[shayson1357]

Yup. Most people think all components as the same cause they have the same general classification. DAC, amp, etc. Spending more is only a vanity of the "idiot" and isn't any better than what "we" have. So we blissfully ignore anything above our station as extravagance.

even if these people try the gear in a meet or anywhere else for a short while they won't notice the difference because such things need time to sink in, especially when all is volume adjusted.... for example if someone has used some sort of budget friendly receiver (500-700$ range ) for a year or so with say..... the he-6..... and then tried his headphones at a friend's place on a receiver 8x the price he'll notice a difference,yes and he'll like that receiver but after hearing the price he'll subconsciously back off slowly 

 .... BUT, if he supposedly borrowed that receiver and used  it exclusively for an entire month,returned it and then plugged in his old receiver he'll think that it's broken, or that something is definitely wrong and that it's not the receiver he's used to listening to(like the life of his music has been bleached off) , that's likely because his ears have figuratively matured enough to tell vaster differences between his system's components and he knows(more than before) what to hear in his music and what to look out for, and this is especially prominent when downgrading after a long time of using good equipment 

 .

 

[shayson1357]

   
My TRV-845SE amp uses Mundorf caps (but unlikely to be the Ag/Au variety). I don't how much of a difference those caps make, but the amp with upgraded tubes sounds FANTASTIC.
 
Only downside is my WA5 and Taurus are getting less playtime as the big rig sounds so good.
 

congrats for the new rig, Tony 

I see the juniors are Psvane, but the output tubes....hmmm... smell like Psvane Replica 845 , no

 ?

 

[TonyNewman]

  congrats for the new rig, Tony 

I see the juniors are Psvane, but the output tubes....hmmm... smell like Psvane Replica 845 , no

 ?

 
Spot on. Psvane WE275s driving Psvane WE845s. Stunning tubes. Tried the WR2A3s - also excellent, but the WE275s are a little warmer and darker, which I like.
 
Hope to swap out the WE845s for a pair of ER845s in January.
 
I read some reviews of the TRV-845SE that mentioned that it was excellent in all areas, except for the bass being a little "loose" and not quite as well presented as the mids and treble. These reviews were using the stock tubes - which are OK, but not great. Getting great bass out of a tube amp requires great tubes, I think. Bass extension seems to be very tough to do in a tube rig.
 
Anyway, with the Psvane WE845s the bass is strong and well defined - the issue was the tubes, not the amp.
 
I wonder if other folks feel the same way? I struggled to get good bass from my WA5 until I found the WE274B replica rectifier tube.
 
I'm hoping the Elrog 845 can take this amp up a notch again

 

[shayson1357]

shuguang 845B seems to be the standard today(never mind their higher tier stuff, it's the same tube

 )
you have the 845 replicas which come from a different production line from Psvane, better than the shuguang but not the best to be had when it comes to 845s.... honestly don't know if the KR 845 is better than the replicas so can't comment on that.... but if I was in the same situation I'd go with Elrog since they have a different design and are not just trying to replicate the old 845s...
here's a pic of Klaus and his tubes(there's a shuguang near him for shape comparison 

 )

 

[TonyNewman]

  shuguang 845B seems to be the standard today(never mind their higher tier stuff, it's the same tube

 )
you have the 845 replicas which come from a different production line from Psvane, better than the shuguang but not the best to be had when it comes to 845s.... honestly don't know if the KR 845 is better than the replicas so can't comment on that.... but if I was in the same situation I'd go with Elrog since they have a different design and are not just trying to replicate the old 845s...
here's a pic of Klaus and his tubes(there's a shuguang near him for shape comparison 

 )

I wouldn't say all the Shuguang tubes are the same, at least when it comes to sonic performance. I have the "Natural Sound" 845s from Shuguang and compared to the stock tubes (base model Shuguang) they are a much improved tube. For someone on a budget they are a fine choice, I think.
 
I also have the Psvane T2 series of 845s. Roughly on a par performance and cost wise with the Shuguang Natural Sound tubes - perhaps a bit better detail and extension, but not a lot of difference to my ears.
 
The 'WE style" WE845s (not really a replica as WE never made an 845?) are a big step up. More detail, more mid-range magic, and great bass. These are very good + high performing tubes. They take my amp + speaker big rig into something close to, but not quite the equal of, my WA5 + modded HE6. I can't stack the praise much higher than that without getting into 6 Moons superlative excesses 

 
I am hoping the ER845s and ER300Bs can do some magic on the TRV-845SE and WA5 respectively and step them both up another notch.
 
After my wallet recovers from that massacre I will be casting a glance at the Takasuki 274Bs - but want to hear some feedback from other forumites before going down that road. They will need to be significantly better than the Psvane WE274B replicas to justify the hefty pricing. Those are some pricey rectifiers.

 

[shayson1357]

I'd advise against the rectifiers if they really are priced per piece, might want to stay with the Psvanes or try EMLs.... maybe someone who has tried the Takatsukis would chime in 

 .
oh, and you're right about the WE845 they don't really exist,same specs as RCA 845s but Psvane were trying to make it similar to a Western Electric 284A .

 

[TonyNewman]

  I'd advise against the rectifiers if they really are priced per piece, might want to stay with the Psvanes or try EMLs.... maybe someone who has tried the Takatsukis would chime in 

 .
oh, and you're right about the WE845 they don't really exist,same specs as RCA 845s but Psvane were trying to make it similar to a Western Electric 284A .

 
I have an EML mesh 274B - I found it underwhelming to say the least. To my ears it is outperformed by the NOS Mullard GZ32 and hugely outperformed by the Psvane WE274B replica. Both these tubes cost less than the EML (much less for the Mullard).

 

[shayson1357]

hmmm.... that's odd, have always heard good praise for EML's rectifiers.... maybe they are picky in terms of what circuit suits them better  but it's unlikely that they are "inferior" to the Psvanes. I've seen some mighty expensive amplifiers employing EH or JJ rectifiers with phenomenal results so it's really just trial and error to see what fits best with your amp 

 

[TonyNewman]

  hmmm.... that's odd, have always heard good praise for EML's rectifiers.... maybe they are picky in terms of what circuit suits them better  but it's unlikely that they are "inferior" to the Psvanes. I've seen some mighty expensive amplifiers employing EH or JJ rectifiers with phenomenal results so it's really just trial and error to see what fits best with your amp 

 
I'm not the only person to find the EML rectifiers to be way over-priced for what they deliver.
 
Check out the rectifier thread - link below.
 
Link.
 
For the money - they are not great value. The EML 300Bs might be wonderful - never heard them - the rectifier blows @ $270.
 
The Mullards are better. The Psvanes are MUCH better. I have tried all 3 in my WA5 and WA6 - it isn't even close.

 

[Xenophon]

   
My TRV-845SE amp uses Mundorf caps (but unlikely to be the Ag/Au variety). I don't how much of a difference those caps make, but the amp with upgraded tubes sounds FANTASTIC.
 
Only downside is my WA5 and Taurus are getting less playtime as the big rig sounds so good.
 

That's a VERY nice rig you have!!  Congratulations!  No wonder your other amps get less time.  Do try the Elrog tubes if you have a chance, they're expensive but (imo) worth it. 
 
For the caps:  I like Mundorf, they have good quality products  that keep the middle ground between the cheap stuff and the really ridiculously expensive caps like the teflon V-caps and Duelunds.

 

[shayson1357]

V-caps are cheap compared to Duelunds, but hey.... you wanted cost no object right 

 

[Rossliew]

Anyone here has experience driving the HE-6 with the humble and vintage NAD 3020 amp, whether out of its hp socket or thru the speaker taps? 

 

[atistatic]

Anyone tried HE-6 with Little dot MK VI?

 

[shayson1357]

  Anyone tried HE-6 with Little dot MK VI?

you need about 50 times the littledot MKVI's output power at the he-6's impedance to drive it adequately 

 ....
seriously though, a < $300 amp for a $1,200 headphone isn't really a good idea..... but regardless, at that low of a budget(if you already have the he-6) I'd suggest getting a used speaker amplifier or integrated, almost always the better option for driving the he-6 

 .

 

[TonyNewman]

  you need about 50 times the littledot MKVI's output power ...

 
I read the little dot spec as throwing 5wpc. That is close to enough, if the amp can swing current/voltage rapidly and in large buckets (which some tubes amps seem to be able to do).
 
Never heard the Allnic with a HE6, but folks that have tell it does a fine job with 5wpc.
 
The WA5 with 8wpc does a great job with the HE6. Folks that have compared the WA5 with a thumping huge wattage solid state amp tell me that it gets 99% of the performance - just drops a sliver of the bass response.