Atmas M-60 with ZU Druid VI

olivier

VIP/Donor
Nov 27, 2016
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Dear all,
yesterday i got a pair of MK60 MK3.3 and i am so happy!
They are a perfect match with my Zu Audio DRUID VI !
I was looking for speed and what i now have is super speed with very high resolution and great dynamics even with lower volume.
Voices are silky and forward (but not too mauch) and the bass is much better than with my NAF 845.
Being really efficient the Druids need some power for bass below 50 hz.
Perhaps the 845 shines (in a musical way) a wee bit more and the NAF is dead silent - the Atmas do have a slight hum you only hear when music is turned off, but it is really acceptable.

I want to thank Mr. Himmel, the German Distributor for bringing them to my home (600km) and installing them.

ZU DRUID VI and MK60 is really a suggestion!

Best, olivier
 

spiritofmusic

Well-Known Member
Jun 13, 2013
14,604
5,413
1,278
E. England
Olivier, great to hear, from this long time (2008 onwards) Zu afficionado. I have been tempted on occasion by OTLs on my Definitions IV, but the lack of 16Ohms taps has deterred me. And I would like to find a tube amps solution that is more noise free than my current Nat Audio 6DJ8 based preamp/211 SETs amps chain.
 

olivier

VIP/Donor
Nov 27, 2016
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285
Munich
Olivier, great to hear, from this long time (2008 onwards) Zu afficionado. I have been tempted on occasion by OTLs on my Definitions IV, but the lack of 16Ohms taps has deterred me. And I would like to find a tube amps solution that is more noise free than my current Nat Audio 6DJ8 based preamp/211 SETs amps chain.
Well perhaps a NAF 845 would help as you have powered subwoofer :cool:
 

aLLeARS

VIP/Donor
Feb 20, 2020
61
226
238
60
Dear all,
yesterday i got a pair of MK60 MK3.3 and i am so happy!
They are a perfect match with my Zu Audio DRUID VI !
I was looking for speed and what i now have is super speed with very high resolution and great dynamics even with lower volume.
Voices are silky and forward (but not too mauch) and the bass is much better than with my NAF 845.
Being really efficient the Druids need some power for bass below 50 hz.
Perhaps the 845 shines (in a musical way) a wee bit more and the NAF is dead silent - the Atmas do have a slight hum you only hear when music is turned off, but it is really acceptable.

I want to thank Mr. Himmel, the German Distributor for bringing them to my home (600km) and installing them.

ZU DRUID VI and MK60 is really a suggestion!

Best, olivier
Hi Olivier,
Those are great amps. I use them with 99dB efficient speakers. They are so quiet that I can put my ear right up to the drivers and can't tell that the amps are powered on. If you are experiencing any noise it is from the tubes. Try swapping tubes around until you find the noisy ones and replace them.
Kind regards
 
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olivier

VIP/Donor
Nov 27, 2016
86
56
285
Munich
Hi Olivier,
Those are great amps. I use them with 99dB efficient speakers. They are so quiet that I can put my ear right up to the drivers and can't tell that the amps are powered on. If you are experiencing any noise it is from the tubes. Try swapping tubes around until you find the noisy ones and replace them.
Kind regards
Thanks, good to know
 

spiritofmusic

Well-Known Member
Jun 13, 2013
14,604
5,413
1,278
E. England
Noisy tubes, a bit of an ongoing bête noire for me. For me a change to OTL could be interesting, but only if I could guarantee near-silent tubes, and tonal density not stripped back from my triodes fleshed-out presentation.
 

Ron Resnick

Site Co-Owner, Administrator
Jan 24, 2015
16,017
13,346
2,665
Beverly Hills, CA
Congratulations, Olivier!

Ralph makes amazing amplifiers!
 
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spiritofmusic

Well-Known Member
Jun 13, 2013
14,604
5,413
1,278
E. England
Do Ralph's amps work well with passives, like Emia Elmaformer? Maybe one of these with the Atmasphere Novachron monos.
 

olivier

VIP/Donor
Nov 27, 2016
86
56
285
Munich
Well the Input Impedance should be high enough for passives. Depends on the output impedance of your source, must be small enough
 

olivier

VIP/Donor
Nov 27, 2016
86
56
285
Munich
Wow they are this sensitive to power cords...at least in my system
Unshielded cables are good (i do have Vovox Textura/Excelsus). The gauge seems to be important. Best i tried so far is a 2m (6.5 feet) low budget One-Side-shielded Cable with 3 x 3 mm² from German manufacturer MFE.
Totally different from my Pre, which works best with a DIY 3m shielded solid core cable with Neotech Conductors.
And using my PS Audio P10 doesn´t make sense - i think they draw too much power.
Now they are even more explosive and transparent
Really cool stuff
 
Last edited:

jeff1225

Well-Known Member
Jan 29, 2012
3,007
3,248
1,410
51
Dear all,
yesterday i got a pair of MK60 MK3.3 and i am so happy!
They are a perfect match with my Zu Audio DRUID VI !
I was looking for speed and what i now have is super speed with very high resolution and great dynamics even with lower volume.
Voices are silky and forward (but not too mauch) and the bass is much better than with my NAF 845.
Being really efficient the Druids need some power for bass below 50 hz.
Perhaps the 845 shines (in a musical way) a wee bit more and the NAF is dead silent - the Atmas do have a slight hum you only hear when music is turned off, but it is really acceptable.

I want to thank Mr. Himmel, the German Distributor for bringing them to my home (600km) and installing them.

ZU DRUID VI and MK60 is really a suggestion!

Best, olivier
system pictures required.
 

bonzo75

Member Sponsor
Feb 26, 2014
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London

bonzo75

Member Sponsor
Feb 26, 2014
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olivier

VIP/Donor
Nov 27, 2016
86
56
285
Munich
Most of the videos on the site are mobile videos.
well what i can do is make a picture of my Nokia E52 but i don´t think you want to see/hear a video from it
a friend of mine always says i am a "future denier" regarding mobiles
 

Duke LeJeune

[Industry Expert]/Member Sponsor
Jul 22, 2013
747
1,200
435
Princeton, Texas
I have been tempted on occasion by OTLs on my Definitions IV, but the lack of 16 Ohms taps has deterred me.
Maybe I'm misunderstanding you, but OTL amps don't have transformer taps, 16 ohms or otherwise.

The Atma-Sphere S-30 puts out 45 watts into a 16-ohm load, and the M-60 puts out 80 watts into a 16-ohm load.
 
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olivier

VIP/Donor
Nov 27, 2016
86
56
285
Munich
Maybe I'm misunderstanding you, but OTL amps don't have transformer taps, 16 ohms or otherwise.

The Atma-Sphere S-30 puts out 45 watts into a 16-ohm load, and the M-60 puts out 80 watts into a 16-ohm load.
Yes you are right, the higher the load the higher the power. But every speaker does have a certain impedance curve and the flatter the better. But this is the case with any tube amp
 

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