DISCONTINUED JUNE 2006     -     REPLACED   with   Model  CSP2

  The "My Little Buddy" headphone amplifier

Model  MLB  /  Zen Triode Audiophile Headphone Amplifier


INTRODUCTION

This wonderful single ended triode amplifier was designed to drive headphones between 30 ~ 600 ohms without compromise!  Ideal with headphones like Grados, BeyerDynamics, Sennhiesers and even the difficult to drive AKG K1000s will sound spot on the mark.  The amazing detail and openess are no accident and I'm reasonably certain that once you have one, it will become you're little buddy too! If you're listening to a headphone jack on some piece of equipement you'll no doubt either wonder what all the fuss is about headphones... or why a person would need this?  After you hear it's presentation you'll wonder why they put headphone jacks on CD players and preamps.  There is a reason for dedicated headphone amps and if you already have one you might want to read on and see how it stacks up against this.

DESCRIPTION

Dedicated all tube stereo headphone amplifier.  Class A single-ended operation with constant curent source cathode followers driving a pair of Combination core transformers using High grade Grain Oriented Silicon Iron (M6) and Mumetal (76% Nickel). This provides ultra low distortion, exceptional bandwidth and transient response which is maintained over the full dynamic range.  Selectable output impedance switches ensure the correct match with your headphones.  Noise and hum are undetectable even at full volume which with most headphones would be a level 4 times louder than you could stand to listen to it at.


FEATURES

ALPS volume control, headphone jack, and impedance switches are located at the front for ease of use.

Removable power cord and on/off switch are located at the rear as are the high quality Gold/Teflon RCA input jacks.

Super low output impedance will drive even the most stubborn headphones while maintaining the correct frequency balance.

Powder coated steel chassis is sealed with no vents to let in dust, smoke, or other contaminents including stray RF. Stays new looking inside even after 20 years!

Massively oversize power supply using tube rectification and Ruby GOLD caps offer bottomless power without getting hot - in fact you can leave it on 24hrs a day with no worries.

In the Zen tradition, top grade internal parts are all hand point-to-point wired with parts leads and no hookup wire in the signal path.

Tube compliment is made up of your choice of 6N1P, 6DJ8 or 6922's.  Circuit is self-biasing. Rectification is your choice of 5Y3GT, 5AR4, or 5U4.   The MLB ships with 6N1Ps and 5Y3GT for reference.  

Ceramic tube sockets with gold pins are used for all three audio tubes.  

The MLB can be used connected directly to any line level source.  No preamp is needed nor recommended.

HAND MADE IN THE USA


SPECIFICATIONS

Size

6"W x 11"D x 6.5" H

Weight

13 lbs/120Volt  14lbs/240Volt

Chassis

Steel with grey powder coat finish

Consumption

70 watts

Input jacks

Gold/Teflon RCA

Output jack

Stereo 1/4 inch phono

Input impedance

100,000 ohms

Output Zo

< 10 ohms

Transformer Type

AC coupled, 1 per channel

Max Ratio

12:1+1+1

Trans Pri Z

10,000 ohms

Trans Sec Z

600/150/70 + 75 ohms

Headphone Impedance Range

30 ~ 600 ohms

Trans Max Power at 20 Hz

500mw

Frequency Response +/- 1/5dB

10Hz ~ 30kHz

Frequency Response +/- 3 dB

6Hz ~ 70kHz

Operating Modes

Duel  Lo/Hi Z

Max output into 32 ohms

4 V RMS (150mw)

Max output into 250 ohms

6 V RMS (120mw)

THD @ 1 V RMS / 1kHz

0.6 % ~ 1.0 %   250ohm HiZ/32 ohm LoZ

Noise @ 1 V RMS / 1kHz

- 65dB

Operating Voltage USA model

100~125 VAC 50/60 cycles

Operating Voltage World model

220 ~ 250 VAC 50/60 cycles

Warranty

Lifetime to original owner


SCHEMATIC ONLY

My Little Buddy Headphone amp schematic

OWNERS MANUAL with SCHEMATIC

My Little Buddy OWNERS MANUAL

Get Acrobat Reader You will need acrobat reader to view the schematic and or owners manual.
It is in a .pdf  format.

NOTE:  This product currently uses the high quality SOWTER output transformers from ENGLAND.   
Turn around time is  4 to 8 weeks.

MODEL MLB Zen Triode Headphone Amplifier
$862.00
complete with premium tubes
also available in 220/240VOLT 50/60 HZ

 

 

 

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