[rb2013]

Quote:

Rolled in some new tubes (uh, sorry . . valves) tonight.

The Telefunken E88CC/6922's sounded really beautiful, until one crapped out after a couple of minutes. Hopefully the seller has more.

Next, the Voskhod 6N23P silver shields, 1979. These are some very, very nice tubes at a reasonable price. Can't listen long enough to do a complete review, but suffice it to say . . . grab some if you can. They are particularly nice in the mids and highs, and this with no burn-in. I bought 4 from a Ukrainian seller - electrikua (Protek Trading Services, Inc). - and he/she was good enough to throw in an extra tube, no charge!

R Scott Ireland - sounds like good initial impressions, I agree with your take, I'm hearing very similar things.  These 'valves' are crazy cheap, glad you could get some.
 
Well tonight I did a fairly extensive listening test between the Voskhod (that's how the Ukraine Dealers spell it) 1979 Silver shields and the PCC88 SEL Lorentz.
 
The SEL have lots of detail, deep and tight bass and a very wide sound stage.  But after listening to some of my tougher recordings like Florence and the Machine "Dog Days", the SELs betray a little harshness, especially on female vocals.  The Voskhod '79s are just as sweet as can be - very liquid in the mid range to upper mids - a lot like the 1960s Philips SQ Holland Halo Getters.  After about 15 minutes with the SELs I was finding the sound a little fatiguing, in contrast I can listen to the V-Rockets all night without a problem.
 
Another thing I noticed, the VRs had a more dramatic presentation, maybe a bit more marco dynamics, it definitely adds to the fun.

 
 
I would have to say the VR are a little darker then the SELs, which is perfect for my HD800/Moon Black Dragon V2 combination and the extremely transparent DAC I have.  And will be perfect for my new cable I'm ordering for the HD800s - the Stephan Audio Arts Endorphin.
 
Maybe for some with Orthos they may prefer the SELs.   Also, these SELSs have only about 50 hours on them, so they could use at least another 50 hours burn-in.  I'll do that soon and update if my opinion changes.

 

[rb2013]

Quote:

The 1/2 hour requirement only applies to LARGE tubes such as the EL34.

For small preamp tubes like the ECC88, 10 mins is more than enough.

+1 I second that -10 minutes is fine.  But the Mosfets in the Lyr running in class A could use the 1/2 hr or more to heat up.  Transistors sound better toasty. 

 

[nelamvr6]

Quote:

For anyone new to 6DJ8 tubes, Joe's Tube lore found in Audioasylum has stood the test of time.

 
I posted the link a few pages back...

 

[hedphonz]

light static tizzy background noise ? is that normal for tubes
 
i can hear it in quiet passages and when music has stopped - cant hear it when music is playing 
 
the lyr being my first tube amp i'm not sure if this is normal or not - dont yet have any other tubes to swap out

 

[ckc527]

light static tizzy background noise ? is that normal for tubes

i can hear it in quiet passages and when music has stopped - cant hear it when music is playing 

the lyr being my first tube amp i'm not sure if this is normal or not - dont yet have any other tubes to swap out

Try reversing the tubes and see if problem follows.

ckc

 

[Lord Soth]

+1 I second that -10 minutes is fine.  But the Mosfets in the Lyr running in class A could use the 1/2 hr or more to heat up.  Transistors sound better toasty. 

Yes, I agree with the Solid state part.
I've heard of some Audiophiles leaving their SS audio equipment permanently in the "ON" position for over 10 years!!!

For tubes, there is also an "extreme" school of thought, of which I am not a member by the way.
Basically, the theory is that tube life is shortened by the repeated heating and cooling from turning on and off your tubes.
I believe there was a radio station which left its vacuum tube amp on for over 5 decades.
The tubes (can't recall the exact type) were still alive after such a long time.

Anyone game to try out this theory on their Schiit Lyr?
After all, if you are using Voskhods, it is not a "costly" experiment.

 

[nelamvr6]

Quote:

light static tizzy background noise ? is that normal for tubes
 
i can hear it in quiet passages and when music has stopped - cant hear it when music is playing 
 
the lyr being my first tube amp i'm not sure if this is normal or not - dont yet have any other tubes to swap out

That is definitely not normal.  What tubes are you running?

 

[nelamvr6]

Quote:

Yes, I agree with the Solid state part.
I've heard of some Audiophiles leaving their SS audio equipment permanently in the "ON" position for over 10 years!!!

For tubes, there is also an "extreme" school of thought, of which I am not a member by the way.
Basically, the theory is that tube life is shortened by the repeated heating and cooling from turning on and off your tubes.
I believe there was a radio station which left its vacuum tube amp on for over 5 decades.
The tubes (can't recall the exact type) were still alive after such a long time.

Anyone game to try out this theory on their Schiit Lyr?
After all, if you are using Voskhods, it is not a "costly" experiment.

No thanks!  
 
I have been down this road with computers. There was a school of thought that believed that the rush of current when first energizing a computer was worse for the life of the components that the steady state current when leaving the box turned on.
 
i never subscribed to that school of thought myself.  
 
But you do raise an interesting wrinkle.  
 
With computers, there were no cathodes that required heating up.   I welcome the results of your experiment, but I don't think I want to subject my nice glass to any more stress than I already require of it!

 

[BobJS]

I don't know why I keep reading this thread ...... I'll get enticed to drop a hundred (or more) on a highly acclaimed set of tubes ..... only to find, upon receipt, that they REALLY DO take my Bifrost/Lyr to the next level!
 
So what's the problem?  I always think I've achieved Nirvana until I A/B it against my Conductor.  The damn Conductor always wins.  At this point (including tube purchases), the Conductor is less expensive too .................

 

[Oskari]

Quote:

You just love to argue.  That's it, isn't it?

 
No, it isn't, and I should have chosen my words more carefully. We don't really disagree at all. I'm just not fond of the mystique around one brand when the same product is available under several brands, which has been verified by multiple sources, e.g., very trustworthy sellers. The brand mystique (as opposed to information, recommendations, etc.) is not helpful to the newbs either. That's all.
 

Are you denying that certain tubes sound better than other tubes?

 
Absolutely not. We agree that the tube in question is a great one.
 

Or are you suggesting that the people who made the great sounding tubes knew exactly what they were doing and made some tubes sound great and others sound mediocre on purpose?

 
No, I'm not. They'd probably think that we are all crazy rolling tubes the way we do.

 

[nelamvr6]

Quote:

 
No, it isn't, and I should have chosen my words more carefully. We don't really disagree at all. I'm just not fond of the mystique around one brand when the same product is available under several brands, which has been verified by multiple sources, e.g., very trustworthy sellers. The brand mystique (as opposed to information, recommendations, etc.) is not helpful to the newbs either. That's all.
 
 
Absolutely not. We agree that the tube in question is a great one.
 
 
No, I'm not. They'd probably think that we are all crazy rolling tubes the way we do.

 
I think that for the most part we agree.
 
You have a depth of knowledge that is most welcome here.  
 
I'll just stick with trying to help as best I can, and if any questions come up as to part numbers, date codes and who made what tubes where, I'll defer to you.

 

[rb2013]

Quote:

Yes, I agree with the Solid state part.
I've heard of some Audiophiles leaving their SS audio equipment permanently in the "ON" position for over 10 years!!!

For tubes, there is also an "extreme" school of thought, of which I am not a member by the way.
Basically, the theory is that tube life is shortened by the repeated heating and cooling from turning on and off your tubes.
I believe there was a radio station which left its vacuum tube amp on for over 5 decades.
The tubes (can't recall the exact type) were still alive after such a long time.

Anyone game to try out this theory on their Schiit Lyr?
After all, if you are using Voskhods, it is not a "costly" experiment.

I don't know why this heating issue occurs with solid state, especially ss output devices.  But it's pretty universally recognized - just another one of those 'audio mysteries'.
 
I leave my tube/ss amp(class A Mosfets outputs) on all day, mostly because I'm listening to them.  Thank God I live in Seattle, they do get warm.
 
The Lyr is on almost around the clock now - so many tubes to burn-in!  I do turn it off once a day for a couple of hours to cool off.  The design of this amp with the output Mosfet so close to the transformers, I can see the need for the special heat-sinking.  It does get warm as well.  I'd pay extra to Schiit to just get a full size case!  Until I finish listening tests on my tubes, I hesitate to use tube risers.  But the case design makes it a bitch to get those suckers out.  I'll probably try a pr once complete - mostly so I can use my Herbie's Ultrasonic Rx Tube dampers.   http://herbiesaudiolab.net/rx.htm

 

[Zuckfun]

Orange Globes are here! Ordered on Monday, here on Wednesday- Great service from mercedesman. Burning them in now, and had to peek a listen. Initial impression- very musical tubes. Euphonic- maybe too early to tell, but these will be my next champion. Thanks for the recommendation

 

[rb2013]

Greatest Headphone Review ever - good to keep in mind when choosing the tube characteristics that fit your cans.
 

Battle Of The Flagships (58 Headphones Compared)

http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-58-headphones-compared-update-audeze-lcd-2-revision-2-6-4-13

 

[sceleratus]

Quote:

Greatest Headphone Review ever - good to keep in mind when choosing the tube characteristics that fit your cans.
 

Battle Of The Flagships (58 Headphones Compared)

http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-58-headphones-compared-update-audeze-lcd-2-revision-2-6-4-13

wow