[alcyst]

  I thing the ECBA will be my end of the line amp.  I recently tried a Schiit Ragnarok and returned it.  While great for solid state it just doesn't have that Balancing Act magic.  I think the Stefan audio umbilical is worthwhile.

Setamp, your location could also read ...Pittsburgh? The benefits of the umbilical are lower noise floor (through shielding?), is that what you found?

 

[setamp]

Pittsburgh it is!  I find the umbilical to further the round, organic nature of the amp.  It isn't shielded but a flat copper (?) ribbon that is very quiet.

 

[Feuergeist76]

I did it! Finally the ECBA find the way to it's new home. What a beauty! So far I'm not allowed to post any attachments, so I'll keep it short for now … still burning in the first set of tubes, which are EH 300B tubes together with the Tungsol 6SN7 Rectifiers. Will be an amazing time to explore other tubes .

 

[Rico613]

You are in for some sonic bliss.  I loved my BA with LCD-3f. 

 

[Feuergeist76]

I already love it - I'm listening to a lot of good recorded live music, and it kicks me off. Unbelievable. So many things to explore within the music. It's absolutely great. And the tubes are now only in for 16 hours (with breaks).

Wow.

 

[Kevinspeed]

Has anyone used the ECBA with Sennheiser HD 650?

 

[chengka7]

Yea, of course, so fuking good with ECBA. 

 

[r one]

Hello guys,
 
i'm new owner of an EC BA PX4/300B version for few months. It's a second hand amplifier, bought with KR PX4 tubes and i never ask myself this question. How i recognize the sense of connection grid for output tubes, there's any indications like the 6SN7 preamp tube wich we can't go wrong.

 

[setamp]

On the px4 there is a group of 3 pins and 1 pin not part of the the cluster.  Use this cluster to find the matching holes.  I have a yamamoto socket that accepts both px4 and 300b.  The px4 does not use the 2 large holes - this narrows your choices a bit.

You won't have to force the tube, if oriented properly, the px4 with slip right in.

 

[r one]

yes but px4 can put themselves in one way or another no ?. I have PX4/300B yamamoto sockets too.

 

[bmichels]

I have a question for tubes specialists:
 
I am looking for a pair of (matched if possible)  Western Electric WE417A driver tubes for my EC445 amp;
 
I found may be a pair, and I see that the vendor mention:   417A WE NOS (439=1954)  best single (Gm=25,000) strongest single tube
 
--> what does  Gm=25,000  mean  ? Is the highest the better ?   do those values need to be very close for the tubes to be considered as "matched" ? or is matched based on something else ? 
 
--> and I guess (439=1954)  mean "produced in 1954" ?
 
 
by the way, if someone can tell me where I can get those rare tubes.... 

 

 

[setamp]

If this is the socket you have, the 300B uses the 2 large holes at the bottom left and bottom right as well as the 2 parallel holes at the top (below the single hole at the top).  The PX4 will use the remaining holes - none are shared.  If you look at the pins, you will see a group of 3 that are closest together which form a triangle.  The pin at the top of this triangle will fit between the 2 large holes with the other pins of the triangle fitting just above the 2 large holes.  The remaining pin that is not part of the triangle fits into the very top of the socket.  With this orientation it will fit very easily.  I hope this helps.

 

[setamp]

Here you can see a PX4 socket.  The top of the triangle is closest to mounting hole on the right.  The pin that is not part of the triangle is closest to the left mounting hole.  You can see how 3 pins are grouped and 1 separate.

 

[r one]

  If this is the socket you have, the 300B uses the 2 large holes at the bottom left and bottom right as well as the 2 parallel holes at the top (below the single hole at the top).  The PX4 will use the remaining holes - none are shared.  If you look at the pins, you will see a group of 3 that are closest together which form a triangle.  The pin at the top of this triangle will fit between the 2 large holes with the other pins of the triangle fitting just above the 2 large holes.  The remaining pin that is not part of the triangle fits into the very top of the socket.  With this orientation it will fit very easily.  I hope this helps.

aaaah ok i see and understand now ! I have exactly this socket on my BA.
I just unconnect a KR to look at it in details. In fact, I 've already watched the pins but very quickly and I had not noticed that 2 pins were wider than the other 2. Base of my KR tubes are identically to 300b with UX4 conecting base : four pins (2 wide/2small).So we can not go wrong to connect, there is only one possible direction of assembly. Thank you very much setamp for your illustrated explanation.

 

 

[r one]

A thing i would like to know. Since i've got my BA, i've falled into a kind of rolling addiction : I often roll my 6SN7 tubes several times a week for fun, to discover many tubes, for varying my listening. So, Is the yamamoto base are very strong and i can roll without asking me questions or do I have to be care, not to stretch the pins on the connecting plate yamamoto to avoid false connects in the future ?