How does the gec Kt8c fit in all of this? I remember your kt8c in the diy thread but no impression was posted. I lust after the Gec kt66 too (especially the smoked glass with green/red marconi stamp), but most local sellers want to sell a matched quad instead of pair... maybe I'll just need to...

With the right tube combination, sounds very good indeed, very impressive soundstage (for an ortho). To put thing in perspective, with the same tubes I'm using for the Caldera, the treble is a bit "spikey", nothing unlistenable though. I listen to extreme metal almost everyday ... if you got...

Sylvania 6sl7/vt229 and Rectifier with RCA 5r4gy get my votes. If you could source cheap 7F7 then use those with a pair of adapter works instead of the 6sl7 too. Power tube is harder since the choice is vast. I'd vote for the .... stock JJ EL34 and the metal can 6l6 (10 bucks a pop).

Got my Fivre 807 today, you can tell how new the tube is from the non-yellowed stamps. Had to let them run in, but initial impressions are detailed and "clean", a bit less meat on the bone than says the el39 or el156 - but the way they present background/ambient cues are very addictive. Also...

To be honest, I thought 807 was only limited to those coke bottle RCA for 20 bucks a piece - kinda makes one hesitate since the adapter cost as much as the tube. It was until my local vendor send me a picture of a drawer full of weird 807 types that I've had an adapter made and snag a pair of...

On that note, could you please check 4654, 4699 and El12 spez?. There are all quite rare nowadays, but I've seen a few people directly substituting metal base 4654 and 4699 for EL34.

Wow Gz37 is compatible with the DIY Aegis?... time to grab one. EL156 and 807 tubes aren't there yet in the sheet. I think from the DIY thread, El41 should work too.

From that same Indian seller I'd guess :smile:. That said, I'm also curious about the vt-60, and all the other 807 equivalent type tube - each commands vastly different prices. Seems like everyone used to makes these for a while - the basic construction are very similar. At one point I even saw...

...Miniwatt Gz34 would probably suits my taste better (more neutral & clearer than the Mullard F31 fat base) - I'm still happy with the Mullard, but I'm very curious about the Phillips. Hopefully someone *winks winks* will compare all the variants of Gz34 (Mullard, Phillips, Zaerix) in the Aegis...

Sweet, I've been eyeing a pair of 6m6g for a few months now ... I grabbed a pair of Fivre 807 last week, waiting for the adapter to arrive. Also I remember in the DIY thread that kt8c is compatible, what about the VT-79 @L0rdGwyn ? My current "cheap" roll for the Aegis (DIY). Mullard El38...

Not necessary at all. Stock tubes sound fine, also plenty of interesting option for cheap tubes if you want to dabble "lightly" in tube rolling. Even with all the nos tubes in my drawer, sometimes I roll in the stock JJ tubes and still find the sound mesmerizing, some aspect even rivals that of...

I've been using 7F7 for a while; very nice neutral sound; pretty darn cheap too, the 7F7 > 6SL7 adapter cost more than my pair ... Another input tube that can be adapted is 6c8g, I've seen many RCA clear glass 6c8g for cheap, while the tung sol black glass one costs as much as a good pair of 6sl7.

I don't have a Yggy, but I mostly use pro Dacs with no RCA out. Was expecting huge different compare to a simple xlr -> rca cable but for my case, just a slight change in sound flavor (and wider range of volume control since my xlr signal is very hot). If you like transformer solution, you...

You could always convert XLR -> RCA if you prefer the XLR output. I have yet to wire up a 1:1 Lundahl/Cinemag XLR -> RCA, but various cheap active bump box works pretty well (with my Aegis DIY), like the Henry Engineering Matchbox HD or the Aphex 124B.

I've been wanting to ask this for a while but I kinda just forgot ... Does lower/higher bias point change the sound of the tubes - or just the power output? Like if one modifies the Aegis bias point to get near maximum plate dissipation for KT88, will the KT88 in that case sound better than...

Yea I have the 5691. Like you said, I think it's more of a lateral move than an upgrade. I have tried around 6 7 types of 6SL7 and was surprised most of them sound really good, like there's subtle change in the tonal balance rather than clear technical upgrade between them. The fomo is strong...

Wow, this is the first time I've seen these brown micanol 6SL7 with white text! I've been looking out for a reasonable priced 6su7gty pair since I built the Aegis, no luck yet. Currently rotating the Tung-Sol 6SC7GTY and I'm liking the sound ... makes me wonder if the 6su7gty is any...

Any chance for a picture of the Tung sol? Are they the 6sl7gt variant with black glass and clear top? I've been trying to get my hands on the famous tungsol 6su7gty and was always left wondering if other tung sol variants are worth collecting (the smoked & black glass, the 6sl7gt ..etc)

I have these for around $50 a piece (mostly for the nos paper box circa 1940s - in less than pristine condition these could be found for much cheaper). Very nice tube warmth with some coloring in the mid range. Depends on the power tube sometimes I prefer these to the much more expensive 5691...

A friend lent me the Susvara for the week. Very impressive technicality and similar power requirement as my OG He6 - I don't think the Aegis has any trouble driving them both, though a speaker amp would probably fare better. The Susvara is still a bit too "tame" for my taste; the EL156 helps a...

If you don't mind the look (and the slight inconvenience), go for it. You could always mark the direction of the guiding pin with some "engraving" or permanent marker pen. There's also the 3d solution of AnyDave or some guiding pin strap on I've seen on some guitar tube repair...

Sound changes aside, it would be catastrophic if one swaps dac and forgot the volume pot is maxed ... It also depends on the DAC but most I found sound (a tiny bit) better on fixed output (compared to variable output). I do admit that I'd love the idea of integrated (or headphone amp) with a...

Input tube monday! So my 7F7 and 6SC7 came in today. One of the 7F7 glow much brighter than the other, not sure if that's something to worry about though (balanced channel and no hiss no noise whatsoever). These sound quite nice, less warmth than their 6sl7 counterpart ... There's something...

Nothing like the nos 6550 (especially the tungsol solid plate); If you want to try 6550, among the new production the Svetlana winged c 6550 is quite ok, a tad bit warm though. I have fond memories of the nos 6550, used to run a quad of them in my old Kt88 push pull amp for the He6. The price...

I have seen a lot of resin wood guitar knob - they looks cute but are too small (for me) to be used as volume knob ... Haven't found anyone locally to do custom resin wood knob either. Now if Zach was to offer stabilized wood knobs for the (commercial) Aegis and the Homage ... I'll be paying...