![]() ![]() The E元4 did an admirable job with the Radiance, and it’s softer tonal character seemed to reign in the hard-edged impact of the Focal house sound and provided a more natural and liquid character. Sonically, it provided the energy, power and clarity I wanted without seeming to push anything too far. For this reason in particular, I think the 6L6 is the best all around choice here for nearly every headphone pairing. As I went up the tube order (E元4 to 6L6 to KT88) I found that the power and impact of notes also increased, with some headphones gaining a hard edge to them with the KT88. The exception was the 600ohm Beyerdynamic DT880s, which required turning the dial about 40 to 45% of the available range. If you are driving an HE6, you probably want to go up to the KT88 for that extra bit of juice, although I’ve never needed more than 20% of the available range of the volume knob regardless of which output tap or tube combination I was using. I was curious about how the KT88 truly sounds, and as the JJ KT88 is (I believe) the stock tube provided for the amp, I went ahead and purchased (with my own money) Apex matched JJ KT88 and Genalex Gold Lion pairs. I feel they synergize well with the capabilities and natural character of the amplifier, and I would urge prospective buyers of the Forge to hear these before they go searching for NOS glass - you may not need it. The Forge is the first amp where I’ve truly enjoyed the sound of new production tubes. I’m more of a NOS tube guy, and one of the first things I start doing when purchasing an amp like the Forge is determine how quickly I can get some synergistic vintage tubes into those sockets and relegate the stock ones as backups. I must confess, I was hesitant to write a review about Forge using new production tubes. It is able to run a very wide range of power tubes to fit your power needs, including the well known KT88 powerhouse. This demo Forge was accompanied by a full set of JJ tubes - JJ 6SL7 input, JJ E元4 power, and JJ 6L6GC power tubes. That means the same Jupiter caps, the same build internally, etc. I did confirm with Taron that the loaner unit’s components, aside from the output impedance difference, are the same as production model Forge units. The stock configurations available on production models should be 8/100ohm and 32/300ohm outputs. This Forge unit came with 32 ohm and 100 ohm headphone output taps, the Low Z and High Z TRS jacks respectively. While I’ve heard many more amps than the ones mentioned, I think this paints the picture well enough. Then there are iconic amplifiers like the Donald North Audio Stratus - exceptionally well performing in nearly every way. Others, like the ZMF Pendant and Glenn OTL, were excellent all-rounders that justify their price tags with above average technical capabilities and/or extreme flexibility. Some other amplifiers in this price category, like the Felix Elise, did not wow me at all. Both do the technical aspects of music reproduction extremely well. I enjoyed the ZDS’ more flavorful presentation compared to that of it’s big brother, the Aficionado. That is an amplifier I greatly regret selling. Amps generally on the same level would be one of my favorite amps, the Eddie Current ZDS. This is basically the entry segment of the really high end tube amp world. I have heard quite a few tube amplifiers in this price category, and I believe it’s a difficult niche to compete in. ZMF Verite Closed, Aeolus, and Auteur, Focal Radiance, HD650, Meze Empyrean Misc Stuff: PC w/ Roon > Schiit Yggdrasil A2 / Unison USB > AQ Golden Gate RCA > Forge > Headphones Comparison Headphones: PC w/ Roon > Schiit Yggdrasil A2 / Unison USB > AudioQuest Cinnamon XLR cables > Schiit Freya S > AQ Golden Gate RCA > Forge & Second Amp > Headphones Evaluation setup: Measured noise floor between 24 and 29 dB spl.īoth amps level matched to 70 dB spl. It’s a long one! Sorry for that, but I hope you enjoy it. ![]()
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