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On 15/01/2021 at 2:54 PM, Bisguittin said:

@xlr8or Oh Great One. The rubber bands have been banished forever and I am now worshipping at the altar of the thermionic dark side. 

2 separately acquired OS Hytron 12BH7's have been enlisted to join the Raytheon 5751 windmill-getters in the Ming da MC-7R. It is too early to be definitive about the possible changes in musical texture as the new inmates need some time to settle in.

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This tube rolling stuff is intriguing! @xlr8or I have now been listening solidly for a week without a clear preference. What I can say is that the rendition of music is superb in both combinations. When the Hytron 12BH7's were initially introduced there was a very noticeable and disconcerting hum coming through the speakers. Most annoying!! I attempted some potential remedies to no avail until in sheer desperation I swapped the tubes left for right. Incredibly (and mysteriously) hum virtually gone. As the "new" tubes settled in, the system started to exhibit a "sweetness" that had not been present before. I listen almost exclusively to vinyl and my eclectic taste tends to lean towards folk and acoustic music. I find Ry Cooder supplies me with some very useful personal reference points. "We Shall Be Happy" (Jazz), and "The Ballad of Jesse James" (The Long Riders) provide wonderful listening opportunities. With Hytron's in place alongside Raytheon 5751 Windmills, the Ming-da did a fine job feeding my Halcro MC20 and Duntech Sratesmen. The sound was wonderfully detailed and conveyed an essence of "liveness" around the performers. Imaging was pinpoint with an expansive soundstage. Was the sound superior to the Telefunken ECC802S configuration? Each compliment has its own strengths and limitations. I fancy that the Teles displayed a slightly better sense of dynamics upon a lower noise floor, but who knows? These thermionic hijinks are very much a matter of opinion and debate is decidedly First World. Suffice to say, you couldn't go far wrong with either of these combinations. The biggest winner in all this has probably been my Aric Audio 3.7 which is currently hosting the Telefunken's.

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@Bisguittin Thanks for sharing this feedback regarding the white printed label 1951 Hytron 12BH7 tall bottle roll for the 12AU7 position. Give it a bit more burn-in time and the dynamics and soundstage should improve even further.

 

From the feedback you've shared it appears that rolling this position in the Ming da MC-7R is less critical than the 5751 roll. Nonetheless, the one thing that stands out is balancing the tube roll configuration to suit your own listening tastes is critical. I suspect the Raytheon windmill getter 5751's have similar tonal characteristics to the Hytron 12BH7's; that warm immersive captivating soundstage and imaging aspect.

 

My only other recommendation is that you also give the Heerlen Holland E80CC a try in the near future. Any of the straight tall bottle O-shaped getter gold pin types from the 1960's should be fine, as they were all made in the same place. ?

Edited by xlr8or
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Lampizator Buffalo Sabre DAC with it's 6SN7 rolled with an ECC34 ST shaped inverted solid cup getter octal made in the Mullard Blackburn factory in 1950. There is only one word to describe it's sound, 'exquisite'. ???

 

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Edited by xlr8or
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1 minute ago, muon* said:

@xlr8or Is it me or did you tidy up that dac since last pics.

 

I'll send it to you so can take a peak inside. ? The bloody thing sounds totally awesome. One of Lukasz's first prototype DACs before he went commercial. My understanding is that it was modified by him 4 times more since its original inception. Hard to get this information from the Polish seller I got this from as they are best buds. ???

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10 minutes ago, xlr8or said:

 

I'll send it to you so can take a peak inside. ? The bloody thing sounds totally awesome. One of Lukasz's first prototype DACs before he went commercial. My understanding is that it was modified by him 4 times more since its original inception. Hard to get this information from the Polish seller I got this from as they are best buds. ???

Eh, maybe It's the angle :D

 

Should be a nice sounding thing :thumb:

 

 

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Zenith branded Sylvania USA made black coated glass and chrome top dome metal collar 7N7 loctal bottle manufactured in March 1941 just arrived in the post. ?

 

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Edited by xlr8or
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  • 3 weeks later...


  • 4 weeks later...

Another roll. This time we have the MFA Systems Magus A2 highly modified thermionic vacuum 4-bottled preamp.

 

Just replaced the 1960's A-frame getter Heerlen Dutch 6DJ8/ECC88 with a 1960's Matushita Japanese halo getter 6AQ8/ECC85. W00t! 

 

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Edited by xlr8or
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  • 2 weeks later...


10 minutes ago, fell off the boat said:

 

Winter is coming....


Hasn’t anyone ever told you that evens are bad luck?
 

You need to go with odds and recommend he add another valve unit. ?

Edited by xlr8or
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  • 2 weeks later...

No my tubes, but a set I have been fortunate enough to borrow for a while - the Prima Luna EVO 400.

I’ve tried my solid state pre with the EVO 400 power, EVO 400 pre/power combo, and finally I’m running the EVO 400 pre with my solid state power. 
It’s been a fascinating experiment and I’m extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to play with such a beautiful amp.

Overall, I think the tube pre with my SS power gives the best result. I’m getting beautiful midrange, forward vocals and some good slam and control in the bass department. Some typical rounding off of the hard edges and lovely air and separation. I think I’m a convert. 
 

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