[USAudio]

Quote:

Yep... same info as before

  Best to just take a photo of the insides.

Pics of the insides would be very interesting, anyone care to open their HA540 up and share a few pics here?
 

 

[DjAmTraX]

Let me see if I can get some nudies for you guys.  Stay tuned!

 

[USAudio]

DjAmTraX,
Any luck with the HA540 "nudies" ?

 

[jeffreyfranz]

This thread has been helpful to me. I'm new to AKG 701s and looking for something to warm-up and fill out the sound. Thanks. 

 

[DjAmTraX]

Sorry, been busy at home. Will get to the pics this weekend.

 

[prcpower]

What about those nudies!!

---

 

[USAudio]

Nudies here by DjAmTraX: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/528654/bellari-ha540-otl-tube-amp-nudies-lots-of-pictures#post_7128758

 

[AudioGlow]

It sounds really very nice I think. I'm the guy who did the YouTube review you posted a link to. Lots of power yes and bass drive. It'll make your bass shy headphones deeper. It's got a nice bit of warmth and richness, and will make a thin sounding headphone better. I like mine a lot, and even after trying/owning several others I tend to listen to the Bellari the most. It's a great piece for the price. Not the highest resolving amp available, but you don't miss it. It's a very pleasing non-fatiguing sound. I'll be trying some other tubes soon. Maybe that Mullard reissue you guys are talkin' about.  

 

[USAudio]

Has anyone tried LCD-2's or HE-6's with the Bellari HA540? 

 

[irishsammy]

I actually plugged my LCD-2's into the Bellari that was on the shelf at 32 Ohm Audio a couple weeks ago.  I found the pairing pretty good and along the lines of AudioGlow's impressions.  It's a very fun-sounding, non-fatiguing amp that has an almost ridiculous amount of gain.  It's not the last word in "clean" sound and after I plugged the LCD-2's into the Burson that was down the shelf from it, I noted that it doesn't have quite the body or effortlessness of a higher end amp.  But it was surprisingly good and I could definitely see it in a secondary setup.  If you got the right tube in it, it might even get better...who knows. 

 

[dungeon]

I'm wondering what Mullard tube you guys are using with the HA540.   I picked up this 12AX7 Mullard from Amazon, and it sounds terrible!   It is muffled, and I don't get the same output level from the left and right channels.   The gain is also drastically affected.  It is labeled as 127AX7/ECC83, made in Russia.  The stock tube sounds better in every regard.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Mullard-12AX7MUL-12AX7-Preamp-Tube/dp/B0013O4OZ4/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1324487807&sr=1-1
 
The only other Mullard tube on Amazon has the same ECC83 labeling, but is called a "reissue" tube.   Given that the images are identical, I'm hesitant to spend another $16 on a replacement tube unless someone can vouch for it.   What am I missing here?

 

[JerseyD]

I just popped in a new Mullard 12AX7 ( yes, labeled 12AX7/ECC83 Made in Russia) that I bought from TheTubeStore.com.  According to the site: "This new production 12AX7 / ECC83 tube is New Sensor's reissue of the famous Mullard 12AX7."  My initial reaction is that it does not sound radically different than the stock tube the HA540 came with (Ruby Z0255SS/12AX7A). So far, it sounds very good.  Right and left
 
channels sound even.  Gain is about the same as stock.  Lows and highs are all there.  Clear sound, with perhaps just slightly recessed mids compared to the stock tube.  Not sure if tubes "burn in" and change much after listening for X hours, but no complaints so far.
 
I am thinking you got a bad tube and should return it.

.  

 

[JerseyD]

Next up in the HA540 tube parade:  thetubestore.com's "Preferred Series" #7025. 
After finding the Mullard (New Sensor reissue, $18) to sound quite similar to the stock Ruby, I bought a couple more varieties to try out.
 
From the website: "The Preferred Series 7025 is a high quality 12AX7 tube type. This tube is a reproduction of the highly regarded and sought after Mullards from the 1960s.  This high quality 7025 is very rugged. The plates are manufactured out of a premium metal imported from Germany and supported with extra thick mica spacers to insure against microphonics. They are burned in and tested at the factory and then again on our digital high voltage equipment to make sure the tubes selected for you will provide outstanding tone and performance."
 
My listening notes:   When I didn't hear much of a difference between the stock Ruby tube and the Mullard (which some others have raved about) I was starting to worry that the Bellari might sound the same no matter which tube I used, or that my DAC or headphones were not good enough to make any improvements audible to me.  Of course I do like the sound of the Bellari, but I am a bit of an audio cheepskate, so was hoping to up the performance of my rig by spending a little bit on tubes rather than a lot on a better DAC or amp. 
 
Swapping out the Mullard for the Preferred Series 7025 put a smile on my face.  For $24, I now have deeper and cleaner bass as well as more detailed and pristine mids and highs.  This is the kind of improvement I was expecting from the Mullard, but did not get until now.  Highly recommended!
 
Next up, the Tung-Sol Gold-Pin (but I'm going to wait a few weeks to get used to the Preferred Series first).

 

[DjAmTraX]

You guys are making me miss my little amp.  Maybe I'll buy it again.  Tube rolling is a lot of fun with this amp.

 

[Fearless1]

Try one of these.......http://www.ebay.com/itm/Very-Strong-Matched-Vintage-Sylvania-12AX7-D-Getter-Copper-Posts-Stereo-Tube-/400268705298?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item5d31dfbe12 .
 
I tried a ton of 12ax7s in my 540 and this sounds as good as the expensive Telefunken that I paid too much for.