[JamieMcC]

   
I haven't heard the LD range of amps, but I just helped a mate build a Crack with some basic cap upgrades and it sounds seriously good with my T1s.

 
The effects a few upgrades can make with the Crack when listening with the T1's is quiet noticeable, well worth the effort in my view.

 

[.Sup]

A new amp from Bottlehead should be called The Bomb. When I ordered my Crack it got stuck at customs. They asked me what it is, they sounded worried like it was a kit to make a bomb. I told them its a Crack amp. Would be interesting if I said The Bomb amp.

 

[Armaegis]

Would be funnier if it were "Da Bomb"...

 

[Loquah]

Or the Dirty Bomb...
 
"Yes sir, that's mine - it's a kit to make a dirty bomb..."

 

[NightFlight]

I really agree with this.  I think a lot of what is talked about when it comes to small differences like this are really only apparent when taking the time to savor the music; at least for me.

I would argue investing in your gear with both money and know how will provide you the option of focusing when you want to. Or, not suffer so much disappointment when you do.

 

[JamieMcC]

If anyone is UK/EU based on a budget and after a nice pair of 100uf film output caps for their Crack I have just listed two used but perfectly working 100uf 400V DC Solen film capacitors. I found them very similar sounding to the JFX premium films and as such don't require two different makes of capacitors that sound so similar in my growing pile so the Solens are now up for grabs if anyone is interested..
 
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Solen-100uf-400V-DC-Film-Capacitor-x-2-/121352137226?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&hash=item1c4126aa0a

 

[NightFlight]

GEC Brown Base impressions:

From 45 minutes' listening, at 6am, this is a gorgeous thing. It's warmer and richer - tubier, even - than the 5998 but the detail is all there. It seems to bring the focus back to the mids, which really suits the HD650s. Also, the bass thumps like the stock Crack with a Mullard 6080 but with the extension and tightness of...well, there's no comparison with anything I've heard.

I've got to get to work now but looking forward to some extended listening this evening.

Edit: For example, Aphex Twin - Flim. There's a whole other level of richness to the synth decay which has never come through before. Boards of Canada...crikey.

Now you touching down on some of my genres.. Seems the brown base is worth the price then. Can it even be found these days?

 

[NightFlight]

Swapped out the Hovlands Supercap bypasses to try for some Russian K71-7 Polystyrenes.

The Russians are pretty neat.

 

[ModestMeowth]

Now you touching down on some of my genres.. Seems the brown base is worth the price then. Can it even be found these days?

I just got a curved brown base Osram in the mail today and holy sh!t the tube is amazing! I don't plan to ever use the 5998 ever again 

 

 

[skeptic]

Reality check: unless you got a screamin' deal, a GEC brown base is now typically more than 1/6 the price of a mainline.  "Worth the price" is highly subjective.  I like my hotrodded crack with my GEC quite a lot.  I also quite like my 5998's, my 7802 and several of my mil spec 6080's in the power tube slot.  As good as all of these tube complements sound, none of them put the crack in the same league with the mainline (that's with hd800's, hd650's, dt880's - to say nothing of low impedance phones).
 
For context, in the old days, when skylab reigned supreme on head-fi as the most prolific and venerated reviewer, he advocated the GEC's as the best 6as7/6080 variant.  When they climbed north of $150 a pop, he urged head-fiers to look elsewhere.  Not trying to crap on what is definitely a very nice tube, but for those of you who haven't picked one up, don't feel bad or like you're seriously missing out and need to sell plasma, your wife etc. to get your hands on this tube.  IMO, as a GEC owner, your money is better spent as a good chunk of a mainline, the upcoming bh dac, or some other serious gear upgrade.
 
/FlameSuitOn!  

 

[Loquah]

  Reality check: unless you got a screamin' deal, a GEC brown base is now typically more than 1/6 the price of a mainline.  "Worth the price" is highly subjective.  I like my hotrodded crack with my GEC quite a lot.  I also quite like my 5998's, my 7802 and several of my mil spec 6080's in the power tube slot.  As good as all of these tube complements sound, none of them put the crack in the same league with the mainline (that's with hd800's, hd650's, dt880's - to say nothing of low impedance phones).
 
For context, in the old days, when skylab reigned supreme on head-fi as the most prolific and venerated reviewer, he advocated the GEC's as the best 6as7/6080 variant.  When they climbed north of $150 a pop, he urged head-fiers to look elsewhere.  Not trying to crap on what is definitely a very nice tube, but for those of you who haven't picked one up, don't feel bad or like you're seriously missing out and need to sell plasma, your wife etc. to get your hands on this tube.  IMO, as a GEC owner, your money is better spent as a good chunk of a mainline, the upcoming bh dac, or some other serious gear upgrade.
 
/FlameSuitOn!  

 
LOL. No need for the flame suit I think

 
I completely agree that the brown base 6AS7s are great, but they are an incremental upgrade, not a huge leap. In the Crack I recently built for a friend, I tried his Russian 5998 equivalents that he bought for about $10 each and they were marvellous. They had less warmth than a 6AS7 (probably because they are basically a 5998), but I would be completely happy with something like that and an extra $150 in my pocket to buy a nice 12AU7 / E80CC or some output caps.
 
If money is no issue, sure, buy a brown base because they are a flat-out awesome tube, but I agree with skeptic that if you're looking to maximise bang for buck, don't worry about the brown base and save your pennies to spend on other Crack upgrades (attenuator, caps, etc.) or to buy a Mainline for the express lane to audio nirvana.

 

 

[Nic Rhodes]

Loquah, what is the Russian 5998 valve equivalent? I haven't heard of this before.

 

[JamieMcC]

Guess us guys in the UK are lucky as the GEC 6as7g is more common on our shores than the TS 5998 and can often be found for the same prices or less than the 5998 (a rarer tube here) goes for.  $65-$85 is not uncommon even for the curved based.

 

[MoatsArt]

Better stock pile now, gents, before these tubes are a reverent whisper or become the seed of mythology.

 

[JamieMcC]

The Russians are pretty neat.

 
The effect of bypassing with the K71-7 Polystyrenes was quiet pronounced and initially I was like WOW however I soon realised the presentation was quiet fatiguing to listen to with my T1's and a hour or so was all I could handle. 
 
They actually worked much better with HD650's and for the couple of pound they cost would be well worth a try for anyone who predominately uses the Senns.