By Juan C. Ayllon Sitting down to listen to the Cypher Labs Prautes headphone amplifier/preamplifier warming up in my system, I feel like I just emerged from the vortex of a Category 5 storm -- concluding my two year cycle tenured teacher evaluation, healthcare concerns with the inlaws, audio reviews and AXPONA (Audio Expo North America). It is time to catch my breath and, as I hear Samba licks on an acoustic guitar, a little piano and Diana Krall crooning over my system, my shoulders relax. Just breathe. There’s just something about that classic warm tube sound paired with an excellent recording that soothes as aloe on sunburned skin. A Look Under the Hood The Cypher Labs Prautes Headphone amplifier resembles a small tank. Made to last for decades, it is hand built at Coffman Labs with point to point wiring. According to its brochure, the Prautes is a vacuum tube headphone amp that can also function as a line stage amplifier for speakers with small power requirements. It uses parts like its switches that were sourced from military aircraft to help ensure durability. It is 12 1/2 “ D x 7 ¾” H x 9 ½” W (31.75cm D x 19.68cm H x 24.13cm W and weighs 16 lbs. (7.3kg) not including its custom, high end power cable. Frequency response is 20hz to 20KHz + 2dB to -.75dB into matched resistive load, which can vary depending on the tubes used. Either 50L6 or 25L6 tubes come with the output stage and two each of 12AU7 tubes are provided for the input/line stage. The 12AU7 tube gain stage drives the pair of 50L6 or 25L6 tubes in push/pull mode, according to the manual, thus providing more than ample power to drive most headphones and some high efficiency speakers with roughly two watts. The Prautes comes with a volume control, a line input switch with four line level inputs (impedance is greater than 20 k Ohms), a ground lift switch, a bass boost switch controlling frequencies from 47 Hz to 31 Hz, an output switch (to rear speaker jacks with an eighth ohm impedance, balanced XLR jacks, mute, ¼” (6mm) headphone jack and 1/8” (3.5mm) headphone jack), and an impedance switch for headphones and speaker settings that controls the following: · 300 ohm – for high impedance headphones like the Sennheiser 800 · 100 ohm – Standard for a lot of studio headphones · 32 ohm – Standard consumer headphones · 8 ohm – speakers or very low impedance headphones · IEM – In Ear Headphones A Head Trip First up, the Lampizator DSD Komputer music server is the source, while the Prautes takes turns driving the Audeze LCD-3 and Sennheiser HD 800S headphones (I compared both headphones head-to-head, which you can view by clicking here). Lyn Stanley. “Making Whoopie”. The Moonlight Sessions, Vol. 2. DSD 128. Native DSD Music download. A.T. Music, 2017. This 2016 Global Award winner and uncrowned champion of AXPONA comes across vividly with her jazz vocals. The Audeze LCD-3: The brush on the snare, then the cymbal. The upright acoustic bass. Hendrik Meurken’s harmonica and then the breathy vocals of Lyn Stanley. The electric guitar, the tap of Ray Brinker’s drumstick on the ride cymbal. They are all palpable presences. It’s a warm, analog sounding, full presentation, yet detailed and nuanced. This great recording is conveyed with great aplomb! Sennheiser HD 800S: There is a slightly lighter feel about the presentation -- as in less weight -- but with more atmosphere and detail. Stanley's voice is equally vivid while the cymbals shimmer more. I get more of a sense of the recording space with a slight echo from the room. Stevie Ray Vaughan. “Tin Pan Alley.” The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. WAV file. Epic, October 2002. Audeze LCD-3: The drum roll gives way to Vaughan’s buttery intro on guitar accompanied by Chris Layton tapping on the high hat and rim slap on the snare, and “Uncle” Tommy Shannon on electric bass leads us into this intoxicating, slow blues ballad. The details are clear, crisp, full bodied and a touch on the warm side. The bass is robust, the tone of Vaughan’s Stratocaster guitar is spot on, while his raspy vocals are well articulated. A slight echo from the toms being struck giving a hint of the space this was recorded in. The tap on the ride cymbal rings resonant. Overall it’s very engaging. Sennheiser HD 800S: Overall it sounds a touch softer in its overall presentation, less in my face; it’s airy, rife with detail, and dryer sounding than the Audeze. The resonance of the tom drum being struck seems a bit more detailed. Vaughan’s voice seems very articulated in detail and texture. It, too, is a very compelling and articulate presentation. Peter Gabriel. “Shock the Monkey.” Back to Front. FLAC file. Real World Records, June 23, 2014. Audeze LCD-3: From the initial four count of drumsticks struck together by drummer Manu Katche, Tony Levin’s bass, David Sancious’keys and David Rhodes’ acoustic guitar joining in, the audience gasp of recognition and claps to four/four time, to Peter Gabriel’s vocals, the drum kit and the ambiance of the concert hall, it’s a very palpable, visceral presentation from this extraordinary, live recording. Sennheiser HD 800S: The clicking of Katche’s drumsticks seems a little thinner, but the crowd’s gasps of recognition more clearly defined and enhanced. Clearly, the Sennheiser is more analytical and less in my face, wringing out every last detail in percussion, drum kit and overall presentation. The bass has a fullness, but the timbre of Rhodes’ acoustic guitars is extremely articulated. Yukiko Miyazaki. “Garota de Ipanema.” Cristal Bossa Tokyo. Native DSD Music DSD 128 download. VIVID Productions Co., Ltd., 2015. Audeze LCD-3: The resonant acoustic guitar is full bodied, while the squeaks of strings straining as new notes are hit are very present, intimate and true -- as are Miyazaki’s vocals, which are pure and pleasant, covering this Astrud Gilberto classic with aplomb. Sennheiser HD 800S: The delicacy of detail and nuance are very present and balanced. Whereas the Audeze is more forward, this is still intimate and equally enticing, but in a different way. The soundstage and atmosphere is more obvious here. Prautes as a Preamplifier Truth be told, I’m really not a headphone man, but much prefer listening to music played over speakers in my listening room, which is why I expended a great deal of effort on acoustic absorption panels, bass traps, a nice rug and a diffuser or two. Ben Webster. “Stardust.” Ben Webster Plays Ballads. DSD128. Native DSD downloads. Hearing Kenny Drew's piano leading into Webster’s full-bodied, reedy sounding and wistful saxophone, accompanied by Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen’s upright acoustic bass in the background and brushed snare and taps on the high hat, it sounds a bit like a faded, older recording, yet at the same time, it remains timeless, intimate and detailed enough. And after the crowd applauds, whatever reservations I had have vanished. It’s emotive and draws me in. Bottom line, I know I’m in for a real treat this session. Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris. “All the Roadrunning.” Real Live Roadrunning (DMV Album). FLAC 44 kHz 16 bit. Knopfler’s patented voice is ever present in the room with all its grittiness and, along with the acoustic guitar, banjo, violins, Harris’s vocals, the snare, organ and electric guitar notes wafting through the air, it’s clear that not only is this a wondrous mix, but it is conveyed with a sense of intimacy, realism, warm, detail and soundstage that envelops me like sips from a wondrous whisky and a warm blanket on a cold night. Wes Montgomery. “Round Midnight (Take 1).” Wes Montgomery in Paris. The Definitive ORTF Recording. DSD128. Native DSD download. Montgomery’s electric guitar is front and center in this lovely ballad and, accompanied by Harold Maybern’s piano, weaves a sumptuous and compelling -- sometimes pensive -- entreatment to the listener. Then Johnny Griffin’s saxophone enters in, full and sassy at times, comped well by Maybern’s piano, rendered in all its emotion, detail and verve. The crowd applauds. And then the master, Wes Montgomery, takes over with his delicious, spare and articulate, uncanny patented picking style that leaves the listener unable to be moved. This is what jazz is about. And it’s rendered in real space and time with a warm and vivid presentation. The crowd cheers. Concluding Remarks The Cypher Labs Prautes Headphone Amplifier provides an excellent, accurate and detailed presentation, yet it has a decidedly more classical vacuum tube affectation than the PS Audio BHK Signature preamplifier, for example, which is extremely neutral and has been auditioning in my system leading up to its official review. At first rather warm and almost syrupy, as it settles down with hours of use, it becomes more detailed and precise while still retaining some of that warmth. On that point, I am reminded of a conversation that I had with Betty Gordon, Sales Manager of D.W. Electrochemicals, Ltd. in talking about their contact enhancer, Stabilant, this past year: She said that after some recording engineers restored and applied their product to the contacts in much older, analog mixers, they often preferred their vintage sound to their more contemporary, digital counterparts. When it comes right down to it, some people prefer a more neutral, precise sound, while others prefer an accurate, but warmer presentation. It is a matter of taste. The Cypher Labs Prautes Headphone Amplifier is a very pleasant performer and, at $3,900, it is a bargain. Had I not already slated a more costly preamplifier scheduled to join my system later this summer, I would be very tempted to buy it. Equipment Used:
Editor’s Note: Joe Jurzec of JAM'n Audio graciously loaned me the Cypher Labs Prautes Headphone amplifier, which his company represents, for several months to review. For further information, below is his contact information: Joe Jurzec JAM’n Audio (224) 577-5161 jjurzec@thejosephphillipgroup.com
2 Comments
Geo Nachoff
5/8/2021 04:59:31 pm
Hi,
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5/10/2021 05:48:14 am
Hi Geo,
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