Ref6 tube rolling

The 6n6p seem very hot on the highs compared to the 6H30. I may try them with the ring dampeners.
 
Do any of you get a slight click from the tubes as they warm up and when you turn the preamp off? Is it anything to be worried about?
 
i dont know for now , i ordered yesterday six 6N6P for
my REF6SE and i will let you know my feedback after some listening
test.
Yes , same for me, when I turn off the preamp, I can hear a slight click from the tubes.

After one hour of warm-up , my first auditions were very impressive !!

effectively the sound was very good and perhaps better than the 6H30 ,

original vacuum tubes provided by AUDIO RESEARCH in my REF6SE.

The difference is most in the warmth of the sound. It was something like

a 12AX7 or a 6DJ8 .

After 50 hours of listening test or 30 days later, gradually i discovered something in the sound , the warmest in the sound disappeared and

the high frequency became different , no good !!

I decided to change all 6H6P in the audio section to all original 6H30.

SURPRISE !! OH MY GOD !

THE 6H30 ARE FANTASTIC !! Good high frequency , good image , better midrange .

I think that these 6H6P GOLD grid were most designed to drive speakers

than a preamp output in AUDIO RESEARCH.



Thanks for reading my feedback about these tubes.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Designsfx
I decided to change all 6H6P in the audio section to all original 6H30.

SURPRISE !! OH MY GOD !

THE 6H30 ARE FANTASTIC !! Good high frequency , good image , better midrange .
No Shit ! The designers and manufacturers of their equipment actually know what they are doing … well who would have thought it .
 
  • Like
Reactions: Designsfx
I've asked a question a while ago if anybody did some tube rolling with Ref6 and did not get any answer, hence i decided to open a new thread so interested might easier find it.
Anyhow, I have a great buddy of mine with BAT gear who several weeks ago did this exact same trick with his gear and was stunned by the change it happened. Namely he swapped 6n30 tubes (apparently super tube) with 6n6p tubes. As within my Ref6 I have the same tubes he advised to try the same. Of course I was reluctant/afraid to do so, so i did a fair share of exploring the web (no info regarding the 6n6p in ARC gear) and also talking with world class tube gear designers and they all confirmed that I can swap them without any issue.
Off to ebay and i got two tightly matched quads and used only 6 pcs for the line stage, as I did not touch the one in the power supply section of the preamp.
Have to say i was quite nervous before turning the preamp ON but as preamp warmed up without glitches moment of truth arise with turning the volume knob from 0 to listening level.
After several notes played I was already sure that something magical happened which left me in total disbelief. Totally different ball game. Music is just flowing, you can literally feel it and touch it, super palpable, notes seem to last longer, dramatically more fluid, you can feel the darkness between the notes and overall feeling is that preamp is much calmer in positive way - like it was super nervous before. Staging as well massively improved. Even my mother, who was at my place, just out of the blue commented wooow this sounds really fantastic now. I had the system on for like an hour to burn in the tubes so will play with it of course further but those babies are not leaving the preamp as to me now 6n6p really are SUPER TUBES.
All in all massive improvement on already great preamp - highly recommended.

PS I did not return the tube rings as i was instructed they are not needed in case of this tubes as they are not microphonic and the cooling is better without them...
Few pics will follow...
View attachment 62019View attachment 62020View attachment 62021View attachment 62022
I did this swap in all my products that use 6N30P tubes. The Ayon Crossfire III benefited as did the Ayon Skylla 2 DAC. What you can't do is replace a 6N6p based product with a 6N30P...it has to do with the current draw of the heater being higher for the 6N30P.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Golum
I have a big stock of 6N6P, I tested many boxes of bulk or NIB 100 pieces the powerful ones and best matched I sell as replacement for 6N30P. Tested on Roetest wich deliver current, gm, gain and curves for each tube, I analyze them and select matched. Usually I select matched quads but at request I selected and sold matched sextet. Many buyers were surprised by the sound of 6N6P and bought again, recently I sent 10 matched quads to Poland. Now available from 2 100 tubes boxes, one from 1979 and one 1983, both red tip, they are listed on ebay, also send PM here and we can arrange, shipping $15 worldwide, shipping time 10 days.
 
I see that some have tried the 6N6P's in either the REF 10 line or phono stage selectively, ie. just the gain stage, just the cathode follower or just the power supply to see how the sound changes. With changes made to my ARC stuff, I like the 6H30s a lot except on fairly rare occasions the highs can be a little hard sounding so I'll try different combinations. I also don't want to give up any gain.

Also, how often are you finding you need to change the 6N6P tubes given that they're usually run at a lower filament current?
 
Last edited:
Why not just use the specified 6N30P?
 
In many circuits the 6N6P sounds better
Hmmm. Interesting!

I can't imagine Saša didn't experiment with both tubes in his preamp.

Did Amperex, Mullard or Telefunken ever make an 6N30P?
 
Hmmm. Interesting!

I can't imagine Saša didn't experiment with both tubes in his preamp.

Did Amperex, Mullard or Telefunken ever make an 6N30P?
Soviet/Russian tube so no west block producer did them
 
FFS ! Just search 6h30DR , Pre and Post 1990 production .
 
Last edited:
FFS ! Just search 6h30DR , Pre and Post 1990 production .
They were the best I got some of 70´s. Best matching, and they can be used 10000 hours. Now , you cannot find them anymore, at price was already so high 10 years ago.
 
FFS ! Just search 6h30DR , Pre and Post 1990 production .
NOS 6N6P are built a lot like the DRs (such as gold grids) unlike new production 6N30s. My Ayon DAC thanked me personally for switching ;). I recently went back to the new 6N30s just to see…lasted only a few hours…
 
NOS 6N6P are built a lot like the DRs (such as gold grids) unlike new production 6N30s. My Ayon DAC thanked me personally for switching ;). I recently went back to the new 6N30s just to see…lasted only a few hours…

Yup … factory production standards were seemingly declining even as early as the later 90’s
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu