Schiit Lyr - The tube rolling thread

[koonhua90]

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Ouch, that's gotta hurt!  Sorry for your tube troubles.  If you like sparkle and less warmth, consider Telefunkens...they are a drier, more detailed tube with (what I thought was) sparkle.
 
-HK sends
 
 

Well the Telefunken and Siemens can be a bit too dry sounding at times. Good for shorter listening sessions, but too much treble sparkle causes ear fatigue for me, if I want to listen to it for a long time.
 
I think between the more warm sounding Amperex 6922 and the Siemens/Telefunkens, the middle ground is what I like for long listening. I find that the Amperex 7308 is pretty good, almost no microphonics, and haven't died yet, unlike the Mullard and Siemens. I also like Valvo a lot....slightly warmer than Siemens/Telefunkens, but not overly lush. And it's very smooth...I hope that the Valvo CCa will not have the microphonics problem like on the Valvo E88CC.
 

 

[WNBC]

Yup, you gotta be able to stop the roll whenever, balance tube purchases against new headphones.
 
HK, these National 6922 are actually pretty good.  Very good bass.  Not as detailed or airy as say the Lorenz tubes.  Not as much as gain as others but that's fine.  Definitely keepers, I will keep them in for a while longer, they're growing on me but unless they get dramatically better over time the Lorenz is still in the lead.
 
jamato8, those 6N1Ps 3-mica are rare, can't find them anywhere.

 
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Wanna know what's sad? Both my Siemens E188CC and CV 2493 each has 1 tube that has died. Coincidentally, both are made in the 70s, and both do not have splatter shield. 

 
So now I am living with the Amperex 7308, Telefunken E88CC, Valvo E88CC (I don't dare to try this pair, but from my impression last time I really like how it sounds), and the Amperex 6922 USN (a bit too warm and congested sounding for my liking, I guess this will be great with headphones with slightly recessed mids). The Amperex 7308 is not as buttery and warm as the Amperex 6922, and also has better soundstage, which I like more. The Telefunken E88CC sounds pretty much like the Siemens, well, not that I can compare them now, since the Siemens died. I found that the German tubes with less warmth and more sparkle fits my headphone more. The final pair of tubes is something that I got for $80....it's a pair of Valvo CCa, which should be here before next week. Sometimes, some good tubes just go by on Ebay without much people fighting for it.
 
Eventually, imo any decent vintage tubes will sound good. Just read up some reviews and see how they sound. I don't think I am gonna spend that much more on tubes anymore. The only tubes that I will get is the Siemens E188CC and the Siemens CCa, if any comes by. If I am spending like 400 on tubes, I'd rather spend it on the Fischer Audio FA-002 with Karelian Birch cup. Or throw in another 300 and get the HE-500 headphone.

 

 

[HK_sends]

Quote:

Yup, you gotta be able to stop the roll whenever, balance tube purchases against new headphones.
 
HK, these National 6922 are actually pretty good.  Very good bass.  Not as detailed or airy as say the Lorenz tubes.  Not as much as gain as others but that's fine.  Definitely keepers, I will keep them in for a while longer, they're growing on me but unless they get dramatically better over time the Lorenz is still in the lead.
 
jamato8, those 6N1Ps 3-mica are rare, can't find them anywhere.

I agree with you that they don't beat the Lorenz, but since the Lorenz are pretty hard to find at the moment, these make a pretty good option for those looking for good sound.
Again, it's IMHO and YMMV...

 
Cheers!

-HK sends
 
 

 

[koonhua90]

Wooh...speaking of not tube rolling. One pair of 1964 NOS Amperex 7308 just came up on Ebay for $100, with one extra free tube, and I snatched it immediately. After the mishap with the 70s and 80s tubes, I firmly believe that NOS tubes from the 60s are better. Amperex 7308 is pretty rare now, and for that price I'd say it's a bargain. I will use it as a backup for my current tubes, and sell some of the ones.

 

[HK_sends]

Quote:

Wooh...speaking of not tube rolling. One pair of 1964 NOS Amperex 7308 just came up on Ebay for $100, with one extra free tube, and I snatched it immediately. After the mishap with the 70s and 80s tubes, I firmly believe that NOS tubes from the 60s are better. Amperex 7308 is pretty rare now, and for that price I'd say it's a bargain. I will use it as a backup for my current tubes, and sell some of the ones.

Nice catch!  Good thing you're not into rolling anymore...

 
Cheers!

-HK sends
 
 

 

[koonhua90]

 
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Nice catch!  Good thing you're not into rolling anymore...

 
Cheers!

-HK sends
 
 

Well I have kinda found what I like. It's really quite true that the E188CC/7308 sounds better than their E88CC/6922 variants, maybe not for every brand, but at least it is true for the Amperex tubes I have. Apart from the overly warm sounding Amperex 6922, I think I can live with any other tubes, be it Valvo E88CC, Mullard CV 2493, Siemens E188CC, Amperex 7308, Telefunken E88CC. 
 

 

[HK_sends]

Quote:

Well I have kinda found what I like. It's really quite true that the E188CC/7308 sounds better than their E88CC/6922 variants, maybe not for every brand, but at least it is true for the Amperex tubes I have. Apart from the overly warm sounding Amperex 6922, I think I can live with any other tubes, be it Valvo E88CC, Mullard CV 2493, Siemens E188CC, Amperex 7308, Telefunken E88CC. 

That's what's important...it's all about finding the sound you like!
 
Cheers!

-HK sends
 
 

 

[flu_fighter]

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Well folks,
 
Thanks to Macedonianhero, I have found another great-sounding tube for the Lyr; and get this, it's a 6922...but with real bass as well.  While I found the 6922s to be very musical, I always thought the bass was lacking...thus my journey on the ECC88/PCC88 express.  But the Matsu"schiit"a/National 6922s offered on Tubemonger have somehow been made to include excellent bass extension (must be the Mullard tooling they used).  After only four hours of listening, these are already rapidly becoming my personal favorite (next to the Lorenz PCC88s).

 
And, they're only $80 a set...
 
Cheers!

-HK sends
 
PS - I already got my backup sets...

So which is better the National PCC88 or the Matsu****a 6922?
 
I have a pair of CCas coming in, so I finally get to compare them with the Valvo pinched waist D-getter PCC88 which is my favourite so far.
The pinched waist tubes really makes the Lyr sound like a sultry siren.
 
 
 

 

[HK_sends]

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So which is better the National PCC88 or the Matsu****a 6922?
 
I have a pair of CCas coming in, so I finally get to compare them with the Valvo pinched waist D-getter PCC88 which is my favourite so far.
The pinched waist tubes really makes the Lyr sound like a sulty siren.

I need a sultry siren in my life...the only sirens I hear are police sirens...or ambulance when they come take me away...

To me, the Matsu/National 6922s are much better sounding than the Matsu/National PCC88s, which is really surprising because on the whole, I prefer the PCC88 sound.
 
Cheers!

-HK sends
 
 

 

[obazavil]

Stay away from me devils!
 
I won't buy another tube flavor of the week... I must.. not.. buy... National Matsu 6922...
 
Look... somewhere... else... think.. of... rabbits...
 
haha
 
 

 

[mmayer167]

ooo shiney objects 

 

 

[xxhaxx]

Quote:

Stay away from me devils!
 
I won't buy another tube flavor of the week... I must.. not.. buy... National Matsu 6922...
 
Look... somewhere... else... think.. of... rabbits...
 
haha
 
 

I would be all over this if I didn't already have a set 

 

 

[jamato8]

While the 7DJ8 types are used in the 6.3 volt heater setup, you will not hear them at their best unless run at the designated filament voltage. The sound of the tube is changed at these lower than optimum settings. 

 

[HK_sends]

      Quote:

While the 7DJ8 types are used in the 6.3 volt heater setup, you will not hear them at their best unless run at the designated filament voltage. The sound of the tube is changed at these lower than optimum settings. 

If the Lorenz PCC88/7DJ8 sounds this good in the Lyr with only a six volt heater, I can't imagine how good it would sound in an amp with a 7 volt heater.
 
Cheers!

-HK sends

 
 

 

[koonhua90]

Today my new tubes came. I guess even though not many people are not in thread anymore, it wouldn't harm to take some nice photos. After all, who don't like photos? 

 

 
 

 
So far so good, even in less than half a min of listening, the 60s Valvo CCa is a breed of its kind. Until the real NOS white label Amperex 7308 comes in I won't be able to compare them. But based on the Amperex 7308 (one side is white label, one side is orange, one is 1966, one is 1967) that I listened a few moments ago, the CCa sounds better for my ears, with less warmth and more sparkle. It's the lift that LCD-3 needs.
  
I guess after spending about 2 months hunting for tubes I got lucky, and I got this pair of CCa for $80. It comes in original box with the serial # on it, one is 352478 and one is 352451. What a bargain. This song sounds so good with CCa....