[Scutey]

Good to hear your Elise is improving with the stock, but If you do at some point tube rolling, then, depending on the tubes, the Elise will really open up and show you what it can really do, btw those Auteurs are gorgeous looking cans.

 

[LoryWiv]

Thanks. One of the reasons I posted the pic was I spent a bit of time shining up the Auteur (Howards Feed-N-Wax). ZMF cups are truly beautifully made. Curious, @Scutey what tube set have you found best especially re.: stage, treble extension and detail to complement the Elise's innate warmth and euphonic nature?

 

[Scutey]

Hi @LoryWiv my favourite set up is EL39 with EL11 as drivers, this is a fantastic combo, lively, detailed, dynamic, holographic and has excellent extension at both ends, sadly the 39's seem to be almost non existent, and there's no one mass making the adapters, however the EL38 is a very good alternative as powers to the 39. Those Psvanes are very decent tubes, so you could pair them with Tung Sol 5998, which is very good traditional Elise tube it's still fairly warm but livelier more detailed and better extended and should pair well, and with other 6sn7 tubes as well, but personally the EL39/38 and EL11 is the best combos I've heard in the Elise.

 

[LoryWiv]

Thank you, @Scutey . I beleive that EL38 still requires adapter, correct, but are these easier to source?

More generally, are most 6.3 V tubes compatable as drivers / powers if an adapter is available or is there more to it? Also, I notice some powers indicate higher gain...does this tend to increase noise floor as well?

Thanks for helping me learn and most importantly, not blow up my Elise when I decide to tube roll!

 

[Scutey]

Yes the EL38 requires an adapter, here's the link.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1pc-Gold...957233?hash=item2f2697fab1:g:jMQAAOSwi3xb9jks

The Elise was designed around the 6.3V tubes, 6AS7/6080 for powers and 6SN7 for drivers, I think I'm right in saying that the Elise cannot exceed 6.5A, that's the total for all 4 tubes, higher gain tubes will sound a little louder, for instance the EL32 has a A of 0.2A, the 6SN7 by comparison is 0.6A so will sound louder. Hope this helps!

 

[LoryWiv]

Yes the EL38 requires an adapter, here's the link.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1pc-Gold...957233?hash=item2f2697fab1:g:jMQAAOSwi3xb9jks

The Elise was designed around the 6.3V tubes, 6AS7/6080 for powers and 6SN7 for drivers, I think I'm right in saying that the Elise cannot exceed 6.5A, that's the total for all 4 tubes, higher gain tubes will sound a little louder, for instance the EL32 has a A of 0.2A, the 6SN7 by comparison is 0.6A so will sound louder. Hope this helps!

Yes, very helpful and appreciated! I am interested defintely in the EL38's as powers, possibly PSVANE CV-181 premiums as drivers, but first am committed to burning my Elise's current tubes in further before rolling....patience is a virtue, I think.

BTW do the adapters detract from the Elise's good looks espeicalyly w/that external wire and cap. Do you have a photo to share of EL38's or EL39's installed?

Thanks again, @Scutey !

 

[aqsw]

Yes, very helpful and appreciated! I am interested defintelyin the EL38's as powers, possibly PSVANE CV-181 premiums as drivers, but first am committed to burning my Elise's current tubes in further before rolling....patience is a virtue, I think.

BTW do the adapters detract from the Elise's good looks espeicalyly w/that external wire and cap. Do you have a photo to share of EL38's or EL39's installed?

Thanks again, @Scutey !

Here's one with 38 powers and el3n drivers. I think it looks pretty good

 

[mordy]

Here's one with 38 powers and el3n drivers. I think it looks pretty good

Hi LW,
If you don't like the look of the adapters, they can be painted or shrinkwrapped to change the color.

 

[LoryWiv]

Here's one with 38 powers and el3n drivers. I think it looks pretty good

Yes, it does look good. How would you describe the sound changes versus stock tube sets?

 

[LoryWiv]

Edit

 

[Scutey]

Yes, very helpful and appreciated! I am interested defintely in the EL38's as powers, possibly PSVANE CV-181 premiums as drivers, but first am committed to burning my Elise's current tubes in further before rolling....patience is a virtue, I think.

BTW do the adapters detract from the Elise's good looks espeicalyly w/that external wire and cap. Do you have a photo to share of EL38's or EL39's installed?

Thanks again, @Scutey !

Bot @OctavianH and myself use the Psvane CV 181 T II and it is a very good tube, detailed, airy with good top extension, pairs well with the Tung Sol 5998.

 

[OctavianH]

I confirm that my favourite pair is the Psvane CV181T2 / Tung Sol 5998. However, these are not cheap tubes, I paid for the Psvane pair around 200 EUR and for the 5998 pair around 240 EUR. Maybe in US the prices are lower but in Europe the situation is different. What you can find at a smaller price, and they are also very good tubes, are Tung Sol 7236 as powers and Siemens C3g as drivers, but for the last ones you need adapters from ebay.

And some pictures, because, as always, a pictures makes as 1000 words and I really like the look of these tubes.

These are Psvane CV181T2 with Tung Sol 5998:

These are Siemens C3g with Tung Sol 7236.

Other options would be Foton 6H8C produced in 50s or EL12N, but I guess now the best pairing of EL tubes is the EL11 / EL39 and other EL tubes are not regarded as good as before.
About these types the guys from the Euforia thread know more than me. I remained stucked in my combo for almost 2 years and could not find anything better to me. Of course, this is a matter of taste, of the rest of the line used (DAC, cables, source), a matter of differences between Elise / Euforia sound signature and last but not least the genre and music types you listen. Maybe I will try a combo of EL11/EL39 in the future, but there is no hurry, as you said patience is a virtue in this hobby.

I listen 90% of my time to rock music, and one of my biggest problems in choosing tube pairings are the Hi-Hat and cymbals, heavily used in fast passages of this genre which sound unclear or grainy on several pairings. Even several types of interconnect cables are warming too much or making these sound dull, so yes, these are killing me and make me always refuse several tube pairings.

 

[LoryWiv]

I confirm that my favourite pair is the Psvane CV181T2 / Tung Sol 5998. However, these are not cheap tubes, I paid for the Psvane pair around 200 EUR and for the 5998 pair around 240 EUR. Maybe in US the prices are lower but in Europe the situation is different. What you can find at a smaller price, and they are also very good tubes, are Tung Sol 7236 as powers and Siemens C3g as drivers, but for the last ones you need adapters from ebay.

And some pictures, because, as always, a pictures makes as 1000 words and I really like the look of these tubes.

These are Psvane CV181T2 with Tung Sol 5998:

These are Siemens C3g with Tung Sol 7236.

Other options would be Foton 6H8C produced in 50s or EL12N, but I guess now the best pairing of EL tubes is the EL11 / EL39 and other EL tubes are not regarded as good as before.
About these types the guys from the Euforia thread know more than me. I remained stucked in my combo for almost 2 years and could not find anything better to me. Of course, this is a matter of taste, of the rest of the line used (DAC, cables, source), a matter of differences between Elise / Euforia sound signature and last but not least the genre and music types you listen. Maybe I will try a combo of EL11/EL39 in the future, but there is no hurry, as you said patience is a virtue in this hobby.

I listen 90% of my time to rock music, and one of my biggest problems in choosing tube pairings are the Hi-Hat and cymbals, heavily used in fast passages of this genre which sound unclear or grainy on several pairings. Even several types of interconnect cables are warming too much or making these sound dull, so yes, these are killing me and make me always refuse several tube pairings.

@OctavianH , your post has whett my appetite for the Psvane CV181T2 / Tung Sol 5998 combination, although the prices are a bit daunting. I am a (former) drummer and agree, getting cymbals and snares to sound authentic is key. Currently, however, I listen to mostly classical music, piano especially, and Elise stock tubes sound generally good but sometimes a bit murky / veiled with grain in upper mids and looseness to bass.Treble and stage have improved with burn-in.

Would the PSVane / Tung-Sol combo. you favor potentially improve bass tightness, reduce grain and veil versus stock?

I read elsewhere that the 5998's have higher transconductance than the 7236 or 6080's and this lowers output impendance --> may match better with higher impedance cans (my Auteur is 300 Ohm). I may be getting too deep in the weeds for a relative tube newbie, but it's fun to learn.

Anyway, thanks for the great photos and input!

 

[OctavianH]

It is hard for me to make a comparison since I never tried the stock driver tubes. I own a pair of 6H13C and all I can say is that for me, the bass provided by 5998 is tighter and with more clarity compared to the stock power tubes and it has that feeling of "punch in the face" I was not able to find in any other power tube until now. But I have not tried the EL38/EL39 ...

 

[LoryWiv]

Question: What is the height of the feet on Elises' base?