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YAQIN CD£ TUBE BUFFER - Page 2

post #16 of 46
1/29/10 at 10:34am
I own the CD1 and the CD2 and both preform well. I use them on my systems that use speakers.

I also enjoyed them on my headphone rig, until I bought a PPA v2, after the amp, the tube buffer came out of the headphone rig as the PPA alone sounded better to me.

But, I am 'all for them' on the speaker rigs.

...
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post #17 of 46
1/29/10 at 10:40am
Well, IMHO, the 6SN7 is a better sounding tube than either the 6DJ8 or the 6AK5 - especially the 6AK5. Of course I have not compared the Chinese ones, since I have not liked most of the basic Chinese tubes at all.

The 6SN7, like the 6DJ8, is a dual-triode. They could have actually used just one. The 6AK5 is a pentode, so two were needed for that. I'm not sure if the 6SN7 has any real technical advantage over the 6DJ8 in a buffering application. The 6DJ8 and 6SN7 are both medium-mu, but since there is no gain here, I don't really know what the technical advantage of one over the other is - everything I know about this kind of tubes has to do with it's ability to provide gain versus the current draw.

But the 6SN7 is a great sounding tube!
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post #18 of 46
1/29/10 at 11:15am
Thread Starter 
I'd say they used it because of its reputation in the audiophile community. The 6J1/6AK5 version sounded great, and it was great for me because I owned a DV3322, but the use of the 6SN7 could potentially lift the CD3 onto another level.
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post #19 of 46
1/29/10 at 11:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Godkin View Post
the use of the 6SN7 could potentially lift the CD3 onto another level.
Please clarify. TIA.
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post #20 of 46
1/29/10 at 12:11pm
Thread Starter 
As I said, the use of 6SN7 could potentially enhance the CD3's performance. Of course that means possible rather than actual enhancements, as I have not heard the CD3 yet. But the 6SN7 reputation goes before it, especially in high end amplifiers, so hopefully its many virtues can be exploited in the new CD3.
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post #21 of 46
1/29/10 at 12:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Godkin View Post
the 6SN7 reputation goes before it...hopefully its many virtues can be exploited in the new CD3.
I guess I'm asking what exactly those "many virtues" might be?
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post #22 of 46
1/29/10 at 12:19pm
Many 6SN7's are great sounding - and the tube in general sounds good. My ultra-high-end Cary preamp uses EIGHT 6SN7 tubes. It sounds fantastic. Hard to pin down its exact virtues - but it has the tube magic in spades, while not being the least but syrupy (generally speaking). Hope that helps.
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post #23 of 46
2/5/10 at 7:09am
No of my offers got excepted, anyone want to pm me on how much they bought it for? I assumed the seller used 'private' to block us seeing they accepted price for this.

I'm intrested as I bought a bunch of 6SN7 tubes for use in my Jade, so its handy to have a second rig that utilises the same tubes (all the more reason to buy more tubes .. no.. to 'safe money because it uses tubes I already own' - :-) )
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post #24 of 46
2/5/10 at 11:41am
I made an offer, and they countered with $175, which I took (I got the version without the Sophias, since I have some already). This was with free shipping.

Mine has supposedly shipped...we'll see when it gets here.
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post #25 of 46
2/9/10 at 12:35pm
Well - it got here quick! Arrived yesterday - via UPS of all things.

I powered it up with the Chinese tubes just to ensure it had arrived in working condition - which it did. But I then immediately disassembled the "tube cage" or whatever they call it, and made a couple little changes







For those not familiar, I am using mine with Tung-Sol 6F8G's, which are electrically identical to the 6SN7, with the obvious exception of the grid cap, which means they require an pin adapter to work. But they sound awesome, and look uber-cool

So outfitted with the 1940's TS 6F8G's, I connected it in between my Denon CD player and the Meier Concerto I have in for review - I wanted to use it with a solid state amp - no point in using a tube buffer with a tube amp, IMO. So far I have to confess I find the change in sound VERY subtle, but there does seem to be a little tube midrange magic added to the mix. The Concerto is a terrific amp in its own right, so maybe this is not the ideal configuration, but for sure the Yaqin does not screw up the sound - which is good. And I do think there is a little extra bloom and lushness to the mids, in a GOOD way - no bloat or anything that impedes transparency.

Anyway, that's my thought so far. Nicely built for $175. No complaints.
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post #26 of 46
2/9/10 at 1:37pm
Thread Starter 
Good to see your CD3 arrived safely, Skylab. Those 6F8G tubes look fantastic, really gothic, like something from a Frankenstein movie.
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post #27 of 46
4/1/10 at 2:34pm
wow this cd3 looks nice. i wonder how it compares to the cd2....

i allready have the cd2 and enough mullards m8100's to last me a lifetime, but the upgrade-virus is still here, and this looks like a nice upgrade from the cd2.
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post #28 of 46
4/1/10 at 2:50pm
I've continued to enjoy mine. Using it between an iMod iPod and the Meier Audio Concerto - very good combo.
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post #29 of 46
4/1/10 at 5:22pm
what's a "psathin"? Homer is rolling over in his grave...
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post #30 of 46
4/11/10 at 3:17pm
ok, i've just ordered a cd3. i will compare it to the cd2 when i get it. untill now i dont like the fact it uses the more expensive 6sn7 tubes (because they are draining my paypal account). Compared the 6ak5 tubes i had to buy for my cd2 and darkvoice 3322 the 6sn7 tubes can get costly....
i will have a variety of tubes when the cd3 comes in.

any 6sn7 recommendations for a first time 6sn7 user???
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