[Boringer]

Thanks xplosive.
 
I find some people may say that the TH900 somehow has a "thin" characteristic.
But to me personally, I think it's not.
Indeed it has a balance from top to bottom and not too exaggerated in one region.
It's a monstrous detail for me.
You feed it with bad recording, it will rip it apart ruthlessly.
But with good recording and paired it with the TU, it's a perfect combination (for me at least).
The vocal is very very seductive.
Well, I believe it might not anyone's cup of tea obviously. 

 
Btw, I'm using the RWAK-100 and AK-120 as the source.
Here's the gem... 

 

[bmichels]

Ok guys, who has an interconnect recommendation?

I am very very happy with this one from FORZA.  And the lengh is perfect for me with the RWAK100 in the pocket;
 

 

[bmichels]

  today the two tango output transformers arrived!
 

 
i coudn't resist to connect them to the tu-05 to have a first impression if they fit and how they sound:
 

 
 
so at first i connected the output transformers with 5 KOhm primary impedance to the tu-05 and secondary 8 Ohms to my DIY grado style headphone.
 
I HAD NEVER THOUGHT OR DREAMED OF THAT THIS WOULD BE SUCH A GREAT IMPROVEMENT !!!!!
 

 
very encouraging !  but boy they are BIG !  So, no chance at all for us to fit them in our "standard" TU-05
 
-->  Do you have ideas of "upgrade" transformer that will be small enough to fit in the place of the original transformers ?

 

[woodcans]

@ian: #tubeenvy
 
@Boringer: Love the photos. That Fostex 'reflector' is classic!
 
@SamEdwards: I love my BTG Audio 8 strand. Have had it for many months. Sounds great.

 

[GermanGuy]

  @ian I always love the marconi's tube looks.. it really give beautiful colors to the amp
 
@borringer again another great picture, I always wondering how the vocal sound with th900 + tu05 set up. Out of my ak100 stock i find it too thin..
 
@Sam Edwards if you like vocal you should try gold plated copper cable. I love it. But if you like detail and clean sound you might try pure silver cable. thats imo. please correct me if i am wrong.
 
@GG I can not imagine the final cost of tu05 GG version.. please keep up the great works!

 
did you ever listen to the MUNDORF pure silver / gold cable / wires i bought for the internal recableling?
 
btw - to really have a double mono design independent of the input, i have nearly decided to buy input attenuator transformers, because even when on the input side groung left-right is connected, on the tu-05 side then there are two sepearate transformer outputs with no connection between.
 
btw, better only imagine cost than knowing it!

 

[GermanGuy]

   
very encouraging !  but boy they are BIG !  So, no chance at all for us to fit them in our "standard" TU-05
 
-->  Do you have ideas of "upgrade" transformer that will be small enough to fit in the place of the original transformers ?

 
i check internet and ebay nearly on a daily basis for output transformers, there is one output transformer especially made for the DL92, but they are all larger to have a good bass extension. after having received the larger case i will check the possible size. nevertheless when i have received the universal output transformers and have tested the best primary impedances i will try to find a company making small enough output transformers.

 

[ianmedium]

Oh woodcans and Boringer.. The kings of photography, just stunning pictures chaps!

I have some really excellent news for folks who really wanted a pair of my Lorenz Stuttgart DF91 tubes! These are not to be confused with ITT Lorenz's which though sound good do not apparently sound quite as good as the Stuttgart ones, I have no idea if thats true as I have not heard the ITT ones, but apparently others who have heard both feel the Stuttgart ones are better sounding.

Anyway, I digress!

I did not want to say yesterday as I like to have at least ten hours on tubes before commenting on their sound quality but initial listening proved very insightful so I went the extra mile. With a combination of burn in with music and listening I have just over 11 hours on the Philips DF96 tubes that arrived yesterday.

A reminder, these Philips are in fact made by Valvo in their Hamburg plant in Germany (Make sure they have the "D" FACTORY MARK ETCHED INTO THE GLASS)

I switched out my Lorenz's which have at least 200 hours on them by now with the Phillips and after extended listening late last night with my most revealing headphones, the T5P's I feel confident in saying (very happily as it happens!) that these tubes have an IDENTICAL sonic signature to the fabled Stuttgart Lorenz tubes! So, folks at last can get a piece of this wonderful sonic goodness (To my ears at least!) if they wish, and very affordably!

This is the seller I got mine from, fantastic chap to deal with. A little more expensive than the US one I admit but I am in Canada and got my tubes the next day which was well worth the extra $3 over the US ones for me.

They are bulk stock so come with no boxes but mine were beautifully packed in multiple layers of bubble wrap and I would imagine the US seller does the same
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/350443781747?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

And this is the US seller..
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/PHILIPS-DF96-1AJ4-NOS-tube-made-in-Germany-/300723125087?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item46047ebb5f&_uhb=1


So, to re-cap why I keep coming back to the Lorenz (now the Philips!) time after time. These tubes in the DF stage of the amp exhibit perfect balance to my ears. They combine air, speed, clarity, crispness and detail with warmth and a good depth of bass (they are not however going to make this amp into a bass heads amp, it is simply not that type of amp! This amp is more about authenticity to the music it is being fed). Add on to that the way the soundstage makes one feel they are in the sweet spot in the auditorium where it feels your surrounded by music. Stage depth, width and hight are just spot on, not over exaggerated or shrunken, just spot on.

Combine these with Phillips, Marconi, or Mullard in the DL stage and you just about (once again, this is to my ears) just about the best balance of sonic qualities one could possibly want!

Again though, this is to my taste, you may find it is different for you.

I am just so happy that there is a more easily available tube to give that fabled Lorenz sound now. By my reckoning there is enough to go around for every owner of this amp (GG and I have a pair of these so we are out of the game!)

 

[GermanGuy]

ever seen a tu-05 "out of the box" ?
 

 

[ianmedium]

Oh my God GG!!!!! So, the journey begins! I am so looking forward to this photo tutorial.. Perhaps some video as well??

 

[GermanGuy]

i was thinking and thinking about an intermediate solution to get the new output transformers connected, but this would have been a side step and not a step forward, so to stop this i just disassembled the amp, thinking in the wrong direction immediately has stopped!

 

[Sam Edwards]

Hey Bmichaels,
Is that a left side or right side pocket? I found the whole thing so confusing that I didn't order the case, but you obviously got it on the correct side for the AK120.
Thanks!
Sam

 

[GermanGuy]

btw and may be important for all - when disassembling the amp, i found both output transformers (the left more, the right less) noticeable magnetized !!!

 

[woodcans]

Ian, thanks a ton for the link to the tubes!!
 
Does anyone know the dimensions of the tu-05?
 
GG, love the unboxing!

 

[gmahler2u]

Ok..GG!
 
However, I don't think I have courage to dissemble the amp! 

 

[GermanGuy]

the standard or the extended case?