However, I have NEVER heard any tube gear that couldn’t be improved by rolling in some great NOS tubes. I’m sure you got a nice upswing when you rolled in the Telefunken...question is what more is available with the other tubes.
There is at least one amp manufacturer who pick tube first or even manufacture their own tube and then design their amps around those tubes. So when you try rolling tube with those amp you are highly unlikely to get any better sound without compromising something further down the line. I say trust the experience of a designer like Vlad or someone who also own the tube manufacturing company and stick to their recommendation.
Kind regards,
Tang
There is at least one amp manufacturer who pick tube first or even manufacture their own tube and then design their amps around those tubes. So when you try rolling tube with those amp you are highly unlikely to get any better sound without compromising something further down the line. I say trust the experience of a designer like Vlad or someone who also own the tube manufacturing company and stick to their recommendation.
Kind regards,
Tang
(...) and, of course, there is some noise (hum, tube rush, or whatever) when the music is not playing. I messed around with things and lowered it somewhat, but for the first night with a new tube amp it's par for the course and what I would have expected. could be a number of things and the dart 458's set the bar impossibly high in that area and no tube amp is going to equal that. but I know we can do better, although there is no musical consequence I can hear. so that's the bad stuff. pleasantly; it was very easy to change the cables from the darts to the ML3. I thought it might take 20 minutes. it took 5-6 minutes. so in the time either amp drains their power supplies I can switch the cables. bodes well for group sessions. it won't be anything to stress over. and a good little work out.
the sound is heavenly. and the synergy between my system and the ML3's is about perfect. the bass is absolutely coherent, the top end is extended and everything else is astonishing. the ML3's are total space machines, and have lots of weight and power down low. i'd say there is more 'apparent weight' to the ML3's than the darts......until the ML3 reach the limits of their performance envelope.....at which point the darts are just getting going and soar without limits. (...)
Considering the sensitivity of your speakers, you have the perfect excuse to go Telefunken.The 12ax7 should be the dominant tube in this aspect, and the Telefunken's are known for their very low noise - it is why they were used in microphone amplifiers. Some members of the professional community hate audiophiles because their interest was the cause of the rise of the price of these now rare tubes. Beware of the fake Telefunken tubes - we must get them from knowledgeable sellers, some fakes are really hard to spot.
![]() | Steve Williams Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator | ![]() | Ron Resnick Site Owner | Administrator | ![]() | Julian (The Fixer) Website Build | Marketing Managersing |