[JamieMcC]

Looks a good deal for a NOS military tube
 
http://www.partsconnexion.com/NOS-79665.html
 
Compare to here
 
http://tctubes.com/Thomas-CSF-6080WA-tube-made-in-France.aspx

 

[adydula]

I just got one of these from Parts Connexion and its a wonderful tube at a GREAT price!!
 
Go for it!!
 
Alex

 

[coastal1]

   
Vacuumtubes.net are awesome guys, I've bought my last few 5998's and 7236 tubes from them and they've all been great.

 
Interesting, I did not have a good experience with them a couple months ago.  I tried to order 3 tubes from them - a 5998 for $85, a Telefunken 12Au7 for $80, and a 6AS7G Chatham for cheap.  First they told me they no longer had the $85 5998, but they had a $150 5998 'bottom getter.'  There was no mention of top getter/bottom getter on their site when I ordered.  So I said scratch the 5998 and send me the other two.  Then they said they didnt have the Chatham and tried to upsell me on another tube, and said the Telefunken was highly microphonic.  So I went to Ebay and had good luck.

 

[ohcrapgorillas]

(headphones: HD600) I recently got a Winged C tube in and paired with the RCA Clear Top 12AU7, it's blowing my mind compared to the 5998. The soundstage is significantly improved, and I feel like it's much much more musical compared to the 5998's linearity. The 5998 is more dynamic and detailed in general, but the Winged C is so much more enjoyable. It also responds to the input tube completely differently...
 
Listening with the 5998, my take on my 12AU7 tubes are:
 
RCA Clear Top: bright and revealing with a good timbre but lacking bass entirely, so meh (worth noting that the 5998/RCA combo with HD650 was absolutely jaw dropping)
Genalex Gold Lion: Awesome soundstage, great bass slam, rich mids, slightly recessed treble, spectacular for rock and metal
Amperex made-in-Holland: Totally natural through and through, sweet sound, the only choice for classical/jazz/anything well produced
 
Now with the Winged C, it's become:
 
RCA Clear Top: amazingly clear and revealing and dynamic, incredible timbre and soundstage I didn't know HD600 were capable of, no lack of bass at all
Genalex Gold Lion: meh, a little too mid-centric IMO
Amperex made-in-Holland: warm, smooth, and sweet... still need more time for more 
 
The range of sound available from the Crack-HD600 combination is incredible! Not to mention that the Winged C/RCA combo is so absolutely one of the best and most lifelike things I've ever heard. I was finding it hard to get work done last night because I was just so breathless from how good everything sounded. Definitely too revealing for poorly produced music, although I'd swear the 5998/Gold Lion combo can make bad recordings sound like good recordings.
 
Still keeping my eye out for a good price on a Tung Sol 7236 then I swear I'm done buying (power) tubes for this thing...
 
EDIT: Okay, the Amperex is insanely good. It doesn't have the unrealistically-realistic timbre of the Clear Top, but the soundstage right now is just awesome. It's also smoother, sweeter and more forgiving than the RCA at the expense of the uber detail in the treble and a little treble extension. I feel like I'm listening to really well recorded music, even though the production is maybe slightly better than average for what it is (Feathergun by Rishloo--an album that sounds like injecting prog intravenously, so freakin' good).
 
So,
 
well recorded music: 5998 + Amperex, Winged C + RCA Clear Top
'meh' to crap recordings: 5998 + Gold Lion, Winged  C + Amperex

 

[JamieMcC]

  (headphones: HD600) I recently got a Winged C tube in and paired with the RCA Clear Top 12AU7, it's blowing my mind compared to the 5998. The soundstage is significantly improved, and I feel like it's much much more musical compared to the 5998's linearity. The 5998 is more dynamic and detailed in general, but the Winged C is so much more enjoyable. It also responds to the input tube completely differently...
 
Listening with the 5998, my take on my 12AU7 tubes are:
 
RCA Clear Top: bright and revealing with a good timbre but lacking bass entirely, so meh (worth noting that the 5998/RCA combo with HD650 was absolutely jaw dropping)
Genalex Gold Lion: Awesome soundstage, great bass slam, rich mids, slightly recessed treble, spectacular for rock and metal
Amperex made-in-Holland: Totally natural through and through, sweet sound, the only choice for classical/jazz/anything well produced
 
Now with the Winged C, it's become:
 
RCA Clear Top: amazingly clear and revealing and dynamic, incredible timbre and soundstage I didn't know HD600 were capable of, no lack of bass at all
Genalex Gold Lion: meh, a little too mid-centric IMO
Amperex made-in-Holland: warm, smooth, and sweet... still need more time for more 
 
The range of sound available from the Crack-HD600 combination is incredible! Not to mention that the Winged C/RCA combo is so absolutely one of the best and most lifelike things I've ever heard. I was finding it hard to get work done last night because I was just so breathless from how good everything sounded. Definitely too revealing for poorly produced music, although I'd swear the 5998/Gold Lion combo can make bad recordings sound like good recordings.
 
Still keeping my eye out for a good price on a Tung Sol 7236 then I swear I'm done buying (power) tubes for this thing...

You really need to try the E80CC for a your input tube Tungsrams are great value sound stage and resolution will blow your mind all over again.
 

 

[DDDamian]

Nice write-up @ohcrapgorillas, although I prefer the 5998 over Winged-C for it's detail and dynamics. The Winged-C I have is very musical but just seemed a bit dull after the detail of the 5998. These were with a Mazda CIFTE 12AU7 in the control seat. Ofc it all changes with mood and what you're listening to, what the optimal sound you seek is. They're both great power tubes!
 
@JamieMcC, I have a pair of NOS Tungsram ECC82's I haven't tried yet - will have to give 'em a roll. Hopefully they give a similar experience to what you found with the E80CC. I'm really digging the highly-detailed and lively sound lately out of my cans, even the warmer ones. It's nice to be able to get both the serene and the lively from the same amp with a couple of quick tube-changes - one of the beauties of a tube amp!

 

[awry-fi]

I could only afford a Project Sunrise (I'm one of the "lower impedance phones but still MUST TRY TUBES kiddies") and I just want to make it clear that I hate you all.

 

[DDDamian]

I could only afford a Project Sunrise (I'm one of the "lower impedance phones but still MUST TRY TUBES kiddies") and I just want to make it clear that I hate you all.

Lol. We'll take that hope you get to try one of the Bottlehead line one day.

 

[rogerthatmand]

Hey guys, I'd like to get some help. I finished building the Crack but I have some issues with the resistance check (the first step, the ohms).
I have a volt-ohm-meter which I configure to 20K Ohms:
 
Terminal 6, 10 - gives me 1.2K, instead of 2.4K.
 
Terminals 14, 20, 22 - Doesn't show me nothing, instead of 0.
 
 
Everything else is perfectly fine. 
I doubled checked, I tripled checked and everything is soldered really well and everything goes exactly where it belongs.
 
P.S - I did the REVISION part where I attach to terminal 14U instead of 22L, and I soldered it at the end of the procedure of building the Crack :
 
"REVISION 5/6/10:
Making this wire 3” long and
connecting it to Terminal 14U
instead of terminal 22L may
yield more quiet operation."
 
 
 
Please help me enjoying my Crack working as it should be 

 

[JamieMcC]

  Hey guys, I'd like to get some help. I finished building the Crack but I have some issues with the resistance check (the first step, the ohms).
I have a volt-ohm-meter which I configure to 20K Ohms:
 
Terminal 6, 10 - gives me 1.2K, instead of 2.4K.
 
Terminals 14, 20, 22 - Doesn't show me nothing, instead of 0.
 
 
Everything else is perfectly fine. 
I doubled checked, I tripled checked and everything is soldered really well and everything goes exactly where it belongs.
 
P.S - I did the REVISION part where I attach to terminal 14U instead of 22L, and I soldered it at the end of the procedure of building the Crack :
 
"REVISION 5/6/10:
Making this wire 3” long and
connecting it to Terminal 14U
instead of terminal 22L may
yield more quiet operation."
 
 
 
Please help me enjoying my Crack working as it should be 

 
The Bottlehead forum is the best place to get trouble shooting advice, straight from those who designed the amp they will get you sorted out in no time.
Link for the Crack section below.
 
http://bottlehead.com/smf/index.php?board=24.0

 

[gab840]

How does Bottlehead Crack comapre to IFI ICan???
Also Crack has great synergy with HD650 & Beyer T1 & same Hp's are said to have a great comibnation with ICan
So how does they fare against each other??

 

[moriez]

I'm back on the Crack's nest with the HD600 and HD650 after some solid state testing. Eventhough I hear there's room for improvement it's my favourite headphone listening rig for just about anything non-electronic. Right in that very sweet spot with the 5998/Cleartop.
 
At any of the above tube guys, is the Winged-C anything like the Bendix 6080WB? Asking before buying. Don't want to start building a silly tube collection (less is more!)

 

[Aeolus Kratos]

Hi guys,
 
I found something really interesting with the tube rolling for the Crack yesterday.
 
Yesterday evening, I came over an audiophile friend of mine to listen to his "hi-end" speaker system. Then he asked me what setup I'm using at home, and I replied that I'm in love with the Bottlehead Crack and HD650 headphone. Then I showed him the Crack on the Bottlehead website, so he realized the Cracks use 12AU7 and 6080 variants for tubes.
 
After that, he said that he once owned a pre-amplifier which used 12AU7s. He sold the pre but he still had several 12AU7 tubes left. Then he asked me if I wanted to buy his 12AU7 collection since he has no longer needed it. He offered me a great price for the package so I went ahead and bought all of his 12AU7 tubes.
 
After that, he went upstairs and brought a small box which contained 5 12AU7s. I took the box back to my home and eagerly put the tubes into my beloved modded Crack.
 
In 5 12AU7 tubes I bought, 2 of them were GE 12AU7s, 1 was a Mullard CV4003, 1 was a Electro-Harmonix 12AU7s (all the first 4 tubes still have a clear logo/printing name on the glass) and the final tube was unknown. All the printing code on the glass was worn out and I couldn't recognize what tube it is.
 
I was very curious and decided to put the "mysterious" tube first into my Crack, the power tube was Tungsol 5998, let the tubes warm up for 30 minutes, plugged my HD650 and then gave it a listen. Then, something really magical happened....
 
HOLY S**T!!! I was TOTALLY blown away!!! The 3d soundstage and imgaing were breathtaking, the mid was crystal clear with the nice warmth, the bass was deep and very well controled, the highs were smooth and just full of energy. It sounds like no other. 
 
Took a deep breath, I swapped in the new tubes I just bought from my friend and my existing collection to see if what I am hearing is just my imagination. And it's NOT. The "mysterious" tube was CLEARLY in a different league with all of my other tubes I've got.
 
I've owned my Crack for nearly 2 years and I've tried VARIOUS input tubes in ALL tube types (12AU7s, E80CC, 12BH7s, 6SN7s), and by various I do mean I've tried all the "best" tubes of each type, but NONE of that came close. The tube is, without a doubt, the best of the bests I've heard with my Crack.
 
 
The sound was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good that I really didn't want to listen to ANY other driver tube with my Crack. I immediately called my friend and asked him what the unknown tube is but unfortunately, he answered that he forgot as he bought all the tubes a long time ago and hadn't used them since.
 
So I decided to post here, on the Crack thread. The pics of the unknown tube - the best input tube I've owned and tried with the Crack:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
I tried my best to picture all angles of the tube. The tube has long grey plates and D getter, with the code says "48L" and "47H".
 
Does anyone know what tube is it?
 
Thanks in advance!
Kratos.

 

[FunyunBreath]

Maybe a ribbed plate Telefunken? If there's a diamond stamped into the glass on the bottom of the tube thats what it is. Construction looks almost identical to my smoothplate Tele.
 
Also if you don't plan on using that Mullard CV4003 and it's in good shape shoot me a PM, I'd definitely be willing to make you an offer for it

 

[JohnBal]

  Hi guys,
 
I found something really interesting with the tube rolling for the Crack yesterday.
 
...
 
Does anyone know what tube is it?
 
Thanks in advance!
Kratos.

I think you may have stumbled upon an old Amperex Foil Strip D Getter. If so, that's a nice find. Enjoy.