less). Plus, make sure to take the Speco primaries out of the circuit if using it as a pre-amp, otherwise, it's like driving a Ferrari with the parking brake on. 

[Len]

sound was good, but obviously had its limits, through headphones via the Specos. ... Plus, make sure to take the Speco primaries out of the circuit if using it as a pre-amp, otherwise, it's like driving a Ferrari with the parking brake on. 

I agree. Headphones through the Specos have an artificial kind of bass. I'm sure a pair of 8K B7's would sound great, but I don't have any. I swapped out to a pair of (reversed) Sowter 9063's that I had, with output from the center tap of the primary, at 10K:300.

There is enough drive from standard sources, and I'm using the SoundShocker Pro to step up my Blackberry (instead of the other Specos that I used as SUT's). Now sound is great. But I was happy with the "stock" setup for the first couple of weeks until I noticed that something (mostly clarity) was missing.

One thing I must say when using this setup: sound in this configuration is much better using a 2K cathode resistor than the regular 1K, as per PJ's advice. Battery wear will be faster, but the power is needed with the new clarity.

All in all, with a good OT, this is a great headphone amp. I'm not using one yet as a line stage, but am using another as a low pass filter for biamping. I changed that around since posting about it last, and it sounds fabulous that way , too.