Jinx

The close of 2021 brought years of Covid and lots and lots of R&D time. While working on the Red October, we mis-calculated the needed voltage and initially ended up with a Red October that was putting out ½ the power. Needless to say we ended up re-calculating what was needed and ordering new prototypes. What remained was 30 units of a transformer not compatible with a big 300b amp but still with amazing features. This became our happy accident and the touch point for the 6v6 Jinx.   

ampsandsound staff have talked internally for years about a 6V6 headphone amp as it could provide access to the plentiful and amazing sounding NOS 6V6s that exist.

Following a long development period, we ended up with a Ultra linear 6V6 headphone amp similar in concept to our Leeloo/Pendant. By making it UL, we increased power 2x more than we could have as a triode strapped amp while making it more neutral and resolving. UL circuits typically need small amounts of feedback.

As the Jinx utilizes the famed 6SL7 front end and 6V6 power tubes, rolling rectifiers became the upmost priority. Given its modest power output, and to make a tube rollers dream; the Jinx allows for nearly any 5V tube rectifier. This includes 5V4s, 5AR4s, 5U4s and the famous 5Y3.

At its core, the Jinx balance design decisions intended to provide silent operation, neutral voicing and ultra wide bandwidth. Tube choices that are common and yet avalible as very old examples without breaking the bank. Tubes known to be romantic while utilizing a circuit well intended to extract detail coaching enough power while demanding absolute silence.  

The Jinx would be nothing without our custom transformers which our wound just for us. We default the Hi-Z @ 100ohms and the Low-Z at 8ohm. This is a perfect paring for both planers and dynamics alike. Give us your hyper efficient dynamics, you’ll be rewarded with tone and slam without costing you noise floor.

The Jinx is about keeping it simple with a single pair for RCAs for input and an Alps Volume pot for to allow attenuation and simplify the signal path.

The Jinx is one of the sweetest-sounding headphone amplifiers on the market. The 6V6 is commonly spec’d but some of the most famous and music amps of the 1950s; offering warmth, texture, and soundstage depth.

Our design offers layers of texture and drive, and is paired with a massive choke and robust output transformers for ultra-quiet operation. As with all of our products, parts selection was crucial during this build and each chosen not for price, but for best quality and synergy.

Supplied Tubes:
Input tube: 6SL7

Rectifier: 5V4, 5U4, 5AR4


Output tubes: 6V6

Cathode Bias/automatic bias allows for easy tube changes without adjustment.
Compatible with 8ohm-100 ohm headphones using the Low-Z ohm 1/4″ jack.
Headphones above 100-300ohms will benefit from using the Hi-Z ohm 1/4″ jack.

The Jinx is handmade in Southern California with U.S.-sourced parts and custom hand-wound output transformers.

Wood Chassis dimensions:12.5" Wide x 9.5" Deep

Specifications:
Input impedance is 10K ohm with alps pot
Input Sensitivity 1.2V for full power out.

8ohm power: 3Watts RMS @ 1khz
Noise on 8ohm tapp @ 350uV RMS

100ohm power: 2.5Watts RMS @ 1khz
Noise on 300ohm tapp @ 430uVV RM

Compatible with nearly every headphone.

Power and Noise specs are dependent on tube selection.

The all ampsandsound amps are handmade in Southern California with custom hand-wound output transformers and U.S. sourced parts.

Our amps are hand-made by a small team with quality being our first priority.