6SN7 Tube Addicts - Page 118

One entirely positive thing is the bass.  Solid state sounding in a *good* way.  Anybody who thinks tube bass needs to sound soft or slow needs to hear this.  It strikes like lightning, the attack on notes in general is just amazing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xcalibur255 

Didn't quite turn out how I was hoping it would.  Biggest surprise is it results in even more detail.  The clarity and focus is really something.  Bad part is it makes the amp sound sterile and quite SS-ish.  I can't connect emotionally with the new sound, which is what matters most in the end.

 

I still think it was worth doing though.  The effect it had for piano music was almost entirely positive, so the switch can be flipped for the material that it brings improvements for rather than being left in the new mode all the time.

Sorry to hear of your disappointment. The switch is quite clever. And to me, worth the pursuit - sometimes there are rewards to be had.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackmore 

I just missed this pair, but bought a single one from the same seller, same tube, any thoughts?

 

 

 

 

 

So, what do they tend to go for? Any idea what they sound like? Yes, I'm quietly rubbing my hands together... 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silent One 

Sorry to hear of your disappointment. The switch is quite clever. And to me, worth the pursuit - sometimes there are rewards to be had.

 

That's how I feel about it, and the point has also been proven.  If you accomodate its plate current needs properly instead of just letting it live off of whatever a 6AS7 circuit gives it (which isn't enough), the 5998 shows untapped potential.  My sort of "aww" reaction mostly comes from not making that emotional connection with the music, which is why we listen in the long run.  If you temporarily set that aside the improvement in clarity and transparency is quite substantial and really came as a surprise to me.  I imagine people who like the 7236 would be blown away by a properly fed 5998.  The mod unleashed the beast and from an analytical point of view I'm impressed.  Then the heart strings tug and say "we're not clicking" and I become torn. 

Thank goodness I can put it back to the way it sounded before at the flip of a switch. 

I always wanted clarity and transparency in a tube amp as my first priority. Then a good airy presentation to the sound. I also have to make sure that my source and  supporting equipment are up to the task of keeping everything as musical as possible. In other words I want the amp to be very analytical but musical at the same time. My tube choices reflect that.

I think you'd be impressed by this mod then.  It leans more towards analytical than musical to my ears, but the jump in clarity was pretty big I must say.  I must also admit I'm receiving the sound a bit better now that I've taken a break and re-visited.  My intial choice of tracks accidentally made the clinical sound worse than it apparently is as I'm now finding some stuff that sounds really wonderful running off the new 5998 setting as well.  Everything sounds clearer, but not everything is more enjoyable is the best way to put it, but instrumental tracks benefit almost universally.  The amp just screams power with the new setting too, very dynamic.  I'm feeling better and better about the change the more I listen, but I'm glad I can always go back and forth between the two sounds too.

I have great respect for the 5998 tube now.  It is much better than most people know running it in 6AS7 circuits.  It really blows the 6AS7 away for clarity and realism.

Your brain will adjust to the more clarity and hopefully it will become more normal and natural as time goes by. One drawback is that poor recordings may not sound as good. Happy for you.

Just receieved these very nice bambino's.

Quote:

Originally Posted by john57 

Your brain will adjust to the more clarity and hopefully it will become more normal and natural as time goes by. One drawback is that poor recordings may not sound as good. Happy for you.

Thanks, and I think there is a lot of truth to your statement.  I believe my initial reaction was overly negative because I was hoping to be greeted by the same lovely warm sound I heard from the amp the first time I ever played it (with the always syrupy RCA 6AS7Gs in admittedly) only with more fine detail, and what greeted me was something different.  Definitely was worth doing, and the more I listen the more it is agreeing with me too.  Funny thing about poor recordings, some of them do have more edge to them, but some actually sound better too with less harshness than before.  I never know what I'm going to get when I revisit each familiar song. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by rosgr63 

Xcalibur, which driver are you using?

Sylvania 6SN7GT Chrome Dome.  The ones whose getter flash covers almost the entire glass, not the later types.  It has been my preferred tube in both of my tube amps so far, excepting the Tung Sols.  The round plates have never been in this amp actually, something I'm planning to try out very soon.

Some people will state that tubes will never match the clarity of Solid State, I disagree. I need good clarity so that in addition to music I use my amp for movies and TV shows.  If my amp has a gritty or grainy texture to the sound then I will state that there is some wrong with the amp and that is one of the main issues that I had with Solid State audio equipment. Latter you may have to re-roll your favorite driver tubes to reaffirm your choices.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xcalibur255 

Sylvania 6SN7GT Chrome Dome.  The ones whose getter flash covers almost the entire glass, not the later types.  It has been my preferred tube in both of my tube amps so far, excepting the Tung Sols.  The round plates have never been in this amp actually, something I'm planning to try out very soon.

Maybe you should try one of the round plates and see if it mellows the 5998 a little.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2359glenn 

Maybe you should try one of the round plates and see if it mellows the 5998 a little.
 

 

In the Woo the Sylvania was the more mellow tube actually.  The reason I like this particular type of Sylvania tube so much is because it is mellow but still nicely detailed.  I'm definitely trying the round plate though, as I suspect the amp's already holographic imaging with the new mod will be really something since I think that is the round plate's best quality.  I need to try the Hitachi soon too as I have a hunch it will work well with the new setting also.

It's growing on me though.  I hope my initial impression didn't sound overly negative because I am quite impressed actually.  John is right, I have a habit of not giving things enough time to settle in.