Just Completed and Everything I Hoped It Would Be

[jtori]

I completed building the stock Crackatwoa last evening and have been enjoying listening to it.  It's character with both the ZMF Auteur and HD800S ideally matches my preference.  It's transparent in the presence region, noticeably tighter in the bottom end than my Crack/Speedball and delivers explosive dynamics.  Truly a keeper!  Over the next couple of days, I'll do some tube rolling.  A few weeks from now (or when the spirit moves me), I'll build and install the Two Quiet upgrade.  And, some time after that, I will probably install a pair of 100 uF Clarity CSAs I've got set aside.

I'd be remiss if I didn't, once more, thank the Bottlehead crew -- Doc, Paul and Eileen -- for your comprehensive and methodical build instructions and support.  As with my two previous builds, I find the process immersive and therapeutic.  Can't wait to build my next kit(s)!

Be well,

Joe.

[Paul Birkeland]

It definitely looks at home in your setup.

[ALL212]

I see a piece of Schiit in the pile!  Where do you employ that in your system?  I’m a fan of their DAC line and owned the Loki for a bit.

Nice builds by the way!

[jtori]

I see a piece of Schiit in the pile!  Where do you employ that in your system?  I’m a fan of their DAC line and owned the Loki for a bit.

Nice builds by the way!

Hi Aaron,

Yes.  It's a Loki.  I use it ahead of my Koss ESP 950 energizer to provide slight EQ.  It is well designed and does a nice job.

Joe.

[Karl5150]

Very clean build. I'm a fan of the Clarity caps and it looks like there's plenty of room. Enjoy.
Karl

[Natural Sound]

Hmmm... Mainline to Crack-a-two-a seems like an odd progression. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I'm a bit odd myself, or so I'm told.    Very nice build.

[jtori]

Hmmm... Mainline to Crack-a-two-a seems like an odd progression. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I'm a bit odd myself, or so I'm told.    Very nice build.

I like them both for different reasons.  The Mainline is highly competent and sounds incredibly natural and stout, especially with my Focal Clears.  I've got a Crack/Speedball that I really like with my Sennheiser HD800S and ZMF Auteur headphones; it has an immediacy of presentation that I really like.  I wanted a bit more solidity and depth to the low end, however, and weighed modifying it or building the Crackatwoa.  With the upgrades included in the Crackatwoa, I decided to go that direction.  On top of this, I wanted to build another amp; it's an almost-meditative process I really enjoy.  I'm pleased I chose to go this way.  And, as with all things audio, it was a case of want more than need.

Best,

Joe.

[Happy Ghost]

Congrats on your build.. looks very good..

Qq.. what is the application that you use to play your music.. It is shown in the first pic but not very legible. I use iTunes mostly, but I want to explore other alternatives..

Cheers!

[jtori]

Congrats on your build.. looks very good..

Qq.. what is the application that you use to play your music.. It is shown in the first pic but not very legible. I use iTunes mostly, but I want to explore other alternatives..

Cheers!

After quite a bit of research and experimentation, I settled on Audirvana.  Nice UI, great sound quality and regular updates, plus plays nice with Mac.  Alternatively, if you've got a PC and want the ability to play/view all kinds of media, give JRiver a look. 

[Paul Birkeland]

This is helpful info to read.  I've been getting pestered to sign up for Tidal, and I did, but when I went to download the remote app for Tidal for my smartphone, there isn't one!

[sl-15]

i have been using Audirvana for a few years now and would recommend it as well. i second jtoris findings, from all the options i looked into i liked the interface and sound quality best in particular how easy you can load music folders and itunes library integration. you can also use Tidal through Audirvana although i have stopped using Tidal after the trial period was over. the remote app for audirvana on iphone works well too.