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On the plus side, the Bottlehead Crack kit is easier and much more fun to make than a Objective2 kit. That said, I do prefer the smoothness of the Crack compared to the more analytical sound of the O2, but I don’t know if it’s worth almost three times the price. $279 is a good price, but it’s still about $180 more than you can make a Objective2 amplifier for. It doesn’t make them darker, it just makes them better and more natural sounding with less of the veil. I know it’s very non technical term to use, but I would say it has great musicality compared to the more analytical approach of the O2 amp.ĭue to the slightly dark sound of the HD650, I would have guessed it would fit an amp with a more neutral sound signature better, but somehow the sound of the Crack matches the HD650 perfectly. The instrument separation is very good and this just adds to the detail level. The same can be said about acoustic instruments, especially guitars and piano. Both male and female vocals sounds fantastic and very immersive and natural. Highly detailed, but soft and fluent mids. There is more power to the sub bass and the Crack has good control in this area. Where the Crack really shines, is in the mids. It’s definitely more relaxing to listen to, than the O2 amplifier, but it’s also a little bit less detailed in the treble and high mids. It’s a  tad dark and not at all hard on your ears. But it’s still very well l rounded and fluid, while preserving a good amount of details and a pretty decent soundstage. The OTL design is probably the reason why the sound is very precise and much less tube-like that you would expect from a tube amp. You have to get used to that, but that’s just the nature of a tube amplifier and many class A amplifiers too.
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It takes even longer for the sound reaches it’s full potential after 10 minutes or so, when the transformer is heated. The amplifier needs to warm up for a few minutes before use. The output transformer is usually the biggest source of distortion in a tube amplifier and often what people refer to when talking about a tubey or liquid sound. OTL is short for output transformerless, and this means there is no output transformer in the Crack, instead there is output capacitors. If you want to find out more about how it’s made, read my write-up about the process and see the final result here: Building the Bottlehead Crack kit (5 parts)Īsus k53sv i7.
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The documentation and manual you get with your kit is very detailed and has great pictures of every part of the process. If you’re the ambitious type, there is plenty you can do to improve both the looks and performance of the Bottlehead Crack, as it’s highly modifiable. With basic soldering skills, this can be done by most hobbyists and DIY people alike. You have to combine the parts and solder them to get a working amplifier made and you also have to sand and paint/apply varnish to the wood. You basically receive a bunch of parts and wires, along with four pieces of wood, a aluminium chassis and a couple of tubes. The Bottlehead Crack is a tube amplifier in kit form.
This is especially true if you ask the question on the Head-Fi forums.Ĭoming from the very neutral and lovely Objective2 amplifier, I wished for something more dynamic, more alive, simply with more feelings to the sound. If you own a pair of Sennheiser HD600, HD650 or even the HD800 flagship model, this is what many will recommend you to buy.
The Bottlehead Crack OTL tube amplifier is widely praised  for it’s smooth, but neutral and detailed sound. › ∎∎ Darkvoice 336se Vs Bottlehead Crack Kit ∎∎