Posting in this thread for me is always a revelation as my mantra of not being a tube roller seems to be falling by the waste side. Usually when I post here it is because some new tube has driven me over r the brink. WBF is filled with Horizon users and it has become astonishing what is surfacing in the realm of old vintage tubes. Things aren't made much easier when you are friends with Laszlo, Goran and Ian. When these guys talk tubes, I have found they are never wrong and the sonic boost has always been an epiphany recently with the new tubes coming into my Horizon.
First off I was enamored with the TS 6SN7GT VT231 with round plate and black glass as signal tubes. Thanks to dminches for suggesting that tube. I loved the sound and had 3 NIB backup sets as I figured I was done. Well along come Laszlo and Goran who laud the Mullard brown base ECC32 and the catch phrase was these balloon shaped tubes cast a better sound and indeed the Mullard in my system was a game changer. I still have 3 matched sites of this tube and again thought this would carry me into the twilight. Well somewhere along the line, Ian posted a very informative piece in which he answered people what tube was he using for signal tubes. Ian gave a long dissertation about the TFKN c3gs and the c3g and compared it to the same tube by Siemens. I still don't understand how these little pentodes can be place in a paired adapter and used as signal tubes. What matters and what is immediately understandable is that as great as the Mullards are, ( I will always keep mine as well as a set of the TS6SN7GT)these c3gs are like mallards also on steroids,. There is top to bottom linearity with nothing standing out except the hair on your head . I have not heard the TFKN or Siemens c3g but speaking to Laszlo he also had an epiphany with the c3g right out of the box. I find Laszlo and I have virtually identical likes when it comes to music so when he says what he does I pause and listen to what he says.
Last week when Ian shipped the fancy adapters for the RGN2004 and G2504 I also received a matched quad of the TFKN c3gs . I had ordered a pair of adapters from eBay 2 weeks ago and yesterday they arrived on my door step as I was arriving home from Ron's house yesterday afternoon.
These Chinese adapters are not the best and it was good to hear that Ian is working on a better adapter as well as Laszlo. Suffice it to say. the pins of the tube need to be well set or , as I found I only had music from the right channel until I fixed the pin insertion of the other adapter
Once the music was playing I didn't get out of my room for the next 4 hours as I was flummoxed that what I was hearing was magnitudes better than even my Mullard ECC32
Now that I have these tubes I place I will let them bur in for several days and then I plan to assess Ian's shorter adapter, which sounded pretty similar to the adapter I was using for the G2504.
I have no idea where things can go from here BUT for my ears these 4 tubes have brought my little room to a place I never thought existed.
I love reading this thread and finding where members are headed and one thing seems certain....we are all headed in the same direction
Kudos to Laszo, Goran and Ian, who have put me in the poor house but as long as I can hear sound like this I am a happy camper