[dolgen]

I just bought a used DV 336SE, and it sounds quite good with my HD6XX phones. But when I looked closely at the tubes, I realized that the seller made a mistake and I have 6AS7 variants in both sockets!
It has a RCA 6080 in the front, and a Shuguang 6N5PJ in the back.
It surprises me that not only didn't it blow up (!), but it sounds quite good, even compared to some far more expensive headphone amps I have. Less air and treble than my "better" amps, but I'm enjoying listening to the DV, even with the wrong tube.
I've got a vintage 6SN7 on the way. I'm really interested in seeing the improvement (if any?).

 

[JKDJedi]

I just bought a used DV 336SE, and it sounds quite good with my HD6XX phones. But when I looked closely at the tubes, I realized that the seller made a mistake and I have 6AS7 variants in both sockets!
It has a RCA 6080 in the front, and a Shuguang 6N5PJ in the back.
It surprises me that not only didn't it blow up (!), but it sounds quite good, even compared to some far more expensive headphone amps I have. Less air and treble than my "better" amps, but I'm enjoying listening to the DV, even with the wrong tube.
I've got a vintage 6SN7 on the way. I'm really interested in seeing the improvement (if any?).

Surprised less air and treble is more enjoyable for you. And yeah, crazy how that combo works! When you get your driver roll the ShuGuang and the RCA (with the new driver) for us with some impressions on sound please!

 

[dolgen]

Surprised less air and treble is more enjoyable for you. And yeah, crazy how that combo works! When you get your driver roll the ShuGuang and the RCA (with the new driver) for us with some impressions on sound please!

Forgive my poorly worded note... I actually prefer more treble and air, and the DV is perhaps too dark for me at this point. But it seems to work for rock music, which sometimes is a bit of an overload for my ears on my more transparent Auralic Taurus II.
I will definitely get back to this thread when I get the correct tube.

 

[JKDJedi]

Forgive my poorly worded note... I actually prefer more treble and air, and the DV is perhaps too dark for me at this point. But it seems to work for rock music, which sometimes is a bit of an overload for my ears on my more transparent Auralic Taurus II.
I will definitely get back to this thread when I get the correct tube.

Lol..I knew what you meant. Could be that tube combo you have right now, which tube did you order? And the 6080 might be your preferred tube for power, just a guess of mine. We have a lot of "experts" here that can help you find the right tube. Welcome!

 

[searchingtom]

The DarkVoice is a nice starting point for someone to play with the tube impact on sound. Low cost of entry and plenty of tubes available to roll. The problem is it will whet your appetite for more expensive gear

 

[JKDJedi]

The DarkVoice is a nice starting point for someone to play with the tube impact on sound. Low cost of entry and plenty of tubes available to roll. The problem is it will whet your appetite for more expensive gear

I concur .. Im looking at it's big brother La Figaro .. just within reach.

 

[searchingtom]

I concur .. Im looking at it's big brother La Figaro .. just within reach.

There is a used one on eBay for a good price:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/La-Figaro-...765104?hash=item48fb0fd8f0:g:yqQAAOSwK61gSSVn
$599 or best offer.

 

[jpearson]

Hey all, enjoying the collective wisdom here... About to dive into the Darkvoice club myself! I'm going this way because I want a warm sound with laid back upper-mids/lower treble that is a problem area for me - even in my HD series cans. (Sibilance is the enemy!)

I'm leaning towards Mullard 6080, but which driver tubes (to keep with the max warmth angle)? RCA JAN-CRC VT-231 or Ken Rad VT-231 are some options that seem to come up?

Thanks in advance!

 

[JKDJedi]

Hey all, enjoying the collective wisdom here... About to dive into the Darkvoice club myself! I'm going this way because I want a warm sound with laid back upper-mids/lower treble that is a problem area for me - even in my HD series cans. (Sibilance is the enemy!)

I'm leaning towards Mullard 6080, but which driver tubes (to keep with the max warmth angle)? RCA JAN-CRC VT-231 or Ken Rad VT-231 are some options that seem to come up?

Thanks in advance!

Ken Rad

 

[jpearson]

Hey all, enjoying the collective wisdom here... About to dive into the Darkvoice club myself! I'm going this way because I want a warm sound with laid back upper-mids/lower treble that is a problem area for me - even in my HD series cans. (Sibilance is the enemy!)

I'm leaning towards Mullard 6080, but which driver tubes (to keep with the max warmth angle)? RCA JAN-CRC VT-231 or Ken Rad VT-231 are some options that seem to come up?

Thanks in advance!

I've done a bit more reading around this and it seems to me from various discussions that getting good synergy between the power and drive tubes is as important as selecting tubes based on their individual qualities! Does anyone here feel there's a better power tube pairing for the Ken Rad VT-231 dark glass than the Mullard 6080? RCA? Tung Sol? Key point: this is not for soundstage/resolution but for relaxed listen - reigning in the Sennheiser upper-mids in particular (I'm really sensitive to this region and lower treble). If I get a thicker sound generally/more low end that would be a nice bonus!

 

[JKDJedi]

I've done a bit more reading around this and it seems to me from various discussions that getting good synergy between the power and drive tubes is as important as selecting tubes based on their individual qualities! Does anyone here feel there's a better power tube pairing for the Ken Rad VT-231 dark glass than the Mullard 6080? RCA? Tung Sol? Key point: this is not for soundstage/resolution but for relaxed listen - reigning in the Sennheiser upper-mids in particular (I'm really sensitive to this region and lower treble). If I get a thicker sound generally/more low end that would be a nice bonus!

Mullard is your Huckleberry