Recent content by iamoneagain

Trying my Gold Lion kt88 with the RCA 5R4GY and it’s lusher and richer than the fat base gz34, it’s really nicer sounding combo. However I had to turn up the volume a little bit and think even then it’s less dynamic than the gz34. Not as punchy. So doesn’t work as well with my mostly alternative...

Just to piggy back on what’s been said. I chose the fat base f31 gz34 over the metal for what’s been reported on the sound. The fact that it’s a little cheaper is great too. But for me, I’m all about getting the best bass punch and texture out of my Caldera Open. The fat base has a noticeable...

I wasn’t a fan of the Hugo 2 when I used with the original Focal Utopia. It was too thin and analytical for my tastes. Even slightly preferred the original Hugo since it had a more organic sound but it lacked the technical aspects and soundstage was kind of small. The Dave on its its own...

So yes, break in took a while. Let it play for 75 hours straight. When first put them in, even the kt-88-98 ones sounded better. The Gold Lion kt88 sounded closed in and didn’t have great clairty. I wanted to just switch back to kt90 but I let the break in play out. The sound started to open up...

So the crazy thing is the kt90 tubes I have are actually cheaper than most of my other tubes. They are the type II but rebranded Audio Research and the guy sold 3 of them for just $75. He said he dropped one and I’m guess he had an amp that need quad output tubes. So I’m going to still keep...

No, I don’t have much experience. Only heard it was excellent in sound quality for a new tube but now seeing some reports of failures. Not sure if higher than other new tubes out there. So yeah, wasn’t exactly recommending it to others but just saying how I found it musically in my setup. And...

Yeah the new production sound better than nos EI kt90 in my system when used with the gz34 f31 fat base. The gold lion took about 100 hours to settle in. The fat base rectifier seems to unleash more power and energy out of the output tubes. When I had the f32 version, kt88 tubes were lacking...

I use The Prodigy track Diesel Power off the Fat of the Land as a good test track. But that whole album works. Love the punchy bass. Threw it on now as I type this. Even better than I remember. So my Gold Lion kt88 are full burned and just amazing with the gz34 f31 fat base and the RCA 5691...

So I got a little worried about the RCA ones I have because the base is almost brown and didn’t see the 5691 on the glass. Was thinking I had a non military standard tube. But after taking one out I saw the 5691 faintly on the glass. Found out it’s basically the same as the brighter red base...

I’m one that always ends up preferring the stock pads. It’s a matter of preference. I find the thick pads lose a little bit of that electric guitar raw sound. The thick are too polite. And vocals are less forward. With rock music, I like that stock puts me right by the stage. It’s more exciting...

So didn’t realize how long burn in on new tubes take. Picked up some Gold Lion kt88 and heard mixed reviews from them but for most part told to at least give them 50hrs to open up and up to 100hrs to fully settle in. Didn’t really care for them when first put in and was so tempted to just swap...

I know I said I was done tube rolling but since I had the kt88 already, decided to try it with the fat base gz34 Mullard. What’s surprising is the new Chinese kt88 sound just as good as the praised nos kt90 with this rectifier. The kt88 has just as much impact but with sweeter mids. The bass...

There was a hint of muddiness in the f32 compared to the f31. The f31 has that extra clarity. In Japan found amazing headphone shop and tried the Susavara, Meze Elite, and the Grado HP100se. I wish I could remember what the solid state setup was. But both my wife I and greatly preferred the...

Ok, so I’m done tube rolling. My Mullard gz34 f31 fat base 1960 tube just arrived from Australia and it’s the upgrade I was looking for. It’s really just fine tuning the f32 version. Basically the same overall sound but better clarity and richness. Seems to give even better precision. So...

So just an update to the comparison between Mullard gz34 / kt90 vs RCA 5R4G / kt88. First I found nothing wrong with the RCA / kt88. It’s open sounding, lush, rich, dynamic. I really liked it. However, for my preference the gz34 / kt90 works better. It’s tighter, punchier, more precise. It...