[Effusion]

  Effusion,
 
thank you for your reply and your suggestions. I e-mailed Emi at Elikit and I got the answer that KT77 and KT99 both work fine with the amp. Maybe you could edit your original post with that info so that it is documented where people easily could find it?
I went ahead and ordered this:
 
*Insert picture of Genalex Gold Lion KT77, TAD 12AU7WA and Mundorf MCap Aluminium Oil capacitors*
(Do you have to have a certain amount of post before you can post pictures?)
 
It will be my weekend project to try it out since I'm home alone without the wife
Does anyone no if the recommendation about letting the amp "rest" for ten minutes before opening it up also applies to changing tubes? 

 
Thanks for following up with Elekit and letting us all know, I've gone ahead and added both the KT77 and KT99 variants to the original post.
 
As far as letting the amp cool between tube changes, 10 min. might be a bit overkill, but as JK-47 indicated, it is best to wait a least a few minutes until the voltage dissipates.  Definitely don't remove the tubes while they are still glowing though, but I would say at least 2-3 min. wait after shut down should do the trick; I've never had a problem waiting only this long, even when switching types.  Also, as JK-47 noted, the tubes can get very hot, especially the power tubes, so be careful.  I use a small soft rag so I don't burn myself, as even with a 10 min. cool down, if you had the tubes running for at least 15 min. or so they'll still be quite hot, however this does depend on the actual type of tube.  Also, place them somewhere that can handle the heat, like a towel, instead of anything wood, that might leave a burn mark, or plastic, which can melt onto the glass.  Although it is impossible to not let the tubes get hot, other than heat, tubes dislike being turned on and off the most, which over time can shorten their life; no real need to worry too much about that though, just remember to have fun when you roll!
 
In addition, it is always best to let the tubes warm-up a bit before playing music through them.  Generally a 30 second warm-up is sufficient enough, but it takes at least 5-10 min. until they sound the best.  As you probably know and can tell, this can make the act of auditioning different tubes a little harder.

 

[LingLing1337]

I recieved my el34 and rolled them in today. Im not familiar with tube amps so I did not know this would change the sound so drastically. The new production mullard el34 are better than the stock 6l6eh all around, except maybe if youre a bass head. Bass is tighter and more controlled, and reduced by quite a bit as well. Not to say the el34 are lean, more that the EH are bloated. Mids as others have said are magical. For the price I am thoroughly impressed. Soundstage has been expanded on all axes and is much more precise. Highs are smoother and again less pronounced than the EH. I feel like the Mullard are a more balanced tube with a focus on the midrange. Overall this is a tube I could live with every day if I had to. But paypal gives me too much 0% 6 month financing for that so its back to ebay for more tubes!

 

[Greg70]

I recieved my el34 and rolled them in today. Im not familiar with tube amps so I did not know this would change the sound so drastically. The new production mullard el34 are better than the stock 6l6eh all around, except maybe if youre a bass head. Bass is tighter and more controlled, and reduced by quite a bit as well. Not to say the el34 are lean, more that the EH are bloated. Mids as others have said are magical. For the price I am thoroughly impressed. Soundstage has been expanded on all axes and is much more precise. Highs are smoother and again less pronounced than the EH. I feel like the Mullard are a more balanced tube with a focus on the midrange. Overall this is a tube I could live with every day if I had to. But paypal gives me too much 0% 6 month financing for that so its back to ebay for more tubes!

Very well stated and it certainly reflects  my impressions when I first tried EL34s LingLing1337.
 
For some reason I had thought that the EL34 wasn't really a great audio tube , and I didn't expect to like them.. but they made my Elekit and Grado combo so much nicer in all areas.
I assumed at the time that it was just a synergy with the Grado GS1000i. 

 

[JK-47]

I recieved my el34 and rolled them in today. Im not familiar with tube amps so I did not know this would change the sound so drastically. The new production mullard el34 are better than the stock 6l6eh all around, except maybe if youre a bass head. Bass is tighter and more controlled, and reduced by quite a bit as well. Not to say the el34 are lean, more that the EH are bloated. Mids as others have said are magical. For the price I am thoroughly impressed. Soundstage has been expanded on all axes and is much more precise. Highs are smoother and again less pronounced than the EH. I feel like the Mullard are a more balanced tube with a focus on the midrange. Overall this is a tube I could live with every day if I had to. But paypal gives me too much 0% 6 month financing for that so its back to ebay for more tubes!

 
Welcome to the cult of tubes...LOL

 

[Mr Chance]

"When I turn the amp on I first get sound in the left channel and after about 2 seconds the right channel comes to life. When I turn it of the same thing happens, the right channel fades out first and then the left. Is this normal?"
 
That was a question I e-mailed Elekit and then I got the answer:
 
"Please try to switch the right and left tubes. If the symptom switches as well, then it is due to the individual difference of tubes. Such difference, such as 2 seconds of time lag, is within a normal range."
 
So I did as she said and the right channel started up first. The odd thing though is that even after the switch the right channel faded out first, so that stayed the same.
Now after having changed to the KT77 and the 12AU7WA the startup takes a lot longer (the KT77s aparently need more time to get going) and I have noticed that if I put the volume to 0 and slooooowly turns it up the right channel starts up first.
 
I have changed all the tubes around and the "problem" stays exactly the same. It's not really that big of a problem because when at 1/4 of normal listening level it's impossible to hear a difference between the to channels. But I'm curios about what is causing this. Any suggestions?

 

[john57]

It just could be a channel imbalance in the pot when starting from zero. You stated that after 1/4 of rotating of the pot it becomes normal. That is typical of many analog pots.    

 

[mhamel]

   
Welcome to the cult of tubes...LOL

 
No truer words have been spoken... once it starts there is no end to tube rolling, if not with this amp then with the next tubed thing that comes along.  

 

[LingLing1337]

Ill definitely keep my impressions updated in this thread. The grado synergy is fantastic with the el34 and sr80i. I want to get a couple more el34 varieties, then start with some 6l6gc.

 

[Mr Chance]

  It just could be a channel imbalance in the pot when starting from zero. You stated that after 1/4 of rotating of the pot it becomes normal. That is typical of many analog pots.    

Not 1/4 rotating of the knob, that would render me deaf, 1/4 of normal listening level
About 8 o'clock is about as high I can go with my AT-W5000 (50 Ohm).
Thank you john57 for the answer!

 

[Mr Chance]

So I changed the capacitors and voilà, the problem I described earlier disappeared. Now left and right channels starts at the same level. Im going to let the new capacitors run for a couple of hours and then I'll give them a listening.
 

 

[JK-47]

  So I changed the capacitors and voilà, the problem I described earlier disappeared. Now left and right channels starts at the same level. Im going to let the new capacitors run for a couple of hours and then I'll give them a listening.
 

 
Did Elekit recommend changing the capacitors?
 
Good to hear it's working proper again!!

 

[Mr Chance]

JK-47,
 
no I never reported that part of the problem to them. I changed them simply because I was curious.

 

[Effusion]

I recieved my el34 and rolled them in today. Im not familiar with tube amps so I did not know this would change the sound so drastically. The new production mullard el34 are better than the stock 6l6eh all around, except maybe if youre a bass head. Bass is tighter and more controlled, and reduced by quite a bit as well. Not to say the el34 are lean, more that the EH are bloated. Mids as others have said are magical. For the price I am thoroughly impressed. Soundstage has been expanded on all axes and is much more precise. Highs are smoother and again less pronounced than the EH. I feel like the Mullard are a more balanced tube with a focus on the midrange. Overall this is a tube I could live with every day if I had to. But paypal gives me too much 0% 6 month financing for that so its back to ebay for more tubes!

 
Great impressions, my own impressions are very similar for the NOS Mullard versions.  I also actually find it very intriguing that they are so similar, so I'm going to have to try a new production version soon.  Although I haven't tried one yet, I'm guessing that you may find the NOS versions to have a bit more resolution, with overall better finesse, so it may be worthwhile to try a pair.  If you are interested in trying out a pair, to save money look for re-brands, as they were common for this type/manufacturer.  You can tell that they are Mullards if they have the Xf1 through Xf4 Mullard stamp towards the base.  This indicates that it is in fact, made by Mullard, and I also believe that those with these codes were made in the Blackburn factory, which many hold in high regard.  Mullards also tend to have halo or circle top getters, either in singles or pairs.  Below is a picture of this from Tubeworld, notice the faint codes stamped near the base:
 

 
Other variants that have impressed me in their own way, have been the NOS Tesla EL34s, especially the "blue glass", the Amperex, Siemens, and the Telefunken.  While the alternatives may not have as nice or as thick of a mid-range as the Mullards, their top-end for the most part has great resolution and sparkle and aren't nearly as laid-back, however you might find them to be a little light in the low end when compared to the Mullards.  Not that the Mullards are really heavy down below, just more so in the lower mids and upper bass than most EL34s; I've found other types, such as the Telefunkens and Teslas, to have a little less low end impact, but in exchange for really great highs.  Really all depends on your system and the type of music for which one is better than the others; as long as you can go without all the bass and also a more warm/laid-back sound helps in your system, the EL34s are great tubes, especially for classical and acoustic music.
 
I also agree in regards to the sock EH tubes, they are just a little too muddy/bloated across the entire spectrum and seem to just not have that "wow" factor really anywhere.
 
Congrats on your entry to the tube rolling world!  Keep your impressions coming... 

 

 

[Mr Chance]

So I spent the evening having a little amp-battle. Actually I was only going to test if the TU-8200 could drive my Monitor Audio GX100 but since the amp was standing on my other amp, Onkyo P3000R/M5000R, some comparisons had to be made.
 

 
At first I was really amazed how great the TU-8200 sounded. Maybe it was because I never though it would be able to handle the 88dB speakers, in triode mode even, so my expectations wasn't that high. But the biggest problem was that one of the speakers was to close to the amp so the sound made the tube resonate causing microphonics. The KT77s I have seem to be very prone to this phenomena.
I would say that I would be happy with the TU-8200 as an amp for my GX100s but I would change to UL-mode to give it some more power.
 
When I changed to the Onkyo it sounded very much more relaxed (as it should considering it could drive pretty much anything you throw at it). If the TU-8200 had an edge in some way I might be that voices was a bit more exiting. With the Onkyo they were more neutral. Another thing I discovered was that the irDAC really is a step up from the internal DAC of the P3000R. So I guess I'll have to start saving to get another one. I really thought leaving the WUS-forum and coming here would be a good thing for my wallet...  
 
Does anyone know if it is possible to measure the capacitors when they are mounted? Since I changed them It seems that I get more power to the left channel. The capacitors are +/- 5% so could that be the problem?

 

[LingLing1337]

Glad to hear more speaker impressions with the 8200, especially with lower sensitivity speakers. Funny that you say the tube amp is more exciting and lively than the solid state amp. Which do you prefer for the sound signature of the gx100?