[Deleeh]

You don't happen to have a pair of ZMF VC do you? I just got my pair in this week and they are extremely "reactive" (for lack of a better term) to different tubes, and the rolling for me has just begun with these - will be literal months before I can get through all of my tubes - have what some would consider a warehouse of tubes behind me, lol..

My other pair are Atrium Opens, which are great, but I believe I am going to end up liking these VC more, and definitely would be interested in your opinion in regards to them with this amp.

With the Ultimate,warm tubes are good for Auteur Og,Vo and Vc.
With the Atrium, go more in the neutral direction, as it is warmer in the tuning.

Last night, the Auteur really came into its own with the Gec Kt66 and Beimar Footscray.
The Vc I had there, too, could be a tad more neutral to perfection.

And although it's not quite burnt in, it showed its potential and I was really amazed by the Ultimate.
I think there's still 20% to go and then he should have stabilised on the whole.

Neutral tubes are often German tubes like Simens, Rft, Telefunken.
English and American tubes tend to be warm and thicker.

 

[Leicachamp]

Last night i played my Ultimate with EL3N with Focal Clears. Previously i did not get along with the Clears for in comparison to the Grados they were UNCLEAR! But with the fast dynamic EL3Ns the Focals sound very nice. Lots off deep down bass, but most importantly they sound fast and dynamic.

 

[UntilThen]

Last night i played my Ultimate with EL3N with Focal Clears. Previously i did not get along with the Clears for in comparison to the Grados they were UNCLEAR! But with the fast dynamic EL3Ns the Focals sound very nice. Lots off deep down bass, but most importantly they sound fast and dynamic.

You make me laugh with Focal UNCLEAR.

This is one of the headphone I tried at Nick’s place and it was pretty good with Ultimate. I remember the power tubes used were EL34 metal base.

I’m at KL now waiting for my connecting flight.

 

[David A Silva]

You make me laugh with Focal UNCLEAR.

This is one of the headphone I tried at Nick’s place and it was pretty good with Ultimate. I remember the power tubes used were EL34 metal base.

I’m at KL now waiting for my connecting flight.

Bon voyage Matt!

 

[Nick Ryan]

I found the same with my Focal Clear and the Celestee had so much more bass but I wasn’t surprised as they are closed back.

 

[Deleeh]

Hello,

My first set of tubes on the Ultigreg has reached 100h.
Let's see what comes next.
The Ultigreg has also reached a little over 100h and the Mundorf condenser.

It has changed quite a bit after 100h it has become a bit smoother and more relaxed when I switch it on after it has had its break.


@jonathan c @rollinbr how are your Ulti's?
Satisfied so far?

 

[Deleeh]

Hello,

I have chosen the Brimar Yellow T, Raytheon 6y6 and Ez 80 Valvo for the next burn in phase of the tubes.

The sound is a little less warm and thick on the Atrium compared to the previous ones, but more neutral and accurate, so excellent.
Just right for the Atrium.

What I can roughly hear about the tubes and tuning.
If you have a more neutral headphone like Zmf Auteur,Hd800 you go warmer with the tubes.
If the headphones are more warmly tuned, go in the more neutral direction with the tubes.
This should help you find a quicker way to tune the headphones on the Ultimate.
The rest is up to personal taste.

Even if the Ultimate is still new, the whole thing will come out when it has done its first 100 hours.
I am currently at just under 150 hours.
I've almost reached the halfway point for the Mundorf, and on the amplifier side I think it's slowly entering the final phase where there won't be much more to do.

In terms of tuberolling, the Ultimate reacts very well to tubes.
You can hear it directly when you need to change tubes.

My new EL34 tubes are also on their way from the new stock range, should get them next week.
It's still a secret what's what .

 

[crakers7]

I will be using my upcoming Super Gold Ultimate with Hifiman Arya Stealths which can sometimes tend towards the bright side , can anyone recommend some tubes that may be suitable for taming the highs and adding a touch of warmth with this pairing?

 

[rollinbr]

It's the middle of my night. My work schedule is 6pm - 6am Wednesday - Friday nights and every other Saturday night. This is a 4 day work week. Feels like I've been going 100 miles an hour lately. Was in Flagstaff on Tuesday, 5 hours round trip drive time, to pick up some headphones I had let @AcousticMatt borrow. Work was really busy last night.

Quick picture, using Amperex EZ80, Shuguang 6C8P single triodes, EL156 with SGO caps. Sound is much smoother than when I first fired up the Super SilkE UltimatE. The EL156 tubes I bought back in 2021 to use with "Chameleon", I have 3 pairs. EL156 is one of my favorite power tubes. EL156 is like EL34 but on "steroids".

I'll post more later, it's time for more sleep before work tonight.

 

[UntilThen]

Morning all. Woke up after a heavy night of drinking.

Glad you are all sharing your experiences with Ultimate and your headphones.

@crakers7 my recommendation for more warmth is the Mullard ECC31 and GEC KT66.

 

[Deleeh]

I will be using my upcoming Super Gold Ultimate with Hifiman Arya Stealths which can sometimes tend towards the bright side , can anyone recommend some tubes that may be suitable for taming the highs and adding a touch of warmth with this pairing?

Hello,
If you want to keep it a little more affordable.
With reservation that I do not know the Ayra.
I would say 12AT7 Brimar Footscray/Yellow T as a driver tube.
And 6v6 Westinghouse as the output, that should give you enough heat if needed to tame it down a bit as far as your concerns are concerned.
Of course if you can get your hands on a pair of Gec Kt66s why not.

 

[Nick Ryan]

Hello,

I have chosen the Brimar Yellow T, Raytheon 6y6 and Ez 80 Valvo for the next burn in phase of the tubes.

The sound is a little less warm and thick on the Atrium compared to the previous ones, but more neutral and accurate, so excellent.
Just right for the Atrium.

What I can roughly hear about the tubes and tuning.
If you have a more neutral headphone like Zmf Auteur,Hd800 you go warmer with the tubes.
If the headphones are more warmly tuned, go in the more neutral direction with the tubes.
This should help you find a quicker way to tune the headphones on the Ultimate.
The rest is up to personal taste.

Even if the Ultimate is still new, the whole thing will come out when it has done its first 100 hours.
I am currently at just under 150 hours.
I've almost reached the halfway point for the Mundorf, and on the amplifier side I think it's slowly entering the final phase where there won't be much more to do.

In terms of tuberolling, the Ultimate reacts very well to tubes.
You can hear it directly when you need to change tubes.

My new EL34 tubes are also on their way from the new stock range, should get them next week.
It's still a secret what's what .

Hi, the Brimar yellow T is it a sticker or painted on? Just doing a little research. Regards, Nick

 

[jonathan c]

Hi, the Brimar yellow T is it a sticker or painted on? Just doing a little research. Regards, Nick

From the Pulse Tube Store website:

 

[Deleeh]

Hi, the Brimar yellow T is it a sticker or painted on? Just doing a little research. Regards, Nick

Hello,
I have a sticker on it.
I bought it when I made the down payment with Eric.
According to my research, it's supposed to be the next best thing to the Gec 9200.
So the Gec is the best from the 12at7 where unfortunately it has become unaffordable.

The Brimar was a steal in comparison.
I think it takes a few hours to get there in the beginning.

Edit:
Here is some additional information I have found about the Yellow T.
It was a complete coincidence that I found it.
I already have 24h on it, it was a bit thick at the beginning.
When I switched off the Ultigreg from its night shift earlier, I took a quick listen.
It feels true what he says, my feeling is that it needs a few more hours.

The source is Brent Jesse:

This rare tube is Brimar's answer to the Genalex A2900. It has a similar construction to this one. It is sometimes called the "Yellow-T" because of the large letter "T" in a yellow triangle on the glass. The best of these tubes were made in the 1950s by Brimar at their factory in Footscray, UK. Virtually all of these are phono quality, they are very quiet. There are later versions with the "T" logo on a white triangle, but these are not as desirable sonically, and if you can find them, they shouldn't be nearly as expensive. The Yellow-T tubes are remarkable for their air, realism and seductive warmth, and unfortunately they are becoming as rare as the A2900 tubes!

 

[Nick Ryan]

I have been tidying my tubes.