The ZDT Jr. looks a lot like the Laconic Lab Night Blues Mini, which is also produced by Laconic Labs in Russia. I'm wondering whether the review of the NBM by Marv at SBAF might apply to the ZDT Jr., since no one has been in the position to hear the amp that was created for Massdrop:
"This is the value tube amp for th[o]se who found the Valhalla 2 a bit too bright or lacking in bass for their tastes. Sonically, this amp can compete with other transformer coupled tube amps I've heard up to about $1100. On a aesthetic level, it's quite utilitarian. . . ." (emphasis added).
Look at the similarities of the NBM to the ZDT Jr.:
Yes, I read that a few days ago and again on Sunday, but thanks for the link on behalf of those who didn't/haven't.
Pity that Marv soft-banned me from SBAF, because that forum is valuable and he has a lot of insightful things to say. It happened after I posted on an SBAF thread devoted to trashing Jude of Head-fi, and commented that my exchanges with Jude had been friendly. Since I'd read on SBAF that Jude censored members merely for mentioning Marv's site, I assumed that the fairness Marv expected from Jude applied to his moderating policies on SBAF. I had no idea I'd stepped into a Nicine feud in which any positive comment about Jude, however minor, resulted in a secret permanent ban.
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* Soft ban: When a forum mod or admin bans a member without allowing the ban to be visible, so that the account looks normal, but the account holder cannot log in or access the forum under any email address.
The level of hatred toward Jude on that site is unfathomable to me, nor do I understand why Jude would ban all mention of SBAF. These are hobbyist audio sites, not warring factions in the Middle East.
Still, I believe in giving credit to people for what they do best, and the most informative posts on SBAF are still available for me to read. Besides, if the harmless things I said got me banned when I have a history of never getting banned anywhere, then what would Marv have done if I'd gotten comfortable enough to interact with him on a less formal level?
Bottom line:
On SBAF, you'll get compressed perspectives on a range of equipment with as little hype or filler as the most cogent members can manage to exclude. It's a great source of information and empirical advice.
It's also the locus of a village mob with torches who are ready to rush at any and all perceived enemies, but that's the least interesting thing about that site. Besides, some of the greatest critics in history have also been obsessive crackpots (Victorian virtuoso stylist John Ruskin, for one).
From what I've read, the ZDT Jr. is a tweaked version of the NBM that of course will be manufactured by the same Russian company that created the NBM. I wasn't 100% sure when I first posted four days ago on this thread, but I've since gleaned as much and discussed that on other threads in this product forum.
More than a dozen people pulled out of this drop after someone posted that this amp is highly praised on SBAF and elsewhere, but not for its performance with Planars, IEMs, etc., which the poster described as "mediocre." But if you happen to own HD600s, HD650s, RS1s and Andromedas, as I do, then it sounds as though this amp would be a good fit.
Another question is why, if the NBM is characterized as "warm," it would have the best synergy with Sennheiser headphones that are known for being slightly veiled.
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