[jonchard]

You used to be able to get them for a few hundred. TV7 B, C or D, not and A, they aren't made as well. I use the Hickok 539C, two of them, calibrated and use digital meters with them. they are bigger and cost more but not really any better than the military TV7.

Are you buying and selling tubes as a side hustle? If not, could you kindly donate the one you use least?

 

[jamato8]

Are you buying and selling tubes as a side hustle? If not, could you kindly donate the one you use least?

I have enjoyed tubes for many, many years, building my first receiver when I was in high school and then being a Radioman in the military, where we used most all tubes.

I have over 3,000 tubes, most in NOS. My kids won't know what to do with them. lol I have about 8 testers that I got when they were a good price but then calibrated them, which takes time.

Donate? :^)

 

[Wes S]

I have enjoyed tubes for many, many years, building my first receiver when I was in high school and then being a Radioman in the military, where we used most all tubes.

I have over 3,000 tubes, most in NOS. My kids won't know what to do with them. lol I have about 8 testers that I got when they were a good price but then calibrated them, which takes time.

Donate? :^)

I'm your huckleberry.

 

[jonchard]

I have enjoyed tubes for many, many years, building my first receiver when I was in high school and then being a Radioman in the military, where we used most all tubes.

I have over 3,000 tubes, most in NOS. My kids won't know what to do with them. lol I have about 8 testers that I got when they were a good price but then calibrated them, which takes time.

Donate? :^)

"Donate" spoken in gest! I think your kids might thank you when they clear the sales of those tubes should the day come! 10 years from now i would hate to think what tube costs and availability will be!

 

[jamato8]

"Donate" spoken in gest! I think your kids might thanks you wont they clear the sales of those tubes should the day come! 10 years from now i would hate to think what tube costs and availability will be!

Yes, I have Mullard GZ34's new in box, GZ34s metal base and so many more. :^)

 

[bigjako]

I apologize for the Mk1 question, but if anyone has experience replacing the fuse in a Mk1, I’d appreciate a PM (or put it here for the rest of us). As I understand it, I have to open the PS up to replace the fuse.

I recently upgraded the fuse in my Holo May to a Purple and was genuinely surprised by the impact (it stretched both the width and the depth and I think added a little bit of thwap) and so I’m looking to see what the upgrade does at the amp level. Is there any reason why the fuse would change between the Mk1 and Mk2? I know that for Mk1 I’m going to have to open the power supply up, while the Mk2 fuse is near the IEC inlet.

 

[idairyou]

50 hours in on the Takatsuki's and here are initial impressions compared to my Elrog's.

This comparison is against the base Elrog's not the MOs or the TMs. This is also just 50 hours in on the Takatsuki's vs 250 hours on the Elrog's.

Bass from the Sub-bass to the Mid-bass it is a battle of inches, with the Takatsuki's being the clear winner. To put in American Football terms, it's the difference between 3rd and goal and a Touchdown with the game tied and 30 seconds on the clock.

The amount of bass from the physical to the tonal is equal but the control is where the Takatsuki's win outright. With the Bokeh and the AC, the Elrog's Sub-bass was overpowering, and the Mid-bass sounded fat for some tracks, and I enjoyed the Bokeh and the AC on the Bliss unless it was an album with some ridiculously high dynamic range. I thought with these closed backs it was just too much of a good thing until I listened on the Takatsuki's. Now I've done a complete 180 and it's tubes all day every day with the Bokeh and the AC. The Takatsuki's have that almost perfect balance between fat and boomy and thin and weak.

With the tighter bass control, it also improves the transition from the bass to the low-mids.

Soundstage is equal. Going back and forth nothing stood out as better. Width, depth, layering, space between instruments and vocals all sounded equal. The Takatsuki's felt more intimate at first but after about 3 hours they opened up and have gotten steadily better. Will soundstage improve more, only time will tell.

Placement of sounds, the Takatsuki's eek out a win. This is evident when listening to the Akira soundtrack where on many tracks voices and sounds pan left to right, or right to left coming from far away and spanning right to left right behind you or pinpoint sounds randomly within the stage.

Resolution/Texture/Detail, it is another clear winner of inches for the Takatsuki's. When listening to Boyd meets Girl and cellist Laura Metcalf plays......her instrument just comes to life and breaths. I just hear more texture and detail with the Takatsuki's.

The base Elrog's are a great pair of tubes, and I have enjoyed them immensely for almost a year and if I had never heard the Takatsuki's I would still be very immensely happy with them. It's a battle of inches, but after hearing the Takatsuki's I can't go back.

Of course, all of this is subjective and maybe I'm hearing things to justify another large tube purchase. I do like to think I am being objective enough where I am not just trying to justify another large purchase.

In fact, I am so confident in my objectivity that I am going to part with the Elrog's and place them on the classifieds without more A/B listening because the Takatsuki's are just better to my ear. I will jump back on the Elrog train next year but next time with the MOs or the TMs because Elrog is still an awesome tube to have.

 

[jonchard]

50 hours in on the Takatsuki's and here are initial impressions compared to my Elrog's.

This comparison is against the base Elrog's not the MOs or the TMs. This is also just 50 hours in on the Takatsuki's vs 250 hours on the Elrog's.

Bass from the Sub-bass to the Mid-bass it is a battle of inches, with the Takatsuki's being the clear winner. To put in American Football terms, it's the difference between 3rd and goal and a Touchdown with the game tied and 30 seconds on the clock.

The amount of bass from the physical to the tonal is equal but the control is where the Takatsuki's win outright. With the Bokeh and the AC, the Elrog's Sub-bass was overpowering, and the Mid-bass sounded fat for some tracks, and I enjoyed the Bokeh and the AC on the Bliss unless it was an album with some ridiculously high dynamic range. I thought with these closed backs it was just too much of a good thing until I listened on the Takatsuki's. Now I've done a complete 180 and it's tubes all day every day with the Bokeh and the AC. The Takatsuki's have that almost perfect balance between fat and boomy and thin and weak.

With the tighter bass control, it also improves the transition from the bass to the low-mids.

Soundstage is equal. Going back and forth nothing stood out as better. Width, depth, layering, space between instruments and vocals all sounded equal. The Takatsuki's felt more intimate at first but after about 3 hours they opened up and have gotten steadily better. Will soundstage improve more, only time will tell.

Placement of sounds, the Takatsuki's eek out a win. This is evident when listening to the Akira soundtrack where on many tracks voices and sounds pan left to right, or right to left coming from far away and spanning right to left right behind you or pinpoint sounds randomly within the stage.

Resolution/Texture/Detail, it is another clear winner of inches for the Takatsuki's. When listening to Boyd meets Girl and cellist Laura Metcalf plays......her instrument just comes to life and breaths. I just hear more texture and detail with the Takatsuki's.

The base Elrog's are a great pair of tubes, and I have enjoyed them immensely for almost a year and if I had never heard the Takatsuki's I would still be very immensely happy with them. It's a battle of inches, but after hearing the Takatsuki's I can't go back.

Of course, all of this is subjective and maybe I'm hearing things to justify another large tube purchase. I do like to think I am being objective enough where I am not just trying to justify another large purchase.

In fact, I am so confident in my objectivity that I am going to part with the Elrog's and place them on the classifieds without more A/B listening because the Takatsuki's are just better to my ear. I will jump back on the Elrog train next year but next time with the MOs or the TMs because Elrog is still an awesome tube to have.

Thank you for your thoughts! Is one pair more brightly presented than the other?

 

[krude]

50 hours in on the Takatsuki's and here are initial impressions compared to my Elrog's.

This comparison is against the base Elrog's not the MOs or the TMs. This is also just 50 hours in on the Takatsuki's vs 250 hours on the Elrog's.

Bass from the Sub-bass to the Mid-bass it is a battle of inches, with the Takatsuki's being the clear winner. To put in American Football terms, it's the difference between 3rd and goal and a Touchdown with the game tied and 30 seconds on the clock.

The amount of bass from the physical to the tonal is equal but the control is where the Takatsuki's win outright. With the Bokeh and the AC, the Elrog's Sub-bass was overpowering, and the Mid-bass sounded fat for some tracks, and I enjoyed the Bokeh and the AC on the Bliss unless it was an album with some ridiculously high dynamic range. I thought with these closed backs it was just too much of a good thing until I listened on the Takatsuki's. Now I've done a complete 180 and it's tubes all day every day with the Bokeh and the AC. The Takatsuki's have that almost perfect balance between fat and boomy and thin and weak.

With the tighter bass control, it also improves the transition from the bass to the low-mids.

Soundstage is equal. Going back and forth nothing stood out as better. Width, depth, layering, space between instruments and vocals all sounded equal. The Takatsuki's felt more intimate at first but after about 3 hours they opened up and have gotten steadily better. Will soundstage improve more, only time will tell.

Placement of sounds, the Takatsuki's eek out a win. This is evident when listening to the Akira soundtrack where on many tracks voices and sounds pan left to right, or right to left coming from far away and spanning right to left right behind you or pinpoint sounds randomly within the stage.

Resolution/Texture/Detail, it is another clear winner of inches for the Takatsuki's. When listening to Boyd meets Girl and cellist Laura Metcalf plays......her instrument just comes to life and breaths. I just hear more texture and detail with the Takatsuki's.

The base Elrog's are a great pair of tubes, and I have enjoyed them immensely for almost a year and if I had never heard the Takatsuki's I would still be very immensely happy with them. It's a battle of inches, but after hearing the Takatsuki's I can't go back.

Of course, all of this is subjective and maybe I'm hearing things to justify another large tube purchase. I do like to think I am being objective enough where I am not just trying to justify another large purchase.

In fact, I am so confident in my objectivity that I am going to part with the Elrog's and place them on the classifieds without more A/B listening because the Takatsuki's are just better to my ear. I will jump back on the Elrog train next year but next time with the MOs or the TMs because Elrog is still an awesome tube to have.

Would you say ER are more musical / warm and sweet compared to Taks being more reference and extended? How would you rate sub and bass dynamics compared to ER? I like to feel the impact down low

 

[Andykong]

Comparison reviews I feel should be identical tbh even with different equipment assuming two people are comparing the same tubes. How can someone think one set of tubes is brighter than another and someone else find the exact opposite.

I don't think the Cayin would bring in such a deviation of opinion, that would be a complete failure on the amp design imo if different units are providing two completely different presentations of the same exact tube. I think the more likely scenario is maybe we are talking about different tubes. Can't it vary depending on how well they are matched, what year they where made, what factory etc. Do we really know we are talking about the same set of tubes here? Looking at Langrex for a GEC L63 and their are a a number of different variations of that tube for example

You are assuming the comparison use the same set of headphones? If member A uses HD800 and member B use AB1266?

 

[Wes S]

You are assuming the comparison use the same set of headphones? If member A uses HD800 and member B use AB1266?

Exactly my thoughts as well Andy. The headphones being used play a very big role in how we perceive the sound of a tube.

 

[jonchard]

Exactly Andy.

No, hes saying a sharp tube is a sharp tube. A rounded off tube is a rounded off tube. That should be true irrespective of ANY headphone or system, the tubes traits are still the tubes traits. Hes saying the tubes TRAITS should be obvious and system independant.

 

[krude]

No, hes saying a sharp tube is a sharp tube. A rounded off tube is a rounded off tube. That should be true irrespective of ANY headphone or system, the tubes traits are still the tubes traits. Hes saying the tubes TRAITS should be obvious and system independant.

My 1.5 years of Susvara ownership taught me synergy is not trivial and not black and white.

Sometimes a tranceducer can have a slight dip and another can have a peak and it will completely change the perception of changes in the chain. I can't explain some synergies or lack there of I experienced with Susvara.

 

[Wes S]

No, hes saying a sharp tube is a sharp tube. A rounded off tube is a rounded off tube. That should be true irrespective of ANY headphone or system, the tubes traits are still the tubes traits. Hes saying the tubes TRAITS should be obvious and system independant.

?

 

[Wes S]

My 1.5 years of Susvara ownership taught me synergy is not trivial and not black and white.

Sometimes a tranceducer can have a slight dip and another can have a peak and it will completely change the perception of changes in the chain. I can't explain some synergies or lack there of I experienced with Susvara.

Exactly.