[WolfP]

While I'm not sure on the Grado pairings

Thanks anyway....let's see if anyone else can answer my question

 

[connieflyer]

Morning CJ, finally got about 170 hours on the 7581A, so decided to try your suggestion of adding an EL 39 in the power spot. Again, I have to admit you have done your homework. It adds to the flavor just enough. Like this as well. Have to try this with the pre amp out after it gets a little later in the day. Too early to disturb the neighbors! KT66 should be here by Wednesday, so have so time to play with this combo. Thanks again CJ.

 

[OctavianH]

Maybe I ask a stupid question, but regarding these asymetric combos (different types of tubes in L vs R socket), I was expecting that each channel of the HP has associated a power and also a driver tube. When you use such a combination are you obtaining different flavours for each headphone driver or?

 

[mordy]

Based on my experience with different tubes in the past, if the tubes you are using are very similar sounding, your brain will synthesize the sound into a coherent sound stage.

 

[hypnos1]

Maybe I ask a stupid question, but regarding these asymetric combos (different types of tubes in L vs R socket), I was expecting that each channel of the HP has associated a power and also a driver tube. When you use such a combination are you obtaining different flavours for each headphone driver or?

Hi OH...not a stupid question, mon ami!

The short answer is each channel is indeed independent...with 2x drivers that is, as opposed to a single (double triode). So as such, each 'asymetric' combo will introduce its own particular flavour...and one that can contradict the generally held view that pairs should be of the exact same make, let alone type lol! I managed to dispel this myth years ago when I combined an FDD20 (20V) driver with an ECC31, with excellent results, showing that different tubes can indeed complement each other rather than clash.

Anyway, more on this subject in my update post below re. the TS reissue 7581A and reissue Genalex Gold Lion KT66...

 

[hypnos1]

...............................................LATEST UPDATE ON THE REISSUE TUNG SOL 7581A AND GENALEX GOLD LION KT66 ..................................

OK guys, as promised here's more on my own findings re. these tubes, which I probably shan't repeat, so anyone interested might perhaps want to bookmark....

After my last revelatory post, and with about 70 hrs now on the GL KT66s, I have confirmed what I found...and more lol! And this is with 1x TS 7581A + 1x GL KT66 as drivers to 1x EL39 and 1x GL KT66 respectively as powers :

1. This combination - in my system - is already delivering a performance I personally regard as superior to the 3x TS 7581A/1x EL39 combo. It has a depth and richness to beat any other combo I have ever tried. And now that the stage has developed further in the KT66s, separation and placement are even more impressive...background vocals being more distinct from the main, for example, as with different instruments. But this more dynamic presentation is NOT at the expense of the higher frequencies - 'sparkle' etc. Excellent balance and clarity is maintained at all volume levels, despite bass being even more solid and reaching deeper, and with upper bass/lower mids to die for.

2. Tonal range is exceptional...all under wonderful control and with effortless, cohesive precision.

3. As can be surmised by my rather unusual/unorthodox combination of both driver and power tubes, not only is such 'mix and match' possible, but they can work together in absolute harmony and perfection...no untoward effects whatsoever. Obviously this is aided no end by the 7581A and KT66 being of a similar 'family', and even the EL39 is a very close cousin, being akin to the EL37, which itself joins others in the 6L6 stable.

And perhaps just as important is the fact that such a combo also dispels the myth that tubes are much better matched (so-called!)....come on - a 7581A and a KT66, let alone an EL39 with a KT66???!!! And as proof I personally have never had pairs of tubes work together so faultlessly lol .

In short, I can only recommend folks to give it a try!!...nothing to lose, and everything to gain. Plus, don't even bother wasting time and effort - not to mention big bucks - trying to chase 'reasonably' priced original/old tubes...these reissue Russian Tung Sol 7581As and Genalex Gold Lion KT66s are so good, it really isn't necessary IMHO! .

So I wish you all GOOD LUCK with your own tubes, and with 'mixing and matching' lol...CHEERS!...CJ

 

[hypnos1]

Good news from me too on the KT66:

Although for an unknown reason my specific (unmatched) pair of GEC KT66's are not giving clean / balanced sound in a conventional (one-tube-per-socket) setup for me - I am happy to report I am getting first-class sound out of a very unconventional setup. With my custom externally heated multi combo I paired 2x KT66 with 2x EL39 and got world class sound with tone, air, FR, etc. of nearly unrivaled levels. H1 was right on the KT66 + EL39 synergy, and this way the imbalance & distortion were completely gone. After some testing I finally found 2x GEC 6080 to synergize best with the former 4x as a 6x power combo, driven by 2x Valvo EL11 or EL12 Spez. The KT66 in this capacity is the sound of "love", a sound that likely has not been matched, one that I can't do without and that the mere notion of removing it seems like sacrilege.

The above was meant to illustrate the potential of the KT66 in the Euforia; although such multi-tube setup is not endorsed or specifically recommended. A better matched pair or a different brand should do quite nicely as 'conventional' powers on the Euforia. Or even Tung Sol KT66 or perhaps Genalex Gold Lion KT88 which are not too much more expensive than Gold Lion KT66. From my testing these are best suited in the 'powers' seat, as I got somewhat slow dynamics with these as drivers.

Hi DL. As I mentioned previously, there's obviously something very amiss somewhere if your KT66s do not function properly in the conventional 1-per-slot layout, and will therefore skew your results accordingly so as not be accurately indicative to other users...(please refer to my own summary of findings in my last post). I'm afraid the fact that they seem to work OK in your multi-setup does NOT alter/mediate the said anomaly, unfortunately...but does obviously help you yourself enjoy these wonderful tubes lol ....CJ

 

[Scutey]

congrats they look lovely. I Demoed these a while ago straight out the h2 before the euforia arrived in my life and ended up with the elegia, but if it had been the other way around I think having subsequently heard them at car jam via tubes, the decision might have been reversed. Interestingly the verite closeds (look away here, I’m about to be blasphemous) are very well match with solid state amplification supplied by hugo2 and even better out of the tt2. They have such and airy wide/tall/deep stage, so much headroom and a warmish side of neutral tuning that they compensate for the only short comings of the chord DACs while allowing all their clarity, dynamics and focused precision through. This has been some forced learning while my euforia’s been away. Back on topic, my euforia has not left the uk, because audiobarn carried out some more tests under Lukasz guidance and surprise surprise they could recreate the issue and the amp’s performed flawlessly,

Good news the euforia is okay, bad news a mains gremlin has moved into my house, effecting rooms on separate circuits, getting by my bmu and occ power cables. I’ll be collecting it on wednesday and more bad news the anniversary edition should probably be their with a days run in.........

Thanks I'm certainly enjoying them, I'd been after a closed back for a while, tried a couple, which I couldn't get on with, anyway, going on what I'd read decided to give the Atticus a try, fortunately I managed to get a used, four month old pair in as new condition, fortunately they're everything I hoped they would be, warmish, with great tone, good, deep, but not boomy bass, and compared to some closed back I've had surprisingly airy, with decent soundstage, and despite they're warmth surprisingly lively too, especially with tube amps. As for those Verite closed, they look, and from what I've read sound to be very impressive, sadly at the mo my budget can't quite reach those but maybe one day in the not too distant future.

ps @teknorob23 I think we are all keeping our fingers crossed that you have no more trouble with your Euforia, good luck! .

 

[Scutey]

I've spent the last day burning in the Tung Sol new production 7581A's in my Elise's power position, will share initial thoughts here as this thread has been the focus of 7581A discussion. Early days, but oh my I am impressed.The primary characteristics I note are clarity, linearity and coherence. There is superb balance across the frequencies and more than sufficient speed to keep up with complex musical passages without slurring. Stage height is better than any powers I've tried, including my trusty TS 7236's, with width / depth about the same and instrument placement as good or better. The "note thickness" is just right, whereas with the 7236 things sounded a bit thin at times. Compared to my TS 5998 powers the 7581A's are a little less warm, bringing more detail but not at the expense of a pleasing musicality and euphony.

All of these comparisons are with new production Tung Sol 6SN7GTB drivers and the 7581A's seated in adapters from Deyan.

I may roll in some NOS drivers like Sylvania 6SN7's to get a bit more top end sparkle, I want to hear if they can achieve that without being fatiguing, but the ones I recently ordered had unacceptable noise levels so that will have to wait.

Lastly, I am looking forward to hearing more impressions of the Genalex Gold Lion KT66's, specifically wondering if these magical 7581A's can really be bested, or if the KT66 as powers driven by the 7581A's would be a winning partnership. I don't have EL 38's or 39's, and am not a big fan of anode caps and connectors, so I am considering these simpler pairings and will appreciate any comparative impressions.

Now (really) lastly, thanks to the regulars in this thread for advancing the cause of musical bliss with our versatile Feliks-Audio amps. This is a great community!

Hi @LoryWiv, my GL KT66 arrive yesterday and so far very impressed, only have 14 hours on them so far, if you like the TS 7236 and 7581A then you should like the KT66, wide, deep soundstage, very detailed, great imaging, separation, and not overly warm, btw, this is using Elise.

 

[Johnnysound]

..

 

[DecentLevi]

@Johnnysound you mentioned the EL12N's being vastly superior to EL34. I think that would be more of a matter of preference and especially dependent on system synergy. Did you compare the two? Of those I've only tried the EL12N and then EL34 on a separate amp but many regard the EL34 quite highly and there are many varieties

 

[LoryWiv]

Hi @LoryWiv, my GL KT66 arrive yesterday and so far very impressed, only have 14 hours on them so far, if you like the TS 7236 and 7581A then you should like the KT66, wide, deep soundstage, very detailed, great imaging, separation, and not overly warm, btw, this is using Elise.

Good to know, @Scutey, thanks. Yes, I did like the 7236's stage and detailed presentation but found them a bit thin / solid state sounding. The TS 7581A's as powers also achieve good stage and detail but a bit more "note weight" and that nice touch of tube warmth without being "gooey."

Now I am wondering about KT66 as powers driven by 7581A. Have you tried this configuration or perhaps the reverse w/KT66 driving 7581A powers?

 

[DecentLevi]

congrats they look lovely. I Demoed these a while ago straight out the h2 before the euforia arrived in my life and ended up with the elegia, but if it had been the other way around I think having subsequently heard them at car jam via tubes, the decision might have been reversed. Interestingly the verite closeds (look away here, I’m about to be blasphemous) are very well match with solid state amplification supplied by hugo2 and even better out of the tt2. They have such and airy wide/tall/deep stage, so much headroom and a warmish side of neutral tuning that they compensate for the only short comings of the chord DACs while allowing all their clarity, dynamics and focused precision through. This has been some forced learning while my euforia’s been away. Back on topic, my euforia has not left the uk, because audiobarn carried out some more tests under Lukasz guidance and surprise surprise they could recreate the issue and the amp’s performed flawlessly,

Good news the euforia is okay, bad news a mains gremlin has moved into my house, effecting rooms on separate circuits, getting by my bmu and occ power cables. I’ll be collecting it on wednesday and more bad news the anniversary edition should probably be their with a days run in.........

Hey I'm a little confused on your above post. Did you mean to say there's a shortcoming of the DAC of the Chord Hugo 2 or Hugo TT? If so, what does it seem to be?

I feel sorry for the recent noisy power in your house. Do you have any sort of power conditioner or at least a special isolating power cord? The longer those are, the better the effect so you can even get some improvement even without a power regenerator or 'decrapifier' LOL.

 

[DecentLevi]

Hey @Liu Junyuan !! My longtime friend and one of the few female forum members here. I saw your name on the online users below. Please DO tell us about some of your recent experiences in the hobby? We don't bite if it is off topic.

 

[Liu Junyuan]

Hey!

Yeah, I like to check up on various threads from time to time, to see what people are up to. So this will be off-topic.

I have been fairly stable with my audio chain for the last 2-3 years. I still use the ZDS as my primary amp, which drives either the Utopia, Auteur (Blackwood), or HD600. I picked up the Utopia the same year as my ZDS was built, so over three years ago, and the Auteur summer of 2018. No new buys since then, including tubes. I have other chains, which I have considered thinning, but these get the most head-time. The 339/HD600 is arguably better than the ZDS/HD600 for my preferences. But the ZDS/Utopia is my favorite chain currently. I prefer Auteur from ZDS than 339.

I have recently budged from my reluctance to purchase new gear. I ordered a solid state amp from ECP Audio, the DSHA-3F, which is optimized for the Focals and purportedly pairs even better with the Auteurs. This amp will likely complement, rather than replace, the ZDS, whose spacious and enveloping sound still enchants me. I really look forward to having an ECP amp.

It is nice, to be frank, to see people targeting a synergistic chain and staying with it for awhile. Several prolific posters here seem to have been with the Euforia or Elise for many years. It indicates a nice balance between stability and change (through constant discovery of tube options). The same could be said of the Glenn thread, too.

I hope you continue to derive enjoyment from your Feliks Audio amplifiers. And I apologize for the off-topic post.