[toschek]

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If the Amperex PQ are not even in the same league, I am well and truly screwed!  Because these USN-CEPs are sounding so schweet right now!  Not even in the same league?  Are you sure you're not employing hyperbole?
 
I don't want to pay $500 for a pair of CCa gray plates.
 
Well, that's the nature of the hobby I guess, that final 1% is the most expensive...

 
Well, you can look at it like .... you can afford 2-3 sets of tubes and tailor your sound depending on what you're listening to/your mood or have one set of CCa tubes and maybe you're stuck with them if you don't like the way they sound?
 
And I have a set of Telefunken E88CC/6922s that I put down about $400 for a matched pair.   They are nice, really great tubes and one of my favorites.   But I enjoy the Brimars I bought for $100, the Lorenz I bought for $50, the Amperex A-Frame dimple disc pair I bought for $50 and on and on.   In retrospect did I really need to spend $400 on one set?  Probably not, and if I think about it too much, definitely not and I should probably have been smarter with my money.   I'm still glad to have them I guess, and I'll hold on to them a couple of years and maybe sell them for more than I paid for them (or an asteroid will demolish the earth tomorrow, who knows!)

 

[nelamvr6]

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... and then you start looking at speakers.

 
 
Nah, I'm all set for speakers, thanks!  

 

 

[gmahler2u]

I see B&W 803 or 804?...nice i have 805....I should change my habby....no money...
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Nah, I'm all set for speakers, thanks!  

 

 

[nelamvr6]

Quote:

I see B&W 803 or 804?...nice i have 805....I should change my habby....no money...

 
Thanks!  805s are sweet too.  So long as it says B&W somewhere on the speaker you'll probably have decent sound.
 
Those are B&W 804s, the previous version, with the aluminum tweeters.  I can't see myself needing speakers for the rest of my life, unless something tragic, like a fire, happens. And for that I have insurance.  BTW, that's an old photo, the system has changed quite a bit since then.
 
Now, I just need to figure out where to scrape up a spare $500 for some Siemens & Halske CCa Gray plates...  And paying for them isn't even the hard part, FINDING them is even harder!

 

[nelamvr6]

Quote:

I see B&W 803 or 804?...nice i have 805....I should change my habby....no money...

 
 
You have JHA 16s and Westone 4s?  Yeah, you're really hurting!   

  

 
The JHA-16s will be mine!  But I'm gonna have to wait until next summer...

 

[nelamvr6]

Quote:

 
Well, you can look at it like .... you can afford 2-3 sets of tubes and tailor your sound depending on what you're listening to/your mood or have one set of CCa tubes and maybe you're stuck with them if you don't like the way they sound?
 
And I have a set of Telefunken E88CC/6922s that I put down about $400 for a matched pair.   They are nice, really great tubes and one of my favorites.   But I enjoy the Brimars I bought for $100, the Lorenz I bought for $50, the Amperex A-Frame dimple disc pair I bought for $50 and on and on.   In retrospect did I really need to spend $400 on one set?  Probably not, and if I think about it too much, definitely not and I should probably have been smarter with my money.   I'm still glad to have them I guess, and I'll hold on to them a couple of years and maybe sell them for more than I paid for them (or an asteroid will demolish the earth tomorrow, who knows!)

 
 
I hear ya!
 
I'm actually thinking I may be done with these USN-CEPs.  If then S&H CCas sound that much better, I'm better off not knowing.
 
Think about it, if you do hit upon your nirvana tube, you really need to have a couple extra sets, just for backup.  These things will last 5,000 hours under ideal conditions.  And they're not going to get any cheaper...
 
But I have some tubes I already bought, I should at least listen to them anyway...

 

[gmahler2u]

Quote:

 
Thanks!  805s are sweet too.  So long as it says B&W somewhere on the speaker you'll probably have decent sound.
 
Those are B&W 804s, the previous version, with the aluminum tweeters.  I can't see myself needing speakers for the rest of my life, unless something tragic, like a fire, happens. And for that I have insurance.  BTW, that's an old photo, the system has changed quite a bit since then.
 
Now, I just need to figure out where to scrape up a spare $500 for some Siemens & Halske CCa Gray plates...  And paying for them isn't even the hard part, FINDING them is even harder!

what is your current amp for your speaker and what is your speaker cable.

 

[toschek]

I think I'm done with buying this family of tubes personally, I have backups of all the tubes I really like from this family now, so I'm waiting to start collecting tubes when the Schiit integrated amp comes out later this year.   In the meantime, I think I'm going to build a stereomour.
 
So a recap, as far my favorites in this family of tubes.   I know there are ones I have not tried.
 
1) Brimar CV2492 - I like this tube the best of all of the ones I have I think.   This one has the most rich presentation of all to me.   It sounds really good on prog rock, and anything expansive or recorded in a large space.   My wife and I were listening to Hesperion XXI earlier tonight with the Lyr as a pre-amp and I really appreciate how fully textured everything is.   Sounds great through our living room setup, even if it is just a HT system.
 
2) Telefunken E88CC - This pair was the most expensive one I bought.  It's really good with large orchestral stuff and I think it excels with opera too.   I dig it's crispness on electronica too, especially 808 driven stuff.   Really strong tube for a lot of musical styles I think. 
 
3) 65 JAN-CEP 6922 - This one is definitely next.   I have a JAN-CEP pair from the following year which I will put as 4) they are 7308s though.   I like both of these tubes a lot for their staging and dynamics, it is consistent I think from the 6922 to the 7308 JAN-CEP so I don't think you should kick yourself over 6922 availability.  Get a 7308, it's at least 95% of a 6922 pair and not impossible to find.   The 6922 is better for sure, but it's not the end of the world.
 
5) Amperex A-Frame Dimple Getter - Really really enjoyable on Jazz music & Van Morrison.   I like it a lot on stuff like Peter Gabriel's Half Blood binaural recording from Society of Sound.   Especially "Downside Up".   That song was so emotionally charged on this tube that sometimes I flip 5 and 1 on this chart just because WOW.   I do always end up putting the Brimars back in though!
 
I'll take pictures of all of these tubes so you'll know what to look for when shopping ebay later and update this post.   Happy hunting!

 

[gmahler2u]

Quote:

 
 
You have JHA 16s and Westone 4s?  Yeah, you're really hurting!   

  

 
The JHA-16s will be mine!  But I'm gonna have to wait until next summer...

yes, right now I just ordered that toxic cable for my jh16.  love my jh16 and westone 4.  I can't sell this babies..
oh, next summer, JHA have new version of jh16 that is better than old ones.  I think they call it "freqphase"
 
Now, i'm looking into universal iems, like akg's and fit ear togo 334...but I'm trying forget about portable rig, and focusing on Lyr.
I can't decide....LOL

 

[nelamvr6]

Quote:

what is your current amp for your speaker and what is your speaker cable.

 
 
My current speaker amp is an NAD C375BEE.  My speaker cables are Synergistic Research, voiced specifically for B&W speakers, with active shielding.

 

[gmahler2u]

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My current speaker amp is an NAD C375BEE.  My speaker cables are Synergistic Research, voiced specifically for B&W speakers, with active shielding.

Cool!  I have McIntosh ma6900 and Cardas GR speaker cable.  I want to upgrade but again money issue. LOL sad

 

[nelamvr6]

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Cool!  I have McIntosh ma6900 and Cardas GR speaker cable.  I want to upgrade but again money issue. LOL sad

 
 
You don't like you mac?  I LOVE Macs!  I'm thinking, long term mind you, of getting a Mac tube preamp and a SS power amp.
 
Macs!  

 

[gmahler2u]

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You don't like you mac?  I LOVE Macs!  I'm thinking, long term mind you, of getting a Mac tube preamp and a SS power amp.
 
Macs!  

No, I love my McIntosh, I'm saying cable.  I want to upgrade the cable to "Clear Beyond" speaker cable.  I have interconnect cable, It's amazing how interconnect cable change the sound.

 

[nelamvr6]

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No, I love my McIntosh, I'm saying cable.  I want to upgrade the cable to "Clear Beyond" speaker cable.  I have interconnect cable, It's amazing how interconnect cable change the sound.

 
 
Ah.  Sorry, I misunderstood.

 

[gmahler2u]

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Ah.  Sorry, I misunderstood.

It's all good!