Lampizator Valve / Tube Rolling Review Thread

[cpcat]

The Philco ST shape 01a’s are the quietest tube I have had in my Lampi B7 - by a large margin. It isn’t even close. Maybe I just got lucky and got an extremely well matched quad-not sure. It is spooky quiet-and it isn’t due to lower gain either like with the NU 45. The Philco’s gain is comparable to the Cunningham 01a globe, the stock Shuguang 300b-98, TJ-300b, and slightly less (2db) than both the globe and ST shaped 112a.

My noise test is thus: I flip tubes in my quad until (by ear) I get the lowest noise at max 0db volume setting without signal - then I measure the noise level with an SPL meter placed on the floor and touching the center of the loudspeaker -both L/R measurements. Up ‘til now I was getting at lowest 60-65db (more than acceptable and inaudible when you adjust the volume to normal levels).

With the Philcos the noise is basically zero- it is way below the threshold of my SPL meter and I barely can hear just a slight hiss/buzz even with my ear to the speaker at 0db volume. We are talking several orders of magnitude difference. Like I said before, maybe it’s just a lucky match with the quad, but Simon at diyhifisupply matched my TJ 300b’s ,and sent me graphs etc, and those were no better and in line with the 60-65db measurement described above.

They sound great as well. -definitely worth a try.

 

[Willgolf]

I hate to regurgitate the basics of tube rolling but I am only on the 25's vs the 242's. I can say after 70 hours I am extremely disappointed in the 242's. I find them dark and dull with no life. Am I missing something? From the experts, what differences do you hears between the two?

 

[bonzo75]

I hate to regurgitate the basics of tube rolling but I am only on the 25's vs the 242's. I can say after 70 hours I am extremely disappointed in the 242's. I find them dark and dull with no life. Am I missing something? From the experts, what differences do you hears between the two?

They can sound that way or overdriven, which is why it was suggested that they sound wrong most of the times till they sound right. They won't get better so you might as well keep them at the side until you can try them with a different preamp.

 

[abeidrov]

In my experience 242s may sound shrill and too much in the face, when overdriven, but not dark. 25s normally sound a bit darker.

 

[christoph]

In my experience 242s may sound shrill and too much in the face, when overdriven, but not dark. 25s normally sound a bit darker.

This is also my experience.
Everything BUT dark

 

[christoph]

I hate to regurgitate the basics of tube rolling but I am only on the 25's vs the 242's. I can say after 70 hours I am extremely disappointed in the 242's. I find them dark and dull with no life. Am I missing something? From the experts, what differences do you hears between the two?

Did you adjust the heater setting on the back of your Pacific correctly for the tube used?
If at all, the PX25 is slightly darker

 

[cpcat]

I have never quite understood what dark means- rolled off in the highs? To me, bright is tilted up in the treble, so dark is the opposite?

 

[abeidrov]

To me, bright is tilted up in the treble, so dark is the opposite?

You are good!

 

[dminches]

@dminches - David as you have WE and 112/12a how would you rate them performance wise taking into account price delta?

I did a little rolling today, something I haven’t done in a while. Here is my current order of preference (all with a CV717 rectifier):

1 - RD27AS
2 - WE 300B reissue
3 - 112A globe

I found the 112A to be a bit on the bright side maybe because the RD27AS and the WE 300B have such a sweet midrange tone.

 

[Golum]

I did a little rolling today, something I haven’t done in a while. Here is my current order of preference (all with a CV717 rectifier):

1 - RD27AS
2 - WE 300B reissue
3 - 112A globe

I found the 112A to be a bit on the bright side maybe because the RD27AS and the WE 300B have such a sweet midrange tone.

With price included nothing beats 112a

 

[cpcat]

With price included nothing beats 112a

Yes - especially for a quad. I now have both globe and ST shaped quads for both 01a and 112a -that‘s 4 quads plus spares thrown in. This is still cheaper than just one quad of one of the heavy hitters above or 242, px25, Not to mention the issue of availability with the more esoteric OS tubes. I will eventually spring for it but for now am also working on optimizing the server/renderer side as well.

 

[Taiko Audio]

They can sound that way or overdriven, which is why it was suggested that they sound wrong most of the times till they sound right. They won't get better so you might as well keep them at the side until you can try them with a different preamp.

Quite so! What I found to be very valuable is the Volume control option. With the Audionet Stern I'm at -17, with the Alieno at -5. Curiously -13 works well too with the Alieno, perhaps a combination of serial/parallel resistors which work well, but am just guessing here as I have no idea how the Volume control is made up. These are real sweetspots, where even +1 or -1 turn the sound into polite or overly raw.

To join in on tube rolling experiences:

My currently preferred combination by far is KR242 with the EML 274b Mesh rectifier. It has a certain rawness and dynamic reach which just makes the performance come to life. There are far more civilised options sounding cleaner and/or more sophisticated, or with deeper and/or wider sound staging or with a more beautiful colour spectrum, but none of them provide the thrilling experience the KR242/EML 274b mesh give me. Of course YMMV.

Other tubes tried so far:

Elrog 300B
KR 242 RK
KR 5U4G
KR 5U4G Anniversary Edition
PSVANE 274B
Takatsuki 274B

I have ordered the following tubes to try after reading this thread and will share my experiences with them:

Telefunken RS242
Osram Globe CV1040 PX25
Tesla AD1n
Elrog ER300B Molybdenum
Shuguang GZ480

 

[bonzo75]

Quite so! What I found to be very valuable is the Volume control option. With the Audionet Stern I'm at -17, with the Alieno at -5. Curiously -13 works well too with the Alieno, perhaps a combination of serial/parallel resistors which work well, but am just guessing here as I have no idea how the Volume control is made up. These are real sweetspots, where even +1 or -1 turn the sound into polite or overly raw.

To join in on tube rolling experiences:

My currently preferred combination by far is KR242 with the EML 274b Mesh rectifier. It has a certain rawness and dynamic reach which just makes the performance come to life. There are far more civilised options sounding cleaner and/or more sophisticated, or with deeper and/or wider sound staging or with a more beautiful colour spectrum, but none of them provide the thrilling experience the KR242/EML 274b mesh give me. Of course YMMV.

Other tubes tried so far:

Elrog 300B
KR 242 RK
KR 5U4G
KR 5U4G Anniversary Edition
PSVANE 274B
Takatsuki 274B

I have ordered the following tubes to try after reading this thread and will share my experiences with them:

Telefunken RS242
Osram Globe CV1040 PX25
Tesla AD1n
Elrog ER300B Molybdenum
Shuguang GZ480

Thanks. Kr 242 is a no brainer once someone hears it right. All these threads that happen is because it sounds so shite when wrong.

I would love to know your feedback on the Telefunken RS 242.

Are you getting the very low noise, each note can be heard and followed with an extremely high dynamic range? The Pac 242 into the Stern and Heisenberg I heard at heihei is a dream set up for me

 

[dminches]

Thanks. Kr 242 is a no brainer once someone hears it right. All these threads that happen is because it sounds so shite when wrong.

I would love to know your feedback on the Telefunken RS 242.

Are you getting the very low noise, each note can be heard and followed with an extremely high dynamic range? The Pac 242 into the Stern and Heisenberg I heard at heihei is a dream set up for me

You are making it seem as though it is a fact, that the 242 is the best tube for the Pacific. Is it not possible that people have different preferences for sound?

So far, I have not liked the 242. It is too hifi sounding for me. What am I doing wrong?

 

[Golum]

What am I doing wrong?

Just nothing

 

[bonzo75]

You are making it seem as though it is a fact, that the 242 is the best tube for the Pacific. Is it not possible that people have different preferences for sound?

So far, I have not liked the 242. It is too hifi sounding for me. What am I doing wrong?

Most of the times it doesn't work. You are doing nothing wrong it matches only very few preamps and chains. So only if you rotate diagrams downstream components something might click.

 

[Taiko Audio]

Thanks. Kr 242 is a no brainer once someone hears it right. All these threads that happen is because it sounds so shite when wrong.

I would love to know your feedback on the Telefunken RS 242.

Are you getting the very low noise, each note can be heard and followed with an extremely high dynamic range? The Pac 242 into the Stern and Heisenberg I heard at heihei is a dream set up for me

Well I would not call them low noise, they're definitely microphonic, I have 2 pairs out of which 2 tubes are too microphonic to use. But the dynamic range is way above anything else I tried, at least when combined with the EML 274b mesh, with the Tak 274b I get a more laid back presentation with reduced dynamics but it's more civilised and has a beautiful midrange quality. But there's just no going back from the insane dynamics of the KR242/EML274b mesh combination. Every other combination sounds slow and/or "lazy" in comparison. It also has a certain "live" and transparent quality to the midrange which increases realism.

 

[Taiko Audio]

You are making it seem as though it is a fact, that the 242 is the best tube for the Pacific. Is it not possible that people have different preferences for sound?

So far, I have not liked the 242. It is too hifi sounding for me. What am I doing wrong?

Do you have volume control in your Pacific? "Gain matching" is important in my system, on volume setting 0 it's definitely distorting and to much up front. On the Alieno I can get by with 0 but then I have to switch the Alieno to "medium" gain. -5 is with "high gain" which does sound better then medium with 0.

 

[bonzo75]

Well I would not call them low noise, they're definitely microphonic, I have 2 pairs out of which 2 tubes are too microphonic to use. But the dynamic range is way above anything else I tried, at least when combined with the EML 274b mesh, with the Tak 274b I get a more laid back presentation with reduced dynamics but it's more civilised and has a beautiful midrange quality. But there's just no going back from the insane dynamics of the KR242/EML274b mesh combination. Every other combination sounds slow and/or "lazy" in comparison. It also has a certain "live" and transparent quality to the midrange which increases realism.

Yes perfect description.

Ps: By low noise, I don't mean non microphonic. It is the noise floor of the music that gives more headroom for the dynamic range

 

[Taiko Audio]

Yes perfect description.

Ps: By low noise, I don't mean non microphonic. It is the noise floor of the music that gives more headroom for the dynamic range

Yes it's the dynamic range which does it for me. The Elrog 300B I'd call lower noise though, cleaner, more transparent in the highs and the bass, but the 242 is more transparent in the midrange, which I just value more. But again simply no comparison in the dynamics department. I am curious about the Molybdenum, if it doesn't fly it may do a good job in the Alieno where I'm using EML 300BXLS right now.