[Johnnysound]

. My 15A voltage converter is not up to handling these tubes because the start-up in rush current draw may approach 15A - have to look for a 20A voltage converter.


As an aside, I broke off the guide pin to one of the tubes previously. Fixed it with crazy glue (have not seen somebody mention this before), and it seems to be working....

Why get a voltage converter when all you need is a 6.3 volt 20 amp transformer.
https://www.alliedelec.com/triad-magnetics-f-22a/70218458/[/QUOTE]

Great to have Glenn here, a privilege to learn from a real expert...and yes, a voltage converter will get really hot, while a transformer will not. But do they sound the same ? I know this is just heater power, so the signal is not affected...in theory

 

[mordy]

And Mordy, no letter codes on those TFKs. only numbers: 238 and 035. The German vendor said they were made in the Berlin factory in the early fifties. The black coating is not very usual. On the other hand, I found the vintage East German RFT EL11 are excellent tubes, at a fraction of the price of the Telefunkens...

Hi Johhnysound,

Our resident expert on codes is Oskari. I would not be surprised if these Telefunken tubes were made by German Valvo or Loewe; RFT made very good tubes as well.
I have a pair of the Mullards, and I am going to try them with the TFK EL11 as per your recommendation.
I am starting to become a big believer in the synergy of certain driver/power tube combinations. The trick is to find the best ones...
So far my favorites are 1953-55 Foton ribbed anode with GEC and the EL11 with the Chatham 6080.
Will dig out the Mullards - haven't used them in a long time. Then I have to try CF's recipe of the Visseaux 6N7G with the 5998 tubes.....

 

[mordy]

And Mordy, no letter codes on those TFKs. only numbers: 238 and 035. The German vendor said they were made in the Berlin factory in the early fifties. The black coating is not very usual. On the other hand, I found the vintage East German RFT EL11 are excellent tubes, at a fraction of the price of the Telefunkens...

Hi js,

Just checked my inventory of EL11 tubes: I have Valvo, Philips Miniwatt, Loewe-Opta and Telefunken ST type and straight glass.
When you say that there were no letter codes on your TFK tubes, did you check the base at the pins? That's where those two little letters can be found, usually in white.
Of all of these, I found the TFK ST (shoulder type) the best sounding.
Now playing the TFKs with the Mullards. More laid back and polite, very nice and detailed mid range, but I miss the bass punch of the Chathams. Have to listen to them longer to get a more final impression.....
YMMV.....

 

[Oskari]

Our resident expert on codes is Oskari.

Thanks. I guess.

And Mordy, no letter codes on those TFKs. only numbers: 238 and 035. The German vendor said they were made in the Berlin factory in the early fifties.

Do they have labels? Sometimes the factory is there in plain sight. About those numbers:

It's a batch identifier until proven otherwise.

Searching for that, I saw posts by PCT. I miss PCT.

 

[hypnos1]

Got a pair of Telefunken EL12 sp from eBay auction. Excited to try something new. Have been strictly using 6SN7/6AS7 family tubes.

WOW! myphone...now hopefully you'll have good 'Spezial' adapters and/or ferrite chokes to remove any hum! With EL11s driving them, you should get some of the best sound possible from Euforia (or Elise!). As per @Johnnysound and @mordy East German RFT (RSD) are almost as good as - and cheaper than - TFK tubes, but TFK are definitely the best!


Searching for that, I saw posts by PCT. I miss PCT.[/QUOTE]

Me too, @Oskari

Have plenty of time to ponder - and research - what supposedly has beneficial effects upon the quality/reproduction of 'hi-fi' sound and will post my musings further, when I have full use of my right arm once more. The cause of this one-handed stuff is VERY frustrating!...(for me, and the consultant neurologist lol!!)...CHEERS!...CJ

 

[myphone]

WOW! myphone...now hopefully you'll have good 'Spezial' adapters and/or ferrite chokes to remove any hum! With EL11s driving them, you should get some of the best sound possible from Euforia (or Elise!). As per @Johnnysound and @mordy East German RFT (RSD) are almost as good as - and cheaper than - TFK tubes, but TFK are definitely the best!

Thank you, Hypnos 1. Any good 'Spezial' adapters would you recommend? The only ones I have found so far are from Ebay:

I took a Chance on the Telefunken EL12 sp auction. Untested. Appeared to be NIB. Ended up with $60/pair including shipping.

Received tubes yesterday. Look NIB.

I don't have tester for these particular tubes. Hope they will work out fine in Euforia.

 

[connieflyer]

That was a good price on the El12 sp, if they are in fact good tubes, you should enjoy them, and the price, if working, is good also. Have to agree with H1, the El 11 and El12 sp are a combo that is hard to beat. He is a very learned gentleman after all! The El combo, is very smooth, response is pretty even across the board and is very neutral. If you are a bass head don't bother, this is not going to get you to nirvana! But they are my favorite combo, so far. Like them so well will be putting some of my tubes up for sale. Even the GEC 6080's, although very nice indeed, don't sound as good to me as the El12 sp. I should try the GEc's with a pair of El 11's before I sell, just to see. That adapter should work fine. If you have hum, then run the lead straight down the tube, and pick up some ferrite rods.

 

[mordy]

Hi Johnnysound,

Listened to the EL11/Mullard6080 for a while. This combination does not cut it for me because the bass is too soft. Again, YMMV because of associated equipment and taste.

On a hunch I changed the power tubes to a pair of unsung heroes: The RCA 6080. These tubes are plentiful and inexpensive and have a great mid bass.
Paired with the EL11 they sound very good with the right amount of well controlled bass, and the mid range is very sweet.
I have maybe 6 pairs of these and especially like the late 50's early 60's variants.
IMHO they sound just as good as the EL11/Chatham6080; a little less punchy but more musical and better mid bass.
Another winner? Will let them percolate for a while before I make up my mind.....
Here is a night view: Whatever the EL11s lack in tube glow these make up:

 

[mordy]

 

[hypnos1]

If those tubes are indeed NOS or near, at $60 the pair you have stolen them!! But even if not 100%, they still look really good...well done!

I too can only see one adapter on ebay.com, and as @connieflyer also says, you might well need (small!) ferrite chokes to remove any hum. But the expense will be more than worth it...especially given the amazing price you got the Spezials for.

And as @mordy also says, a lot depends on the setup as to what powers give the best synergy - with my own, the Spezials are by far the 'best', across all regions of the frequency spectrum (but then, I have highly treated mains power supply; DIY-adapted tubes; UP-OCC silver and copper wires for interconnects and replacement hp cable for Beyer T1s etc....which does help somewhat!! Yours should also sound very good!).

ps. For serious 'closed' listening I am carefully considering the upcoming new Sennheiser HD820, which are supposed to be closest to 'open' headphones so far, and which therefore require serious consideration - you only live once, and Euforia (especially modified) deserves the best (or near!!).

 

[myphone]

Thank you, CF and HP1. Bought the EL12sp adapters. Should arrive in a couple of weeks.

My current favorite combo is clear top TS 5998 (1958) with either RCA 12SX7 or TS 12SN7 roundtop (don't have 6v version). Clear top 5998 sounds better to my ears than the same year 5998 chrome tops.

 

[Gym_Turtle]

I’ve been looking at tuberolling for my Feliks Euforia. Does anyone have any tubes that they know sound good with the Feliks Euforia? I’ve seen the Mullard 6080 mentioned a lot as well as the Sylvania 6SN7GT.

 

[mordy]

I’ve been looking at tuberolling for my Feliks Euforia. Does anyone have any tubes that they know sound good with the Feliks Euforia? I’ve seen the Mullard 6080 mentioned a lot as well as the Sylvania 6SN7GT.

Hi GT,
I have become more and more convinced that the main thing in tube rolling for the Euforia is to find synergistic combinations of driver and power tubes.
There are a number of combos that are excellent that you can find in reading the thread. Bear in mind that a tube amp manufacturer is much more limited to which tubes they can use since they need a readily available supply in quantities, whereas an individual owner just need two pairs.
IMHO there are many tubes that sound better than the OEM tubes, but some of them are rare/expensive and hard to find. On the other hand, there are inexpensive tubes that sound great as well.
In addition, your associated equipment and individual taste play a big role in how it sounds.

 

[Gym_Turtle]

Hi GT,
I have become more and more convinced that the main thing in tube rolling for the Euforia is to find synergistic combinations of driver and power tubes.
There are a number of combos that are excellent that you can find in reading the thread. Bear in mind that a tube amp manufacturer is much more limited to which tubes they can use since they need a readily available supply in quantities, whereas an individual owner just need two pairs.
IMHO there are many tubes that sound better than the OEM tubes, but some of them are rare/expensive and hard to find. On the other hand, there are inexpensive tubes that sound great as well.
In addition, your associated equipment and individual taste play a big role in how it sounds.

Any tips to buying NOS tubes? As I’m new to the hobby and am wary of purchasing defective tubes.

 

[mordy]

Any tips to buying NOS tubes? As I’m new to the hobby and am wary of purchasing defective tubes.

Hi GT,
If you buy from a reputable place they should replace a defective tube. If you buy on eBay look for good feedback. In addition, eBay gives you a comprehensive warranty on purchases.
Bear in mind that a professional seller may ask $50 for a tube that you may be able to pick up for $10 from somebody selling off his grandfather's TV repair shop.
Having bought many tubes over the years it is rare to get a defective one or broken in shipping, but it could happen. However, in those rare instances the sellers always refunded the money, albeit sometimes with some prodding from eBay/PayPal.
I can't think of any tube that I wore out by use - most tubes last 3000-5000 hours, and some 10,000 hours. Because of this I am not afraid to buy a used tube that measures well.
You also have to be aware of that there are fakes out there and overpriced sellers.
If you have specific questions about a purchase, I am sure that forum members will help you with advice.
To educate yourself, start reading the past posts......