Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions
krazysamurai
141
Oct 1, 2017
Got my MKIII SE yesterday. The stock tubes actually aren't bad, but it didn't take me long to roll them out for a pair of vintage Telefunken E88CC tubes (from Upscale Audio - Kevin is the best!). The Sennheiser HD650 & Massdrop AKG K7xx sound incredible with this amp. But matched up with my E-MU Teaks... all I can say is pure sonic ecstasy. I've been using a Darkvoice 336SE with 1950s Tung-Sol tubes, & it has been lovely. But I'm really enjoying the difference with this hybrid design. In response to the many questions about the difference in price between the MKIII & MKIII SE, they're really 2 entirely different beasts. I'll start with the disclaimer that I'm clearly no expert. That being said, the difference in power between the 2 models has been well documented by other members here, but it goes beyond that. The MKIII is a single pin OTL (push pull) design. The SE version is not only a hybrid amp delivering significantly more power, but it's delivering that power with fully BALANCED throughput (double the throughput & amplification requirements). Dual 3 pin XLR inputs on the back, 2 discrete fully balance throughput channels, & 4 pin XLR output on the front. It's the combination of the extra power AND the balanced architecture that hikes the cost.
theplaidmoose
45
Jan 17, 2018
krazysamuraiHey I'm thinking about the se for my teaks and lcd2c but I see that the se is only preamp tube output whereas the mkiii had two sets. Are you satisfied with the tube sound and bass of your se? Tia
krazysamurai
141
Jan 17, 2018
theplaidmooseI'm extremely satisfied with the tube sound & base from my MKIII SE, especially with the vintage Telefunken E88CC tubes. The amp & those tubes match perfectly with the EMU Teaks. Bass is incredible - tight, deep extension, & never boomy or bloated. The trebles (for my ears at least) are what I'd consider perfect with plenty of air & upper end extension without any harshness or sibilance. I have both single ended & balanced XLR cables for the EMU teaks, & I've tried both. I honestly can't tell much of a difference with those particular headphones (could be b/c of their relatively low resistance). It makes a significant difference with other headphones in my collection, but not the teaks. I don't have any Audeze headphones, so not sure if the LCD-2 is particularly sensitive to the difference between single-ended vs. balanced power sources. That's really the difference here. If you don't care about having a balanced amp, & I mean TRULY balanced throughput all the way from input to output, then there are a lot of cheaper hybrid amps out there that would probably do just as well as the MKIII SE in single ended mode. If having balanced throughput matters to you, it's pretty much this or the more expensive Schiit Mjolnir 2.
krazysamurai
141
Jan 17, 2018
theplaidmooseYou are right about the lack of preamp outputs on the MKIII SE though. The SE version is balanced, but it has no preamp outputs. So, it's for use with headphones only. If you want both balanced throughput & preamp outputs in a headphone amp under $1k, I think the Schiit Mjolnir 2 is your only option currently.
theplaidmoose
45
Jan 17, 2018
krazysamuraiCool that's what I figured I'm using balanced right now and really enjoying it. My klipsch heritage is bright and I was hoping for a much warmer option :)
PRODUCTS YOU MAY LIKE
Trending Posts in Audiophile