[Salvatore]

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I just got my nos Amperex JAN 7308, green label from Upscale Audio. Although it is "driver" grade, it sounds very musical, an almost liquid sound. Even though I have only a couple of hours on it, it seems more refined than the 6922 EH that I have done much of my listening on. How much of this is a placebo effect, I will figure out as I burn the tube in. So far I am pleased.

 
Gongratulations. There are definitely different tubes for different needs, but I've found the 7308 Amperex to be perfect combination of naturality and musicality (if that makes any sense). Very refined indeed and the bass feels accurate. Not the cheapest one to get spares though
 
 
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Second step is to choose proper audio (certain lenght clips to loop) for listening, from different genres, so first you could make selection if tube fits better for electronic, acoustic or metal/progressive music for example. After splitting tubes by music genre you can start to compare them head to head with music genre you select, again with certain lenght clips that have elements you need to compare. 

 
+1. I think one of the most important thing is to choose proper audio. You might need different tracks to evaluate different elements such as sound stage, bass, imaging, transparency etc. Many Michael Jackson songs are perfect for critical listening imo. They are just so nicely produced and have lots of small things going on at the same time. "Don't stop 'til you get enough" FLAC, for example, is a very nice track for such evaluation. I remember checking the wideness of sound stage by shaking my hands where I heard the sound of maracas (intro). Lots of small "bells and whistles" going on too, so it's great track to evaluate transparency.
 
 
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To be not-so-offtopic: Guys, I'm curious how many $$ have you spend on tubes for aune(if it's not a secret)?

 
I've probably spent around €200 on tubes. Definitely more than what I paid for the T1. It's been a fun ride but ultimately I only need few of my tubes. I'm not planning on spending on tubes anymore. I also got few great deals and, if wanted, could get my money back easily.

 

[inphu510n]

Hi kind folks,

A few days ago, I received my DT 880s (250ohms) in the mail and have been putting some mileage on them ever since.  However, given I've been running straight from my laptop through a FiiO e17, or through a cowon j3/e17 I can't help but feel that I'm a bit shy on power to get anywhere near the best here.  I note the OP has said the beyers sound great with the T1 - and the price is certainly looking good to me, but I'm wondering if I'd see good cost/benefit by jumping up a tier or two and going for a Little Dot MkIII or a Schiit Valhalla or similar?  Given that the T1 has a DAC - that would seem somewhat of a bonus here, but as a reasonably new arrival on the audio scene I wonder if anybody has some guidance as to what differences I might expect to hear between what I currently have, the T1, and those amps that sit perhaps a notch above the T1 on the pricing spectrum?

Thanks!

This will depend entirely on your budget. I have an LD MKII and plan on getting the MKIV SE. I don't have my Aune T1 yet but I can absolutely tell you that the LD will sound better. This is simply because you can roll so many more tube combinations through it. The tube DAC section of the T1 will color the sound and change some of the dynamics but not nearly as much as a purely tube driven amp will.
This is highly subjective as I haven't even heard one yet but from everything I've read, it's how it is.
I've spent a bunch of money rolling tubes in my LD and still I enjoy tinkering with it. Being able to buy a pack of 5 stellar sounding tubes that no one knew would work in the amp for under $20 shipped is a wonderful thing.

 

[backsideslappy]

Quote:

This will depend entirely on your budget. I have an LD MKII and plan on getting the MKIV SE. I don't have my Aune T1 yet but I can absolutely tell you that the LD will sound better. This is simply because you can roll so many more tube combinations through it. The tube DAC section of the T1 will color the sound and change some of the dynamics but not nearly as much as a purely tube driven amp will.
This is highly subjective as I haven't even heard one yet but from everything I've read, it's how it is.
I've spent a bunch of money rolling tubes in my LD and still I enjoy tinkering with it. Being able to buy a pack of 5 stellar sounding tubes that no one knew would work in the amp for under $20 shipped is a wonderful thing.

I think my budget is reasonably open ended (a ridiculous thing to say in the audio world where a turntable can cost as much as a family car) but with a view to pulling up short of the point of diminishing returns.  I don't want to spend twice as much for a 5% improvement in sound.  Well, I may want to, but I shouldn't. 

So what I'm saying I suppose is that assuming a little dot MK whatever (I'm not sure what the best point in the product line I should be looking at at this stage, but I'm happy to be steered) will give me an appreciable increase in SQ, and possibly a better long term investment, then that's what I'll happily spend my money on (though in truth I'll probably get curious and buy a T1 eventually anyway).

I do enjoy playing around with tubes - I've a history with playing inside guitar amps and have discovered the joys of NOS tube supplies.

 

[qba3d]

Hello Head-fiers!
Im quite new here and already asking for advice, but please forgive me

I was looking for a simple headphone DAC for my Senn 555 and Senn Momentum. I perfectly realise that soecially for momentum tube ampe is opposite to perfect but wanted to give it a go.

Got my 6922 upgraded version and.. Well its really nicely done, works well but with momentums is dark a bit and slightly just slightly muddy. What would be your advice on tube?I read here and there about Amperex but also found some info that Siemens tubes are bright. Is there anyone that happily found a decent pair for quite popular tyese days Momentums?

Thanks!

Q

 

[MrEleventy]

Telefunkens are bright. Amperex might not work for you unless you spring for 7308s.Unfortunately, if you find the eh6922 dark, there might not be a tube for you.

 

[Salvatore]

Quote:

Got my 6922 upgraded version and.. Well its really nicely done, works well but with momentums is dark a bit and slightly just slightly muddy. What would be your advice on tube?I read here and there about Amperex but also found some info that Siemens tubes are bright. Is there anyone that happily found a decent pair for quite popular tyese days Momentums?

 
Could it be that T1 doesn't have the best synergy with your headphones? You can improve the muddiness by finding more refined tubes, but other than that I find the EH to be on the bright side. You probably shouldn't spend too much money on tubes since you can't get rid of that T1 sound. My advice would be FiiO E17. I found it to be quite bright + you have the possibility to EQ.
 
E: Just for the sake of comparison. AKG K702 vs Momentum: http://www.headphone.com/learning-center/build-a-graph.php?graphID[0]=3951&graphID[1]=2621&graphID[2]=&graphID[3]=&scale=30&graphType=0&buttonSelection=Update+Graph I think these brighter sounding cans have better synergy with T1. Momentums seem to be quite flat before that 1KHz roll off and 1KHz seems to be right in the middle of the sweet midrange http://www.head-fi.org/g/i/726117/frequency-spectrum/sort/display_order/

 

[viogator]

Quote:

Got my 6922 upgraded version and.. Well its really nicely done, works well but with momentums is dark a bit and slightly just slightly muddy. What would be your advice on tube?I read here and there about Amperex but also found some info that Siemens tubes are bright. Is there anyone that happily found a decent pair for quite popular tyese days Momentums?
 

 
In fact, according to my taste Momentums are dark and muddy by themselves. So most probably it's not your Aune T1, but rather nature of your headphones and changing DACs / tubes... [pause] (I'll be dissected by the crowd after these words) won't change it drastically. I'd suggest to relax and try to get used to their sound.

 

[viogator]

I'd like to ask if anybody tried russian 6N1P with Aune T1. Compared to 6N23P the only serious difference is a twice bigger current on the grid required (600 mA for 6N1P versus 300 mA for 6N23P). Will Aune T1 be able to supply more power to the grid than expected?
 
Thanks.

 

[Levaix]

Well, I got something...
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-Amperex-PQ-7308-twin-triode-tube-tested-great-E188CC-gold-pins-VR3-6DJ8-6922-/330940877426?ViewItem=&item=330940877426&nma=true&si=7yMfWxDbvurX%252BMX73lGlkON8ZTQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

What do you think? Should it be a good one? Looks to be genuine and not a fake.

 

[penmarker]

Quote:

Well, I got something...
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-Amperex-PQ-7308-twin-triode-tube-tested-great-E188CC-gold-pins-VR3-6DJ8-6922-/330940877426?ViewItem=&item=330940877426&nma=true&si=7yMfWxDbvurX%252BMX73lGlkON8ZTQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

What do you think? Should it be a good one? Looks to be genuine and not a fake.

He has some serious tubes in his other inventory. My guess is he's legit.

 

[qba3d]

Hi,
 
Thank You MrEleventy , Salvatore , Viogator!
 
I thought that T1 will be slightly darkish and agree that Momentum's are slightly darkish, tho I don't exactly agree they are muddy( This is not Momentum thread so Ill just say that from normal Denon amp or Iphone 4 those play quite nicely and with very nice detail tho slightly darkish).
 
I think like viogator said i will have to get used to this darkish tint, but I miss the resolution just a bit. I can EQ it if needed to compensate for momentum's, but say listening to Tron sound track shows some slight resolution problems to my ears and I was wandering if this is solvable with another tube or not? Maybe I just need to get used to this and sacrifice the details for grander more analog sound - and that is very lovely on some acoustic tracks!
 
Thank You gentleman for info.
 
q
 

 

[Levaix]

Quote:

Hi,
 
Thank You MrEleventy , Salvatore , Viogator!
 
I thought that T1 will be slightly darkish and agree that Momentum's are slightly darkish, tho I don't exactly agree they are muddy( This is not Momentum thread so Ill just say that from normal Denon amp or Iphone 4 those play quite nicely and with very nice detail tho slightly darkish).
 
I think like viogator said i will have to get used to this darkish tint, but I miss the resolution just a bit. I can EQ it if needed to compensate for momentum's, but say listening to Tron sound track shows some slight resolution problems to my ears and I was wandering if this is solvable with another tube or not? Maybe I just need to get used to this and sacrifice the details for grander more analog sound - and that is very lovely on some acoustic tracks!
 
Thank You gentleman for info.
 
q
 

I don't think you should be losing resolution compared to straight from an iPhone. Not sure about Denon, though. If it were me I might try buy an inexpensive tube and see if the swap does anything big for you. I haven't heard the Momentum's as of yet, and I've been using Ultrasones with mine; it could be it's just not a great match.

 

[MrEleventy]

From my short time dealing with tubes, I find that warm cans just don't gel well with tubes if you like a neutral tone. It darkens it too much. With my set of m80s, I prefer it being driven from my e17/o2 than from the t1. My next purchase will probably be a odac or modi so I'll have a tube less desktop dac.

 

[viogator]

Quote:

 
I think like viogator said i will have to get used to this darkish tint, but I miss the resolution just a bit. I can EQ it if needed to compensate for momentum's, but say listening to Tron sound track shows some slight resolution problems to my ears and I was wandering if this is solvable with another tube or not? Maybe I just need to get used to this and sacrifice the details for grander more analog sound - and that is very lovely on some acoustic tracks!
 

It's Sennheiser and most of the people acknowledge their rather dark sound (with the exception of the top of their HD product line probably), so it is normal and nothing to worry about. It is for certain that changing headphones will affect your experience in a most significant way. As for me, I returned my Momentums (rather due to a discomfort caused by their design) and continued with my AKG Q701, which are producing the most transparent and bright sound I ever heard (with a bit anemic bass you have to get used to as well). Tube rolling won't give you such a significant difference for sure.
 
Btw, don't play tricks with yourself. Aune T1 doesn't give you an "analogue sound". It's just DAC with the hybrid amplifier and its single dual triode tube will just add some tint to your sound (as smaller as better your tube is) aside of its direct amplification role.
 
Tubes matching headphones... gosh... it's a kind of religion. They will tell you there is the Supreme Being but won't be able to prove this fact or even explain the reason of that belief scientifically. If it's all about compensating of headphone's frequency response with specific tube's non-linear characteristics, it won't work as supposed. Anyway, welcome to audiophiles' sect, where everything is possible as far as your imagination extends. No offence meant, guys

 

[antonymous1991]

Hey guys,
 
 
 
 
 
A quick question - Is the above pictured tube our revered 7308 gold pin. I'll pull the trigger on this one if it is.