[Monsterzero]

A bit steep on the price, but they arent easy to find.

https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/sennheiser-hd250-linear-1-600-ohm.12901/

 

[mordy]

A bit steep on the price, but they arent easy to find.

https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/sennheiser-hd250-linear-1-600-ohm.12901/

Here is a handyman fixerupper:
https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/sennheiser-hd250-linear-ii.8405/

 

[nicholas1213]

My personal favorites would be in this order. Take into account that my favorite music is guitar heavy
Mullard EL34
Mullard EL37
GEC KT66
EL3N & GEC KT63 are also very nice.
As far as pure detail, if one prefers this, then the GEC KT66 would be best for that.
As always YMMV.

Hi @whirlwind , I have just gotten myself the el34 adapter from Deyan and a pair of mullard EL34 xf2 double O. Just want to seek some guidance on GEL3N amp - the output tube to be replaced are the ones located at the back right (beside the rectifier tube)? Not the front pair right?

Thanks a lot in advance and cant wait to try it out with Susvara!

 

[whirlwind]

Hi @whirlwind , I have just gotten myself the el34 adapter from Deyan and a pair of mullard EL34 xf2 double O. Just want to seek some guidance on GEL3N amp - the output tube to be replaced are the ones located at the back right (beside the rectifier tube)? Not the front pair right?

Thanks a lot in advance and cant wait to try it out with Susvara!

Yes, you are correct. Enjoy those tubes

 

[nicholas1213]

Yes, you are correct. Enjoy those tubes

Thanks a lot for your help! Can't wait!

 

[NickT23]

Yes. The sub bass on the HD250 is phenomenol. As Mordy said, LCD territory. I also prefer the mids and highs on the 250 as well, and as a bonus, they're cheaper too.

I sold my Atticus to fund my Auteur, then sold my Auteur to fund my VC.
The lack of sub bass on the Atticus didnt really bother me for reasons I listed above, but if sub bass is huge to you I'd suggest the Eikon or Verite closed (or open), and if those are too much $$$, then go find a HD250

Already decided to go for Aelous and Verite Open. My heart belong to VO over VC dont know why. VO sub bass should very good, no roll off with that linear low end rumble.

 

[leftside]

Thanks a lot for your help! Can't wait!

Going to sound great!

 

[gibosi]

I'm following a more prosaic road, not as exotic as many others here, and am now enjoying an "All American" roll.

Using 6B-7 as output tubes, 4 or 6, allows the use of 5U4G rectifiers. So today, a National Union 5U4G, four Tung-Sol 6BX7 and a pair of Raytheon Type 76. It sounds good, but I haven't had the Raytheons in all that long. Before, I was listening to Ken-Rad Type 76, and I think I prefer them. But to be fair to the Raytheons, will keep listening.

Thought I'd roll in a pair of EL42, labeled Mazda Medium (but actually manufactured by La Radiotechnique in Suresnes, France), with a Ken-Rad rectifier and a quad of Tung-Sol 6BX7. I didn't know what to expect and I am very pleasantly surprised.

And thought I'd use Google's "Night Sight" to make it look purdy.

 

[whirlwind]

Thought I'd roll in a pair of EL42, labeled Mazda Medium (but actually manufactured by La Radiotechnique in Suresnes, France), with a Ken-Rad rectifier and a quad of Tung-Sol 6BX7. I didn't know what to expect and I am very pleasantly surprised.

And thought I'd use Google's "Night Sight" to make it look purdy.

I do not own any Ken Rad rectifiers, but I sure enjoy their SN7 and 6/12J5 tubes.
How would you describe them, I may want to spring for one, should be reasonably priced.

Sure miss Stan at ESRC....bet he would have has some NOS ones at a good price.

 

[mordy]

I do not own any Ken Rad rectifiers, but I sure enjoy their SN7 and 6/12J5 tubes.
How would you describe them, I may want to spring for one, should be reasonably priced.

Sure miss Stan at ESRC....bet he would have has some NOS ones at a good price.

Does anybody know what happened with the hundreds of thousands of tubes at ESRC?
The last I heard was that there was litigation about the inheritance.

 

[whirlwind]

Does anybody know what happened with the hundreds of thousands of tubes at ESRC?
The last I heard was that there was litigation about the inheritance.

No I have not heard mordy....was hopeful that it would keep going, but it sure does not look good or else it is going to take years to get things sorted.

 

[Monsterzero]

I do not own any Ken Rad rectifiers, but I sure enjoy their SN7 and 6/12J5 tubes.
How would you describe them, I may want to spring for one, should be reasonably priced.

Ive often wondered the same thing. I asked Brent Jesse about Ken Rad rectifiers and he said he rarely had them, but offered no opinion on their sound.

 

[gibosi]

I do not own any Ken Rad rectifiers, but I sure enjoy their SN7 and 6/12J5 tubes.
How would you describe them, I may want to spring for one, should be reasonably priced.

Sure miss Stan at ESRC....bet he would have has some NOS ones at a good price.

As one would expect, I find the bass is quite good, but to my mind, it is not a "bass head" tube. The midrange and highs are fairly neutral and vocals are clear, not at all muddy. What I like about the Ken-Rad is that it works as a good "foundation" tube. It does a good job with the fundamentals and then I can add brighter and more euphonic drivers and output tubes. So far, I am very pleased with it.

When buying Ken-Rad I am always cognizant of the fact the GE bought the company in 1945. So my practice is to find tubes that were manufactured before GE took control and use them as my reference.

These are Ken-Rad 5Z3. First, I should say, the 5Z3 and 5U4G are electrically identical. The 5Z3 came first and was mounted in a UX-Base (4 Pins, 2 thick) and then when the octal socket was introduced, the tube was mounted in an octal socket and became a 5U4G.

The left-hand tube below was manufactured in 1937. It is my reference - Before GE. The right-hand tube was manufactured in 1947 and it carries the standard GE code, "188 5". However, the changes in those ten years appear to be trivial. The shape of the getter is slightly different, foil to rectangular, and the older tube has a taller bottle. I am not able to discern any other construction differences. And more importantly, no sonic differences.

So if you want to try one of these, look for the ribbed plates and that distinctive mica spacer structure on top.

 

[Smallpie]

Does anybody know if this is a Brimar Rectifier?(the Haltron on the left.)
I added a Phillips 5r4gys on the right for reference. A few differences between the two especially at the top. The Haltron cv717 has a different mica structure.



Edit: the brimar cv717 in the dubstep thread picture attached
( https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dub...mparison-rectifer-tube-rolling-thread.694525/ ) looks way different and more like the 5r4gys at the top.

 

[gibosi]

Does anybody know if this is a Brimar Rectifier?(the Haltron on the left.)
I added a Phillips 5r4gys on the right for reference. A few differences between the two especially at the top. The Haltron cv717 has a different mica structure.



Edit: the brimar cv717 in the dubstep thread picture attached
( https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dub...mparison-rectifer-tube-rolling-thread.694525/ ) looks way different and more like the 5r4gys at the top.

The short answer is that it sure sounds like a Brimar 5R4GY.

The tube below on the right is definitely a Brimar 5R4G7, dated 1957. However, it's not clear to me who actually manufactured the tube on the left. I have seen it labeled as a Brimar, a Haltron and even an Italian Marconi. In the end, to my ears they both sound the same. So, since it sounds like a Brimar, I would recommend you buy which ever is the cheapest.