On Sale!

adydula · 5280

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Offline adydula

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on: February 06, 2018, 09:00:17 AM
Ok....Doc you made it easier for me in my amp selection.....was down to your Mainline or Woo Audio WA6SE...my liking to build and your sale broke the tie...

I am looking forward to building and using the Mainline....

Now just dont tell me your coming out with a new top of the line amp in the next few months!!!

All the best
Alex



Offline Doc B.

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Reply #1 on: February 07, 2018, 05:49:05 AM
Thanks, Alex!

Dan "Doc B." Schmalle
President For Life
Bottlehead Corp.


Offline ToneDeaf

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Reply #2 on: February 10, 2018, 07:47:16 AM
Alex,
    You could always go for the Neothoriator. But I think The Mainline will sound great at a lot less money. I don't know about you, but I'm jonesing waiting for this kit. I really enjoy building stereo gear. I think I like the build almost as much as listening. I bet you can't wait either. Probably be talking with you during the build. Have fun.



Offline adydula

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Reply #3 on: February 11, 2018, 03:36:51 AM
Just wathced the videos....OMG its a "pretty" amp....real old school with the lastest "magic" from the "boys" at "crack-ville!!"...

Only $10K....I will start playing the lottery!!

LOL!

Alex



Offline Mordicai

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Reply #4 on: February 11, 2018, 04:30:43 AM
My thinking is along your lines Alex. I built the Sex and a new model came out. I built the Stereomour and a new model came out. I want to jump on this sale. Hey Doc, you have a new head ampamp in the works?



Offline adydula

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Reply #5 on: February 11, 2018, 04:44:38 AM
I have found myself to be in the same boat...a product comes out, some of us on budgets (retirement here)...wait for a sale, jump on it and then a few weeks later a new upgraded/updated product comes out!!.

I had this experience in November with a DAC from another vendor and they were really nice to exchange the dac for the new updated one for hipping costs....it was within a 30 day window. Great customer service.

That said...I look at BH products like the Crack that has been out for many years and its still really a good OTL amp as it was on day one pretty much. BH could have stopped selling the Crack and just go ahead with the crack-a-two etc...but they have not an I think thats a great thing, because folks that want to start out still can DIY a good prodcut at a decent price.

So if another upgraded head amp comes out the Mainline still will be as good of an amp as it was when first sold IMO.

Its quite a jump from $1199 to $10K for most of us its unobtanium, but I am so glad to see BH do this kind of stuff...and sometimes its trickles down to the lower end but good stuff....Ha! Would'nt be neat to have those Neon tower tubes in the mainline!!! LOL!

In one of Doc's videos he states BH is the new " dynaco, dynakit " etc....I built so many of those and Hafler stuff brings back good memories..Its great to have a BH that is doing this old school DIY kits for us ooompa lumpa's...

all the best
Alex

 


« Last Edit: February 11, 2018, 06:38:33 AM by adydula »



Offline Doc B.

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Reply #6 on: February 11, 2018, 05:36:46 AM
No plans for a new headphone amp at the moment. We are working on other products and I am personally working on a few other non-kit things as well. Thanks for all the kind words. I try to develop a product with at least a ten year lifespan. We don't always get there. That said, we don't have any plans to update or retire the Mainline any time soon.

I was listening to some pro setups while in the Bay Area this past week (along with playing with Goggle earth on an Oculus rig - WOW!). Tubes vs. SS, analog vs. digital, horns/panels/dynamics, and speakers vs. headphones for that matter, are from a certain perspective not as relevant as the simple idea that some listeners want a fuller more mellow sound and some want a more resolving and detailed sound. Interestingly both camps want smooth treble, punchy bass, and coherent imaging. I think there is a lot of that going on in the differences between our various headphone amps.  Crack is in the warm and mellow camp,  Mainline is in the resolving and neutral camp (as is the Neo), S.E.X. falls perhaps in the middle.

Dan "Doc B." Schmalle
President For Life
Bottlehead Corp.


Offline Paul Birkeland

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Reply #7 on: February 11, 2018, 06:20:36 AM
I would also mention that the SEX was altered mostly to use a tube with a different base since 6DN7s were getting a little hard to find.  Since doing that, the availability of 6DN7s has increased, so it's actually beneficial for the 6DN7 SEX owners :)

The Stereomour alterations were mostly a response to customer requests for upgrades like DC filaments, better attenuators, and a driver stage that more resembled the discontinued Paramount 2A3 amps. 

When I look at the Mainline, I still don't see any room for improvement.

-PB

Paul "PB" Birkeland

Bottlehead Grunt & The Repro Man


Offline Mordicai

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Reply #8 on: February 11, 2018, 07:23:21 AM
How nice to get such good feedback on an early Sunday morning. Im in the same boat as I suspect a lot of bottlehead folks are. Older and poorer and on a pension. I upgraded the sex when I built it, and Ive been so delighted with it, Ive never found a need to change. But I have a serious case of the Bottleheaditis and need to build something. I think Ill sell the Crack an the Sex and buy the Mainline. Oh boy, more Bottleitis!!



Offline Mordicai

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Reply #9 on: February 11, 2018, 07:48:26 AM
One last question. I am severely hearing disabled. I use Mr Speakers Ether
flow C Headphone. Most recording the gain knob is about 1/4 turn. Some(very few) however can be full half turn. The Mainline has less power then the sex. Am I going to have a problem or will running balanced take care of it?



Offline Paul Birkeland

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Reply #10 on: February 11, 2018, 09:43:18 AM
The Mailine has 3dB less gain than the SEX amp.  This does not have any relationship to the power each amp makes.

Using the 4 pin XLR jack does not change the power delivered to the headphones.

-PB

Paul "PB" Birkeland

Bottlehead Grunt & The Repro Man


Offline adydula

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Reply #11 on: February 11, 2018, 12:41:17 PM
What would using the 4pin xlr jack by me?

My T1's do not have have a balanced cable, just the good ole se 1/4" jack. I can buy a $150 balanced cable from Beyer...would this be a sifnificant improvement??

Besides the usual SE vs Balanced arguements, I did read that there is a potentialimprovement electrically (ground) by going to a 4pin ?

Ideas, thought?
Alex



Offline Mordicai

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Reply #12 on: February 11, 2018, 01:02:07 PM
Alex,Just chop off the 1/4plug and solder on a balanced plug



Offline JamieMcC

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Reply #13 on: February 12, 2018, 12:11:05 AM
Alex if you decide to chop off the end and do it yourself the smart thing to do is make the cut 5 or 6 inches back from the jack that way for the cost of a a nice male and female neutrix xlr connector you will also have made your self a handy xlr to trs adapter out of the short off cut off piece.

Their are a couple of how to tutorials online for this mod that's how I did mine you end up with a short adapter like in the pic



Shoot for the moon if you miss you will still be amongst the stars!


Offline mcandmar

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Reply #14 on: February 12, 2018, 12:39:19 AM
I've always preferred using balanced in my S.E.X. and DIY amps, but i honestly couldn't explain why.

I did the same mod as Jamie on my HD800 cable. ...you just have to summon a bit of courage to make the cut.

M.McCandless