[Ultron 5]

I have the VC, had the Empy II, and I have the 650. All run flawlessly

Thank you, djentbat. I have never listened to a tube amp, but this model seems like a good entry point. Of course, I am little concerned about quality, etc., but there are so many positive reviews on head-fi, I am assuming where's there's smoke there's fire.

 

[TheAbyss2022]

Thank you, djentbat. I have never listened to a tube amp, but this model seems like a good entry point. Of course, I am little concerned about quality, etc., but there are so many positive reviews on head-fi, I am assuming where's there's smoke there's fire.

You won't regret this purchase but be sure to have some NOS tubes ready as I personally didn't like the stock tubes but the stock rectifier is fine.

 

[djentbat]

Thank you, djentbat. I have never listened to a tube amp, but this model seems like a good entry point. Of course, I am little concerned about quality, etc., but there are so many positive reviews on head-fi, I am assuming where's there's smoke there's fire.

This is an amazing tube amp for headphones low impedance (ie focals and planar) I prefer this sound over the traditional tube amp.

That said I actually bought my HA-3A from Zach at CJ SoCal. I was looking for the perfect pairing for my Atriums and there were non stock tubes in there that sounded blissful. I haven’t looked back since honestly

 

[Ultron 5]

This is an amazing tube amp for headphones low impedance (ie focals and planar) I prefer this sound over the traditional tube amp.

That said I actually bought my HA-3A from Zach at CJ SoCal. I was looking for the perfect pairing for my Atriums and there were non stock tubes in there that sounded blissful. I haven’t looked back since honestly

Zach’s the man, for sure. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Ultron 5]

This is an amazing tube amp for headphones low impedance (ie focals and planar) I prefer this sound over the traditional tube amp.

That said I actually bought my HA-3A from Zach at CJ SoCal. I was looking for the perfect pairing for my Atriums and there were non stock tubes in there that sounded blissful. I haven’t looked back since honestly

Yeah, I’ve got a lot to learn about tube rolling. May look to you for advice in the future. Thank you.

 

[Ultron 5]

The longer I've had this amp, the issue of how often I should be turning on/off the amp keeps irking me. I've tried reading about it...with differing recommendations. How often are you guys turning off the amp? For instance if I have to walk away from the amp for about 2 hours, is it better to just leave it on with volume lowered and come back rather than going through the off/on process for the tubes again? Would you say the same for 4 hours?

Great question grant0317. And thanks to the community for the helpful reply.

 

[djentbat]

The longer I've had this amp, the issue of how often I should be turning on/off the amp keeps irking me. I've tried reading about it...with differing recommendations. How often are you guys turning off the amp? For instance if I have to walk away from the amp for about 2 hours, is it better to just leave it on with volume lowered and come back rather than going through the off/on process for the tubes again? Would you say the same for 4 hours?

I just turn it off. The user manual says it’s takes about 5-10 minutes for it to fully warm up. Haven’t had any issues

 

[Gggggas]

Hello friends

To all of you who have Philips E80CC , what 6V6 tubes pair well and sound amazing? I would love to hear your opinions and quick sound description with the 6V6 tubes that you're using.
I remember @npatrix praising these with the Mazda 6V6G tubes

 

[djentbat]

Got some mazdas in and they definitely tighten the low end. Really good pairing with warm leaning tubes

 

[betula]

Got some mazdas in and they definitely tighten the low end. Really good pairing with warm leaning tubes

What Mazdas did you get and what other tubes do you pair them with?
I also have some Mazda 6V6GTs coming in soon. Some members here really love them, and I couldn't resist after I bumped into a nice NOS pair. As always, I will report back after some burn in.

 

[Hickory Deadglove]

Hello friends

To all of you who have Philips E80CC , what 6V6 tubes pair well and sound amazing? I would love to hear your opinions and quick sound description with the 6V6 tubes that you're using.
I remember @npatrix praising these with the Mazda 6V6G tubes

I have a pair of Sylvania 6v6gty, the poor mans' bendix. they sound superb with my Elite and glow blue like the originals. I like to find a pair of Mazda 6v6g, rare in north america.

 

[Gggggas]

Got some mazdas in and they definitely tighten the low end. Really good pairing with warm leaning tubes

What Mazdas did you get and what other tubes do you pair them with?
I also have some Mazda 6V6GTs coming in soon. Some members here really love them, and I couldn't resist after I bumped into a nice NOS pair. As always, I will report back after some burn in.

Do you guys think I should get some NOS 6V6GT instead of 6V6G? GT is military variant right?

 

[NJoyzAudio]

Got some mazdas in and they definitely tighten the low end. Really good pairing with warm leaning tubes

Djentbat
Glad you like the pairing. Definitely one of my favorite power tubes and bring out the changes the preamp tube I swap in. Just a great blank canvas for the 12AU7/E80cc tube rolling I’ve been doing.
Enjoy

 

[NJoyzAudio]

What Mazdas did you get and what other tubes do you pair them with?
I also have some Mazda 6V6GTs coming in soon. Some members here really love them, and I couldn't resist after I bumped into a nice NOS pair. As always, I will report back after some burn in.

Betula

Look forward to reading your thoughts once you get them in.

I’ve found some Mazda manufactured 12AU7/6189 Triple Mica Silver Plates, another new nice find Triple Mica 12AU7 and a new set of 6085(E80CC) tubes and all are inbound.
Will share once all burnt in and have a chance to really listen.

Love this amp as it allows a lot of tube rolling and fine tuning the sound!

 

[NJoyzAudio]

Do you guys think I should get some NOS 6V6GT instead of 6V6G? GT is military variant right?

Gggggas

Less about the tube type, and more about the manufacture and sound you’re looking for to choose between the 6V6 model tubes.

The “G” is the shoulder tube large coke bottle shape.
The GT, GTA, and GTY are all the smaller straight sided tubes.

Some think there is sound difference between the straight sided and shouldered tubes. This might be more personal opinion.

I tend to look for and use the older G tubes just because I like the way they look.
But I do own several of the straight sided tubes from the same
Manufacturer. For the Mazdas I own they are very similar in sound G shape to GTY shape.

The military tubes are either marked as JAN (joint army navy for US military) or CV509 ( European military) or similar labeling as it is country specific, and can be any of the G, GT, GTA or GTY shapes.

Or perhaps you may be thinking about the Bendix 5992 or Bendix Eclipse-Pioneer 6V6 which are both a GTY shape tubes.

Hope this info helps.