[rb2013]

Gold pin! that would be interesting to see/hear..

I don't know if the gold plating was done at the factory or afterwards. I'll post pics when it arrives.

 

[rb2013]

Well the very expensive ($235 for a single tube) Amperex '59 Pinched Waist 6922 D Getter arrived! This is reported by many as the best sounding 6922 ever made.

I have not started the offical tube rolloff - the Telefunken E88CC gold pin should be delivered today.

But I could not help getting a taste, so I partnered it with an Ameperex Orange Shield PQ 6922 I have - surprisingly similar construction aside from the getter shapes, to give it a quick listen in the Lyr.

Well first off, the tube tested excellent. But, I was a bit disappointed, as it was very microphonic. So is the PQ. I was kind of expecting this, as almost every Amperex I've owned (the CEP USN 7308 being an exception) has been microphonic. But these are pretty bad, just a light tap on the top f the Lyr case causes immediate ringing. A very gentle touch to the top of the tubes, sets off intense ringing. After listening for a bit, turning off the Lyr, by flipping the back switch, sets off a loud 'ting'. Oh well...not shocking.

Now for the sound. Mind you this is a mismatched pair, so my comments aren't a review, just an initial impression. The sound was very warm and liquid, but a bit veiled. Also noticeably lower in volume then the 6n23p 'Holy Grails'. I listened to just one song, but I could easily tell the sound was closed in, details I'm used to were hard to make out. The sound stage narrower and shallower. I attribute this to the mismatched pairs (although they tested with very close output matching). The sound was pleasant, if a little boring.

Putting the HGs back in, a whole other level of detail, just as musical, but with a more dynamic quality.
I'm putting 50 hours burnin on the PW, and will start reviewing Sat night. Review to follow.


Edit - Typos
2nd Edit - I didn't use the Amperex OG, but a Amperex Orange Shield PQ 6922 - this had the closest construction match I could find.

 

[gmahler2u]

Well the very expensive ($235 for a single tube) Amperex '59 Pinched Waist 6922 D Getter arrived! This reported by many as the best sounding 6922 ever made.

I have not started the offical tube rolloff - the Telefunken E88CC gold pin shouldbe delivered today.

But I could help getting a taste, so I partnered it with an Ameperex Orange Globe I have - suprisingly similar construction aside from the getter shapes, to give it a quick listen in the Lyr.

Well first off, the tube tested excellent. But, I was a bit disappointed, as it was very microphonic. So is the OG. I was kinda expecting this as almost every Amperex I've owned (the CEP USN 7308 being an exception) has been microphonic. But these are pretty bad, just a light tap on the top f the Lyr case causes immediate ringing. A very gentle touch to the top of the tubes, sets off intense ringing. After listening for a bit, turning off the Lyr, by flipping the back switch, sets off a loud 'ting'. Oh well...not shocking.

Now for the sound. Mind you this is a mismatched pair, so my comments aren't a review, just an initial impression. The sound was very warm and liquid, but a bit veiled. Also noticeably lower in volume then the 6n23p 'Holy Grails'. I just listened to one song, the sound was closed in, details I'm used to were hard to make out. The sound stage narrower and shallower. I attribute this to the mismatched pairs (although they tested with very close output matching). The sound was pleasant, if a little boring.

Putting the HGs back in, a whole other level of detail, just as usical, but with a more dynamic quality.
I'm putting 50 hours burnin on the PW, and will start reviewing Sat night. Review to follow.

 
 
Hey Rb, can you picture your dac for us. I'm curious what dac you got..
 
Thanks

 

[rb2013]

Sure, my main dac is an APL that takes the ECC99. But in my office system I use a Xindak DAC5, this takes one 6922. That is the one I'll use for the review, into the Lyr. The thing about this dac, it's very immune to microphonics.

 

[gmahler2u]

Thank Rb!  Beautiful....single tube all it takes!  I should graduate from Bifrost.
 

 

[rb2013]

Thank Rb!  Beautiful....single tube all it takes!  I should graduate from Bifrost.

It's an amazing Dac for the money. Has a choice of solid state or tube outputs. I think the Bifrost with Uber is probably quicker but a tad dryer. I'd love to compare the two. This dac does not have a USB input, needs a seperate interface. I use the excellent Musiland USB 3.0 US.

When I put a HG in there it really improved the sound, had an Amperex BB in there before (I'll include in the review). It still doesn't match the APL, but it's a lot closer. Of course the APL is many, many times the cost.


I apologize upfront, as this is a Lyr tube rolling thread, and I'm using a dac to review. But I believe the information will be useful to Lyr owners.

Edit - I don't think they sell the 110/120V version anymore. So if you're looking to get one used be sure it's a 110/120V version.

 

[JustinBieber]

Quick question: Has anyone tried any cheapo chinese socket savers? Which ones and how are they? I was thinking of getting some from Tubedepot or ebay for like $10 a pair.
 
Novibs seem very nice and are highly regarded, but, I really can't justify spending more than quadruple the amount of cash on it.

 

[PinkLed]

  Quick question: Has anyone tried any cheapo chinese socket savers? Which ones and how are they? I was thinking of getting some from Tubedepot or ebay for like $10 a pair.
 
Novibs seem very nice and are highly regarded, but, I really can't justify spending more than quadruple the amount of cash on it.

They sound very bad from my experience, just actually bought the novibs today. 

 

[JustinBieber]

Man that's too bad. Just thought it would be kinda silly to have socket savers that are more expensive than the actual tubes in my Lyr. They're on sale though... tempting. 

 

[john777]

Quick question: Has anyone tried any cheapo chinese socket savers? Which ones and how are they? I was thinking of getting some from Tubedepot or ebay for like $10 a pair.

Novibs seem very nice and are highly regarded, but, I really can't justify spending more than quadruple the amount of cash on it.

DON'T BUY THE CHEAPO CHINESE SOCKET SAVERS. Waste of money and you will end up buying the Novibs anyway. Recommended by me wholeheartedly. Tubemonger had an offer on them recently. May still be on. Have a pair in my Lyr and one in my tube tester and one spare.

 

[ThurstonX]

  Quick question: Has anyone tried any cheapo chinese socket savers? Which ones and how are they? I was thinking of getting some from Tubedepot or ebay for like $10 a pair.
 
Novibs seem very nice and are highly regarded, but, I really can't justify spending more than quadruple the amount of cash on it.

 
Tubemonger has excellent customer service to boot.  They were willing to replace mine when I was having an issue with one channel.  Turned out to be the PYST cables from Schiit (also excellent customer service; shipped a replacement pair after I explained how I tested them), but Tubemonger was very responsive and willing to stand behind their product.  I've never had a problem with mine.

 

[gibosi]

  Quick question: Has anyone tried any cheapo chinese socket savers? Which ones and how are they? I was thinking of getting some from Tubedepot or ebay for like $10 a pair.
 
Novibs seem very nice and are highly regarded, but, I really can't justify spending more than quadruple the amount of cash on it.

 
To give another opinion....  In a different amp, Little Dot, I have had very good luck with Chinese socket-savers and adapters.

 

[Wildcatsare1]

Speaking of Schiit, the Valhalla 2 is rollable!!!!! Now do I get a Valhalla 2 or a Lyr 2????

 

[rb2013]

Tubemonger has excellent customer service to boot.  They were willing to replace mine when I was having an issue with one channel.  Turned out to be the PYST cables from Schiit (also excellent customer service; shipped a replacement pair after I explained how I tested them), but Tubemonger was very responsive and willing to stand behind their product.  I've never had a problem with mine.

+1

 

[john57]

I just tried my NOS 1967JAN Sylvania 6BQ7A tubes in my Lyr. The sound quality is just phenomenal, very clear and transparent. It also has a very detailed and convincing sound stage. It just brought my JBL LSR305 monitors up to another level. I just find that the JBL LSR305 scales very well with better equipment or tubes.