[Godkin]

Good combo, Mogos - a match made in heaven. I'm running the same combo - the signal valves being CV4010s, the military version of the M8100.

What are the generic 6S19P-Bs you refer to? If there're not SVETLANAs, they may Ulyanovsk made valves. Check the valve - there may be a small symbol like a white arrow pointing up the tube. If so, they're Ulyanovsk valves.

 

[Mogos]

I have checked the tubes for the marking but there is nothing except the tube symbol production date and some stemps- I guess some kind of quality control. And they are 100% Russian. The symbol is in Russian

 

[Godkin]

I'd say they would be Ulyanovsk tubes. The markings are very hard to read sometimes, and maybe they've worn off. SVETLANA valves are very easy to identify - they've a large bluish circle on them. The only other company who make the 6S19s - apart from the Chinese - are Ulyanovsk.

 

[Mogos]

May be they are Ulyanovsk. Have a look at the photograph.

 

[ddhd]

is there a website for darkvoice amps? i read threw this thread but did not see one.

 

[Godkin]

Yes, they certainly look like Ulyanovsks, although the makings are very indistinct. As I said, I know of no other Russian company, apart from Svetlana, that manufactures the 6S19: Reflector don't, nor do Voskhod. So by a process of elimination, they must be Ulyanovsks.

 

[hew]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ddhd /img/forum/go_quote.gif is there a website for darkvoice amps? i read threw this thread but did not see one.

Try a search on ebay. I bought mine from Jasmine_chine based in France. Fast shipping and quick response to questions. Poor english though.

 

[snoxu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hew /img/forum/go_quote.gif Try a search on ebay. I bought mine from Jasmine_chine based in France. Fast shipping and quick response to questions. Poor english though.

Are they shipped from China or France?

Are there any European dealers BTW?

 

[laxx]

China.

 

[echo1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Godkin /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think the DARKVOICE amps, whether it be the 336i or the 332, are designed for higher impedance cans, like SENNHEISERs and BEYERDYNAMICs. I've been told by those in the know that the output stages with their low capacitances - 60uFs in the 336i and 6.6uFs in the 332 - are optimised for impedances between 300 and 600ohms. Some here, however, say the 332 works well with low impedance cans, like the GRADOs, the K701s and W5000s.

If someone likes DYI its not hard to replace the caps.

 

[hew]

What would be best type and value of caps to use, without degrading sound quality?

 

[Godkin]

Depends what cans you have, Hew. Strange thing is, the lower the impedance of your cans the more capacitance you need in the output stage of your amp.

The 33uF/400v SCR polyprops in the 332 are just about perfect for driving lower impedances - like Senns and Beyers. Maybe these could be replaced, and the capacitance upped slightly, with Auricaps or Paper in Oil caps.

Some have upped the capacitance in the 336i with good results, usually starting around 220uF and rising to 1000uF. Only problem is they are electrolytics, and generally they have very poor sonic characteristics. Good in PSUs and so forth, but usually not good in the signal path. Better a film cap, but they only come in smaller values - a 220uF film cap would be about the size of a house. If you want ot fit higher capacitances there is really no choice: fit electrolytic and bypass with good quality film cap.

Then again, there is always output transformers?

 

[echo1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Godkin /img/forum/go_quote.gif Depends what cans you have, Hew. Strange thing is, the lower the impedance of your cans the more capacitance you need in the output stage of your amp. The 3.3uF/400v SCR polyprops in the 332 are just about perfect for driving lower impedances - like Senns and Beyers. Maybe these could be replaced, and the capacitance upped slightly, with Auricaps or Paper in Oil caps. Some have upped the capacitance in the 336i with good results, usually starting around 220uF and rising to 1000uF. Only problem is they are electrolytics, and generally they have very poor sonic characteristics. Good in PSUs and so forth, but usually not good in the signal path. Better a film cap, but they only come in smaller values - a 220uF film cap would be about the size of a house. If you want ot fit higher capacitances there is really no choice: fit electrolytic and bypass with good quality film cap. Then again, there is always output transformers?

I used electrolyte and bypassed with dynacaps and it sounded better than stock.
I have heard that electrolites sound harsh, but I have been able to determine that a Dac can have a lot more to do with harshness than the caps would..I finally settled on a Paradesea dac and that made it smooth.I heard from Fitz on his cap changing and he said the same thing.
But these are my experiences which may not be the same as yours bla bla bla disclaimer bla bla bla.

 

[hew]

I have an ATh-W5000 which I think is about 62 ohms and the hd595 which is 50 ohms. So i suspect there would be some benefit in terms of better bass performance. But the question remains which is the best brand of electrolytic cap? Echo1, can you be more specific on brands/types/values that you used? I'd rather not experiment too much on this front because my wallet is getting thin from all the tubes I have bought so far.

I also have a Paradisea and it does make a very coherent pairing with the DV. I have been rolling tubes in both it and the DV. This has paid off significantly on all fronts. The two most signicant tubes thus far is a pair of 1958 Sylvania 5654/6AK5W/6096 with gold labeling followed by a pair of WE 403A for the DV. For the paradisea, apart from a WE 396A, I also use a Raytheon 5670 (awesome bass) and I have a Sylvania Gold Label military qualified JHS-5670 on order, which I suspect will be as good in the Paradisea as the gold 6096 in the DV. When both components were fitted with Western Electric tubes I found that there was an added level of synergy and coherence achieved. If this is the same for the Sylvania gold labels then my tube rolling will really have paid off.

 

[echo1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hew /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have an ATh-W5000 which I think is about 62 ohms and the hd595 which is 50 ohms. So i suspect there would be some benefit in terms of better bass performance. But the question remains which is the best brand of electrolytic cap? Echo1, can you be more specific on brands/types/values that you used? I'd rather not experiment too much on this front because my wallet is getting thin from all the tubes I have bought so far. I also have a Paradisea and it does make a very coherent pairing with the DV. I have been rolling tubes in both it and the DV. This has paid off significantly on all fronts. The two most signicant tubes thus far is a pair of 1958 Sylvania 5654/6AK5W/6096 with gold labeling followed by a pair of WE 403A for the DV. For the paradisea, apart from a WE 396A, I also use a Raytheon 5670 (awesome bass) and I have a Sylvania Gold Label military qualified JHS-5670 on order, which I suspect will be as good in the Paradisea as the gold 6096 in the DV. When both components were fitted with Western Electric tubes I found that there was an added level of synergy and coherence achieved. If this is the same for the Sylvania gold labels then my tube rolling will really have paid off.

I used (one each channel)Dynamicaps .47 for bypass from here: http://www.partsconnexion.com/catalo...itorsFilm.html
For the electrolitics (two each channel)I used these:https://www.hndme.com/productcart/pc...&idproduct=735
Picture--

I have the older 336 without the curcuit board for the output caps,but if the design is the same the caps are in parallel, with the input side being soldered to the 6as7g tube pin 3&6. The output would go to the headphone jack.
What I understand is that this will make the darkvoice more compatible with low impedence headphones.I had 50 ohm headphones when I did this.Now I have 250 ohm phones and it still sound great.