ITEMS

HEADPHONES
Hifiman Arya Stealth

• Purchased from another user in AVexchange four months ago Link to Purchase Post
  • Drove these for a few months and loved them. They sounded great, though something about the soundstage kept throwing me off so I decided to test my LCD-X out again, but this time, introducing an EQ into the mix and deemed the LCD-X met my needs much better when I tuned the EQ to my liking. They've been collecting dust ever since
• Comes with
  • Original box
  • Original cable

^EXTRAS

• Custom Upgraded Cable from ARCTIC Cables ($322 MSRP)
  • Cable Length: 8.2ft/2.5m
  • Headphone Connector: HIFIMAN - All Models With 3.5mm Plugs (Neutrik)
  • Upgrade Headphone Connectors?: AECO 3.5mm Pure Tellurium copper Rhodium-Plated
  • Left & Right Indicators: Black(L) and Red(R) Indicators
  • Cable Termination: 4-Pin XLR Balanced Furutech FP-705M(R)
  • Sleeve Color: Clear (No sleeve)
  • Y Splitter: Ebony
  • Slider (modular): No Slider
  • Solder Wire: Mundorf Supreme Silver+Gold Solder

^TIMESTAMPS
Timestamp
^PRICE

• $800 Shipped OBO

^NOTES * All items will ship USPS Priority either same day or the next day after purchase * Shipping will include insurance up to the amount you pay * I have a 100% Feedback rating as Buyer & Seller over 23 years on eBay * Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
^TRADES * Not relevant to this sub specifically but I would entertain trading these for a gaming laptop * Equivalent level of IEMs, nothing specific but I prefer mids and highs over lows with a wide soundstage (currently I use Moondrop Blessing 2's)

Timestamp and pictures
Bottlehead Kaiju in perfect condition with many upgrades.
Price: $1700 Sold

1. DC Filament supply add-on
2. Mundorf mcap supreme 10uf
3. Mundorf mcap supreme .1uf
4. Cardas CCGG S Binding Posts
5. Goldchassis mount sockets
6. upgraded hardware
7. Fully powder coated
8. Zebrawood base
9. JJ 300b tubes
10. Shuguang 300b globe mesh

The amp is in perfect condition (as pictured) and works flawlessly. I am the first and only owner. JJ tubes have maybe 10-15 hours on them and Shuguang have 0 hours (tested and working). I have had many bottlehead amps and this is easily one of the nicest I have built. Both in terms of looks and sound
I would absolutely prefer a local sale and can drive most places in New England (or meet half way) to deliver and work out a half way spot for NY. I can possibly be persuaded to ship, but lets have that conversation.

The amp is fully built. The wooden housing is stained, poly'ed and then painted + lacquered to give it the look it has. The aluminum chassis is also painted to give it Marblized look. The overall look was to achieve a vintage marbilzed look. The is some imperfect on the paint in some places but it's nothing major. See images
Please note:

• The amp was recently finished. Has the two quiet stepped attenuator addon as well. It passes ALL voltage and resistance tests.
  
• it will come the original tubes that it came with.
  
• I purchased it directly from Bottlehead, the stock tubes have about a few minutes on them
  
• Will come with the original IEC power cable and rca cables
  

Tubes
Comes with addition higher quality NOS tubes as well

• NOS Ratheon 6080 tube, currently installed, less than a few hours of time on it (costs 35)
  
• NOS Sylvania 5 star 6080 tube, no usage (costs 35)
  
• NOS Genalex Gold Lion 12AU7 Platinum grade (49.97 retail) currently installed with less than a few hours on it
  
• 2x NOS Sylvania Gold Brand GB-6005 (6aq5 equivalent) currently installed with less than a few hours on it. ($35)
  

As you can see these were intended to improve upon the stock tubes on the crackatwoa. The are NOS and have a few hours of play time on them.
Added in caps:

• 2x Mundorf Mcap Evo Aluminum. Oil 100uF3% 350VDC (replaces the stock 100uf250vdc) these give the amp a much cleaner, albeit warmer output (costs about 100-130)
  
• 2x Mundorf Mcap Supreme Silver Gold oil 0.1uf3% 1000vdc (replaces the same cap rating) these also improve the output stage and give its a much cleaner presentation and staging. (Costs $70)
  

The cap mods, over stock improve the overall sound signature. Gives it a much cleaner sound and despite some saying it should have made it warmer in my opinion I feel like it made it a bit less warmer and improved the slam of the lowend. It still it retains ots mostly warm and tubey sound it sound incredibly clean and impactful
Price: $1300 + shipping
Additionally the silver power cable shown in the pictures is not included but can be for $70 more
https://imgur.com/a/8dmwEFG

The amp is fully built. The wooden housing is stained, poly'ed and then painted + lacquered to give it the look it has. The aluminum chassis is also painted to give it Marblized look. The overall look was to achieve a vintage marbilzed look. The is some imperfect on the paint in some places but it's nothing major. See images
Please note:

• The amp was recently finished. Has the two quiet stepped attenuator addon as well. It passes ALL voltage and resistance tests.
  
• it will come the original tubes that it came with.
  
• I purchased it directly from Bottlehead, the stock tubes have about a few minutes on them
  
• Will come with the original IEC power cable and rca cables
  

Tubes
Comes with addition higher quality NOS tubes as well

• NOS Ratheon 6080 tube, currently installed, less than a few hours of time on it (costs 35)
  
• NOS Sylvania 5 star 6080 tube, no usage (costs 35)
  
• NOS Genalex Gold Lion 12AU7 Platinum grade (49.97 retail) currently installed with less than a few hours on it
  
• 2x NOS Sylvania Gold Brand GB-6005 (6aq5 equivalent) currently installed with less than a few hours on it. ($35)
  

As you can see these were intended to improve upon the stock tubes on the crackatwoa. The are NOS and have a few hours of play time on them.
Added in caps:

• 2x Mundorf Mcap Evo Aluminum. Oil 100uF3% 350VDC (replaces the stock 100uf250vdc) these give the amp a much cleaner, albeit warmer output (costs about 100-130)
  
• 2x Mundorf Mcap Supreme Silver Gold oil 0.1uf3% 1000vdc (replaces the same cap rating) these also improve the output stage and give its a much cleaner presentation and staging. (Costs $70)
  

The cap mods, over stock improve the overall sound signature. Gives it a much cleaner sound and despite some saying it should have made it warmer in my opinion I feel like it made it a bit less warmer and improved the slam of the lowend. It still it retains ots mostly warm and tubey sound it sound incredibly clean and impactful
Price: $1300 + shipping
Additionally the silver power cable shown in the pictures is not included but can be for $70 more
https://imgur.com/a/8dmwEFG

NO LONGER AVAILABLE

Need to sell this partially built Crackatwoa due to car repairs.
The amp is partially built. The wooden housing is stained, poly'ed and then painted + lacquered to give it the look it has. The aluminum chassis is also painted to give it Marblized look. The overall look was to achieve a vintage marbilzed look. The is some imperfect on the paint in some places but it's nothing major. See images
This kit also includes the Two Quiet addon. Total price is $944. I am only asking for 1025 if I include the price for rhodium plated rca jacks and the higher quality 8 pin and 9 pin socket I added and the paint job. This kit will include the sockets and rca jacks it originally came with, Uninstalled.
Please note:

• I have not finished building it. I can finish it for no additional cost but will take sometime.
  
• it will come the original tubes that it came with.
  
• I purchased it directly from Bottlehead, the tubes have about a few seconds on them for the glow tests.
  
• The point I stopped at was the High Voltafe Regulator Wiring.
  
• Will come with the original IEC power cable + a spare wooden housing, unbuilt. Which you can stain and build as you like.
  

Asking $1025 shipped or $975 local cash.
I will be willing to sell the amp alone.
Tubes

• NOS Ratheon 6080 tube, no usage $40
  
• NOS Sylvania 5 star 6080 tube, no usage $30
  
• NOS Genalex Gold Lion 12AU7 Platinum grade (49.97 retail) $45
  
• 2x NOS Sylvania Gold Brand GB-6005 (6aq5 equivalent) $35
  

As you can see these were intended to improve upon the stock tubes on the crackatwoa. They are all NOS and unused. Above are my asking price. All together it's $154 however I will drop it down to $140 if bought together with the crackatwoa. I will not sell them until I sell the amp.
CAPS

• 2x Mundorf Mcap Evo Aluminum. Oil 100uF3% 350VDC (replaces the stock 100uf250vdc) these give the amp a much cleaner, albeit warmer output $100
  
• 2x Mundorf Mcap Supreme Silver Gold oil 0.1uf3% 1000vdc (replaces the same cap rating) these also improve the output stage and give its a much cleaner presentation and staging. $70
  

As you can see these are much better quality caps for the output stage. Supposed to improve the overall cleanliness of the output and adds a bit more warmth. Would perfectly pair with something like HD800 or even ZMF headphones such as verite. It is recommended to build using the stock caps first and test. Then switch over to these. Do the switch before adding the TWO QUIET stage.
Total comes to $170 but buy it with the amp for $150.
Power Cable
Hand built by me. Each of the 3 conductors (+, -, G) have two dedicated 16awg cables, twisted and sleeved with PET sleeving (two layers on black for each pair and one silver white for it all). Each side uses a high quality plug, intended to match the asthetics of the amp.
Asking: $100 but buy it with the amp for $70.
It's 10ft long and passes voltafe checks using a multimeter.
Additionally I have rca plugs that match the asthetics of the power plugs. If you buy everything above together I will make 4 rca cables that will match the asthetics of the power plugs (including the sleevingl at no extra cost to you). You can choose the length. This will add a couple days lead time if you choose to accept
If you buy everything together: $1385 shipped, 1325 local.
Amp pictures + timestamp: https://imgur.com/a/ATrF2i1
Timestamps and pictures of everything else: http://imgur.com/a/TfiJ9pn

I want to buy a separate 2 meter Mundorf supreme solder in the USA.

So I've been in to the idea of doing a FR open baffle design for a while now. Reading about the many compromises that have to be made regarding crossovers and how most drivers function, I decided I was going to look into full range. I did a lot of research and found out that, while not spectacular for everything, FR drivers exhibit a certain something you simply cannot get with a separate mid and tweeter. After reading about OB builds, I also noticed that people got a certain sound out of an open baffle that can't really be recreated in a traditional enclosure, for what that's worth.
I was originally enticed by the Audio Nirvana drivers. Specifically the neodymium 8". But those are stupid expensive for what is really an experiment. Dipping my toes into the FOB world might not be best served by dropping thousands on a design I might end up not even liking.
So now I was looking towards the Tang Band W8-1808. This driver has gotten pretty rave reviews from everyone I've talked to. But again, $240 for a single driver seemed steep when you consider, again, I might not like the sound. $500 might not be a lot to some people, but the reason I'm into DIY is the savings.
So I browse PE and come across the PS220-8. I do some more reading. I see it has a nasty 1.5khz spike that needs to be tamed via EQ or a filter. I have an EQ! I see, outside of that caveat, it's supposed to sound pretty damn good. Roughly $100 a driver? SOLD! For a couple hundred bucks I can see what all the fuss is about. And even if the OB's don't work out, I can buy some cabs from PE and probably make a functional set of bookshelves if the driver is as good as everyone says.
I got the drivers, and was impressed by the construction. Nice cast frame. Better than expected paper cone. muted coppered spike of a phase plug. Good looking driver. It's no W8-1808, but it's less than half the price.
While waiting for the drivers I got a 2'x4' plywood panel faced in red oak. MDF was a better option, but none of the sound coming out of the backs of these drivers would be resonating inside a cabinet. All it has to do is keep the driver in position. Sawed the panel in half and found some junk wood laying around to glue on for bases. As a minor concession, I stained the 1'x2' panels with some American walnut stain and poly blend. I figured they at least didn't have to look like raw wood. I let the drivers burn in on their backs for about 8 hours running low volume pink noise.
Slapped the baffles to the bases and waited overnight. Mounted the drivers. Ran some test tones and found out very quickly that these guys need help under 100hz if you are running OB. Thankfully I have an 18" subwoofer in a sealed box running of a crossovered separate amp. I also saw, and heard, that 1,5khz bump. It's not even a bump, it's damn near a spike. Dropped the 1/1.2/1.5/1.7khz sliders on the EQ down about 3dB and all was well. After about an hour of positioning and finding toe in, I upped the crossover on the sub to 110hz, turned down the lights, and started some serious listing.
And WOW. The way these drivers fill the frequencies they are good to...it's honestly as magical as I was led to believe. Pinpoint imaging and separation. Wide stage, probably due to the dipole nature of the OB's. And a sweet high end that almost let's you know there isn't a traditional tweeter in the mix, but would never suspect in a blind test. These things apparently only go to 18khz, but since my hearing only goes to about 14khz, it certainly doesn't matter.
Test tracks were:
Diana Krall - Boulevard of Broken Dreams, I'm Through With Love.
Steely Dan - Hey Nineteen, Guacho, Aja.
Dire Straits - You and Your Friend, Fade to Black, How Long, Why Worry.
All of B&W - Very Audiophile, New Recordings.
McIntosh Demonstration Reference Disc Hybrid Stereo SACD.
And most of the 7 disc collection from Focal - Spirit of Sound.
The mids on these drivers REALLY need a little adjustment. For anything other than acoustic stuff, they propel vocals and things like snares so far ahead of the rest of the recording that it's annoying. But with a little reduction in that damn 1.5khz range, you bring back all the good stuff.
Since putting these together I have seen many people doing nearly the same build, but adding a pair of Eminence Alpha 15A's for the midbass. I'm going to construct a proper pair of 2'x4' baffles, veneered and polycoated to a gloss, and do the same, with a 9.0mH inductor running to the Alpha's as a low pass.
Anyway, that's my experience. If you find yourself interested in trying a FR driver, I can't see you being unhappy with these, as long as you have access to an EQ and something to push under 100hz alongside them.
Edit: almost forgot to mention the front end! Tablet running PowerAmp through an FX Audio DAC X6, to a "study" of a Kondo KSL M77 preamp running Gold Lion 12AX7 reissues and Mundorf S/G/O output caps, to a Monoprice 31 band studio EQ, to a Yaqin MC-13S Amp running all Gold Lion reissues with Mundorf Supreme Aluminum coupling caps. The sub duty was from the Monoprice to a QSC ISA280 bridged to mono, to a DIY 3.5 CF sealed box housing a Skar Audio EVL18 D2.

Hi there, I recently refurbed a couple of semi destroyed AR-18 speakers, that I love the sound of. One was for a friend and I put 6uf electrolytics in them, as the original spec calls for (at least in value). For my own I went and put some 5.6uf Mundorf Supremes in them and for the most part I love how they have revived the speakers (the original caps had drifted to 6.6uf and the tweeter was taking on too much low end it couldn't deal with resulting in a bit of a dull sound). It's a simple first order crossover.
I like how my speakers have turned out sounding but with the original value, albeit cheap, caps my friends speakers are running I love the slightly lower crossover frequency they have that allows the upper range of guitars etc to hit the tweeter a bit more. And this is more in keeping with the original design of the speakers in question.
I'm planning to add some decent 0.4uf caps in parrallel accross my 5.6uf Mundorfs, with a switch before it hits the 0.4's, so I can get that original 6uf capacitance if I want, or leave it at the slightly more scooped crossover frequency I have in them now.
Firstly, I'd like to know if I've missed something fundamental/silly in this as I'm relatively new to this sort of 'tweaking' electronics, all my experience before has been focused on keep the same, keep functional.
Secondly, I don't REALLY want to drill a hole in the plastic backplate to install a switch, so was wondering if anyone had some advice on good remote switches (ie a little battery and relay circuit that could switch the 0.4 cap in inside the speaker) that I could install so I didn't need to damage the speaker from it's original condition. I understand this might be awkward with two speakers and switches on the same frequency? Either way, I'm ok with installing a physical switch on each but it would be nice to have a remote that puts the 0.4uf cap in parrallel just for ease and being able to switch between listening conditions. Although they are not exactly as the factory prescribed the 5.6uf caps in there do give a nice, slightly scooped, hifi sound that is good for background music and certain types of recording that I would like to keep if possible, while having the option of the factory standard.
Any help appreciated!