Darkvoice just released 332 - Page 50

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The vendor sent both me and another member amps with the wrong voltage.

The other member saw my post and refused to accept the amp when it arrived - it was returned by EMS to the vendor, and he finally received the amp he ordered after about a month, or so.

I wasn't so lucky... I accepted the amp, before I discovered that the vendor had sent me the wrong amp - even after I had confirmed the correct amp with him prior to purchase/shipment. The vendor has refused to send me the correct amp, which I ordered. I had to file a complaint with Mastercard to get my money back - which I now have. But... I've still got the vendor's amp, which he sent me incorrectly. He still refuses to pay for the return shipment of his amp.

While I'm not "out-of-pocket" anything on this transaction, thanks to Mastercard - the vendor is unreliable... and will not stand behind the amps he sells, or assure the buyer he will receive what he orders.

Hopefully... you'll be a "lucky buyer" - and receive the amp you order.

Received my tube dampers this afternoon. Here's some pics:







I am not going to rush to conclusions, but so far they are very good. Bass, at first, seemed lighter, though tighter and more articulate. I have been told that they take several hours to begin to work optimally, but the bass has already deepened somewhat. Midrange and top-end are delightful: the sound appears to be more airy and open, with the music more focused and real.

Just bought the 332 from Jasmine at ebay!

To shorten the waiting time, I'll go hunting for some tubes for the amp =)

Any recommandation is very much appreciated!

Good on you, Nor Spoon. Yes, look for the 6S19P-Bs (Vs) from ULYANOVSK and SVETLANA. They are the mechinally improved versions of the ordinary 6S19P.

The 6AK5 is the basic US valve. Look out for the improved versions - the 6AK5W and the 5654 (add "W" or "SQ" to this for even better types). The European equivalent of the 6AK5 is the EF95. Again, there are improved versions of this valve - the M8100 and the military CV4010. To complicate this even further WESTERN ELECTRIC designate their valves differently: the 6AK5 is generally the 403A and the improved type is the 403B. The Soviet version of the 6AK5 is the 6J1P and the "ruggedised" 6J1P-EV.

Is that with the Svetlana's and Mullards, or RCA's?

At the minute I am running WE 403Bs and SVETLANAs.

Just bought some tubes: 6S19P-V. Seems to be from the Ulyanovsk fabric.

Wondering if the following tubes will do the trick:

Matched pair JAN RAYTHEON 6AK5W ,
NOS Sylvania 6AK5 WB
and finally
6AK5W EF95 MULLARD quad NOS tube CV850

Someone considered better than others, or are they all good?

Your have picked some good tubes there. The Raytheons I have not tried (the ones you have chosen are US military versions - the "JAN" stands for Joint Army Navy). I have a pair of RAYTHEON CK5654s wending their way from the States so I will give them a try.

Some on this forum swear by SYLVANIA tubes. I have only tried one pair of 5654 Greens and they hummed like hell. But I would not be put off by that - might just have been a bad pair.

The EF95 - and its superior brother - the M8100 are excellent tubes. Depends what brand you buy, but the MULLARDs have a very lush, rich and open sound. The CV850 is a British military valve (the "CV" means Common Valve, a military designation), but it was superceded by the CV4010. In all likehood, they were manufacured by MULLARD, so they will typically have the MULLARD house sound described above.

But as everything in audio it is all very personal. Only you own ears can judge.

In general (but not with these specific tubes) my experience with Raytheon tubes has been excellent.

Thanks for the help Godkin!

I ordered the NOS Sylvania 6AK5 WB.
I guess I'll order some of the others too while I'm at it.

Good thing that this puppy use inexpensive tubes =)

No problems, Nor Spoon. One of the great things about owning a 332 is the cheapness of the tubes, and there seems to be an inexhaustible supply of them too.

A relatively neglected, if not totally ingored, area of tube rolling is the topic of Japanese tubes. Perhaps because of the US occuption of Japan following WW2, their tubes have the same designations as those in America - the 6AK5, 6AK5W, and 5654. The main producers of these tubes were TOSHIBA-MATSUDA and NEC. Certainly an option for the future, but I suspect the technology would have been heavily influenced by developments in the US.

The RAYTHEON CK5654s arrived this afternoon. Burning in as I speak, but everything appears sweet. Especially with these tube dampers - superb.

Ah! Finally I found some Mullard M8100 for sale on ebay! Nice!
Looks like they are very difficult to get.

They can be hard to get, but the odd pair pops up on E-Bay.

I can see where all this is going. What startet out as an innocent HD650 purchase, is now turning into an unstoppable train of "must-upgrade-the-weakest-link" purchases!

Now off to look for a second and third job!

There's some seller that has >70 of the M8100's a few days ago, but they're pretty pricey.