[2359glenn]

Yes I happen to be using a Ken Rad 1633 and 2 Fivre + 4 Los Gatos (Tung Sol) 6BX7gt. I remember you alerted me to the Los Gatos which happen to be Tung Sol rebrand and the seller was in Australia. If I could get 6 Tung Sol or 6 Fivre 6BX7gt I would but getting a sextet of NOS 6BX7 of one brand is getting very hard these days.

For those wanting to get 6 6BX7, I would suggest getting NOS and try to pair the left and right with the same brand. I don't share much now. I'm reverting to my old passion of cycling again. The Specialised Roubaix is out of the shed again and last Sat ride after a long absence reminded me how good it is to feel the wind in my face and the acceleration as I switch to high gear. I feel young again.

I have been burning my good power tubes lately. Namely Gec 6as7g, Gec 6080, Tung Sol 5998. Today after I read Gibosi's post, I swapped in the sextet 6BX7 and for driver I chose the inexpensive Ken Rad 1633. As good as the 'good' power tubes are, these sextet of 6BX7gt have me smiling in incredulity because it is going head to head with the much more expensive power tubes. In fact it is my belief that the 6BX7 and 6BL7 in a Glenn OTL is what makes it so special. This OTL amp from Glenn with those tubes are in another league.

Which brings me to a point raise by attmci. Yes a little more than 2 years ago, I was giving high praises to first Elise, then Euforia then La Fiagaro 339. In fact my first amp was a JDS Lab o2/odac driving a HD650, bought new out of my own pocket. That sounded very good back in May 2015. Not long after I bought a 2nd hand Dark Voice 336 and that was my introduction to a tube amp and I 'LOVE' the tube sound. Fall madly in love with it. Then I bought Elise and that was my 1st serious tube amp. Then came Euforia and it's much better. Then came La Figaro 339. This chinese amp sounds so good that if it were made in USA or Europe, it would have surely gain more market share. Then I bought Yggdrasil and Ragnarok which is a lot more expensive but the SQ is right out of this world. All this while though, I wanted a really good tube amp and I took a pun on Glenn's OTL amp because there were some good serious layman reviews.

Glenn's OTL prove to be in another league compared to all the amps I've owned. It is even up there with some high calibre amps like the Woo Audio Wa5 and Wa22. Yes I've audition Wa22 at the shop and like it but Glenn OTL is so much more pulse generating. I will be trimming my head-fi gear. Ragnarok and 2 of the headphones will have to go but the question is which.

Enjoy your music and I'll be looking out for your impressions @JazzVinyl . I think your amp will be identical to mine.

Yes JV's amp is identical to yours with a regular pot for volume and no 5998 switch.

 

[whirlwind]

Wow!! Fantastic! Thanks Glenn (and everyone).

Can't wait to get the GOTL here

Congrats, it won't be long now.

 

[mordy]

Yes I happen to be using a Ken Rad 1633 and 2 Fivre + 4 Los Gatos (Tung Sol) 6BX7gt. I remember you alerted me to the Los Gatos which happen to be Tung Sol rebrand and the seller was in Australia. If I could get 6 Tung Sol or 6 Fivre 6BX7gt I would but getting a sextet of NOS 6BX7 of one brand is getting very hard these days.

For those wanting to get 6 6BX7, I would suggest getting NOS and try to pair the left and right with the same brand. I don't share much now. I'm reverting to my old passion of cycling again. The Specialised Roubaix is out of the shed again and last Sat ride after a long absence reminded me how good it is to feel the wind in my face and the acceleration as I switch to high gear. I feel young again.

I have been burning my good power tubes lately. Namely Gec 6as7g, Gec 6080, Tung Sol 5998. Today after I read Gibosi's post, I swapped in the sextet 6BX7 and for driver I chose the inexpensive Ken Rad 1633. As good as the 'good' power tubes are, these sextet of 6BX7gt have me smiling in incredulity because it is going head to head with the much more expensive power tubes. In fact it is my belief that the 6BX7 and 6BL7 in a Glenn OTL is what makes it so special. This OTL amp from Glenn with those tubes are in another league.

Which brings me to a point raise by attmci. Yes a little more than 2 years ago, I was giving high praises to first Elise, then Euforia then La Fiagaro 339. In fact my first amp was a JDS Lab o2/odac driving a HD650, bought new out of my own pocket. That sounded very good back in May 2015. Not long after I bought a 2nd hand Dark Voice 336 and that was my introduction to a tube amp and I 'LOVE' the tube sound. Fall madly in love with it. Then I bought Elise and that was my 1st serious tube amp. Then came Euforia and it's much better. Then came La Figaro 339. This chinese amp sounds so good that if it were made in USA or Europe, it would have surely gain more market share. Then I bought Yggdrasil and Ragnarok which is a lot more expensive but the SQ is right out of this world. All this while though, I wanted a really good tube amp and I took a pun on Glenn's OTL amp because there were some good serious layman reviews.

Glenn's OTL prove to be in another league compared to all the amps I've owned. It is even up there with some high calibre amps like the Woo Audio Wa5 and Wa22. Yes I've audition Wa22 at the shop and like it but Glenn OTL is so much more pulse generating. I will be trimming my head-fi gear. Ragnarok and 2 of the headphones will have to go but the question is which.

Enjoy your music and I'll be looking out for your impressions @JazzVinyl . I think your amp will be identical to mine.

Hi UT,

You did not mention the Prima Luna in your tube amp odyssey....

I like biking too, but on a much more modest level. Trying to get out every week for a few miles, even in the winter here. There are walking/cycling trails that are plowed in the winter and it is possible to ride, but I try to ride only when above freezing....And mostly on level trails; old railroad trails are the best because at most there is a 2% grade.

 

[UntilThen]

You did not mention the Prima Luna in your tube amp odyssey....

I did not because the Primaluna Premium Dialogue HP is more of a stereo tube amp than a headphone amp. Even though it function very well as a headphone amp but it's impractical to have that 30kgs amp sitting on my desktop. It is very well made though with a switch to go from ultralinear to triode mode and another switch to go from stereo to headphone mode. Using 8 EL34 or KT88 or KT150 and 8 12AU7, the tube glow is fascinating and lovely to look at but it gets hot.

This is a picture when I was auditioning it with the Redgum and Ragnarok in the comfort of my home. The latter is not in the picture.

 

[UntilThen]

Using Ken Rad 1633 with 6 x 6BX7 there's a very soft hum so I switch out the 1633 for a ECC31 and it's magic and silent.

I can't believe that a ECC31 and 6 x 6BX7 sounds so good in my OTL amp and it's so quiet. I'll take quiet combinations first. That's my first priority.

So far, the 2 drivers that are quietest with 6 x 6BX7 in my OTL amp are ECC31 and Sylvania 6SN7w metal base. Fortunately they are 2 of my favourite drivers.

 

[attmci]

Yes I happen to be using a Ken Rad 1633 and 2 Fivre + 4 Los Gatos (Tung Sol) 6BX7gt. I remember you alerted me to the Los Gatos which happen to be Tung Sol rebrand and the seller was in Australia. If I could get 6 Tung Sol or 6 Fivre 6BX7gt I would but getting a sextet of NOS 6BX7 of one brand is getting very hard these days.

For those wanting to get 6 6BX7, I would suggest getting NOS and try to pair the left and right with the same brand. I don't share much now. I'm reverting to my old passion of cycling again. The Specialised Roubaix is out of the shed again and last Sat ride after a long absence reminded me how good it is to feel the wind in my face and the acceleration as I switch to high gear. I feel young again.

I have been burning my good power tubes lately. Namely Gec 6as7g, Gec 6080, Tung Sol 5998. Today after I read Gibosi's post, I swapped in the sextet 6BX7 and for driver I chose the inexpensive Ken Rad 1633. As good as the 'good' power tubes are, these sextet of 6BX7gt have me smiling in incredulity because it is going head to head with the much more expensive power tubes. In fact it is my belief that the 6BX7 and 6BL7 in a Glenn OTL is what makes it so special. This OTL amp from Glenn with those tubes are in another league.

Which brings me to a point raise by attmci. Yes a little more than 2 years ago, I was giving high praises to first Elise, then Euforia then La Fiagaro 339. In fact my first amp was a JDS Lab o2/odac driving a HD650, bought new out of my own pocket. That sounded very good back in May 2015. Not long after I bought a 2nd hand Dark Voice 336 and that was my introduction to a tube amp and I 'LOVE' the tube sound. Fall madly in love with it. Then I bought Elise and that was my 1st serious tube amp. Then came Euforia and it's much better. Then came La Figaro 339. This chinese amp sounds so good that if it were made in USA or Europe, it would have surely gain more market share. Then I bought Yggdrasil and Ragnarok which is a lot more expensive but the SQ is right out of this world. All this while though, I wanted a really good tube amp and I took a pun on Glenn's OTL amp because there were some good serious layman reviews.

Glenn's OTL prove to be in another league compared to all the amps I've owned. It is even up there with some high calibre amps like the Woo Audio Wa5 and Wa22. Yes I've audition Wa22 at the shop and like it but Glenn OTL is so much more pulse generating. I will be trimming my head-fi gear. Ragnarok and 2 of the headphones will have to go but the question is which.

Enjoy your music and I'll be looking out for your impressions @JazzVinyl . I think your amp will be identical to mine.

I was not talking about u, but welcome back. I believe JC, Mordy all jumped ship recently.

 

[musicman59]

I did not because the Primaluna Premium Dialogue HP is more of a stereo tube amp than a headphone amp. Even though it function very well as a headphone amp but it's impractical to have that 30kgs amp sitting on my desktop. It is very well made though with a switch to go from ultralinear to triode mode and another switch to go from stereo to headphone mode. Using 8 EL34 or KT88 or KT150 and 8 12AU7, the tube glow is fascinating and lovely to look at but it gets hot.

This is a picture when I was auditioning it with the Redgum and Ragnarok in the comfort of my home. The latter is not in the picture.

I guess I might be crazy because I bought it with the sole objective to use it as headphones amp.
It is not on my desktop but in an audio rack with my 2 channel system.
I have it fitted with NOS Siemens EL-34 and NOS Millard 12AX7 tubes.
Totally love the sound!

 

[UntilThen]

I guess I might be crazy because I bought it with the sole objective to use it as headphones amp.
It is not on my desktop but in an audio rack with my 2 channel system.
I have it fitted with NOS Siemens EL-34 and NOS Millard 12AX7 tubes.
Totally love the sound!

It did sound very good with HD800 but I was only using KT88. I believe EL34 would have sounded better.

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

Was at an antique store over the weekend and found this gem. Had to buy this pin and wanted to share it specifically with you guys!

 

[Xcalibur255]

Time to hot glue it to the front of that volume knob.

 

[gibosi]

Could you please summarise the differences you hear between these types of 6BX7 (and maybe RCA?).

I am not all that skilled when it comes to describing sonic differences...

However, I would like to make an observation...

To my ears, there is something that might be described as a "house sound." That is, there is a Sylvania "house sound", a GE "house sound" and so on. For example, most if not all Sylvania tubes have a somewhat similar sound, which might be described as very lively with sparkly highs. Of course, a metal-based 6SN7W and a chrome-top 6SN7GTA do not sound identical, but they do share a Sylvania "house sound." Even a Sylvania 27 manufactured in 1930 shares this same "house sound." And accordingly, so does the Sylvania 6BX7...

So I would say that the 6BX7 that I have tried are good representatives of their respective manufacturer's "house sound". If you have some experience rolling GE, RCA, Tung-Sol and Fivre double triodes, then you can somewhat predict the general sound of 6BX7s from those manufacturers.

And I might add, this appears to be true for rectifiers as well. Mullard rectifiers and Mullard double triodes sound similar, that is, they share a Mullard "house sound." And in my experience, the same can be said of rectifiers and double triodes from RCA, GEC, Telefunken, Valvo, Holland-made Philips and on and on....

Again, this is very general, but when it comes to the sound of rectifiers and double triodes, I find this concept of a "house sound" to be very useful...

 

[leftside]

JV you are going to love the Glenn with vinyl. I presume the OTL sounds similar to the 300B (more power in the 300B). Straight out the box you should find it very airy and spacious with excellent imaging. Combine that with the warmth of vinyl and you are going to be in for a treat.

UT - glad to see you are on the bike again. After another fabulous ski and snowboard season, the snow on the lower parts of the mountains is beginning to melt again and I too was back on the (mountain) bike this weekend.

Regarding the 6BX7's. I wasn't too bothered about brands, but the construction had to match. Beware - this is a never ending rabbit hole. There are many different slight variations......

 

[whirlwind]

Using Ken Rad 1633 with 6 x 6BX7 there's a very soft hum so I switch out the 1633 for a ECC31 and it's magic and silent.

I can't believe that a ECC31 and 6 x 6BX7 sounds so good in my OTL amp and it's so quiet. I'll take quiet combinations first. That's my first priority.

So far, the 2 drivers that are quietest with 6 x 6BX7 in my OTL amp are ECC31 and Sylvania 6SN7w metal base. Fortunately they are 2 of my favourite drivers.

Holy crap, you only have two quiet drivers out of all of those drivers you have ?

Or are they the quietest ones when using the 6BX7...I would not think it would matter what power tubes were used. ??

 

[UntilThen]

Holy crap, you only have two quiet drivers out of all of those drivers you have ?

Or are they the quietest ones when using the 6BX7...I would not think it would matter what power tubes were used. ??

I'm very picky. Tube combinations have to be really quiet for me. Those 2 drivers are very quiet with 6bx7.

6 x 6bx7 in my OTL tend to be a bit erratic. With some of my other drivers, there are some noise. Drivers such as Tung Sol 6F8g, FDD20, ECC33, C3g. I have a pair of c3g that is pretty quiet with 6 x 6bx7. That is a relief for me because I have 3 pairs of NOS c3g but only one pair is quiet with 6 x 6bx7.

There's some consolation. All those other magnificent drivers (Tung Sol 6F8g, FDD20, ECC33, Gec B36) are quiet when paired with power tubes such as Gec 6as7g, Gec 6080, Tung Sol 5998 and Cetron 6336. Very quiet with Svetlana 6h13c too.

One of my favourite combo is FDD20 with a pair of Tung Sol 5998.

Right now I'm using ECC31 with 6 x 6BX7gt using Eikon. Very quiet. Very well behaved and the sound is dripping with honey. This setup is vibrant and ALIVE. It's tantalising on the ears. Listening to music on such a setup is like an aphrodisiac.

 

[attmci]

I'm very picky. Tube combinations have to be really quiet for me. Those 2 drivers are very quiet with 6bx7.

6 x 6bx7 in my OTL tend to be a bit erratic. With some of my other drivers, there are some noise. Drivers such as Tung Sol 6F8g, FDD20, ECC33, C3g. I have a pair of c3g that is pretty quiet with 6 x 6bx7. That is a relief for me because I have 3 pairs of NOS c3g but only one pair is quiet with 6 x 6bx7.

There's some consolation. All those other magnificent drivers (Tung Sol 6F8g, FDD20, ECC33, Gec B36) are quiet when paired with power tubes such as Gec 6as7g, Gec 6080, Tung Sol 5998 and Cetron 6336. Very quiet with Svetlana 6h13c too.

One of my favourite combo is FDD20 with a pair of Tung Sol 5998.

Right now I'm using ECC31 with 6 x 6BX7gt using Eikon. Very quiet. Very well behaved and the sound is dripping with honey. This setup is vibrant and ALIVE. It's tantalising on the ears. Listening to music on such a setup is like an aphrodisiac.

Matt, how about 4x6bl7 or bx7?