Jan 13, 2025 at 3:07 PM Post #40,111 of 40,142
6BX7 Manufacturer?
oh I just had the run of the mill GE. I should mention that a six pack of 6bx7 can be and will be quite noisy, so I'd probably avoid these, at least for now. It took me quite awhile to find a sixer that was noise free.
 
Jan 13, 2025 at 4:40 PM Post #40,112 of 40,142
When I had my 10 socket GOTL my go to rolls were:

Tung Sol black glass round plate 12sn7 (or 6sn7) < no other driver came close IMO
Tung Sol 5998 or a six pack of 6bx7
GEC U52

I'd also suggest picking up a sn7>j5 adapter and dabble with some 6 or 12J5s. Do a search within this thread for 6j5 tubes and you will understand my recommendation
Actually listening to that 12SN7 on your old GOTL right now along with 4 WE 421A with the Bokeh Open. Just phenomenal! Euphonic sound with incredible, textured bass. I think one could be fooled into thinking it's a TOTL model with this combo.
 
Jan 13, 2025 at 4:50 PM Post #40,113 of 40,142
Actually listening to that 12SN7 on your old GOTL right now along with 4 WE 421A with the Bokeh Open. Just phenomenal! Euphonic sound with incredible, textured bass. I think one could be fooled into thinking it's a TOTL model with this combo.
Is that old GEC U18/20 still going strong?
 
Jan 13, 2025 at 5:16 PM Post #40,114 of 40,142
When I had my 10 socket GOTL my go to rolls were:

Tung Sol black glass round plate 12sn7 (or 6sn7) < no other driver came close IMO
Tung Sol 5998 or a six pack of 6bx7
GEC U52

I'd also suggest picking up a sn7>j5 adapter and dabble with some 6 or 12J5s. Do a search within this thread for 6j5 tubes and you will understand my recommendation
Which rectifier do you use with 5998 and 12SN7? Also wow the Tung Sols are expensive as crap.
 
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Jan 13, 2025 at 5:17 PM Post #40,115 of 40,142
Jan 13, 2025 at 5:29 PM Post #40,116 of 40,142
Which rectifier do you use with 5998 and 12SN7?
I used a GEC U18/20, which is the 4 volt version of the GEC U52. The 4 volt requires a special adapter to use in the GOTL, which Glenn built for me after 3 adapters that Deyan built failed. Short of lucking into the correct adapter, you can get the 5 volt U52 however the sticker price of a U52, if you can find one, ain't for the faint of heart.
FWIW the U18/20 never left the rectifier socket for me. I enjoyed it that much.

EDIT: i should mention that high dollar rectifiers, TS 5998s/ WE 421a and the TS BGRP 12sn7, and pretty much most highly sought after tubes are often listed on eBay with misleading text and/or fake tubes entirely. Unless you know how to tell the difference between the genuine article and a $2.00 Russian tube with a GEC sticker slapped on the glass, I'd recommend dealing with reputable tube dealers as opposed to throwing money away on fake tubes.
 
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Jan 13, 2025 at 5:41 PM Post #40,117 of 40,142
And also phenomenal! A pair of French-made SFR (Société Française Radio-Électrique) 6080-H, a pair of Holland-made Philips EL42 and a 4-volt Siemens Z2c rectifier. :)

2025-01-13 17.34.35.jpg
 
Jan 14, 2025 at 6:17 PM Post #40,118 of 40,142
So I just got the Electro Harmonix Gold Pin 6SN7 in, and.... It's darker, muddier, and somehow thinner on the bass and treble than the Ken-RAD 6F8G I had before. How long do you need to burn in a NOS tube before you get an idea what it sounds like?

And for burning in, can I just unplug all the headphones and leave the amp running overnight with music playing?
 
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Jan 14, 2025 at 6:56 PM Post #40,119 of 40,142
So I just got the Electro Harmonix Gold Pin 6SN7 in, and.... It's darker, muddier, and somehow thinner on the bass and treble than the Ken-RAD 6DJ8 I had before. How long do you need to burn in a NOS tube before you get an idea what it sounds like?

And for burning in, can I just unplug all the headphones and leave the amp running overnight with music playing?
As a rule, most tubes require around 30-50 hours burn in; however, some tubes require much more time (120 hours or more).
Nothing wrong leaving on the amp overnight unless the manufacturer warns about leaving it on too long. Since heat is the enemy of electronic components, I would recommend a fan or two cooling the GOTL. You can buy USB powered 3" or 4" fans inexpensively on Amazon.
 
Jan 14, 2025 at 7:05 PM Post #40,120 of 40,142
As a rule, most tubes require around 30-50 hours burn in; however, some tubes require much more time (120 hours or more).
Nothing wrong leaving on the amp overnight unless the manufacturer warns about leaving it on too long. Since heat is the enemy of electronic components, I would recommend a fan or two cooling the GOTL. You can buy USB powered 3" or 4" fans inexpensively on Amazon.
Sounds good. Let me leave it to run for a bit and then give it a shot again. I have a floor fan pointing at it
 
Jan 14, 2025 at 8:58 PM Post #40,122 of 40,142
Always wondered about that. My GOTL def runs hot. It's been on for about 2 maybe 3 hours, and the top of the chassis is around 95 degrees
I found that the hottest part usually is the transformer. On my 9 socket GOTL i use two 4" USB fans - one blowing on the transformer and one blowing on the tubes (I use 6 x 0.9A power tubes).
This is what I have - these inexpensive fans are quiet and come with a speed control:
1736906265862.png

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2345658507...16BIqUVQL4Obo6eHI4XIj+iw==|tkp:Bk9SR_6l3vqMZQ
 
Jan 15, 2025 at 3:21 PM Post #40,123 of 40,142
As a rule, most tubes require around 30-50 hours burn in; however, some tubes require much more time (120 hours or more).
Nothing wrong leaving on the amp overnight unless the manufacturer warns about leaving it on too long. Since heat is the enemy of electronic components, I would recommend a fan or two cooling the GOTL. You can buy USB powered 3" or 4" fans inexpensively on Amazon.
All right, so it's at around 10 to 12 hours of burn in, and I'm still not impressed. Very flabby bass that isn't punchy and causes loss of detail.

I'll continue the burn in overnight for a few more days and report back.
 
Jan 15, 2025 at 3:27 PM Post #40,124 of 40,142
All right, so it's at around 10 to 12 hours of burn in, and I'm still not impressed. Very flabby bass that isn't punchy and causes loss of detail.

I'll continue the burn in overnight for a few more days and report back.
Tube burn-in is a very real thing, so try and give them more time. That being said, those tubes might not be a good match for the rest of the tubes currently in the amp. Some tubes can sound great in some tube combos and trash in other combos.
Also not every tube is going to sound great with every headphone. I had two entirely different rolls for the Verite open and Verite closed, and they share a common driver.

Tube rolling is a very deep rabbit hole.
 
Jan 15, 2025 at 3:29 PM Post #40,125 of 40,142
I found that the hottest part usually is the transformer. On my 9 socket GOTL i use two 4" USB fans - one blowing on the transformer and one blowing on the tubes (I use 6 x 0.9A power tubes).

Interesting! On my four socket tube-rectified GOTL, the Lundahl transformer never gets hot, only warm.
I've used pairs of 5998's, 7236's, and 6080's so far.

Tube burn-in is a very real thing, so try and give them more time. That being said, those tubes might not be a good match for the rest of the tubes currently in the amp. Some tubes can sound great in some tube combos and trash in other combos.
Also not every tube is going to sound great with every headphone. I had two entirely different rolls for the Verite open and Verite closed, and they share a common driver.

Tube rolling is a very deep rabbit hole.

LOL dang yeah. I'm still perfecting my VC tube complement, and I've got a pair AO's coming that I already know are going to be want something else!
 
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