The Decware TABOO MK 111 Thread
Jun 28, 2013 at 10:26 AM Post #782 of 2,112
Quote:
 
 
When I talked to Steve about warranty work and re-certification, he said they go into a different queue than the new orders.  The line is apparently significantly shorter.

Thanks Dave
That info is much appreciated...
Is there any way,I can access this warranty line from their website/forum??
 
Jun 28, 2013 at 10:34 AM Post #783 of 2,112
Quote:
Quote:
 
 
When I talked to Steve about warranty work and re-certification, he said they go into a different queue than the new orders.  The line is apparently significantly shorter.

Thanks Dave
That info is much appreciated...
Is there any way,I can access this warranty line from their website/forum??

I have never seen that report online. Probably a phone call to Sarah....
 
Jun 28, 2013 at 1:05 PM Post #786 of 2,112
Quote:
Oh i didnt know you could use the 5751 tubes in place of 6dj8s.

Might have to try these out too then. How do they compare to the Sylvania?

I'm using it ,in place of the 12au7,'s--not the 6dj8's--not even sure ,I can use the 6dj8's on my taboo II?
 
To the best of my knowledge,the 5751 is the military version of the 12ax7?
Someone ,please correct me ,if I'm wrong on this??
 
Jun 28, 2013 at 1:19 PM Post #787 of 2,112
Quote:
I'm using it ,in place of the 12au7,'s--not the 6dj8's--not even sure ,I can use the 6dj8's on my taboo II?
 
To the best of my knowledge,the 5751 is the military version of the 12ax7?
Someone ,please correct me ,if I'm wrong on this??

Oh this was my mistake. I missed where you had a MK II. 
 
I might have seen some interesting sparks if I had put those tubes in my Taboo lol
 
Jun 28, 2013 at 1:25 PM Post #788 of 2,112
Well,you might be able to???,but,I would definetly check,before you buy.
 
Both Sylvania's I mention before,are 5751 tubes
The Raytheon windmill getter,is a 5751 as well.
 
I'm sure one the more senior members,knows if they{5751} are usable ,on the Taboo III.
 
Jun 28, 2013 at 1:44 PM Post #789 of 2,112
Quote:
Well,you might be able to???,but,I would definetly check,before you buy.
 
Both Sylvania's I mention before,are 5751 tubes
The Raytheon windmill getter,is a 5751 as well.
 
I'm sure one the more senior members,knows if they{5751} are usable ,on the Taboo III.

 
Yes. 5751/12ax7/12au7/12at7 etc types are good in either Taboo.
 
CSP2+ can only use 6922/7308/6N1P/etc types.
 
They are not interchangeable... don't do it. :)
 
Jun 28, 2013 at 1:49 PM Post #790 of 2,112
Quote:
 
Yes. 5751/12ax7/12au7/12at7 etc types are good in either Taboo.
 
CSP2+ can only use 6922/7308/6N1P/etc types.
 
They are not interchangeable... don't do it. :)

On the Taboo, I wonder how something like a 12ax7 would sound compared to 6922.  Just a different flavor, or is there something completely different going on here?
 
Jun 28, 2013 at 2:16 PM Post #792 of 2,112
Quote:
On the Taboo, I wonder how something like a 12ax7 would sound compared to 6922.  Just a different flavor, or is there something completely different going on here?

 
Well, the 12AX7's and their cousins were designed as audio tubes.  The 6DJ8 and its variants were originally video tubes and have a significantly wider bandwidth. 
 
Jun 28, 2013 at 2:38 PM Post #793 of 2,112
Quote:
 
Well, the 12AX7's and their cousins were designed as audio tubes.  The 6DJ8 and its variants were originally video tubes and have a significantly wider bandwidth. 

 
Does that mean something potentially good?  As in for my/our purposes wider bandwidth is better for some reason?
 
Jun 28, 2013 at 2:48 PM Post #794 of 2,112
  Steve really does outfit everyone with a terrific set of stock tubes.  I have become a big fan of the stock 6N1P's in the CSP2+. The Genelax 6922 is a great tube for the input position. I have enjoyed the USAF-596's a lot. So far the Philips are showing really well. I have had them playing for about 12 hours now. I got them from Upscale Audio as new tubes. So far so good for sound. I suspect they are going to be a bit airier on the top end. I am using a small Def Tech Supercube 3 for a sub with the Decware DM945's. For speaker listening, I have plenty of bottom end...
biggrin.gif

 
I'll put the HD800's on tonight and see if the Philips can keep up on the bottom with the 596's.

 
I thought the Philips 5R4GYS was detailed but gutless. Almost no bass. It was my least favorite rectifier in the Decware amps.
 
Let me cut-and-paste my personal notes from this year... 
 
Now presenting my personal "Rectifier Rolling Roundup" (using CSP2+ with HD800):
 
Note: All tubes ranked WORST to BEST. All opinions are my own 2c so no refunds or guarantees final sale only yada yada. I broke them up into tiers which represented notable jumps in sound quality.
 
And now... the RRR:
 
Tier one: Not ready for prime time
Philips 5R4GYS - Very detailed but too sterile/cerebral. Weak bass. Blech.
Shuguang (stock tube) 5U4G - Unremarkable by any measure. Truly generic tube.
RCA brown base 5R4GY - Lush midrange but bass is too strong, sloppy, and bloated.
 
Tier two: The steely trio
Sylvania 5Y3GT red lettering - Excellent sparkly detail up top, but suffers from that Philips-esque steely/lack of lushness/soft bass thing.
Tung Sol 5Y3GT - Similar to the Sylvania with slightly better bass but again too flat and sterile. Voices lack the magic. Sort of "hi fi" sounding.
Bendix 6106 - Similar to the above, but a bit brighter up top. Pass.
 
Tier three: Competent, but unremarkable
RCA 5U4G black base - Decently lush and top-to-bottom tubey-ness, but... meh.
Sylvania 5U4G - Similar to the RCA 5U4G above. A bit darker.
Tung Sol 5U4G - The best of the cheap 5U4G's. Better balanced than the Sylvania, but still unmemorable. Keep looking.
 
***you are now crossing the DMZ Line of Recommendation***
 
Tier four: I could live with that... if I had to
Valve Art 274B cryo - Lively soundstage and finally some tubey magic. Bass is a bit light, but not sterile. A good & cheap starter tube, but why stop here?
Mazda 5Y3GB mini coke bottle - Neat-o heater & bottle design. A bit better definition than the Valve Art.
Sylvania 5Y3G mini coke bottle - Similar to the Mazda, although more delicate and distant. Resembles a "polite USAF-596".
Brimar 5R4GY - A little soft on top, but the midrange is truly gorgeous. Bass really pumps. This one is a bit of a midrange specialist, but it certainly creates magic there.
USAF-596 - Very detailed, top to bottom. Also looks cool. Overall excellent. However... there is a subtle lifelessness to it that I do not like. It's slight... but it's there. Enough to make me keep looking. But I think most folks would be happy to stop here and enjoy the ride.
 
Tier five: The ones I kept
RCA 5Y3GT - Amazingly cheap yet it ROCKS w/solid bass presence and tone. It lacks that final n'th of detail compared to some of the others, but it's hardly a dealbreaker. Lots of personality here. This tube was featured at the Austin 2013 meet & it was very well received.
EML 5U4G meshplate - My favorite. Yeah, it's the most expensive by far, but it beats all the rest in this lineup. Maximum detail and gobs of lush evocative tube magic. The only ding would be that the bass doesn't quite slam with as much authority as the RCA... but it isn't deficient by any means. Especially when paired with a good visceral signal tube up front like the Mullard old shield 1960's/70's E88CC. Ultimately, the EML's finesse is what carries the day. It just gives me the most of what I dig about tube amps. Just be sure to let it warm up for about 30 minutes for maximum effect. 
 
Happy rolling! 
 
Jun 28, 2013 at 2:50 PM Post #795 of 2,112
Tech question ,from Taboo newbie:
 
Am I correct that all these tubes types ,can be used on the Taboo II amp?
 
 [size=small]5U4, GZ32, GZ34/5AR4, 5Y3, 6X4 and other rectifier tubes [/size] & GZ37 ?
 

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