[mikoss]

Like I said, just my recommendation, but this tube sounds better with the 650's to me... It's also cheaper:

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=131418962330&alt=web


Also here an Amperex Holland (delta5E = 1965) made 6dj8 for dirt cheap:
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=190844243066&alt=web

And an E88CC for a bit more:
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=251704338751&alt=web

 

[SirMarc]

Just did an A/B between the amperex 7308 and gold lion with a well produced track I know extremely well and no offence joe, but at least with my headphones, they're in different leagues. The 7308 does it pretty dirty. larger soundstage, more natural timber, more vinyl sounding to me. The gold lion is by no means bad, but there's a reason I bought a spare 7308 even though the price has gone up. Could also be good synergy between the Asgard 2 and HD 580's

 

[joeq70]

Just did an A/B between the amperex 7308 and gold lion with a well produced track I know extremely well and no offence joe, but at least with my headphones, they're in different leagues. The 7308 does it pretty dirty. larger soundstage, more natural timber, more vinyl sounding to me. The gold lion is by no means bad, but there's a reason I bought a spare 7308 even though the price has gone up. Could also be good synergy between the Asgard 2 and HD 580's

No offense taken. I totally believe you. Tube preference is going to be closely tied to headphone choice. For me, I have extremely detailed headphones that sound really addicting with aggressive sounding gear. I go back and forth between the Gold Lion and my 6n23p Voskhod Rocket Logo. The Voskhod does not scale well with better amps but with the stock amp and my headphones, the mids presentation is rather tactile and addicting. Yet I would not consider the Voskhod a tube that will work for everyone.

The reason I purchased the miniwatt dario e188cc is I changed the pads on my headphones which makes the sound more intimate. When I was using bowl pads, the spacious sound offered by the amperex 7308 was a bit too relaxed. I wish I still had one to see if the other pads would have made a difference.

 

[SirMarc]

Suprised you sold it. I keep them all, just in case, and every now and then I switch them around, but I always come back to the 7308

 

[thinkpol]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll definitely check out the orange globes in addition to the smokies. Or should I get a "holy grail" tube for more cash than getting 2-4 cheaper tubes? 
 
Any thoughts on the Aune X3 and what amp to power it? Or better off going with the T1 into an active speaker like the Audioengine A2 or A5?

 

[SirMarc]

I tend to judge everything against the way a good turntable with a good ss amp sounds. This is the closest I've gotten with digital files. Pretty happy

 

[NCSUZoSo]

  Thanks for the suggestions! I'll definitely check out the orange globes in addition to the smokies. Or should I get a "holy grail" tube for more cash than getting 2-4 cheaper tubes? 
 
Any thoughts on the Aune X3 and what amp to power it? Or better off going with the T1 into an active speaker like the Audioengine A2 or A5?

 
Most of us looking for "holy grail" tubes will buy 3-4 high end tubes before we land on one, or more.  Even though I have one of the rarest Siemens tubes on the way to my house right now, I can't guarantee you that it is going to sound better than the Siemens I am already running.  It should, but I don't know.
 
I would recommend you try out a variety of NOS tubes that are reasonable, that way you can figure out if you are looking for a more colored sound or something more neutral or sterile.  For example if you love a GE Smokie and hate a JAN Philips, to me that says you are looking for a colored tone from the tube.  Say that is the case and you bought a Siemens CCa E188CC without knowing, then you have a very neutral tube and even though it is one of the most popular/expensive tubes available, you'd probably prefer something like an Amperex 6922 if you had known you liked the Smokie better.  Without you doing that you really have no idea what you are looking for to match your setup.
 
If you use these guides:
 
http://www.audiotubes.com/6dj8.htm
https://www.tubeworld.com/6922.htm
http://www.audioasylum.com/scripts/d.pl?audio/faq/joes-tubes.html   (scroll down to "The 6DJ8, 6922, 7308 Saga - Part 2")
 
 
You will get a good understanding of the "signature" sound from each tube that falls into the families we can use.
 
Hell think of this, to get a replacement EH 6922 Gold will cost you more than a GE Smokie, haha.
 
One other thing, honest to God with the Aune T1 using the tube as a sort of EQ curve (buffer) it takes a highly trained ear to tell the differences when you get up in the higher tier tubes vs. the normal priced ones (not even saying I can tell if there was another tube that sounded like a gold pin/silver plate 6922 Siemens).

 

[mikoss]

   
Most of us looking for "holy grail" tubes will buy 3-4 high end tubes before we land on one, or more.  Even though I have one of the rarest Siemens tubes on the way to my house right now, I can't guarantee you that it is going to sound better than the Siemens I am already running.  It should, but I don't know.
 
I would recommend you try out a variety of NOS tubes that are reasonable, that way you can figure out if you are looking for a more colored sound or something more neutral or sterile.  For example if you love a GE Smokie and hate a JAN Philips, to me that says you are looking for a colored tone from the tube.  Say that is the case and you bought a Siemens CCa E188CC without knowing, then you have a very neutral tube and even though it is one of the most popular/expensive tubes available, you'd probably prefer something like an Amperex 6922 if you had known you liked the Smokie better.  Without you doing that you really have no idea what you are looking for to match your setup.
 

Great advice.
 
I heard absolutely no difference between the affect the different gain settings had on my headphones when I first heard the T1 with the EH 6922 tube. Almost a year later, I was swapping around the dip switches and was amazed at the affect the gain was having. I think it takes a while to fully understand the nuances between different tubes, and I also recommend playing around with some cheap ones first.

 

[NCSUZoSo]

Hey guys, just a little FYI.
 
The Amp PCB does indeed cost $8 according to Aune to replace.  However if you live in the US, shipping will run you almost 3x that much...
 
In other words do not break anything if you are modding.  Crappy part for me is I was done modding months ago and I was literally just screwing around with the base of the T1 when I somehow shorted two resistors.  I am just going to buy two through hole 28 Ohm resistors and solder them on top of the blown ones to see if maybe that will fix it.  Two resistors should cost me about $1 max, but since RadioShack went Chapter 11, I'm not sure where I can get them without paying at least $2-$3 in shipping.  Ideas?

 

[joeq70]

Hey guys, just a little FYI.

The Amp PCB does indeed cost $8 according to Aune to replace.  However if you live in the US, shipping will run you almost 3x that much...

In other words do not break anything if you are modding.  Crappy part for me is I was done modding months ago and I was literally just screwing around with the base of the T1 when I somehow shorted two resistors.  I am just going to buy two through hole 28 Ohm resistors and solder them on top of the blown ones to see if maybe that will fix it.  Two resistors should cost me about $1 max, but since RadioShack went Chapter 11, I'm not sure where I can get them without paying at least $2-$3 in shipping.  Ideas?

RadioShack is still open in my neighborhood.

 

[NCSUZoSo]

All 3 locations near me are closed.

 

[penmarker]

There are two RadioShacks here where I'm from (Malaysia). But because of the conversion rate and import taxes, price mark ups, etc, they're pretty expensive.

 

[joeq70]

I got the E188CC today. Impressions will follow shortly.

 

[joeq70]

Quick First Impressions:
 
End Game Tube.

 

[mikoss]

Lol so I take it that you're happy with the Mini?