Bottlehead Crackatwoa OTL tube headphone amplifier build

[Tom C]

Very inspiring. Can I ask why you went with Bottlehead rather than ANK Kits?

 

[L0rdGwyn]

I have a modified crack/speedball as well as an Atom and I feel the crack is marginally better in some regards. Purely subjective of course,

Cool! What tubes are you using?

 

[L0rdGwyn]

Very inspiring. Can I ask why you went with Bottlehead rather than ANK Kits?

I have not read into ANK much. It doesn't look like they have a headphone amp. Bottlehead prices are lower from what I have seen, but very intriguing, maybe a future project.

 

[Veri]

Might be sending this to Amir for measurement in a few weeks time.

AWESOME

 

[thomasjast]

Might be sending this to Amir for measurement in a few weeks time.

Can't wait! Everyone is going to see how poorly it measures and everyone will scramble to justify their subjective opinions.

 

[L0rdGwyn]

Can't wait! Everyone is going to see how poorly it measures and everyone will scramble to justify their subjective opinions.

Never mind. I won't subject a respectable small business like Bottlehead to the objectivist warriors of Massdrop and r/headphones, this group is absolutely insufferable and toxic to the hobby.

I don't understand why you all can't just enjoy what you have and let others do the same, rather than turning something that is supposed to be enjoyable into a holy war.

 

[Veri]

Sigh, I was really looking forward to see measurements of a proper made bottlehead amp with lots of care to the components though, THD be damned. Please, please consider. The bottlehead kits are awesome soldering projects, and your specific amp with those Mundorf caps and aluminium top plate looks ridiculously sexy.

 

[L0rdGwyn]

Sigh, I was really looking forward to see measurements of a proper made bottlehead amp with lots of care to the components though, THD be damned. Please, please consider. The bottlehead kits are awesome soldering projects, and your specific amp with those Mundorf caps and aluminium top plate looks ridiculously sexy.

I am interested too. I don't need the measurements to know the amp sounds great, just curious as the Crack+SB and Crackatwoa have not been thoroughly measured. But undoubtedly it will come under attack from the contingent above. The lack of civility makes me feel it is not worth it.

 

[Julf]

I don't need the measurements to know the amp sounds great, just curious as the Crack+SB and Crackatwoa have not been thoroughly measured. But undoubtedly it will come under attack from the contingent above.

I think you are making some pretty agressive and hostile assumptions there. How about an open mind? Yes, if the measurements turn out poor, it probably will be ridiculed, but are you assuming it will?

 

[Veri]

I am interested too. I don't need the measurements to know the amp sounds great, just curious as the Crack+SB and Crackatwoa have not been thoroughly measured. But undoubtedly it will come under attack from the contingent above. The lack of civility makes me feel it is not worth it.

There will always be people like that though. But it takes balls to unconditionally love what you love

 

[milw50717]

Cool! What tubes are you using?

I have some other other tubes to do some rolling with, but at the moment I am using a Russian Winged C 6H13C and USA CONN marked 12AU7A.

 

[mi-fu]

Using tubes is like driving vintage sport cars. It may not measure well, but it is fun.

As long as we are honest with its limitations, why not?

 

[bboris77]

Never mind. I won't subject a respectable small business like Bottlehead to the objectivist warriors of Massdrop and r/headphones, this group is absolutely insufferable and toxic to the hobby.

I don't understand why you all can't just enjoy what you have and let others do the same, rather than turning something that is supposed to be enjoyable into a holy war.

I completely understand your point of view. I used to have a Bottlehead Crack and really liked it. I am fascinated with the whole objectivist vs subjectivist debate and my personal opinion is that there is a use for both neutral and slightly euphonic amps. My personal preference is for slightly euphonic amps (Lyr 3, Valhalla 2, Bottlehead Crack) for pure enjoyment and more neutral amps (JDS Atom, Magni 3) for music recording and gaming.

Why I am interested in measurements of the Bottlehead Crack and any other tube amp is to see if it is possible to figure out what specific distortion gives them their specific sound profile. I am against the whole "it must suck if it does not measure well" approach as there are many amps that do not measure fantastic but sound great - after all, musical and sound tastes are quite subjective. Ultimately, while we can measure a lot of sonic properties at this point in time, it is impossible to argue that we have exhausted all the possible things that can be measured when it comes to being able to realistically record and reproduce a recorded sound. If this was the case, we would not be able to tell the difference between a live performance and a recording of it reproduced through a transparent chain.

 

[ashleydoormat]

This is a beautiful amp and project! I hope I'll have the skills to make something like this in the future. So the polish surface isn't that durable and prone to scratches. What would you do differently if you're making a new one? Have you considered the Bottlehead S.E.X.? Am intrigued but the cost of importing a Crackotwoa is a bit too high as I'm in Canada. P.s.: Please ignore the naysayers the hobby is about fun not about who has the best measuring amp imo.

 

[Julf]

I completely understand your point of view. I used to have a Bottlehead Crack and really liked it. I am fascinated with the whole objectivist vs subjectivist debate and my personal opinion is that there is a use for both neutral and slightly euphonic amps.

I don't think those are the two camps. "Neutral" and "slightly euphonic" are preferences. We like what we like. The two camps are the "I know what I hear" and "Unless you do proper double blind, your expectations will affect what you think you hear". The former camp does tend to also go for "I don't care how it measures, if I like it it is Best in the World."

 

[L0rdGwyn]

I think you are making some pretty agressive and hostile assumptions there. How about an open mind? Yes, if the measurements turn out poor, it probably will be ridiculed, but are you assuming it will?

Hostile and aggressive, I think that is a bit of an overstatement. I have witnessed and been the target of the ridicule I have alluded to. There are people who will argue you into the ground unprovoked if you say you enjoy tube amplifiers, see thomasjast's posts above, a great example of this behavior. I am thinking of r/headphones in particular. The lack of civil discourse led to me deleting my Reddit account, as I really only used it to talk headphones and this vocal minority became too fatiguing. I partake in this hobby to have fun, enjoy music, and share my enthusiasm with others, not to engage in petty arguments.

I am open minded, but I am predicting future behavior based on personal past experience, and the posts above reaffirmed my suspicions. The amp is unlikely to measure well. It is an OTL tube amplifier with a 120 ohm output impedance. THD is probably around 0.5% based on previous measurements. I will still consider having it measured, what I do not want is the measurements to be used as ammunition to create a narrative that Bottlehead is selling garbage, I do not believe that is true.

 

[L0rdGwyn]

I don't think those are the two camps. "Neutral" and "slightly euphonic" are preferences. We like what we like. The two camps are the "I know what I hear" and "Unless you do proper double blind, your expectations will affect what you think you hear". The former camp does tend to also go for "I don't care how it measures, if I like it it is Best in the World."

I am in neither. I am willing to let my brain tell me what I want to hear, knowing full well that it is biased. I am seeking enjoyment, not absolute truth. I won't use my subjective impressions to make absolute statements regarding tube vs solid state when asked. I simply say, "I prefer tubes."

 

[Julf]

[QUOTE="L0rdGwyn, post: 239044, member: 769"what I do not want is the measurements to be used as ammunition to create a narrative that Bottlehead is selling garbage, I do not believe that is true.[/QUOTE]

Well, technically, objectively, it is, if the numbers you suggest are true. You might happen to like that distortion and coloration, and there is nothing wrong with that, but by the criteria of accurate reproduction of the original signal and "high fidelity", it would be a poor showing.

 

[Julf]

I am in neither. I am willing to let my brain tell me what I want to hear, knowing full well that it is biased. I am seeking enjoyment, not absolute truth. I won't use my subjective impressions to make absolute statements regarding tube vs solid state when asked. I simply say, "I prefer tubes."

Which is perfectly fine. I know people who like FM radio, vinyl and even cassette tape.

 

[thomasjast]

There are people who will argue you into the ground unprovoked if you say you enjoy tube amplifiers, see thomasjast's posts above, a great example of this behavior. I am thinking of r/headphones in particular. The lack of civil discourse led to me deleting my Reddit account, as I really only used it to talk headphones and this vocal minority became too fatiguing.

As a fan of science and statistics, I want to see everything measured. With things like the Bottlehead, it's more of a hobby and aesthetics and steampunk looks. If someone sold you a black Chinese box with the exact specs and sound, nobody would buy it. It's the Ikea effect, a cognitive phenomenon that anything you spend time with, engage and interact with, gains love and affection to the user. You built it, you customized it, it sounds amazing.

But that doesn't make it objectively good to someone else, and it's not something you can sell to someone that's made up their mind already based on other factors. That being said, I sure as hell want to see it measured just to see what it's truly capable of.