A great time for tubes ?

[KO2]

1 hour ago, Mendes said:

Must have speakers to match 300B amps, 8 watts limits your choices but if match up well it’s very good. YMMV

I have a paradigm 95F with a 94db sensitivity, I am thinking of a Weston acoustic 300b amp, but there is nothing in Sydney where I can audition one.

[Mendes]

5 minutes ago, KO2 said:

I have a paradigm 95F with a 94db sensitivity, I am thinking of a Weston acoustic 300b amp, but there is nothing in Sydney where I can audition one.

Yeah, that’s the problem....

[Guest dr_carl]

You can ask in the Weston Acoustics owners thread if there is a member with the amp you want hear here in Sydney.

 

Then one day when we feel safe with strangers post-pandemic you could go listen.

 

If you want hear a Tempest, let me know. I'm in Strathfield.. 

[KO2]

1 hour ago, dr_carl said:

You can ask in the Weston Acoustics owners thread if there is a member with the amp you want hear here in Sydney.

 

Then one day when we feel safe with strangers post-pandemic you could go listen.

 

If you want hear a Tempest, let me know. I'm in Strathfield.. 

thank you for your kind offer, but unfortunately, I will be at my folks place in port Stephen’s for the next three weeks, I think I will bite the bullet and place my order, apparently it takes months, to acquire one and plus I have only heard good things about Weston gears and it will be an addition to my collection.

[Guest dr_carl]

I recommend you do what I  did and just wait for one to come up for sale here. I got mine for $2200. When new these are $4k. It takes about the same time (I waited for about 6 months and then bam there it was!) as ordering new, and no loss of quality.  Really good things come to those who wait.

[cafe67]

Anybody gone the other way, tried valves and not enjoyed or decided they werent for them ? 

Edited August 8, 2020 by cafe67

[Willmax]

On 31/07/2020 at 5:48 PM, cafe67 said:

Anybody gone the other way, tried valves and not enjoyed or decided they were for them ? 

I guess not many people, judging by the overwhelming number of responses or lack thereof 

[Bunno77]

On 31/07/2020 at 5:50 PM, KO2 said:

thank you for your kind offer, but unfortunately, I will be at my folks place in port Stephen’s for the next three weeks, I think I will bite the bullet and place my order, apparently it takes months, to acquire one and plus I have only heard good things about Weston gears and it will be an addition to my collection.

Would be interesting.
I used your VSI75 on my Paradigm Tributes with KT 120s. Also have a 75w McIntosh tube and 25w First Watt solid state. Very surprised by the First Watt and think you will be fine with the Weston. It has 18w yeah?

[zero1]

On 31/07/2020 at 6:18 PM, cafe67 said:

Anybody gone the other way, tried valves and not enjoyed or decided they were for them ? 

I did & went back to SS for my sanity.

Spent more buying different tubes to try than the equipment cost, + more time critiquing differences in tubes than listening to the music.

Fewer choices are safer for me!

 

 

[Peter_F]

On 31/07/2020 at 4:18 PM, cafe67 said:

Anybody gone the other way, tried valves and not enjoyed or decided they were for them ? 

Yepp I went full on with tubes for a couple of years, which ended after I sold the entire system.  I returned to the hobby about a year later with solid state.  I consider tubes the most unenjoyable period of my hifi affliction.    

[Lochawe]

8 minutes ago, Peter_F said:

Yepp I went full on with tubes for a couple of years, which ended after I sold the entire system.  I returned to the hobby about a year later with solid state.  I consider tubes the most unenjoyable period of my hifi affliction.    

Hi Peter_F – what tubes were you using?

I had used a variety of solid state amps for over 20 years but the last decade has been all SET tube amps first 300B and then 845 and it has been a wonderful contrast and I would be surprised if I ever went back to solid state : )

[Bisguittin]

IMO the tube journey has the ability to present something of a "poisoned chalice". As a long-time audio nut, but much more recently valve enthusiast, I am currently confronting this phenomenon. I am completely smitten with the glowey in the dark things and their beguiling sound qualities. I am finding the journey to be incredibly exciting!! But the ever-present trap is listening to the tube rush rather than the music! And the lure of the search for and acquisition of NOS Telefunkens and Siemens becomes very highly addictive. I can't even seem to stop buying tube preamps! As many of our esteemed members know, this bagatelle costs a sh*toad of money. Surely sanity needs to prevail somewhere amidst this thermionic maelstrom? And yet, the little voice in the back of my brain is getting louder and louder...........

"I wonder what this would all sound like with a vintage tube power amp?"

Poison chalice indeed!

 

[Graywulf]

On 24/07/2020 at 3:30 AM, xlr8or said:

I can't help myself. I have tallied my stock and have averaged 10 valve purchases per day since 10 October 2008 to feed the valve rolling compulsive condition I have.

 

Some of the best deals to be found are the local finds where the seller says their pop passed away and I don't know the value of each valve, and the BIN price is extremely attractive. Then I drool when I open up all those blue and red Radiotron and blue and yellow Miniwatt boxes from yesteryear and find treasured possessions sourced from all over the world that arrived into AU by ship in the past.

 

Now how addicted am I to valve rolling is really bad. I have had to replace valve sockets frequently because of this compulsive addiction I have to try every single valve under the sun. I go to bed thinking WTF why didn't I try the Brimar 12BH7 in the AU7 position because the in circuit grid voltage is biased to a more negative value or what if I combine the airy sound of the Munich toob with the Long Island NY toob to get the best sound out of the input stage of the MU pair in cascode arrangement.

 

I often wake up in the middle of the night thinking about the pure pleasure of valve rolling some lady's crafted weaving of fine wiring loom in a gassed envelope of sonic bliss.

 

Boys and girls I need therapy really bad as I am a self obsessed valveaholic.

xclr8or, there is no thereapy for this condition (I have too), just remember, the path of least resistance is through a vacuum.  anything else is futile

[Graywulf]

On 23/07/2020 at 11:00 PM, 2Dculture said:

Tube rolling is rather expensive tho... keen to know from veterans here on where is a good place to shop for tubes. I received delivery of a Willsenton R8 and quite interested to experiment in the future but the prices are putting me off. Or is this just the name of the game? 

It's the NoS power tubes that gouge your eyes out. I will not pay those crazy prices, get good quality new production ones for that. the 'pre amp/phase splitter tubes' are where I seek out NoS. You don't HAVE to have Telefunken, or a specific year Mullard, or triangular, spherical, octaganol (taking the pi** here) getter's the get good quality sound. Example I have some of the well regarded Sylvania 6SN7 types, but also have a lot cheaper (then) Brimar/Westinghouse/Admiral/RCA etc that are not really far behind them. Put your money into the small tubes, it's where the biggest difference is made. (and they last a LOT longer than power tubes).

[muon*]

I had a few SS amps early on, and a couple that never de-throned the tube amp I still use after 11 years.

 

I found the El34's I like pretty quickly after extensive research so never needed to sample many (learn from the experience of others), and I'm limited with small tubes I can use them being 6N1P and 6H30, so that has worked in my budgets favour too.

 

Only other tube amp I have owned was a little EL84 in the very early days.....as you can gather I'm really only a 16 or so year veteran in this hobby.

 

Won't likely be moving from where I'm at, amp wise.

[2Dculture]

20 hours ago, Graywulf said:

Put your money into the small tubes, it's where the biggest difference is made. (and they last a LOT longer than power tubes).

Thank you. I recently changed the preamp small tubes and there was a remarkable difference. 

[Guest]

OCD & NOS.......dangerous combination!

[Gabehcuod]

Is it possible to use a tube speaker amp with planar headphones?

Never tried the tube thing.

[A.K.]

Well, despite prior decision to downsize and get rid of equipment not being used, I missed the tube sound of my Yaqin MC100B (which was sold here to another S.N. member, a while ago).

 

..and so, mid - last week the new baby arrived from China, the Yaqin MC 13S, a slightly different and a bit smaller version of its bigger brother..

 

EL34 output tubes instead of KT88 that were used by the MC100B and, only push - pull  'ultra linear' configuration instead of choice between, U.L. and Triode mode. Also, one only power transformer as against two in the larger amp.

 

I have been listening to it, non stop for the past few days and, I must say, what I hear is beyond my expectations, especially at this price level. ( US $ 700.00) with free postage!  What a great amp this is! In fact, I think it sounds better than the MC100B!

Perhaps it's the seductive sound of the EL34 s v the KT88 of the previous amp but, it's an absolute gem, especially with Classical and Jazz music, as well as the human voice.

 

Before getting it, I was a bit concerned about the lowish output power ( 40 watts per channel) as, my speakers are both, low impedance and low sensitivity.  Well, this was totally unfounded as, the new 'toy' drives them easily to almost 80dB levels, with the volume control no further than the 10 o'clock position!  BTW, the solid state amps I also have for these speakers are Class AB 500 watt monoblocks at 8 ohm and 800 watt at 4 ohm.  Thence my initial concern.

 

So, back to square one again, with tubes ruling the day and giving SS amps costing a few thousands, a 'run for their money'!

 

[Willmax]

2 minutes ago, Arthur K said:

Well, despite prior decision to downsize and get rid of equipment not being used, I missed the tube sound of my Yaqin MC100B (which was sold here to another S.N. member, a while ago).

 

..and so, mid - last week the new baby arrived from China, the Yaqin MC 13S, a slightly different and a bit smaller version of its bigger brother..

 

EL34 output tubes instead of KT88 that were used by the MC100B and, only push - pull  'ultra linear' configuration instead of choice between, U.L. and Triode mode. Also, one only power transformer as against two in the larger amp.

 

I have been listening to it, non stop for the past few days and, I must say, what I hear is beyond my expectations, especially at this price level. ( US $ 700.00) with free postage!  What a great amp this is! In fact, I think it sounds better than the MC100B!

Perhaps it's the seductive sound of the EL34 s v the KT88 of the previous amp but, it's an absolute gem, especially with Classical and Jazz music, as well as the human voice.

 

Before getting it, I was a bit concerned about the lowish output power ( 40 watts per channel) as, my speakers are both, low impedance and low sensitivity.  Well, this was totally unfounded as, the new 'toy' drives them easily to almost 80dB levels, with the volume control no further than the 10 o'clock position!  BTW, the solid state amps I also have for these speakers are Class AB 500 watt monoblocks at 8 ohm and 800 watt at 4 ohm.  Thence my initial concern.

 

So, back to square one again, with tubes ruling the day and giving SS amps costing a few thousands, a 'run for their money'!

 

Pls Pics or it didn't happen

[A.K.]

I will take some and post them Willmax.. Tomorrow morning perhaps with plenty of daylight.  Feels and looks greatd!

The build quality is quite amazing and, I am sure, if this amp was build in the US or UK it could easily cost 5 times the price..

[Steve M]

Yaqin MC13s amplifier ...looks pretty decent.
 

[A.K.]

OK, for the benefit of "Willmax" here's some photos of the new acquisition as promised:

The two large Brystons at the bottom are ....paying attention to the newcomer!..

 

[Whites]

On 31/07/2020 at 6:18 PM, cafe67 said:

Anybody gone the other way, tried valves and not enjoyed or decided they werent for them ? 

I had both and used to swap between amplifiers. 

 

Then I discovered Pass Labs amps and eventually sold my valve amps (AM Audio 805) as not being used.

 

I did keep one JLTI modified Yaqin (EL34  tubes), couldn't quite give up valves totally (mind you haven't used it for a while).

[acg]

On 31/07/2020 at 6:18 PM, cafe67 said:

Anybody gone the other way, tried valves and not enjoyed or decided they werent for them ? 

 

Yeah, I tried valves years ago, Prima Luna stuff and they really did not work for me. 

 

 

Luckily, that experience did not take for long because I now have 30 tubes in my playback system...oops.  They just sorta ended up there and I can definitely say they really do warm the room and sound fantastic.  Tube prices vary from $2 in bulk from Russia to some lovely but expensive 80yo DHT's.  Luckily those DHT's last a long, long time when you use them right.

 

As for tube rolling...nope...I prefer to get the sound I want with the right circuit applied to the right tube and then leave it all alone and just sit down and listen.  Tubes are not the destination for me, rather the means to an end...single-ended triode end...haha