Are these CV1958s now your go-to tubes in that position or are you still in experimental mode?
LampizatOr Baltic 3
- Thread starter VoicesInMyHead
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Am still experimenting but to be fair the Haltron were beyond cheap yet without significant deficiencies, so many could stop their rolling there
I am feeding my B3 with an Arunder N200. One disk contains my library in PCM 96/24 and the other disk contains the same library in DSD 128. I prefer listening to the DSD 128. However in blind listening test I cant tell the difference between the two libraries.
These days I increasingly find that when rolling tubes they sound different but not necessarily better.
With the B3 its "What flavor of good do you like?"
These days I increasingly find that when rolling tubes they sound different but not necessarily better.
With the B3 its "What flavor of good do you like?"
Yes that’s often true, there’s an element of audiophile snakes and ladders at play. Sometimes however you hit jackpot and find something appreciably better, like say the nickel e80cc. For me, this is a learning experience and I am next taking a deep dive into loosely equivalent valve types. I will have to pinch my nose about all the adapters required
Sadly super rare and super expensive at @1500 a pair. Not for everyone sonically, as you need a very transparent rectifier / 6sn7 and system in general to reap its sonic headroom.
Next best option is the 1950s Philips D foil pinched waist at about half that price but its performance is closer to the regular Tungsram than the nickel. I will however be experimenting with another valve type later next month for which I have high hopes.
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@takacs75 - the older brother of mine. 1950 I believe. Structure looks very similar despite the different glass shape. I also have some 1950s Foton Tashkent production due in very shortly. Not however sure that I will go any further down the ecc31 rabbit hole at this stage. Have another tube type to investigate
I read @dminches comment elsewhere about the ‘lesser’ Sylvania 6sn7 generations and remembered that I had a pair in my cellar bought almost 20 years ago and dragged them out. Sound quite decent and similarly voiced to the Melz. Question for you David - how much can I do with an earlier generation of Sylvania?
Those brown base Sylvanias sound great. Did i call them lesser? I know i said they were much less expensive than many others.
Just wanted to add a couple of more data points for B3 tube rolling. I am now using a globe 80 rectifier with 4 to 8 pin adapter, a pair of NOS Cunningham 6BFG/VT99's with adapters, and for output duty a pair of Tungsgram E80CC's .
For context, my goal is what I call "spooky" sound. To me this means remarkable clarity with a deep, layered realistic sound stage. Second is dynamics which also contributes to that effect. Bass is less important to me but what is there should be tight and not overblown. A warmish midrange is nice but it usually seems to come at the expense of clarity in my experience. Add tonal accuracy to the list also. Am I asking too much?
I have tried a lot of different rectifiers, both directly heated and indirectly. Previously I was really liking the Sophia Aqua 274B. I also have a large number of 6SN7/12SN7/7N7/14N7/2C50. This globe 80 is pretty great as are the VT99s. They contribute to an excellent very layered, front to back, soundstage. I previously had a pair of Telefunken smooth plate 12AU7s in place. As the E80cc's break in they are really starting to shine. They are detailed yet rich also.
For context, my goal is what I call "spooky" sound. To me this means remarkable clarity with a deep, layered realistic sound stage. Second is dynamics which also contributes to that effect. Bass is less important to me but what is there should be tight and not overblown. A warmish midrange is nice but it usually seems to come at the expense of clarity in my experience. Add tonal accuracy to the list also. Am I asking too much?
I have tried a lot of different rectifiers, both directly heated and indirectly. Previously I was really liking the Sophia Aqua 274B. I also have a large number of 6SN7/12SN7/7N7/14N7/2C50. This globe 80 is pretty great as are the VT99s. They contribute to an excellent very layered, front to back, soundstage. I previously had a pair of Telefunken smooth plate 12AU7s in place. As the E80cc's break in they are really starting to shine. They are detailed yet rich also.
I think that the B4 comes stock with a 12BH7. The B3 came with a 12AU7. The instructions for the B3 mention using either a 12AU7(or variant) or a 12BH7. Many have found an E80CC works the best in the B3. Lampizator tends to ship their DAC with the best sounding tube that can be reliably sourced. That does not make those tubes the best sounding that can be purchased.
In the end it is what sounds best to you and complements the other tubes in your DAC. None of the tubes in my B3 are the ones that came with it.
Yes, B4, but I thought B3 too. The E80CC is just the Europe version on 12BH7? I assume like ECC81/801.
1950s Foton Tashkent 6h8s. A very respectable performer despite costing about a beer each. Tonality is slightly steely at this early stage but may evolve or match better with a different rectifier. More of a sylvania rather than rca / mullard type presentation. Crisp punchy and holographic with good musical timing and good detail.
Another cold war relic being being resuscitated ready for audition over the weekend. 1955 RFT 6sn7 with its distinctive ceramic ‘mica’ spacers.
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