[Nostoi]

Further findings on my 75.
/trafomatic head 2 amp
(good amp, easy to pick up everything)

Overall presentation : the signature is tonaly fantastic when it comes to the presentation of cymbals, guitars, and piano. They hit crisp, clean and have very natural and organic resonance and decay. Music is energetic and addictive. I legitimately have a difficult time turning the audio off and going to bed at night now.

Stage:

The stage is wide, but it almost seems the opposite. This is mainly due to how much music is right in your face. The forward, aggressive, energetic method that the music hits you makes you on the tube focused mud region. Because of this it can make it somewhat difficult to open your own scenes to the far off sounds. When you listen to live recordings and hear the crowds it becomes very apparent that their is in fact some pretty good width.

Height is what I've come to expect, nothing more, nothing less. With my hifiman Arya, my bass region seems to sound like it's coming from around my chest in a dedicated sub woofer. The mid come from roughly chin to eye level depending on imaging.
Vocals more often than not come t
Elevated on the stage, but not nearly as high as the Tom Tom, cymbals and other pieces of drum kit. Which, I find can often feel like is floating a foot or so abovf my head; putting me right in the drummers seat.

Depth: the forward layering is pretty great, once your hearing adapts to the very in your face nature of the vocals. In tracks where you're used to your lead blending in somewhere on a stage maybe in a blues club... Now they're sitting across from you / you're front and centre getting a private show.
Everything else often feels behind that, but their are exceptions.
That said theirs very much so a great deal of layering. Instrument tracks are layered in such a way that it keeps passages from Getting unpleasantly busy. Music is layered like a sandwich or sounds in front you.
However in my experience I found their to be less sound passing behind. The music only ever comes from just as if someone is a step behind to the left or right. But never seems to totally be behind me.


Imaging and seperation :
the sound positioning and seperation, simply exceptional.
Everything has its own place. With my Arya their isn't a 3 blob sound. Music arches over head like a rainbow where music can be heard sweeping across all space.
The foreground seems to be almost a grid, with a slot for each sound. Very 3d and holographic. I can very very easily close my eyes and see the exact origin point of each sound in my mind while staring into the black canvas.
Coupled with a lot of air between sounds the seperation gives the experience of being at live shows and intimate venues alike, the realistic air each venue would likely afford.

Bass: pleasing, registers to a low frequency and is controlled tight and accurate. In standard rock its enough but its not gonna be enough for some.
In electronic music and modern pop / rap the genres naturally push the bass up and these tubes keep up. A full rich sound that is very satisfying.

My gripe being they it's not as easy to tell in some songs if the bass is a note from a computer or an instrument
Noticed in Dr Dre - the difference. My stock tubes it was clear the bass line was a tuba and trumbone n with the hg it sounded more like generic bass notes.

The mids and vocals:
The focal point. And in many ways the star. Detail from here up to the highs are impeccable.
As mentioned they're very in your face, and for me it's very enjoyable. I love hearing a singer exhale and inhale, to hear the wavering in a note. The hg can, at times make a record sound live. Very evident in, 3 doors down - kryptonite.
Guitar strings are holographic, you can very easily picture the neck of a guitar and see the vibration of steel / nylon strings. Tonally accurate and incredibly crisp.

Highs: pronounced, sharp, natural and detailed. Lots of air. Love em. No need to say more it's simply done right.


Final thought: the hg are very fun, fast and engaging. They they have a definite bias for mids that can be polarizing. But if you're looking for clarity and detail in spades, they're a clear winner. I would definitely recommend them to anyone as a must try. They may not be the one for you, but you'll at the very least appreciate them for what they can do right.

Great report, thanks. How much burning in did you do for this out of interest? I think you're right about them being mid-centric, which is possiblly why I resist mine.

 

[KenMan85]

Great report, thanks. How much burning in did you do for this out of interest? I think you're right about them being mid-centric, which is possiblly why I resist mine.

None. Tubes burn in is only required if they make noise. These do not.

After 40 hrs of listening theirs been no sonic change.

 

[gkg2k]

None. Tubes burn in is only required if they make noise. These do not.

After 40 hrs of listening theirs been no sonic change.

40h are too few to hear differences.

imho.

Gianluca

 

[KenMan85]

40h are too few to hear differences.

imho.

Gianluca

How many than?

 

[gkg2k]

How many than?

~400

 

[CaptainFantastic]

Hi everyone. I am happy to have found this thread.

I am very new to tube amps. I use as driver tubes on my Woo WA3 either Telefunken E88CCs by JJ Audio or Tesla E88CCs NOS.

Do you think that these 6922s (wooaudio.com/tubes/amperex-6922-pair) are a good upgrade and not too overpriced? Being new to tubes, I am hesitant to purchase on eBay as I have very little experience to evaluate if what I got is good.

Thanks!

 

[KenMan85]

Hi everyone. I am happy to have found this thread.

I am very new to tube amps. I use as driver tubes on my Woo WA3 either Telefunken E88CCs by JJ Audio or Tesla E88CCs NOS.

Do you think that these 6922s (wooaudio.com/tubes/amperex-6922-pair) are a good upgrade and not too overpriced? Being new to tubes, I am hesitant to purchase on eBay as I have very little experience to evaluate if what I got is good.

Thanks!

Buy from a tube dealer when possible, if you have to use eBay, check feedback. I can voucher for brandmix19 as a seller of real tubes in there. Bug that's it. So far.

 

[gkg2k]

Hi everyone. I am happy to have found this thread.

I am very new to tube amps. I use as driver tubes on my Woo WA3 either Telefunken E88CCs by JJ Audio or Tesla E88CCs NOS.

Do you think that these 6922s (wooaudio.com/tubes/amperex-6922-pair) are a good upgrade and not too overpriced? Being new to tubes, I am hesitant to purchase on eBay as I have very little experience to evaluate if what I got is good.

Thanks!

I'd go for NOS. I bought my NOS original 60's Telefunken E88CC pair (not made by JJ ) from Tubeworld Express and it was great to deal with Brendan!

 

[Nostoi]

I'm selling my Reflectors here if anyone's interested. They're great tubes but too mid-centric for me. I'm quite happy with my Tungsram tubes but I'll probably go for Telefunkens next.

 

[Nostoi]

Can someone with Telefunken knowledge give me a brief heads up on the different gradients they come in? The prices seem to vary widely as do the specification. Is there a broad agreement which are the best? What's the deal with the Lorenz label versions? And the diamond bottom ones? Any overview of what to avoid would be much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[spyder1]

Nostoi,
Telefunken come in different 6DJ8 gradients. As you go up the gradient ladder the price increases. They are 6DJ8/ECC88, 6922/E88CC, 7308/E188CC, and CCa. All have etched diamond on the bottom of vacuum tube.

 

[hp4fun]

Hello 2021!

I have a quick question: I got some 6922 variants (Amperex 6Dj8 and 6N23P to be exact) and they all have the same problem: the left channel volume is much lower than the right channel. I have to increase the volume to 3pm to hear some music on the left channel. but if so, occasionally the left channel have some broken sound that are as loud as the right channel.

They are from different sources and I am surprised that they have the same problem. If they are all dying / dead, why it is always the left channel?

The right channel sound is actually pretty good for all of them. The amp is fine too. I have a 7308 and used to have a GL 6922 that sounds pretty nice on it.

 

[AuditoryCanvas]

Hello 2021!

I have a quick question: I got some 6922 variants (Amperex 6Dj8 and 6N23P to be exact) and they all have the same problem: the left channel volume is much lower than the right channel. I have to increase the volume to 3pm to hear some music on the left channel. but if so, occasionally the left channel have some broken sound that are as loud as the right channel.

They are from different sources and I am surprised that they have the same problem. If they are all dying / dead, why it is always the left channel?

The right channel sound is actually pretty good for all of them. The amp is fine too. I have a 7308 and used to have a GL 6922 that sounds pretty nice on it.

If you switch the tubes (left tube in right socket and vice versa) does the problem follow the tube, or does it stay on the left channel? Are you using socket savers?

 

[hp4fun]

If you switch the tubes (left tube in right socket and vice versa) does the problem follow the tube, or does it stay on the left channel? Are you using socket savers?

No socket saver.

My amp only has a single tube. Sad that I cannot verify it by swapping.

Thanks for the prompt reply!

 

[AuditoryCanvas]

No socket saver.

My amp only has a single tube. Sad that I cannot verify it by swapping.

Thanks for the prompt reply!

Do you have tubes that don't have the issue? If so, it sounds like the new tubes you got are dying on one triode.