[Xcalibur255]

 
Do you want tube 42EC4 or SS rectifiers.

 
If a consensus gets built up by the community that the Hexfred SS setup sounds better, maybe the next step is to build them into new amps internally and not bother with the tube sockets topside anymore?  Cleaner implementation and more reliable.

 

[whirlwind]

 

Or paint 'em nipple pink!

 
Fixed your post

Ha ha...good one Tony
 

 

  Tubes all the way, but at a sensible price.
With tube rectifiers you can change the sound with SS is a take it or leave it situation.

 
And if you have an amp that uses 5U4-type rectifiers, a HEXFRED from Glenn gives you the best of both worlds in one amp. Having choices is always a good thing, IMHO.

+1 Ken....you have the best of both worlds.
 
I have been on vacation for the last three weeks and I have been listening to my Grado RS1 for the past two weeks paired with Glenns amp.
 
Before I bought my amp , I had a lot of people tell me that an OTL amp and Grado headphones was a terrible match, but that is just not the case at all.
 
I kind of believed that I would have to use the 6336 tubes to drive them properly, and even though those tubes sound great, the 6AS7 and even some 6080 tubes, make for a wonderful combo.
 
With the 42EC4 and the C3g's in my amp....I feel those tubes are very neutral and really transparent....the RS1 is also very transparent and I have found that just rolling the power tubes is quite the experience ....they seem to effect the sound more than I once believed.
 
I am a low level listener with my Grados, and they pick up any back round noises really easily...but listening to them with Glenn's amp is such a fun time .
 
It has went leaps and bounds above what I thought Grado headphones could sound on this amp.
 
The detail with good power tubes and the C3g's is stunning...combine that with a damn black back round and these past two weeks have been a real fun time and a learning experience, for sure.
 
One thing I like about my 42EC4 tubes is that they are all dead quiet, no buzzing or microphonics at all.
 
I am currently enjoying the RS1 with this combo of tubes.
 

 
Thanks Glenn, for offering such a versatile piece of gear to us.

 

[2359glenn]

 

 
Do you want tube 42EC4 or SS rectifiers.

 
If a consensus gets built up by the community that the Hexfred SS setup sounds better, maybe the next step is to build them into new amps internally and not bother with the tube sockets topside anymore?  Cleaner implementation and more reliable.

That is what I am planing on doing do away with tube rectifiers

 

[2359glenn]

 

They really are better then any tube rectifier. People pay $1000 for a TAK 274B crazy when 2 HEXFRED diodes
cost $2.  Cary is getting rid of the 5U4s to HEXFREDS as a upgrade and they are much
better then any 5U4 or 274 no voltage drop or sag in voltage when the amp draws more current.
I prefer tube rectifiers but cheep ones I am not nuts yet to spend $1K on a 5U4 that could be spent on good 300Bs.

Look like we need to show the community this, one of the reason I moved away from Woo is the rectifier cost, WA5 uses 2 5U4, so double the $1k+ for rectifiers if going for totl sound. Maybe @badas can order a hexfred from you for his wa22 to compare to the tak he got and post his impressions.

On tge 42ec4 vs ss, the only reason you're not able to make the ss adapters is the base right? Do you think we could sacrifice a set of 42ec4 and cut them open, carefully with maybe a copper pipe cutter, slowly grinding the glass down, then remove the internals and make space foe the hexfred diodes?

Two of these would do the trick but I only could find this one.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pomona-Model-2749-Novar-Tall-Test-9-Pin-Socket-Adaptor-/371627539727?hash=item5686ba3d0f:g:770AAOSwMHdXSjVS

 

[2359glenn]

 

They really are better then any tube rectifier. People pay $1000 for a TAK 274B crazy when 2 HEXFRED diodes
cost $2.  Cary is getting rid of the 5U4s to HEXFREDS as a upgrade and they are much
better then any 5U4 or 274 no voltage drop or sag in voltage when the amp draws more current.
I prefer tube rectifiers but cheep ones I am not nuts yet to spend $1K on a 5U4 that could be spent on good 300Bs.

Look like we need to show the community this, one of the reason I moved away from Woo is the rectifier cost, WA5 uses 2 5U4, so double the $1k+ for rectifiers if going for totl sound. Maybe @badas can order a hexfred from you for his wa22 to compare to the tak he got and post his impressions.

On tge 42ec4 vs ss, the only reason you're not able to make the ss adapters is the base right? Do you think we could sacrifice a set of 42ec4 and cut them open, carefully with maybe a copper pipe cutter, slowly grinding the glass down, then remove the internals and make space foe the hexfred diodes?

You do have 2 HEXFREDS in your amp it has a hybred bridge rectifier 2 SS diodes + 2 tube diodes this takes on the sound of the tubes.
I have to do this so the power transformer has a symmetrical load and that keeps the magnetic field low.

 

[Khragon]

 
You do have 2 HEXFREDS in your amp it has a hybred bridge rectifier 2 SS diodes + 2 tube diodes this takes on the sound of the tubes.
I have to do this so the power transformer has a symmetrical load and that keeps the magnetic field low.

 
Cool! thanks for the info and the great design Glenn.  Was throwing out the idea of scarifying two PY500 to get HEXFREDS so we have choices, and for the potential of lowering noise even further, but I'm on the tube side myself , especially considering PY500s are low microphonic and neutral sounding.  I've rolled in a couple but didn't notice any sound changes, I've tried RCA, Phillip and Telefunken, all three with different plate structures.

 

[Xcalibur255]

Glenn amp owners please read this first paragraph:
 
A friendly word of warning to people trying out these HEXFREDs for the first time in their amps.  Turn your bias pots WAAAAAAAAY down before powering on.  I turned mine down some as a precaution but it ended up not being nearly enough.  They come on much faster than tube rectifiers do and when they did the meters shot past 60mA which is massively too much for a 45 tube.  It was literally double the bias I had set the last time I ran the amp.
 
A couple of questions for Glenn:  it took me about 5-7 seconds to get my shaking hands on my screwdriver and turn the bias pots down to something sane.  What are the consequences for my globe 45s after being hammered with 200% of their maximum plate current rating for a few seconds?  The tubes are making sound so they didn't blow up, but I'm pretty upset about it.
 
Also, I'm assuming these SS diodes need some time to break-in just like tube ones do.  I'm guessing I need to give this about 24 hours before judging how they sound?
 
I'm about ready to sacrifice a goat or something to try and put a stop to all these unpleasant surprises.  I just want to listen to music for goodness sake.  I've had about a 1000% more drama over the last few years than there should be in the pursuit of that simple goal.

 

[2359glenn]

  Glenn amp owners please read this first paragraph:
 
A friendly word of warning to people trying out these HEXFREDs for the first time in their amps.  Turn your bias pots WAAAAAAAAY down before powering on.  I turned mine down some as a precaution but it ended up not being nearly enough.  They come on much faster than tube rectifiers do and when they did the meters shot past 60mA which is massively too much for a 45 tube.  It was literally double the bias I had set the last time I ran the amp.
 
A couple of questions for Glenn:  it took me about 5-7 seconds to get my shaking hands on my screwdriver and turn the bias pots down to something sane.  What are the consequences for my globe 45s after being hammered with 200% of their maximum plate current rating for a few seconds?  The tubes are making sound so they didn't blow up, but I'm pretty upset about it.
 
Also, I'm assuming these SS diodes need some time to break-in just like tube ones do.  I'm guessing I need to give this about 24 hours before judging how they sound?
 
I'm about ready to sacrifice a goat or something to try and put a stop to all these unpleasant surprises.  I just want to listen to music for goodness sake.  I've had about a 1000% more drama over the last few years than there should be in the pursuit of that simple goal.

They are not going to be heart running them over current for a few seconds. If left running like that for days or weeks then it would shorten the tube life.
 
So how does it sound with no burn in????

 

[Xcalibur255]

  They are not going to be heart running them over current for a few seconds. If left running like that for days or weeks then it would shorten the tube life.
 
So how does it sound with no burn in????

 
I don't want to make any quick judgements.  After a few listening sessions I'll have a better feel for it.
 
Two qualities that stand out immediately though:  it's more dynamically aggressive and there is more bass energy.  Some people will like the change, and others won't.  The difference seems pretty substantial to me, so I don't think I'm going to get my wish of having the overall sound stay the same as it was.
 
There is an unnatural edge or raspiness to things right now and it gets congested during busy passages, so I think it needs to spend more time in the oven.  I will write real impressions in a week or so after I've had more time to listen and adjust.

 

[2359glenn]

EL3N  Amp
 
A new amp EL3N driving a EL3N this amp has not been burned in only been running since noon but I think
it sounds as good as the 300B. Of course similar transformers. In a tube amp the output transformer has
the biggest affect on the sound.
 

 

 

[Xcalibur255]

Very nice Glenn.  Looks great.
 
Is that a type 80 rectifier?

 

[raybone0566]

Put me on the the list Glenn

 

[Xcalibur255]

Yeah this sounds harsh and glassy right now.  Very much like a new rectifier tube does.  They need 24 hours run time to settle I think.
 
If these DON'T burn-in and change then I wouldn't be able to listen to this as it is right now.  I'll run the amp and see how/if it changes.

 

[Khragon]

Another great amp Glenn, congrats. Very cool that it sounds similar to 300B, EL3N are so much more affordable, great you are building these amps. Woo instead is building the WA22SE that is rumored to be $5k, still using 5U4 rectifier and 6sn7s, filling that amp up with top tubes will take the price to $6-7k no problem, insane.

 

[Xcalibur255]

Another great amp Glenn, congrats. Very cool that it sounds similar to 300B, EL3N are so much more affordable, great you are building these amps. Woo instead is building the WA22SE that is rumored to be $5k, still using 5U4 rectifier and 6sn7s, filling that amp up with top tubes will take the price to $6-7k no problem, insane.

 
Honestly the more I have learned about tubes the less sense the WA22 had made to me.  Both the design and the tube choices are so out of place for an amp that expensive.