LampizatOr Golden Atlantic + TRP

[tedwoods]

One of the best combos so far, the GEC 6V6G with another "holy grail" recti, the French Mazda/Belvu 5U4G:

... and just to see how it would perform in the Atlantic, another French tube combo: the Visseaux 6K6GT with the "compact bottle" 5Y3GB.

 

[Designsfx]

One of the best combos so far, the GEC 6V6G with another "holy grail" recti, the French Mazda/Belvu 5U4G:

... and just to see how it would perform in the Atlantic, another French tube combo: the Visseaux 6K6GT with the "compact bottle" 5Y3GB.

Funny that you posted this pic of the 6K6GT as I was just discussing this tube on another thread. Though the original discussion centered on an old quad of Sylvania 6Y6 tubes I had been running we got on the subject of the 6K6 which I have not tried.
As things go the other person mentioned preferring the 6W6 to the others and sent me this amazing picture of one of his Tung Sol lit up during use. I definitely have to find some of these now!

 

[Designsfx]

A few weeks ago while doing my normal perusal of tube websites I came across a set of these little antique tube adapters. The guy had a quad of matching pieces and they were literally brand new. I had seen these before but usually in a single piece offering so I basically ignored them.

After getting them home I noticed the original product sheet inside of the box. This product line was huge- almost all inclusive for adapting one type of tube to another for the sake of making use of tubes when others may not be available. It’s completely crazy!

I’m sure we all get why these things are no longer available today which pushes us outward into the custom adapter market but as these guys are still around I thought I would post the product line offerings just in case you come across one and wonder if it will work for you or in case you want to make a note of which pieces to look out for.

They’re pretty cool little units- nothing fancy, just a little piece of history that gets the job done!

 

[Designsfx]

So far I’ve only listened to one release but the sound continues to open the more I play. The first thing that struck me was the power felt in the bass regions- so far a little stronger than most pentodes.
Highs aren’t exactly what I would call rolled off but are very even/level when compared to the midrange. So not overly sparkly but definitely present. These tubes have a very smooth sound, whether it’s refined or just relaxed time will tell.

View attachment 151277

So coming back to give an update on the Arcturus 18 pentode, a 14V tube on a UX6 base. I noted during the first listen that the highs were a little different and at that point I couldn’t pin it down as being rolled off or just what I would call “flatter”.

I spent a few days listening to this combination and after going through many titles I’ve come to the conclusion that they are a combination of both (if that’s a real thing).
This came more to light as I jumped between streaming and file playback from my server.

My streaming setup is the Lumin U2 Mini with files provided by Qobuz and while it does sound nice the Lumin gives a slightly brighter presentation when compared to files played back from the Naim Uniti Core.

The Core has a more full bodied sound and definitely has a lower noise floor than the Lumin. It was while listening to the Naim that I realized the highs were just not as consistently present when compared to that being played while streaming. It’s not that reverb tails were missing, or that instruments were totally lacking their crispness but rather more of a veiled sound across that end of the spectrum.

It’s weird though as the midrange is very well presented with this tube. Instruments have a very natural place here and the treble sits kind of in the same place rather than being an extension of it.

Bass response is good, I don’t recall it lacking but I will say that it’s not as deep digging as other tubes I own. Still in a good place though with impact you can feel through your feet, just not the type of reproduction that pulls low end detail to the forefront.

This tube is not a loser by any means. It does really well with more neutral instrumental recordings and also provides a very quiet background. Combined with the right rectifier and the right music selection this tube serves well.

 

[Designsfx]

So today I had to rollback to one of my old favorites, the red base EL5. I’ve been trying many different tubes lately (56, 18, 42) and I just needed to get back to listening to the music, not the tube. I love the EL5, I probably could live with these if I had to (even though I really don’t want to have to!). If you’d like haven’t tried these in the TRP you owe it to yourself to do so.

 

[Designsfx]

So I’m putting my variable voltage stuff to use today for a tryout with these RCA 12J5GT’s from 1961. These aren’t collectors tubes by any means but I have to say that even though this is my first listen they don’t sound bad- actually they’re pretty damn good!



These are your standard late model RCA short bottles with red lettering and grey plates. I found a full retail box with five NOS tubes at a local swap meet last weekend. The best part was all tubes from this guy were on sale that day at $0.50 per tube! The deal was too good to be passed up.
Other finds had that morning included a couple of 7A4/7N7 loctals and a couple of 12J5 and 6J5 singles. More to come on the loctals once I get more to compare with.

 

[DaveH]

I think this question is answered earlier in the thread, but I would love to confirm that I can run a balanced Atantic TRP single-ended with either only 2 "music" tubes or unmatched pairs front and back. I'm going from an SE Atlantic TRP to a balanced Atlantic TRP that has 11-p, but my preamp is single ended only. I love the tube combo I'm running in the SE TRP and want to continue using it (blackplate RCA 6L6s, only have a matched pair). I believe that I would use the front 2 sockets for the SE operation. Any confirmation or critique of my understanding appreciated.

 

[Designsfx]

I would love to confirm that I can run a balanced Atantic TRP single-ended with either only 2 "music" tubes

You can run your balanced dac in SE by leaving the rear tube sockets empty as the front sockets represent the positive phase of the balanced L/R signal.
I don’t think there would be any advantage to using unmatched or different tubes in the rear/negative phase sockets for the purposes of achieving an SE output as leaving them empty has no ill effect on the operation of the dac.

 

[DaveH]

You can run your balanced dac in SE by leaving the rear tube sockets empty as the front sockets represent the positive phase of the balanced L/R signal.
I don’t think there would be any advantage to using unmatched or different tubes in the rear/negative phase sockets for the purposes of achieving an SE output as leaving them empty has no ill effect on the operation of the dac.

Thanks so much! That’s what I thought, but freaks me out to run tube equipment with any empty sockets.

 

[WildPhydeaux]

Thanks so much! That’s what I thought, but freaks me out to run tube equipment with any empty sockets.

Put a poker chip over each unused socket.

Cheers,
Robert

 

[kspace]

Hello! I'm in the process of acquiring a Golden Atlantic TRP 3 w/e11-p and I'm looking for tube + rect suggestions from folks with this configuration.

I've never owned tubes before but my default preference is for toe-tapping and/or emotional presentation versus clinical, and holographic. But I'm open to trying anything that worked well.

I listen to rock, blues, pop, some live recordings, some classical.

I'm open to NOS tubes like the F2a, which seems to be popular with the standard GA, though it seems non-trivial to source a matched pair so far.

Any recommendations are much appreciated!

Thanks,
Karl

 

[KptZbik]

I have finally dropped my TRP 2 to Lampizator for the Engine-11 upgrade. It should have been a quick drop-off, but I made a mistake and asked to listen to whatever they currently had plugged in at the showroom. The only DAC there was the GG3. I was pretty confident that my TRP 2, which I'm so happy with, especially with the F2A and AZ4, would hold its own. Oh boy, I was so wrong. No chance; the GG3 literally wiped the floor with the TRP 2. It was a day and night difference.

Now the question is, what should I do? Will my TRP 2, with the Engine-11P upgrade, stand a chance against the GG3, or should I consider moving up the line? The GG3 would, of course, be a choice here. I was able to find some feedback in this thread, suggesting more or less that the GG3 is better for classical music, while the TRP3 has a better 'boogie' factor.

When I bought my TRP 2, I compared it to either the GG2 or the Big7 (I don't remember now), and the TRP 2 sounded better. But here, the GG3 was leagues ahead. Is the Engine-11 such a significant upgrade? Is the leap between the TRP 2 and TRP 3 also so dramatic?

I could also think about the Genya.

Thank you in advance

 

[Designsfx]

I've never owned tubes before but my default preference is for toe-tapping and/or emotional presentation versus clinical, and holographic. But I'm open to trying anything that worked well.

Congratulations on your new dac! Not sure what you were using before but you should find the TRP to be a great addition to you system.

What tubes are you currently using? Have you spent enough time listening to them to know what you don’t like or to suggest what is missing?

There are many amazing tubes out there that work with the TRP- some will require adapters and others just a lot of money! I don’t know if you’re running balanced or SE but my advice would be to start with some lesser expensive examples and focus on what traits they have to offer when used in your system. Then bounce those comments off those here in the group for a more focused response.

If you search backward in this thread you’re find a document I posted that sums all of the comments made in the thread up to the point I started posting here. It should speed things up for you regarding the tube combinations used in the past. It does not cover the use of triodes though- that came later.

If your stuck on the idea of starting with the F2a send a note to @budburma to see if he can help you out.

 

[kspace]

Congratulations on your new dac! Not sure what you were using before but you should find the TRP to be a great addition to you system.

What tubes are you currently using? Have you spent enough time listening to them to know what you don’t like or to suggest what is missing?

There are many amazing tubes out there that work with the TRP- some will require adapters and others just a lot of money! I don’t know if you’re running balanced or SE but my advice would be to start with some lesser expensive examples and focus on what traits they have to offer when used in your system. Then bounce those comments off those here in the group for a more focused response.

If you search backward in this thread you’re find a document I posted that sums all of the comments made in the thread up to the point I started posting here. It should speed things up for you regarding the tube combinations used in the past. It does not cover the use of triodes though- that came later.

If your stuck on the idea of starting with the F2a send a note to @budburma to see if he can help you out.

I don't have my new TRP yet but I'm super excited to start playing with it, which is SE. Previously I was running a mid-range 100wpc Onkyo receiver with Salk HT1 bookshelf speakers. Now I will be running the TRP through a Hattor passive (for volume) into a pass labs xa25, with Salk or LS50 meta speakers.

I'll definitely play with the stock tubes. Several experienced tube rollers in this thread have gushed about the F2a + Telefunken RGN2004 combo with the Golden TRP, so I want to try that too .

Thanks for the tips!

 

[tedwoods]

I was able to find some feedback in this thread, suggesting more or less that the GG3 is better for classical music, while the TRP3 has a better 'boogie' factor.

This is more or less the case (especially when comparisons are done with NOS tubes in mind), but you can "mold" the sound to some extent by tube rolling.
Certain modern DHT variants can also have the potential for sounding dynamic and upfront.
For example using a current production RS242 in the GG3 or even a (solid plate) 45 tube can give you more of a dynamic contrast, depending of course on the rest of the system.
Stradi is said to be coming out with a higher mu variant of the RS242, the RS242H, which -system synergy allowing- will have even more drive potential.
Just some food for thought...

 

[tedwoods]

Several experienced tube rollers in this thread have gushed about the F2a + Telefunken RGN2004 combo with the Golden TRP,

A lot can depend on system synergy too...
I also like the F2a & F2a11 tubes because they have the potential of sounding big and colourful, but was recently faced with bloated bass and loss of detail from this combo with an amp I was using (pretty spectacular amp otherwise).
In my case, being a tube nerd and all, i sacrificed the amp...

 

[kspace]

Does anyone have experience with a TRP (unbalanced, no volume control) -> passive preamp -> pass labs amp? This was my plan but I'm concerned that the TRP 3v PP output into my xa.25 will be too marginal and compress the dynamics, since my speakers aren't overly sensitive (85dB into 8ohms). I might buy an active preamp for AB testing.

Unfortunately the xa.25 only has RCA input so I can't use, say, an LA4 preamp to double the voltage by converting to balanced.

Update: I picked up a used JC2 BP, should make a reasonable comparison to my passive Hattor