[HOWIE13]

@DecentLevi
 
Thank you so much for those comparisons-that's really helpful.
 
Which headphones were you using?

 

[Quinto]

I'm about to order an Elise with stock tubes.can anyone tell if the tube update on Feliks'website (PsVane) is worth the 130$ or so extra?
 
I'll use it for my HD650 & my beloved K501 (sold my V200) and I listen to classical and Jazz exclusively.. thanks!

 

[mordy]

Hi DL,
 
Congrats on this jackpot of tubes!
 
After spending all that money, why don't you spend another $20 or so and get a pair of 1950-60's RCA 6080? I have the 7236 and IMHO the RCAs sound better to me in my system using the EL3N as drivers. (Before I tried the RCA 6080, my favorite was the 7236.)
 
As always, YMMV.

 

[DecentLevi]

On a different topic while I still work on some tube comparisons, I've noticed our Elise 6SN7 class drivers are even far more flexible than we may have realised! Here's a tube compatibility chart for 6SN7 including it's little brethren of the ECC88 / 6DJ8 / 12AU7 type (the smaller all work with the same 6SN7 to ^^ adapter. Basically 12AX7, 12AV7, 12AZ7 etc. are mostly just different from the gain factor, the higher the letter preceding the 7 indicates louder gain, if I understand correctly
 

 
I've been finding that the smaller driver tubes on Elise can give an extra dimension of vividness, immediacy and clarity that I have never heard from any 6SN7 class tube yet
 
EDIT: the above chart refers mostly to 12v tubes, but the Elise uses 6v

 

[HOWIE13]

  On a different topic while I still work on some tube comparisons, I've noticed our Elise 6SN7 class drivers are even far more flexible than we may have realised! Here's a tube compatibility chart for 6SN7 including it's little brethren of the ECC88 / 6DJ8 / 12AU7 type (the smaller all work with the same 6SN7 to ^^ adapter. Basically 12AX7, 12AV7, 12AZ7 etc. are mostly just different from the gain factor, the higher the letter preceding the 7 indicates louder gain, if I understand correctly
 

 
I've been finding that the smaller driver tubes on Elise can give an extra dimension of vividness, immediacy and clarity that I have never heard from any 6SN7 class tube yet

 
I posted the value of these smaller 9 pin Noval 6DJ8 type tubes as drivers in Elise a while back. I'm very glad you tried them and find them as good as I do.
 
Please tell us what headphones you were using for your comparisons-without that information your valuable findings can't be translated easily to other set-ups and ears. Thanks again.
 
PS. GAIN doesn't necessarily increase as the letter before the 7 goes higher. 12AX7 is higher gain than 12AT7 which is higher than 12AU7.

 

[Oskari]

… 6SN7 including it's little brethren of the ECC88 / 6DJ8 / 12AU7 type (the smaller all work with the same 6SN7 to ^^ adapter. …

Warning: They Do Not!

 

[Oskari]

I'm about to order an Elise with stock tubes.can anyone tell if the tube update on Feliks'website (PsVane) is worth the 130$ or so extra?

Generally, the answer seems to have been: take the stock and see where you want to go from there.

 

[HOWIE13]

These are the adapters I use to connect 6DJ8/ECC88 type tubes to Elise's sockets. They seem sturdy and fit well. Not expensive either.
 
 
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1pc-ECC88-6DJ8-6922-6N11-TO-6SN7-6N8P-VT231-B65-Tube-converter-adapter-/201042793753?hash=item2ecf159519:g:b8gAAOSwNsdXSsJ~

 

[DecentLevi]

Warning: They Do Not!

Waiit... what? Was that your pre-April fool's day joke? Any specific tubes you're referring to? I'd say let's treat his statement as a hypothesis until proven otherwise, because it's the logical scientific method to verify something before making a claim.
 
What I was basically saying is that when using an adapter such as 6SN7 to ECC88, all of the 9-pin miniature tubes will be compatible as drivers on the Elise, such as 12AX7, 6DJ8 and all 12A_7 class, as these are the exact same pinout, minus small different Mu and Gain factors. The aforementioned are guaranteed to work, as long as the tube isn't defective. The other tubes listed on the compatibility chart should be compatible too, though some may / may not require the same adapter.
 
Here's my favorite setup ever so far - for analogue-era recordings at least:

 
And a close-up of the beautiful orange glowing pillars of these 6AS7G's:

 

 

[Oskari]

Waiit... what? Was that your pre-April fool's day joke? Any specific tubes you're referring to? I'd say let's treat his statement as a hypothesis until proven otherwise, because it's the logical scientific method to verify something before making a claim.

What I was basically saying is that when using an adapter such as 6SN7 to ECC88, all of the 9-pin miniature tubes will be compatible as drivers on the Elise, such as 12AX7, 6DJ8 and all 12A_7 class, as these are the exact same pinout, minus small different Mu and Gain factors. The aforementioned are guaranteed to work, as long as the tube isn't defective.

Don't start. I can provide enough logical scientific method to match yours. :rolleyes:

Why don't you verify the heater pinouts of the following?

• http://www.radiomuseum.org/tubes/tube_ecc88.html
• http://www.radiomuseum.org/tubes/tube_ecc83.html

 

[HOWIE13]

I'm no electronics expert but I believe you can't use 12.6V heater tubes, like 12AX7's, in Elise without an external tube heater power supply of around 12.6V, together with a suitable adapter.
 
I can also certainly verify that if you mistakenly use a 12.6V tube in a 6DJ8/ECC88 to 6SN7 socket adapter you may just get smoke. I know 'cos it's happened to me on more than one occasion but not, mercifully, with Elise, and I'm not about to try!

 

[2359glenn]

 

Warning: They Do Not!

Waiit... what? Was that your pre-April fool's day joke? Any specific tubes you're referring to? I'd say let's treat his statement as a hypothesis until proven otherwise, because it's the logical scientific method to verify something before making a claim.
 
What I was basically saying is that when using an adapter such as 6SN7 to ECC88, all of the 9-pin miniature tubes will be compatible as drivers on the Elise, such as 12AX7, 6DJ8 and all 12A_7 class, as these are the exact same pinout, minus small different Mu and Gain factors. The aforementioned are guaranteed to work, as long as the tube isn't defective. The other tubes listed on the compatibility chart should be compatible too, though some may / may not require the same adapter.
 
Here's my favorite setup ever so far - for analogue-era recordings at least:

 
And a close-up of the beautiful orange glowing pillars of these 6AS7G's:

 

The 12A_7 tubes can be used with the right adapter that will be different then a ECC88/6DJ8 adapter.
ECC88 and 6DJ8 are 6.3 volt tubes.
12A_7 tubes are 6.3 or 12.6 volts according to how they are wired.

 

[HOWIE13]

Does this adapter allow conversion of a 12V wired tube to 6V, to be able to be used in a 6V socket?
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1pc-gold-plated-12AU7-ECC82-TO-6CG7-6FQ7-tube-converter-adapter-/201084619346?hash=item2ed193ca52:g:hg0AAOSwx~JWFQTa
 
 
and would this one be safe for Elise? I've always liked E80CC tubes in previous amps and would love to find out if they worked as drivers in Elise or not.
 
 
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1pc-Gold-plated-12AU7-ECC82-12AX7-ECC83-TO-6SN7-6N8P-6SL7-6N9P-Tube-adapter-/201114136577?hash=item2ed3563001:g:fwoAAOSwgQ9VnIRE

 

[2359glenn]

  Does this adapter allow conversion of a 12V wired tube to 6V, to be able to be used in a 6V socket?
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1pc-gold-plated-12AU7-ECC82-TO-6CG7-6FQ7-tube-converter-adapter-/201084619346?hash=item2ed193ca52:g:hg0AAOSwx~JWFQTa
 
 
and would this one be safe for Elise?
 
 
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1pc-Gold-plated-12AU7-ECC82-12AX7-ECC83-TO-6SN7-6N8P-6SL7-6N9P-Tube-adapter-/201114136577?hash=item2ed3563001:g:fwoAAOSwgQ9VnIRE

You will still need a 9 pin to 8 pin adapter with that one.
This one will work.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1pc-Gold-plated-12AU7-12AX7-to-6SL7-6SN7-tube-converter-adapter-/201320842633?hash=item2edfa84589:g:ge4AAOSw~gRVuNUb

 

[HOWIE13]

 
You will still need a 9 pin to 8 pin adapter with that one.
This one will work.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1pc-Gold-plated-12AU7-12AX7-to-6SL7-6SN7-tube-converter-adapter-/201320842633?hash=item2edfa84589:g:ge4AAOSw~gRVuNUb

 
Cheers,Glenn. I must have been editing my post to include that one just as you were typing your reply.

Appreciate your help. No idea if E80CC will work but I'll give it a try-it's a favourite tube in my Garage amps, especially for vocals.