[Bonddam]

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[cddc]

Combo of repairs and fun tonight. Received a bottlehead S.E.X. kit from a classified 'want to buy' I posted. The goal was to bring it into work and have a nice mid range amp to use there with a wide variety of headphones. I had to do some repairs on the amp when it arrived, but got it up and working. Had it at work this week, and then it just...stopped. Music just cut off.

Tonight I swapped out the alps pot that had been having issues before, and BOOM, its working again. Now for the fun part. Switched out the .1uf dayton caps with .1uf Miflex KPCU caps. In the lower uf range these are very affordable (18 bucks from parts connection) and they are VERY good caps. One caveat on these: the connecting wires are fairly large and will not fit on circuit board connections like the .1 caps on the mainline. Listening on my HD800 (which is a great thing about the S.E.X. amp, it plays pretty much anything and is imho the most versatile of the bottlehead amps) the sound is clear, euphoric, and has just a tiny touch of smoothness that eliminates the dull feeling I get with some solid state amps. (I'm looking at you, drop THX!)

If you want an amp that plays anything, including planars, and don't want to fall into the tube swapping pit (they pretty much all sound the same on the S.E.X.) this is the amp for you.

Congrats on getting and fixing a S.E.X.

So S.E.X. has the magic of making a GE tube sound like a GEC?

 

[jonathan c]

Congrats on getting and fixing a S.E.X.

So S.E.X. has the magic of making a GE tube sound like a GEC?

Only when switched off

 

[skhan007]

In my search for some GEC 6080 tubes, I was able to find a pair for sale. They would be shipped from the UK to the US, and I've never made an overseas purchase before and was hoping for some guidance. The tubes test NOS and only have a few hours on them.

Without import fees, I think I'm at about $275 (tubes, shipping, and PayPal fees). I'm not sure if I'm calculating import fees correctly, as I've found some on-line cost calculators and I'm uncertain if they are accurate, but I think it's another $30 or so.

Is $300 too pricey for a pair of GEC 6080 tubes? My instincts say this is too much, but I'm really not sure, as I'm still pretty new to the tube rolling process. Any input is appreciated. I've asked the same question on the 6AS7G tube rolling thread, in hopes of additional input.

 

[DenverW]

In my search for some GEC 6080 tubes, I was able to find a pair for sale. They would be shipped from the UK to the US, and I've never made an overseas purchase before and was hoping for some guidance. The tubes test NOS and only have a few hours on them.

Without import fees, I think I'm at about $275 (tubes, shipping, and PayPal fees). I'm not sure if I'm calculating import fees correctly, as I've found some on-line cost calculators and I'm uncertain if they are accurate, but I think it's another $30 or so.

Is $300 too pricey for a pair of GEC 6080 tubes? My instincts say this is too much, but I'm really not sure, as I'm still pretty new to the tube rolling process. Any input is appreciated. I've asked the same question on the 6AS7G tube rolling thread, in hopes of additional input.

I think you’re set on these tubes, so my opinion may not be what you’re looking for. I think overall that the 6080 style tubes lag behind the 6as7g type, and would recommend those instead. I think the gec tubes overall are overpriced, and for that money you could be getting some totl tube Or tubes. 5998, 421a, etc.

You could get a mullard 6080 for well under $100, and I didn’t find a difference worth noting between that and the gec, tung sol 6080 are great, but also expensive and not worth it imho at this point. What led you to the gec 6080 tube?

 

[skhan007]

I think you’re set on these tubes, so my opinion may not be what you’re looking for. I think overall that the 6080 style tubes lag behind the 6as7g type, and would recommend those instead. I think the gec tubes overall are overpriced, and for that money you could be getting some totl tube Or tubes. 5998, 421a, etc.

You could get a mullard 6080 for well under $100, and I didn’t find a difference worth noting between that and the gec, tung sol 6080 are great, but also expensive and not worth it imho at this point. What led you to the gec 6080 tube?

Your opinion is very much appreciated.

What led me to these tubes- A lot of really strong reviews on this thread, the 6AS7G tube rolling thread, and reviews on a different forum. I've heard a couple people stating that the GEC 6080 was to them, superior to the Bendix 6080 (which I have) and even superior to the Chatham 6AS7G (which I have and absolutely love).

A couple of concerns that mostly come down to price: After currency conversion fees, import fees, and PayPal fees, I'm at about $150 per tube (maybe more). Also, the import fee calculators on-line are giving me very different import fee estimates. Some say $30 and some say over $100 (that seems extreme, but I've never imported goods and had to pay duties).

If you or anyone knows rough ways to calculate the cost of importing 2 tubes from the UK to US, that would also be very much appreciated. But from what I'm hearing from you, @DenverW , perhaps I should pause and consider costs/other options.

 

[DenverW]

Your opinion is very much appreciated.

What led me to these tubes- A lot of really strong reviews on this thread, the 6AS7G tube rolling thread, and reviews on a different forum. I've heard a couple people stating that the GEC 6080 was to them, superior to the Bendix 6080 (which I have) and even superior to the Chatham 6AS7G (which I have and absolutely love).

A couple of concerns that mostly come down to price: After currency conversion fees, import fees, and PayPal fees, I'm at about $150 per tube (maybe more). Also, the import fee calculators on-line are giving me very different import fee estimates. Some say $30 and some say over $100 (that seems extreme, but I've never imported goods and had to pay duties).

If you or anyone knows rough ways to calculate the cost of importing 2 tubes from the UK to US, that would also be very much appreciated. But from what I'm hearing from you, @DenverW , perhaps I should pause and consider costs/other options.

I would consider other options for sure, especially since you already have two great tubes. Honestly, two VERY solid tubes. For me, tube rolling is something I have to control myself on. I want to try EVERYTHING! But the reality is that most tubes would just end up sitting on a shelf or being resold because there are only two tubs in the crack at any given time.

So after trying pretty much everything, I limit myself. I try to follow a few rules. I try not to buy multiples of a particular tube, especially if I havent heard it, because matched pairs can cost more than buying individually, and because one of the two isn't getting used. There is a temptation to have a 'spare' but these tubes last a pretty long time, and unless it becomes my favorite I don't need a spare. So basically I try not to buy tubes now unless I think there is a legitimate chance it will replace a current favorite, or at least add a different enough sound that I can justify having it.

Also, with the crack, do you really want tubes that cost as much or more than the kit itself? A crackatwoa with stock tubes will sound better than a crack with great tubes based on components and design. At $300 plus for those tubes you're pretty much at crackatwoa levels, and you can keep all your current crack tubes to use with it. This is what I did. I've had and built a couple cracks, modded them to death, then I sold them and used the money for a crackatwoa.

So here is what I think. If you're looking at the gec6080, I would look for a single tube that is reasonable. If you're open to other power tubes that I think are much better, I would find a single tung sol 5998, a western electric 421A, or a GEC 6AS7G. Imho, those are the top three power tubes in the crack, and I find them better than any 6080 variant. They cost a pretty penny, though, so be patient. Eventually one is sold in the more reasonable price range. $150 for the 5998 and $300 or less for the other two are 'reasonable' in today's prices. I honestly wouldn't get one unless this is your forever amp, or if you're going the crackatwoa route one day.

Next, (or first!) I would explore the fun of input tube variants. You have the speedball, right? You can run some fun, fun tubes with an adapter. The favorite is the 6sn7 (not a driver tube although it is the same socket, don't get confused! It needs a 6sn7 -> 12au7 adapter!). Many crazy people who don't know better (hahah I couldn't resist!) prefer these to 12au7 tubes. Problem is, the price is going high. My favorite is the cv6 or e1148 tubes. These are half of a 12au7/6sn7 each, so with an adapter it turns the crack into the 'frankencrack!'. Others like the 6j5, 6f8g, or others. Basically, you can have fun for lower prices by rolling tube variants that arent as popular in amps as the 12au7 and 6sn7. Just make sure you have the right info and don't pop anything in that will hurt the amp.

So sorry for the long reply, hope it didn't bore you! We're all here to help and offer opinions (thats all they are!) so feel free to ask

Edit: I had accidentally identified the WE 421a as a GE 421a. Theres a nasty typo, for sure! Avoid GE tubes

 

[wabibito]

I recently bought an unbuilt crack 1.0 with speedball. Does anyone knows performance wise is it the same as 1.1? I know that the transformers differ for 1.0 and it only support 110v. Also the speedball seems to have two boards instead of 1 like the newer one.

 

[skhan007]

Initial impressions of my first foray into rolling power tubes. Besides the stock one, I only have two: The Bendix 6080 and the Chatham 6AS7G. Well, after a week of A/B listening to a lot of music, I keep coming back to the Chatham as being slightly better to my ears. I do like the Bendix, as it has a crisp and polished presentation that is great of analytical listening. It's very strong in the details. However the Chatham has a very big, warm, and embracing nature to the sonic presentation. The Bendix does wonderfully with staging, but there's something about the Chatham that is quite noticeable to me, where it feels like the sonic equivalent of being wrapped in a newly woven fleece blanket and handed a piping hot mug of hot coco from my grandma. That's how this tube sounds to my ears!

A couple of you have stated you preferred the Chatham 6AS7G over other choices and I'm inclined to agree. Also, I don't have anything in the driver position to roll or compare, but this Chatham pairs beautifully with the clear top RCA. Open to driver suggestions as well, but so far, you brilliant lot have nailed it on your recommendations to me. Eternally thankful for the tips here!!! Oh, I also stained the base of my BHC Speedy to match my ZMF Auteur's. Came out very close.

 

[PsilocybinCube]

Initial impressions of my first foray into rolling power tubes. Besides the stock one, I only have two: The Bendix 6080 and the Chatham 6AS7G. Well, after a week of A/B listening to a lot of music, I keep coming back to the Chatham as being slightly better to my ears. I do like the Bendix, as it has a crisp and polished presentation that is great of analytical listening. It's very strong in the details. However the Chatham has a very big, warm, and embracing nature to the sonic presentation. The Bendix does wonderfully with staging, but there's something about the Chatham that is quite noticeable to me, where it feels like the sonic equivalent of being wrapped in a newly woven fleece blanket and handed a piping hot mug of hot coco from my grandma. That's how this tube sounds to my ears!

A couple of you have stated you preferred the Chatham 6AS7G over other choices and I'm inclined to agree. Also, I don't have anything in the driver position to roll or compare, but this Chatham pairs beautifully with the clear top RCA. Open to driver suggestions as well, but so far, you brilliant lot have nailed it on your recommendations to me. Eternally thankful for the tips here!!! Oh, I also stained the base of my BHC Speedy to match my ZMF Auteur's. Came out very close.

For a long time, I wasn't s fan of the Chatham, but lately I've been using it my BHC driving my ZMF Verite and Eikon and I love it.

As for other driver tubes, the 6sn7 is nice, but dual 6j5 tubes is even more fun IMO. @Deyan makes very high quality adapters.

 

[skhan007]

Oh man. How deep is the 6sn7 rabbit hole? Also, is the 6sn7 family notably superior to the 12au7 class?

 

[jonathan c]

Oh man. How deep is the 6sn7 rabbit hole? About 7960 miles (diameter of earth).

Also, is the 6sn7 family notably superior to the 12au7 class? I do not think that a tube family can be deemed categorically superior to another tube family without a specific application in mind. After that, one may need to consider the brand and oftentimes the year of manufacture within the brand.

 

[skhan007]

Thanks- let me revise my second question: I’m curious if folks have gone the 6sn7 route in the BHC and not looked back.

 

[DenverW]

Oh man. How deep is the 6sn7 rabbit hole? Also, is the 6sn7 family notably superior to the 12au7 class?

Its all subjective as to what is "better." I think they're a lot of great tubes in both categories. My personal opinion is that average 6sn7 may have a sliiiight edge on average 12au7, but that the TOTL and best of the 12au7 are the best tubes overall for the crack.

 

[skhan007]

Have we listed TOTL 12au7 tubes for the BHC on this thread?