[Ultron 5]

Its background noise so when you have the headphone plugged in but no music is playing. It only happens with dynamic driver headphones with this amp but when I start playing music you cant even hear the background noise and you forget its even there so it was a non issue for me when listening to music.

Got it, thank you. And you say it only happens with dynamic headphones?

 

[NJoyzAudio]

I absolutely love the blue glow of the properly warmed up Bendix tubes. (Picture saturation slightly enhanced.)
On a different note, my first E80CC tubes (Mullards) are coming in a few days. I am really interested to hear how they differ to some already fabulous 12AU7s.

Betula

Congrats on the acquisition of the Bendix Tubes and THANK YOU for all your posts early in this forum, not only did it convince me to get a HA-3A, but your information greatly helped me along my tube rolling journey!. Encourage ANYONE with this amp to try rolling tubes, it makes a LOT of difference!

Glad to see the Red Bank produced Bendix 6v6GT(Y) tubes also used the higher end Borosilicate glass
It is this glass that was used by Bendix that when the power hits it causes the blue glow.
Found this article that talks about when a glow in a tube is good and when it is bad
https://www.jacmusic.com/techcorner/ARTICLES/English/blueglow/blueglow.html
Not all tubes out there use this higher end glass that the Bendix Red Bank plant used in all the tubes made there.

There are other posts for larger power tubes like vintage 300B's that will glow blue regardless of glass type and if you get this "glow" it is very entertaining and safe.
I posted a while back but posting again, yes the 5992's glow blue and if they don't that is when you need to worry as glowing blue is normal in the HA-3A for the Bendix 5992 tubes (and apparently the 6V6GTY's also), and the lack of this glow is when these tubes are on their way out/going bad.

Betula please do post your impressions of the Bendix Tubes with the E80cc when you get them and get a chance to give it a good listen!
Here are some pictures of my Bendix 5992's running with my E80CC's and they are a great match!
- At night with lights off -

- But this is during the day with NO enhancements to the picture at all (IE not Photoshopped or adjustments to the saturation - sorry for all the dust in the photo ) - The blue glow is very evident even with direct sunlight hitting them.

Some say these are the best sounding 6V6 variant.
They are good, but I think I like my Mazda 6V6G ST/Coke Bottle shaped tubes with the E80cc's a little more, but the 5992's get rotated back into the listening mix every few weeks, and they don't disappoint. Enough so I found another set of NOS (at a discount) and purchased it just to have on hand, as they are getting harder to find NOS and not "used". Many say the sound better than the RCA vintage Black Plate 6V6G's, to me it's just different, but enjoyable.

Any of the E80cc variants pair well with 6V6 or 5992 tubes (and the Mazda 6V6G older ST shaped tubes, like Renexx posted a few posts back, I have the same tubes, and as always THANK YOU Renexx for sharing), and I have E80cc's from Philips, Tungsram, Amperex and Mullard, and each sounds a little different than the others. Right now the Mullards are what I've settled on at this point of time, but it does change on mood. Will be interested in hearing your opinion here also Betula.
Might have to look for a set of the Bendix 6V6GTY's to listen for the differences, but from what I can gather from some research it might not be too different, but I do hope so given the difference in price between the 5992 and the 6V6GTY Bendix tubes.

Thanks again and hope this information helps others out there with the HA-3A amp, considering any of these tubes mentioned.
And always all above is IMO and YMMV.

 

[betula]

Betula

Congrats on the acquisition of the Bendix Tubes and THANK YOU for all your posts early in this forum, not only did it convince me to get a HA-3A, but your information greatly helped me along my tube rolling journey!. Encourage ANYONE with this amp to try rolling tubes, it makes a LOT of difference!

Glad to see the Red Bank produced Bendix 6v6GT(Y) tubes also used the higher end Borosilicate glass
It is this glass that was used by Bendix that when the power hits it causes the blue glow.
Found this article that talks about when a glow in a tube is good and when it is bad
https://www.jacmusic.com/techcorner/ARTICLES/English/blueglow/blueglow.html
Not all tubes out there use this higher end glass that the Bendix Red Bank plant used in all the tubes made there.

There are other posts for larger power tubes like vintage 300B's that will glow blue regardless of glass type and if you get this "glow" it is very entertaining and safe.
I posted a while back but posting again, yes the 5992's glow blue and if they don't that is when you need to worry as glowing blue is normal in the HA-3A for the Bendix 5992 tubes (and apparently the 6V6GTY's also), and the lack of this glow is when these tubes are on their way out/going bad.

Betula please do post your impressions of the Bendix Tubes with the E80cc when you get them and get a chance to give it a good listen!
Here are some pictures of my Bendix 5992's running with my E80CC's and they are a great match!
- At night with lights off -

- But this is during the day with NO enhancements to the picture at all (IE not Photoshopped or adjustments to the saturation - sorry for all the dust in the photo ) - The blue glow is very evident even with direct sunlight hitting them.


Some say these are the best sounding 6V6 variant.
They are good, but I think I like my Mazda 6V6G ST/Coke Bottle shaped tubes with the E80cc's a little more, but the 5992's get rotated back into the listening mix every few weeks, and they don't disappoint. Enough so I found another set of NOS (at a discount) and purchased it just to have on hand, as they are getting harder to find NOS and not "used". Many say the sound better than the RCA vintage Black Plate 6V6G's, to me it's just different, but enjoyable.

Any of the E80cc variants pair well with 6V6 or 5992 tubes (and the Mazda 6V6G older ST shaped tubes, like Renexx posted a few posts back, I have the same tubes, and as always THANK YOU Renexx for sharing), and I have E80cc's from Philips, Tungsram, Amperex and Mullard, and each sounds a little different than the others. Right now the Mullards are what I've settled on at this point of time, but it does change on mood. Will be interested in hearing your opinion here also Betula.
Might have to look for a set of the Bendix 6V6GTY's to listen for the differences, but from what I can gather from some research it might not be too different, but I do hope so given the difference in price between the 5992 and the 6V6GTY Bendix tubes.

Thanks again and hope this information helps others out there with the HA-3A amp, considering any of these tubes mentioned.
And always all above is IMO and YMMV.

Thanks for a super interesting and helpful post, plus the endorsement.

Tube rolling (with the right tubes) indeed elevates the HA-3A to another level. Trying better and better tubes just makes me realise the potential (and value for money) of this amp.

I am really excited to try my first set of E80CCs, and I am happy I found a pair of very nice Mullards of them at a good price. At least 2-3 sources mentioned so far a preference towards the Mullards as opposed to Tungsram or Philips.

On another note, if anyone ever wants to drop me a PM with a source to Bendix 5992 or even GTY, please do not hesitate.

Impressions with the E80CC are coming soon, but first I will have to give them a good burn in time.

 

[AudioPowerHead]

Thanks for a super interesting and helpful post, plus the endorsement.

Tube rolling (with the right tubes) indeed elevates the HA-3A to another level. Trying better and better tubes just makes me realise the potential (and value for money) of this amp.

I am really excited to try my first set of E80CCs, and I am happy I found a pair of very nice Mullards of them at a good price. At least 2-3 sources mentioned so far a preference towards the Mullards as opposed to Tungsram or Philips.

On another note, if anyone ever wants to drop me a PM with a source to Bendix 5992 or even GTY, please do not hesitate.

Impressions with the E80CC are coming soon, but first I will have to give them a good burn in time.

Do share your experience of Mullard e80cc vs the 12au7/ecc82. Am contemplating of getting a pair to try given so many raving reports that they are superior in sound to the 12au7/ecc82 regardless of brands. Just hope the higher current draw of e80cc will not shorten the lifespan of the amp too much over the mid/long term.

 

[Eibon]

So as we are talking about higher current and heater current... I have been wondering since I saw a 6SN7 to 12au7 adapter on Woo website. Their adapter should be good. The question is: Is it safe to use 6SN7 via the adapter in HA3A?

Given that the Ha3a runs E80cc just fine; and E80cc has as twice the heater current as the 12au7, I'm curious.

 

[betula]

Just hope the higher current draw of e80cc will not shorten the lifespan of the amp too much over the mid/long term.

Since Cayin half-officially gave green light to E80CC tubes, I am not too worried about the amp's lifespan, but perhaps @Andykong could give us a little more technical insight what exactly is happening to the components when using E80CC vs. 12AU7 as they draw more current.

I am still burning in my Mullard E80CCs, but here are my very first impressions:
The sound is immediately more spacious, more dynamic and more neutral than any 12AU7s I tried. Perhaps a little brighter too, but I expect that to change with burn in. There is more energy, stronger/better dynamics and more space which are the most obvious changes.
I also have to turn the volume knob a little lower for the same volume as with 12AU7s.
With 12AU7s my preferred output is 4pin XLR as with my headphones that sounds a little more spacious and clearer (I know I am in minority with this choice). With the E80CC the XLR output is a little harsh, so I had to choose SE out which is just fine. SE seems to be the optimal output with the E80CCs.

Most sources mention that E80CC tubes require longer burn in time compared to 12AU7s, so I must give it a few days before I come to any conclusions. From a technical aspect E80CC definitely seems like a jump from 12AU7s, but they do not necessarily make 12AU7s redundant as those just offer a different sound experience (more relaxed, less clear and defined/dynamic but sweet and smooth).
I will update once the burn in process is behind me.

 

[AudioPowerHead]

Since Cayin half-officially gave green light to E80CC tubes, I am not too worried about the amp's lifespan, but perhaps @Andykong could give us a little more technical insight what exactly is happening to the components when using E80CC vs. 12AU7 as they draw more current.

I am still burning in my Mullard E80CCs, but here are my very first impressions:
The sound is immediately more spacious, more dynamic and more neutral than any 12AU7s I tried. Perhaps a little brighter too, but I expect that to change with burn in. There is more energy, stronger/better dynamics and more space which are the most obvious changes.
I also have to turn the volume knob a little lower for the same volume as with 12AU7s.
With 12AU7s my preferred output is 4pin XLR as with my headphones that sounds a little more spacious and clearer (I know I am in minority with this choice). With the E80CC the XLR output is a little harsh, so I had to choose SE out which is just fine. SE seems to be the optimal output with the E80CCs.

Most sources mention that E80CC tubes require longer burn in time compared to 12AU7s, so I must give it a few days before I come to any conclusions. From a technical aspect E80CC definitely seems like a jump from 12AU7s, but they do not necessarily make 12AU7s redundant as those just offer a different sound experience (more relaxed, less clear and defined/dynamic but sweet and smooth).
I will update once the burn in process is behind me.

Thanks for your feedback and sharing.

I am somewhat still on the fence on e80cc. Invested in multiple sets of 12au7 so far especially Mullard for the warmer tone and creamy mids. Neutral and brighter sound profile however will not be my preference though. Do share more when they are burned in. Thanks

 

[NJoyzAudio]

Since Cayin half-officially gave green light to E80CC tubes, I am not too worried about the amp's lifespan, but perhaps @Andykong could give us a little more technical insight what exactly is happening to the components when using E80CC vs. 12AU7 as they draw more current.

I am still burning in my Mullard E80CCs, but here are my very first impressions:
The sound is immediately more spacious, more dynamic and more neutral than any 12AU7s I tried. Perhaps a little brighter too, but I expect that to change with burn in. There is more energy, stronger/better dynamics and more space which are the most obvious changes.
I also have to turn the volume knob a little lower for the same volume as with 12AU7s.
With 12AU7s my preferred output is 4pin XLR as with my headphones that sounds a little more spacious and clearer (I know I am in minority with this choice). With the E80CC the XLR output is a little harsh, so I had to choose SE out which is just fine. SE seems to be the optimal output with the E80CCs.

Most sources mention that E80CC tubes require longer burn in time compared to 12AU7s, so I must give it a few days before I come to any conclusions. From a technical aspect E80CC definitely seems like a jump from 12AU7s, but they do not necessarily make 12AU7s redundant as those just offer a different sound experience (more relaxed, less clear and defined/dynamic but sweet and smooth).
I will update once the burn in process is behind me.

Betula

Glad to read your first impressions of the E80cc tubes is positive
Thank you for your early assesments, and look forward to your thoughts once you complete burn in.

I own some very nice 12AU7 tubes. As examples, Late 50's early 60's Amperex Bugle Boy Treble Clefs, Amperex 7316 Bugle Boy - Amperex's answer to some of the higher quality Telefunken and Mullards, and many others since I posted pictures a number of post back, as well as the E80cc's I mentioned earlier.
While my current favorite 12AU7's are the Bugle Boy (both the 12AU7 and the 7316 version) I just keep coming back to the E80cc on the HA-3A, for many of the same reasons you mentioned above
I find the E80cc to have better soundstage (both width and depth) better tone, clarity and accuracy. Depending on the brand on the tube (as most were either Philips/Amperex from Holland or Tungsram manufactured, but finding subtle differences between the various brands I now have) the sound does seem to be "tunable" and along with the power tube changes, I can fine tune the sound.
Yes they have a little more gain than the 12AU7's but nothing really problematic.
But 2 things I've noticed. The E80cc are much quieter (no microphonics) and NO RF interference (while I enjoy the 7316 Bugle Boys, I have to keep the tube cage on, or put a RF shield in front of my WIFI router, or I hear a constant pulsing "buzz", something I don't hear when the E80cc's are in use without the tube cage or RF shield.

As mentioned above my current go to are the Mullard E80cc but do rotate in my Philips SQ, Amperex PQ and Tungsram Red Labels in periodically for a different sound.
I hope you find you enjoy the Mullard E80cc as I think it will give you the signature sound you shared early in this forum, that you look for in the HA-3A using your vintage Mullard 12AU7's. (I think you had the 4003's?)

Enjoy the listening time with them and please do share your thoughts when ready, looking forward to them.

May you find the sound signature your chasing!

 

[betula]

Betula

Glad to read your first impressions of the E80cc tubes is positive
Thank you for your early assesments, and look forward to your thoughts once you complete burn in.

I own some very nice 12AU7 tubes. As examples, Late 50's early 60's Amperex Bugle Boy Treble Clefs, Amperex 7316 Bugle Boy - Amperex's answer to some of the higher quality Telefunken and Mullards, and many others since I posted pictures a number of post back, as well as the E80cc's I mentioned earlier.
While my current favorite 12AU7's are the Bugle Boy (both the 12AU7 and the 7316 version) I just keep coming back to the E80cc on the HA-3A, for many of the same reasons you mentioned above
I find the E80cc to have better soundstage (both width and depth) better tone, clarity and accuracy. Depending on the brand on the tube (as most were either Philips/Amperex from Holland or Tungsram manufactured, but finding subtle differences between the various brands I now have) the sound does seem to be "tunable" and along with the power tube changes, I can fine tune the sound.
Yes they have a little more gain than the 12AU7's but nothing really problematic.
But 2 things I've noticed. The E80cc are much quieter (no microphonics) and NO RF interference (while I enjoy the 7316 Bugle Boys, I have to keep the tube cage on, or put a RF shield in front of my WIFI router, or I hear a constant pulsing "buzz", something I don't hear when the E80cc's are in use without the tube cage or RF shield.

As mentioned above my current go to are the Mullard E80cc but do rotate in my Philips SQ, Amperex PQ and Tungsram Red Labels in periodically for a different sound.
I hope you find you enjoy the Mullard E80cc as I think it will give you the signature sound you shared early in this forum, that you look for in the HA-3A using your vintage Mullard 12AU7's. (I think you had the 4003's?)

Enjoy the listening time with them and please do share your thoughts when ready, looking forward to them.

May you find the sound signature your chasing!

I'll share another update after some burn in time.

There is no chasing anymore, just enjoying different flavours.

 

[DrDen]

There is no chasing anymore, just enjoying different flavours.

“For the first time in my life I feel like I’ve stolen enough” (Bender Rodriguez)

 

[betula]

“For the first time in my life I feel like I’ve stolen enough” (Bender Rodriguez)

Stolen? I paid for everything with sweat and blood.

 

[DrDen]

Stolen? I paid for everything with sweat and blood.

Of course, but why people say the good priced valuable things “it’s steal”? Funny English
Anyway, most of us prefer to get more paying less.

 

[RollinHard843]

Hello everyone in this thread,

I've been using this amp since July of last year and absolutely LOVE it. The Schiit Lyr 2 I was coming from is certainly no slouch, but the Cayin is better in every way, with all of the headphones I have as well.

I wanted to make a post on here because I see the thread focuses a lot on tube rolling. I tried this out, and had terrible luck!

The tubes I got were as follows:
TAD 6V6GT STR REDBASE - MATCHED PAIR
Sylvania 5814A Double Mica

They were awful! These tubes severely compressed the soundstage and limited frequency extension in bass AND treble. The amp was worse than the Lyr. I tried mixing the new tubes with the stock tubes, and there was slight improvement, but it still wasn't good.

I went back to the stock tubes, and the sound was just heavenly by comparison. The 4 tubes cost $175 which is a bit much for something that just flat out didn't work well.

The point is for anyone who has this amp or is interested in getting it, it is GREAT with the stock tubes! Rolling is by no means a requirement to make this amp great, it can still EASILY be the best amp you've ever heard straight out of the box. It is for me, and I will not be investing money in tube rolling for something like this. The risk doesn't seem worth the cost (from my experience only, of course), especially since I love the sound as is.

 

[TheAbyss2022]

Hello everyone in this thread,

I've been using this amp since July of last year and absolutely LOVE it. The Schiit Lyr 2 I was coming from is certainly no slouch, but the Cayin is better in every way, with all of the headphones I have as well.

I wanted to make a post on here because I see the thread focuses a lot on tube rolling. I tried this out, and had terrible luck!

The tubes I got were as follows:
TAD 6V6GT STR REDBASE - MATCHED PAIR
Sylvania 5814A Double Mica

They were awful! These tubes severely compressed the soundstage and limited frequency extension in bass AND treble. The amp was worse than the Lyr. I tried mixing the new tubes with the stock tubes, and there was slight improvement, but it still wasn't good.

I went back to the stock tubes, and the sound was just heavenly by comparison. The 4 tubes cost $175 which is a bit much for something that just flat out didn't work well.

The point is for anyone who has this amp or is interested in getting it, it is GREAT with the stock tubes! Rolling is by no means a requirement to make this amp great, it can still EASILY be the best amp you've ever heard straight out of the box. It is for me, and I will not be investing money in tube rolling for something like this. The risk doesn't seem worth the cost (from my experience only, of course), especially since I love the sound as is.

I had the Lyr 3 and the HA-3A was a big improvement for me.

I still think the Sylvania 5814A Double Mica is a great tube and it all depends on the 6V6 tubes you pair with it as some can just kill the soundstage like the 6V6 Brimar Black Beauty. The Reflektor 6V6GT provide you with a big airy soundstage with great bass and treble extension whilst having a slightly warm sound. If you want a linear ECC82 tube you need to look at the Telefunken ECC82 as they provide me with the most detail, uncoloured neutral sound that pair nicely with the Reflektor 6V6 tubes and a great soundstage with very good 3 dimensional depth. This combo really opened the soundstage on the LCD 4 which is a headphone that is notoriously narrow in terms of the soundstage width.

You can get the Reflektor 6V6GT tubes for pretty cheap but the Telefunken ECC82 are a bit pricey as they are newly manufactured but after testing an extensive amount of ECC82/12AU7 tubes, the Telefunkens are the best when paired with the Reflektors.

 

[LXMc]

Hello everyone in this thread,

I've been using this amp since July of last year and absolutely LOVE it. The Schiit Lyr 2 I was coming from is certainly no slouch, but the Cayin is better in every way, with all of the headphones I have as well.

I wanted to make a post on here because I see the thread focuses a lot on tube rolling. I tried this out, and had terrible luck!

The tubes I got were as follows:
TAD 6V6GT STR REDBASE - MATCHED PAIR
Sylvania 5814A Double Mica

They were awful! These tubes severely compressed the soundstage and limited frequency extension in bass AND treble. The amp was worse than the Lyr. I tried mixing the new tubes with the stock tubes, and there was slight improvement, but it still wasn't good.

I went back to the stock tubes, and the sound was just heavenly by comparison. The 4 tubes cost $175 which is a bit much for something that just flat out didn't work well.

The point is for anyone who has this amp or is interested in getting it, it is GREAT with the stock tubes! Rolling is by no means a requirement to make this amp great, it can still EASILY be the best amp you've ever heard straight out of the box. It is for me, and I will not be investing money in tube rolling for something like this. The risk doesn't seem worth the cost (from my experience only, of course), especially since I love the sound as is.

Certainly nothing wrong with sticking to stock tubes because they do sound great - but I wouldn't let one bad experience with other tubes deter you completely. Just take your time and try to pull some suggestions from this thread that won't break the bank. You may find you end up loving the amp even more