[Wes S]

So are these the same red print mullards: Ebay Listing ? They look sketchy lol, can you really just plug those into the amp / adapter and it will work ? Do you have to do any additional testing from tubes off ebay ?

Yep, and I have 2 matched quads of those. I would ask the seller if he could match up a quad for you.

 

[Wes S]

As good as those Apos Ray 6SN7 Reserve are, they just don't do staging and nuances like the better NOS tubes. The Reserve is more SS and modern sounding, and is great on their own, but once you compare them to top tier NOS tubes like the Mullard VR135/CV6 it's not really a competition at all.

 

[jonchard]

So are these the same red print mullards: Ebay Listing ? They look sketchy lol, can you really just plug those into the amp / adapter and it will work ? Do you have to do any additional testing from tubes off ebay ?

You have to be careful., Ideally you want strongly tested matched tubes. Its best someone else electrically tests them for you than your precious 300b's

 

[Wes S]

The sound of 300B's is just flat out magical! I love this amp! Those looking for a killer amp, and at a great price considering the competition, the HA300MK2 is it.

I have said this before and I will gladly say it again, Cayin has truly created a masterpiece.

Happy Listening!

 

[trollbearpig]

Getting me hyped for mine to arrive ^__^, coming from a Topping stack should be a big change. It seems like a lot of fun trying different tubes as well. Exccciiitted

 

[krude]

Getting me hyped for mine to arrive ^__^, coming from a Topping stack should be a big change. It seems like a lot of fun trying different tubes as well. Exccciiitted

Wow ... waiting for your impressions

 

[Wes S]

So, I jammed out all day yesterday using the Mullard VR135 "Red Print", and loved every second. The sound is very open and warm/organic, with good note weight and amazing mids, with super holographic staging. Then this morning I rolled in a quad of the Mullard CVC6 "White Print", and the sound became much tighter and extended top to bottom. The WP are much quicker, better textured and detailed, and have the tightest, deepest most impactful bass I have ever heard. It's like going from Hifi to Summit-Fi, going from the RP to WP. The RP sound very "tubey" in the best way possible and very much have that old-school mid-centric tube sound I have only heard in very early tubes. The WP are more modern sounding, with texture and impact usually only heard with TOTL SS amps. I have actually only heard this level of speed and texture in Niimbus Audio's TOTL SS amps before, but the HA300mk2 with the WP can give them a run for the money in that regard no doubt.

I have said it before and I will say it again, the Mullard VR135/CV6 White Print is the best driver tube I have heard in the HA300mk2, and is still one of the best bargain's out there thanks to it's plentiful supply.

Back to musical bliss. . .

 

[steve468]

Last night, for the first time since I got into The Quads, I put in one of my previous favourites, a pair of 6F8G National Union round plates. They...actually held up pretty well!

I've made a bunch of tweaks since I last used them, including a new fuse (barely noticeable), new interconnects (nothing fancy), and Raytheon grey plate Japanese 22DE4 (HUGE improvement), and I think it really fixed a lot of the things that were off about the 6F8G, at least in comparison to quads.

The round plates sound more natural than i remeber, especially in the treble, which was my biggest complaint. I always found The Doubles to have etchy treble when I switch to quads. Bass is present but not overwhelming, in excellent balance with the mids. Mids have a lovely richness to them. And now, they are DEAD silent even with my VCs on high impedance. They were not that quiet before.

They are maybe a step below my favourites, being Brimar 6J5, 6C8C, or yes, Mullard WP VR135, but sometimes that's not necessarily a bad thing. The 6F8G are much more listenable then they used to be.

This was a good reminder to me that a good setup takes into account every detail. I don't really like spending on small improvements like fuses and cables, but it all adds up in the end. Though really, its those Japanese 22DE4. I did not think they would improve things so much.

 

[jonathan c]

Last night, for the first time since I got into The Quads, I put in one of my previous favourites, a pair of 6F8G National Union round plates. They...actually held up pretty well!

I've made a bunch of tweaks since I last used them, including a new fuse (barely noticeable), new interconnects (nothing fancy), and Raytheon grey plate Japanese 22DE4 (HUGE improvement), and I think it really fixed a lot of the things that were off about the 6F8G, at least in comparison to quads.

The round plates sound more natural than i remeber, especially in the treble, which was my biggest complaint. I always found The Doubles to have etchy treble when I switch to quads. Bass is present but not overwhelming, in excellent balance with the mids. Mids have a lovely richness to them. And now, they are DEAD silent even with my VCs on high impedance. They were not that quiet before.

They are maybe a step below my favourites, being Brimar 6J5, 6C8C, or yes, Mullard WP VR135, but sometimes that's not necessarily a bad thing. The 6F8G are much more listenable then they used to be.

This was a good reminder to me that a good setup takes into account every detail. I don't really like spending on small improvements like fuses and cables, but it all adds up in the end. Though really, its those Japanese 22DE4. I did not think they would improve things so much.

... there are a few tube h/p/a for which the rectifier tube(s) make a huge difference . [Definitely true with Woo Audio WA2, WA6, WA6SE, WA22.]

 

[jonchard]

So, I jammed out all day yesterday using the Mullard VR135 "Red Print", and loved every second. The sound is very open and warm/organic, with good note weight and amazing mids, with super holographic staging. Then this morning I rolled in a quad of the Mullard CVC6 "White Print", and the sound became much tighter and extended top to bottom. The WP are much quicker, better textured and detailed, and have the tightest, deepest most impactful bass I have ever heard. It's like going from Hifi to Summit-Fi, going from the RP to WP. The RP sound very "tubey" in the best way possible and very much have that old-school mid-centric tube sound I have only heard in very early tubes. The WP are more modern sounding, with texture and impact usually only heard with TOTL SS amps. I have actually only heard this level of speed and texture in Niimbus Audio's TOTL SS amps before, but the HA300mk2 with the WP can give them a run for the money in that regard no doubt.

I have said it before and I will say it again, the Mullard VR135/CV6 White Print is the best driver tube I have heard in the HA300mk2, and is still one of the best bargain's out there thanks to it's plentiful supply.

Back to musical bliss. . .

I bought a second set of both white print and Orange prints Mullards only a few days ago They are starting to become less available now and many with lower test values remain. I'd jump on quick! Im happy where i am now.

 

[jamato8]

Last night, for the first time since I got into The Quads, I put in one of my previous favourites, a pair of 6F8G National Union round plates. They...actually held up pretty well!

I've made a bunch of tweaks since I last used them, including a new fuse (barely noticeable), new interconnects (nothing fancy), and Raytheon grey plate Japanese 22DE4 (HUGE improvement), and I think it really fixed a lot of the things that were off about the 6F8G, at least in comparison to quads.

The round plates sound more natural than i remeber, especially in the treble, which was my biggest complaint. I always found The Doubles to have etchy treble when I switch to quads. Bass is present but not overwhelming, in excellent balance with the mids. Mids have a lovely richness to them. And now, they are DEAD silent even with my VCs on high impedance. They were not that quiet before.

They are maybe a step below my favourites, being Brimar 6J5, 6C8C, or yes, Mullard WP VR135, but sometimes that's not necessarily a bad thing. The 6F8G are much more listenable then they used to be.

This was a good reminder to me that a good setup takes into account every detail. I don't really like spending on small improvements like fuses and cables, but it all adds up in the end. Though really, its those Japanese 22DE4. I did not think they would improve things so much.

The musical AC signal rides on the DC. The better the quality of the DC, the better the end product will be.

---

I am using some DET20 plate black round plate that most likely are from the 1950's. With the Sony MDR-10, very enjoyable, to say the least. Also have been listening a lot to the HE90 on the RSA A-10 and they complement each other very well. Both being totally top tier, IMO. Open, airy, natural, good bass foundation and excellent imaging with the 3D landscape.

 

[jonchard]

So, I jammed out all day yesterday using the Mullard VR135 "Red Print", and loved every second. The sound is very open and warm/organic, with good note weight and amazing mids, with super holographic staging. Then this morning I rolled in a quad of the Mullard CVC6 "White Print", and the sound became much tighter and extended top to bottom. The WP are much quicker, better textured and detailed, and have the tightest, deepest most impactful bass I have ever heard. It's like going from Hifi to Summit-Fi, going from the RP to WP. The RP sound very "tubey" in the best way possible and very much have that old-school mid-centric tube sound I have only heard in very early tubes. The WP are more modern sounding, with texture and impact usually only heard with TOTL SS amps. I have actually only heard this level of speed and texture in Niimbus Audio's TOTL SS amps before, but the HA300mk2 with the WP can give them a run for the money in that regard no doubt.

I have said it before and I will say it again, the Mullard VR135/CV6 White Print is the best driver tube I have heard in the HA300mk2, and is still one of the best bargain's out there thanks to it's plentiful supply.

Back to musical bliss. . .

I've just bought a third set in case Wes sells out ebay LOL! The White have been long time my faves. Intersting that they drive both WE300b and Elrog-300b-MO to the top of their abilities. Also intersting they gel well with both Susvara and ZMF VC's.

 

[steve468]

... there are a few tube h/p/a for which the rectifier tube(s) make a huge difference . [Definitely true with Woo Audio WA2, WA6, WA6SE, WA22.]

And it may be true for the HA-300, but with the rarity of different 22DE4, it’s hard to know! All the common coin base Americans are similar sounding to me.

 

[jonathan c]

And it may be true for the HA-300, but with the rarity of different 22DE4, it’s hard to know! All the common coin base Americans are similar sounding.

.... I looked seriously at HA-300 some time ago .... but the choice of 22DE4 as the rectifiers put me off .... my mistake, likely .... I did think "what the hell are these? how likely will they be available?" ....

 

[Andykong]

Well, let’s hope some manufacturer will make the new version of these. I don’t plan to die sooner than stock rectifiers)

To start with, a tube manufacturer might start new production of an obsolete tube when (1) there is a long-term demand resurfaced, (2) the price of the tube is so high that they expect decent profit from making this tube.

With these in mind, I don't expect any tube manufacturer will start new production on 22DE4. The tube is fairly low cost even as NOS vintage, and is steadily available from a tube roller point of view (ie., when someone wants to buy it, they can find it in the market), The tube manufacturers cannot perceive a strong business opportunity to start a new production in my opinion.