my search for a tube amp

Started by Nick B, January 16, 2026, 06:20:27 PM

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Nick B

Quote from: P.I. on January 24, 2026, 09:42:42 AM
Quote from: toobluvr on January 24, 2026, 04:58:54 AM
Quote from: P.I. on January 23, 2026, 06:55:48 PMWatch the first 2 minutes-ish about the Miller amp Danny is having built.

https://youtu.be/W2lJ0Wu1l2w?si=N_o_c91s72i6NAA8

Beat me to the punch.  Was gonna forward you that same video.  Been watching Danny for years.  Find him to be very direct, honest and sincere.  He's very experienced and has heard VG stuff.  Just my gut but I implicitly trust his opinions, and would not hesitate to buy what he recommends.  To me, just the fact he is going with that Miller amp says an awful lot, is high praise, and IMO it most probably is a reliable recommendation.
If I was going to buy performance per dollar Miller's KT88 version without bias would be my jam.

I appreciate your unbiased view on this. I'm sending Bryan an email and want to talk more about a maxxed out version like what Danny is getting. From my limited experience with connectors, I'd prefer using ETI, AECO and WBT. Not sure about internal wiring. I've had cables made using the silver gold wire and also using the square copper wire, both from neotech as I recall. Don't know if those would be suitable for wiring in an amp.
Orchard Starkrimson Ultra amp
Hattor Big preamp
JMR Voce Grande speakers
Holo Cyan2 dac
Holo Red streamer
Spiritual Sound loom
TWL Digital American II p cords
Custom power cords
JPLAY, HQ Player, Tidal, Qobuz
PI Audio UberBUSS

ejk

Quote from: Nick B on January 24, 2026, 11:07:51 AM
Quote from: P.I. on January 24, 2026, 09:42:42 AM
Quote from: toobluvr on January 24, 2026, 04:58:54 AM
Quote from: P.I. on January 23, 2026, 06:55:48 PMWatch the first 2 minutes-ish about the Miller amp Danny is having built.

https://youtu.be/W2lJ0Wu1l2w?si=N_o_c91s72i6NAA8

Beat me to the punch.  Was gonna forward you that same video.  Been watching Danny for years.  Find him to be very direct, honest and sincere.  He's very experienced and has heard VG stuff.  Just my gut but I implicitly trust his opinions, and would not hesitate to buy what he recommends.  To me, just the fact he is going with that Miller amp says an awful lot, is high praise, and IMO it most probably is a reliable recommendation.
If I was going to buy performance per dollar Miller's KT88 version without bias would be my jam.

I appreciate your unbiased view on this. I'm sending Bryan an email and want to talk more about a maxxed out version like what Danny is getting. From my limited experience with connectors, I'd prefer using ETI, AECO and WBT. Not sure about internal wiring. I've had cables made using the silver gold wire and also using the square copper wire, both from neotech as I recall. Don't know if those would be suitable for wiring in an amp.

I know someone who put 2 silver caps in their Aric Audio preamp which cost 3000.00 a pair. Aric thought the guy was nuts until after Aric installed them and gave it a listen and was amazed at the sound. He said he wouldn't offer the upgrade on his website but if someone would ask he would do it again.
Aric Audio Super 6SN7 Line, Orchard Audio Starkrimson Ultra,Quicksilver Mid Monos, Lumin U2 Mini,Merason Dac1, LHY SW8, Spatial Audio M3 Saphire, VPI Traveler, Hagerman Cornet, Hapa Audio Interconnects, TWL power cords,TWL speaker cables, TWL passion USB

Nick B

Quote from: ejk on January 24, 2026, 01:14:00 PM
Quote from: Nick B on January 24, 2026, 11:07:51 AM
Quote from: P.I. on January 24, 2026, 09:42:42 AM
Quote from: toobluvr on January 24, 2026, 04:58:54 AM
Quote from: P.I. on January 23, 2026, 06:55:48 PMWatch the first 2 minutes-ish about the Miller amp Danny is having built.

https://youtu.be/W2lJ0Wu1l2w?si=N_o_c91s72i6NAA8

Beat me to the punch.  Was gonna forward you that same video.  Been watching Danny for years.  Find him to be very direct, honest and sincere.  He's very experienced and has heard VG stuff.  Just my gut but I implicitly trust his opinions, and would not hesitate to buy what he recommends.  To me, just the fact he is going with that Miller amp says an awful lot, is high praise, and IMO it most probably is a reliable recommendation.
If I was going to buy performance per dollar Miller's KT88 version without bias would be my jam.

I appreciate your unbiased view on this. I'm sending Bryan an email and want to talk more about a maxxed out version like what Danny is getting. From my limited experience with connectors, I'd prefer using ETI, AECO and WBT. Not sure about internal wiring. I've had cables made using the silver gold wire and also using the square copper wire, both from neotech as I recall. Don't know if those would be suitable for wiring in an amp.

I know someone who put 2 silver caps in their Aric Audio preamp which cost 3000.00 a pair. Aric thought the guy was nuts until after Aric installed them and gave it a listen and was amazed at the sound. He said he wouldn't offer the upgrade on his website but if someone would ask he would do it again.



Huh?? Three grand for two caps? Any idea what company made those?
Orchard Starkrimson Ultra amp
Hattor Big preamp
JMR Voce Grande speakers
Holo Cyan2 dac
Holo Red streamer
Spiritual Sound loom
TWL Digital American II p cords
Custom power cords
JPLAY, HQ Player, Tidal, Qobuz
PI Audio UberBUSS

ejk

Quote from: Nick B on January 24, 2026, 03:55:47 PM
Quote from: ejk on January 24, 2026, 01:14:00 PM
Quote from: Nick B on January 24, 2026, 11:07:51 AM
Quote from: P.I. on January 24, 2026, 09:42:42 AM
Quote from: toobluvr on January 24, 2026, 04:58:54 AM
Quote from: P.I. on January 23, 2026, 06:55:48 PMWatch the first 2 minutes-ish about the Miller amp Danny is having built.

https://youtu.be/W2lJ0Wu1l2w?si=N_o_c91s72i6NAA8

Beat me to the punch.  Was gonna forward you that same video.  Been watching Danny for years.  Find him to be very direct, honest and sincere.  He's very experienced and has heard VG stuff.  Just my gut but I implicitly trust his opinions, and would not hesitate to buy what he recommends.  To me, just the fact he is going with that Miller amp says an awful lot, is high praise, and IMO it most probably is a reliable recommendation.
If I was going to buy performance per dollar Miller's KT88 version without bias would be my jam.

I appreciate your unbiased view on this. I'm sending Bryan an email and want to talk more about a maxxed out version like what Danny is getting. From my limited experience with connectors, I'd prefer using ETI, AECO and WBT. Not sure about internal wiring. I've had cables made using the silver gold wire and also using the square copper wire, both from neotech as I recall. Don't know if those would be suitable for wiring in an amp.

I know someone who put 2 silver caps in their Aric Audio preamp which cost 3000.00 a pair. Aric thought the guy was nuts until after Aric installed them and gave it a listen and was amazed at the sound. He said he wouldn't offer the upgrade on his website but if someone would ask he would do it again.



Huh?? Three grand for two caps? Any idea what company made those?


Maybe Jupiter I dont remember.
Aric Audio Super 6SN7 Line, Orchard Audio Starkrimson Ultra,Quicksilver Mid Monos, Lumin U2 Mini,Merason Dac1, LHY SW8, Spatial Audio M3 Saphire, VPI Traveler, Hagerman Cornet, Hapa Audio Interconnects, TWL power cords,TWL speaker cables, TWL passion USB

ejk

#19
Quote from: ejk on January 24, 2026, 04:19:10 PM
Quote from: Nick B on January 24, 2026, 03:55:47 PM
Quote from: ejk on January 24, 2026, 01:14:00 PM
Quote from: Nick B on January 24, 2026, 11:07:51 AM
Quote from: P.I. on January 24, 2026, 09:42:42 AM
Quote from: toobluvr on January 24, 2026, 04:58:54 AM
Quote from: P.I. on January 23, 2026, 06:55:48 PMWatch the first 2 minutes-ish about the Miller amp Danny is having built.

https://youtu.be/W2lJ0Wu1l2w?si=N_o_c91s72i6NAA8

Beat me to the punch.  Was gonna forward you that same video.  Been watching Danny for years.  Find him to be very direct, honest and sincere.  He's very experienced and has heard VG stuff.  Just my gut but I implicitly trust his opinions, and would not hesitate to buy what he recommends.  To me, just the fact he is going with that Miller amp says an awful lot, is high praise, and IMO it most probably is a reliable recommendation.
If I was going to buy performance per dollar Miller's KT88 version without bias would be my jam.

I appreciate your unbiased view on this. I'm sending Bryan an email and want to talk more about a maxxed out version like what Danny is getting. From my limited experience with connectors, I'd prefer using ETI, AECO and WBT. Not sure about internal wiring. I've had cables made using the silver gold wire and also using the square copper wire, both from neotech as I recall. Don't know if those would be suitable for wiring in an amp.

I know someone who put 2 silver caps in their Aric Audio preamp which cost 3000.00 a pair. Aric thought the guy was nuts until after Aric installed them and gave it a listen and was amazed at the sound. He said he wouldn't offer the upgrade on his website but if someone would ask he would do it again.



Huh?? Three grand for two caps? Any idea what company made those?


Maybe Jupiter I dont remember.

Just confirmed
Jupiter silver foils vitamin q and cosmos
Aric Audio Super 6SN7 Line, Orchard Audio Starkrimson Ultra,Quicksilver Mid Monos, Lumin U2 Mini,Merason Dac1, LHY SW8, Spatial Audio M3 Saphire, VPI Traveler, Hagerman Cornet, Hapa Audio Interconnects, TWL power cords,TWL speaker cables, TWL passion USB

Nick B

Quote from: ejk on January 24, 2026, 04:21:42 PM
Quote from: ejk on January 24, 2026, 04:19:10 PM
Quote from: Nick B on January 24, 2026, 03:55:47 PM
Quote from: ejk on January 24, 2026, 01:14:00 PM
Quote from: Nick B on January 24, 2026, 11:07:51 AM
Quote from: P.I. on January 24, 2026, 09:42:42 AM
Quote from: toobluvr on January 24, 2026, 04:58:54 AM
Quote from: P.I. on January 23, 2026, 06:55:48 PMWatch the first 2 minutes-ish about the Miller amp Danny is having built.

https://youtu.be/W2lJ0Wu1l2w?si=N_o_c91s72i6NAA8

Beat me to the punch.  Was gonna forward you that same video.  Been watching Danny for years.  Find him to be very direct, honest and sincere.  He's very experienced and has heard VG stuff.  Just my gut but I implicitly trust his opinions, and would not hesitate to buy what he recommends.  To me, just the fact he is going with that Miller amp says an awful lot, is high praise, and IMO it most probably is a reliable recommendation.
If I was going to buy performance per dollar Miller's KT88 version without bias would be my jam.

I appreciate your unbiased view on this. I'm sending Bryan an email and want to talk more about a maxxed out version like what Danny is getting. From my limited experience with connectors, I'd prefer using ETI, AECO and WBT. Not sure about internal wiring. I've had cables made using the silver gold wire and also using the square copper wire, both from neotech as I recall. Don't know if those would be suitable for wiring in an amp.

I know someone who put 2 silver caps in their Aric Audio preamp which cost 3000.00 a pair. Aric thought the guy was nuts until after Aric installed them and gave it a listen and was amazed at the sound. He said he wouldn't offer the upgrade on his website but if someone would ask he would do it again.



Huh?? Three grand for two caps? Any idea what company made those?


Maybe Jupiter I dont remember.

Just confirmed
Jupiter silver foils vitamin q and cosmos

Thanks for confirming. I had copper Jupiter caps in my Border Patrol dac. I will let the WBF guys buy the $3k caps
Orchard Starkrimson Ultra amp
Hattor Big preamp
JMR Voce Grande speakers
Holo Cyan2 dac
Holo Red streamer
Spiritual Sound loom
TWL Digital American II p cords
Custom power cords
JPLAY, HQ Player, Tidal, Qobuz
PI Audio UberBUSS

Jack

Aric includeds the Jupiter Vitaman Q silver caps as an upgrade to the Motherlode XL for $770 and the combination of the Comet/Vitamin Q for $4800. If you want something like that in an upgrade and the money they can be provided if the builder has a source for them.
JVC QL-Y7 w/ Denon DL-301 Mk II
Vista Phono II Mk II
Jays Audio CDT3 Mk III
Supratek Cabernet
Kinki Studio EX-B7
Aqua La Scala Mk3
Auralic Aries G2.2
Qualio IQ Ultra
(4) Rythmik F12SE
(2) Puritan PSM-156
Veritas I2S USB & AES
Veritas IC and SC's
TWL PC's

ejk

Quote from: Jack on January 24, 2026, 06:25:43 PMAric includeds the Jupiter Vitaman Q silver caps as an upgrade to the Motherlode XL for $770 and the combination of the Comet/Vitamin Q for $4800. If you want something like that in an upgrade and the money they can be provided if the builder has a source for them.

I guess he decided to add it as an option.I haven't checked his website in awhile.
Aric Audio Super 6SN7 Line, Orchard Audio Starkrimson Ultra,Quicksilver Mid Monos, Lumin U2 Mini,Merason Dac1, LHY SW8, Spatial Audio M3 Saphire, VPI Traveler, Hagerman Cornet, Hapa Audio Interconnects, TWL power cords,TWL speaker cables, TWL passion USB

Jack

I included the Vitamin Q cap option in my XL order which is still months out before delivery.
JVC QL-Y7 w/ Denon DL-301 Mk II
Vista Phono II Mk II
Jays Audio CDT3 Mk III
Supratek Cabernet
Kinki Studio EX-B7
Aqua La Scala Mk3
Auralic Aries G2.2
Qualio IQ Ultra
(4) Rythmik F12SE
(2) Puritan PSM-156
Veritas I2S USB & AES
Veritas IC and SC's
TWL PC's

Nick B

#24
I spoke with Bryan Miller about the Danny custom ST 70 build. Bryan said there are different parts that will be tested and he will use different boards. Once I heard that, I didn't ask for a timeframe and decided to go with the Erhard Elvis amp. The Danny custom could take quite a while and that is the version I would want based on Danny's videos and his discussion of his likes and dislikes.

The Erhard should end up being very good and it will give me a good idea if I want to have a tube amp in my system or not. It is used and the price is good. The seller shipped it back to Erhard to fix a left channel issue and that will likely be done in a week. I never did hear back on the Willsenton amp and that's fine as it wasn't my first or second choice anyway.
Orchard Starkrimson Ultra amp
Hattor Big preamp
JMR Voce Grande speakers
Holo Cyan2 dac
Holo Red streamer
Spiritual Sound loom
TWL Digital American II p cords
Custom power cords
JPLAY, HQ Player, Tidal, Qobuz
PI Audio UberBUSS

Nick B

The Erhard amp arrived in Montana and is being repaired. I might have it within a week, but there's no hurry.

I finally heard from the Willsenton owner and that was a very interesting conversation. The R8 is heavily modded and with some circuit modifications to simplify things. The owner is a very knowledgeable DIY guy and followed the videos of Steph at Skunk Works on utube and also an extensive thread on the stereonet forum. I wasn't aware Steph had gone into extensive mods on this unit nor was I aware of DIY thread. The owner said he has the best transformers and best parts for that circuit. Apparently the transformers are Japanese, but I can't recall the name.

So if the Erhard doesn't work out, I may get that Willsenton and try it out. 
Orchard Starkrimson Ultra amp
Hattor Big preamp
JMR Voce Grande speakers
Holo Cyan2 dac
Holo Red streamer
Spiritual Sound loom
TWL Digital American II p cords
Custom power cords
JPLAY, HQ Player, Tidal, Qobuz
PI Audio UberBUSS

ejk

Quote from: Jack on January 25, 2026, 08:30:56 AMI included the Vitamin Q cap option in my XL order which is still months out before delivery.

Cool. Another Aric convert.
Aric Audio Super 6SN7 Line, Orchard Audio Starkrimson Ultra,Quicksilver Mid Monos, Lumin U2 Mini,Merason Dac1, LHY SW8, Spatial Audio M3 Saphire, VPI Traveler, Hagerman Cornet, Hapa Audio Interconnects, TWL power cords,TWL speaker cables, TWL passion USB

Jack

Evan

He just released another new model using 12 volt tubes instead of 6SN7's. Can be ordered either SE or Balanced. One piece unit like yours.
JVC QL-Y7 w/ Denon DL-301 Mk II
Vista Phono II Mk II
Jays Audio CDT3 Mk III
Supratek Cabernet
Kinki Studio EX-B7
Aqua La Scala Mk3
Auralic Aries G2.2
Qualio IQ Ultra
(4) Rythmik F12SE
(2) Puritan PSM-156
Veritas I2S USB & AES
Veritas IC and SC's
TWL PC's

ejk

Quote from: Jack on February 15, 2026, 07:47:03 AMEvan

He just released another new model using 12 volt tubes instead of 6SN7's. Can be ordered either SE or Balanced. One piece unit like yours.


Yes I saw it. I just cant give up the 6sn7 tube
Aric Audio Super 6SN7 Line, Orchard Audio Starkrimson Ultra,Quicksilver Mid Monos, Lumin U2 Mini,Merason Dac1, LHY SW8, Spatial Audio M3 Saphire, VPI Traveler, Hagerman Cornet, Hapa Audio Interconnects, TWL power cords,TWL speaker cables, TWL passion USB