[Wolf Ear Audio]

I am happy to introduce our new product, the Makoyi. It's a fantastic and very powerful all tube headphone amplifier.
If you have any questions whatsoever I will be happy to answer them.

Check it out here!

[Guy 13]

Congratulation for the launch of your new product.
'' Made in Canada ''
I like the red color.
Too bad I already have an headphone amplifier
otherwise that would be the one I would buy.
Good luck.

Guy 13
on planet Vietnam,
but from Montreal, Canada.

[Armaegis]

Very cool. A few questions to start things off:
- the rating of 4.5W is into what kind of load?
- what is the output impedance?
- what is the gain?
- is there a maximum input voltage to avoid clipping?
- is the 4-pin XLR output any different from the TRS, or is it there as a convenience feature?
- is there a 230V option?
- what headphones did you use in the development of this amp?

[Wolf Ear Audio]

Very cool. A few questions to start things off:
- the rating of 4.5W is into what kind of load?
- what is the output impedance?
- what is the gain?
- is there a maximum input voltage to avoid clipping?
- is the 4-pin XLR output any different from the TRS, or is it there as a convenience feature?
- is there a 230V option?
- what headphones did you use in the development of this amp?

Thanks for the quick catch on some of those questions (I'll answer now and update the specs on my site soon since I'm sure other people will have the same questions):
- the 4.5W is into a 32 ohm load
- the output impedance varies depending on choice of output tube. Anywhere from 6-10 ohm output impedance depending on tube type
- gain also varies quite a bit depending on the output tube, but the input stage has a gain of almost 20 in this topology.
- maximum input voltage is about 3.4V before clipping would ever occur
- The XLR is just for convenience, this is strictly a single-ended amp
- This can be wired for 230V (just let me know if you need it)
- My main headphones used were the Hifiman HE-1000 and HE-560, though I have tried it with my Beyer T1's as well

[Armaegis]

Is that a gain of 20x or 20dB? Either way, that seems a bit on the high side (especially if the output stage is adding more on top). Is it possible to incorporate a jumper or switch to toggle gain values? Most headamps tend to hover more in the realm of +6/+12dB

At this price point you're competing with the likes of the Moon 430HA or Eddie Current Zana Deux or Violectric V281, very tough competition to be sure.

[Wolf Ear Audio]

Is that a gain of 20x or 20dB? Either way, that seems a bit on the high side (especially if the output stage is adding more on top). Is it possible to incorporate a jumper or switch to toggle gain values? Most headamps tend to hover more in the realm of +6/+12dB

At this price point you're competing with the likes of the Moon 430HA or Eddie Current Zana Deux or Violectric V281, very tough competition to be sure.

The voltage gain of the input stage is 19-20x (or ~25dB) and the output stage actually incurs gain losses (which vary depending on choice of output tube). for an amp gain of ~18-22dB.
The gain has not been an issue at whatsoever, just be responsible with the volume knob.
As these are built to order, I can always swap out the input tube load for something more traditional, which will lower gain by ~6dB, but will cause distortion to have a very slightly increase.
What's most important though is the sound, which is very fast and very natural. It's not an aggressive sounding amp at all, but it is very high power and is very suited for the likes of the HE-1000.

[smk]

Looks like you did homework+ for a state-of-the-art HPA.

[Wolf Ear Audio]

Looks like you did homework+ for a state-of-the-art HPA.

Thank you. I try my best.

@Armaegis - Getting back to what you asked before, these tubes produce these approximate output impedances:
6L6 - 4.8 Ohm
EL34 - 3.6 Ohm
KT88 - 3.7 Ohm

The stock output tube is quite similar to the 6L6 when wired in triode mode and is a very nice sounding tube. I bought a large stock of (1964, Foton Factory) 6P3S tubes, which sound amazing and are included as the stock output tubes. The input tubes are (1967, Foton Factory) 6N8S tubes, also very good.

[mr haney]

WOW, this amp looks great all the way around ! Just out of my price range of a $1500 max limit. Good luck with it !

[Wolf Ear Audio]

I'll be bringing this amp down to a Head-Fi meet in Calgary this Sunday if anyone is around that wants to try it!
Details here

[G Georgopoulos]

Congratulation for the launch of your new product.
'' Made in Canada ''
I like the red color.
Too bad I already have an headphone amplifier
otherwise that would be the one I would buy.
Good luck.

Guy 13
on planet Vietnam,
but from Montreal, Canada.

+1,with Guy13,wolf ear #1,

[Armaegis]

Some interesting observations after our most recent headphone meetup here. While other amps may have been voted more proficient, many comments for the Makoyi were on being the most fun and musical. One stark comparison was versus the Neurochrome HP-1 (another Alberta-made amp) right next to it. People were swapping back and forth and almost universally felt the HP-1 was the more "technical" one, but the Makoyi was much more enjoyable.

I'm currently waiting on some new tubes to come in and will report back.

It's also worth noting that the pictures don't really do justice to this amp. Yes it's a simple red block, but the fit and finish is just great with the textured surface, and there is a satisfying heft when you hold it that tells you how much iron is in the thing.

some notable headphone pairings...
good: Sennheiser HD650, Mr Speakers Ether-C, Focal Utopia, Hifiman HE-1000
ok: Hifiman HE-6, Sennheiser HD800, Oppo PM-2

[Dave Jameson]

I have to admit a slight bias towards the Mayoki, as I own one

In terms of what is technically better, surely dynamic contrast, another word for which could be "colour", is an important part of music as we hear it in real life. I find the Mayoki to excel in this regard. Frequency linearity is probably where the Neurochrome excels but I would go so far as to say these two amps sound wildly different from one another. I doubt anyone would sit on the fence when faced with purchasing either.

And for you high impedance headphone users out there, it's worth noting that Andrew's new OTL amp is, IMO, even better than the Mayoki when it comes to resolution and noise floor...provided you have the headphones for it...which I sadly do not But with HiFiMan the Mayoki is spectacular!

DJ

[zoom25]

Are you guys feeding the Makoyi with balanced or unbalanced sources? Did you guys run into any issues of having too much gain with balanced sources? Is there enough volume play?

[Armaegis]

The Makoyi only has unbalanced inputs... and the issue with gain is really dependent on how hot your source is. I've got enough control that I can power my HE-6 but I've also used it with IEMs.

[Armaegis]

*Finally* finished writing up my review: http://www.head-fi.org/t/834149/review-wolf-ear-makoyi-canadian-tubey-goodnes

[Wolf Ear Audio]

One more review to add to the list

http://earphiles.org/2017/04/wolf-ear-audio-makoyi/