[hypnos1]

Hi guys.

First off - and most importantly - DO NOT TRY MY EL39 WIRE MOD ON THE EL38 ADAPTER!!!

@connieflyer has sent me the Chinese EL38 adapter's pin layout, and no wonder the mod doesn't work...they obviously ignored my specific instruction for pin layout and for some crazy reason linked 38's pin#6 (which isn't actually even used in the 38 tube) to final pin #5...an anode!! ...unbelievable! And so when the 39's pin#6 (grid 3) is linked, as per the mod, it joins the anode rather than the cathode....I am not amused/impressed!!

Am so glad it doesn't appear to have caused any damage to your equipment @barontan2418 and @ZRW0 or anyone else who may have tried the mod.
I can assure you all that there'll be no such nonsense with the adapters that I shall be making!! ...speaking of which, I had hoped to be making a start on them today, but thanks to UPS's so-called '1 business day' for their (expensive!) 'Worldwide Express Service' from the US, I'm still waiting for the parts lol!! Hopefully they'll arrive later on today...they'd better!!..CHEERS!...CJ

 

[connieflyer]

Yes, sometimes that extra speedy service is not what it is supposed to be. But at least that will give you more time to get outside and get back to work on the garden!

 

[myphone]

Well, I received the tubes I purchased from CJ, today, and I must say money well spent. As you might know, I am a big fan of the EL38's and El11's. I had one Valvo mesh plate El 11 and a stock Valvo El 11 and the sound was really great. One of the tubes I purchased from CJ, was a mesh plate Valvo El11, so tried this in original set up. It sounded superior right off the bat. Mid's and HIghs were now more articulate, defined and solid, no distortion, no noise or any thing but glorius sound. Then swapped the two Dario El 38 that CJ had converted for me, with the El 11 Mesh plate Valvo's, another nice increase in sound. This increased the bass slam, quantity, without any sign of distortion or struggle. Listened to Robert Palmer's Addicted to Love, and had my feet taping like crazy. Twenty years younger, I would have been up on my feet rocking out! Listened to Enya, Allison Krauss, Loreena McKennit and immediately sent out emails asking them to marry me! What voices! Articulation was so clear, will probably be up all night checking out the rest of my music. Do not have adapters for the two EL 39's yet, so nothing to report on those, also purchased a Phillips Mini Watt fat tube El 38 and want to pair this soon, but for now don't want to change anything. Music source is directly off NAS, to Schitt Multibit Gungnir to Euforia. No processing, no filters, no additions to music. Will try off pc next with JRiver 24, running Sonarworks 4 sytemwide eq for Sennheiser 800 and see what that sounds like. Also checked on a pair of Empy phones but presently out of stock.

CF, could you show some pictures of internal structure of El 11 Mesh plate Valvo's?

I have several Valvo EL11s that have different internal structures.

Curious to know what MESH plate looks like.

Thanks

 

[connieflyer]

Cj might have a pic or two, the very dark coating makes it hard to get a good look inside, I will see what I can do though. I also have a pair of nos Valvo El 11 and they are not in the same ball game. These have a clarity and detail like none I have tried before.

 

[connieflyer]

myphone, sorry for the delay, had to wait till I got through listening and they cooled off. This is about as good as I could get, as you can see the plates are not solid but fine mesh. You can just make them out looking through the clear portion at the top of the tube.

 

[myphone]

Thank you, CF.

See the MESH. Mine are different.

 

[myphone]

All Valvos.

 

[myphone]

Also have Mullard and Miniwatt EL11. Have not tried in amp yet.

 

[hypnos1]

myphone, sorry for the delay, had to wait till I got through listening and they cooled off. This is about as good as I could get, as you can see the plates are not solid but fine mesh. You can just make them out looking through the clear portion at the top of the tube.

Hi cf...you're working well - first the pin layout of those darned Chinese EL38 adapters, and now a clear shot of those mesh plates (difficult to see, let alone photogaph lol!). WELL DONE, and thanks, on both counts....

And as you say, these mesh plate Valvo EL11s (along with the similarly plated Australian Philips EL3NG) are indeed a different animal to the standard solid plate EL11. It's a tragic shame that they are nigh on impossible to find now...I even bought several black glass Valvos with similar numbering that looked absolutely identical, but didn't have the expected/hoped for mesh plate. They must have been a very limited run indeed...why?!!! . But glad I managed to find my last spare to at least partner your first... and am so sorry I can't help anyone else to savour their magic (but will keep looking!! )....CJ

 

[hypnos1]

Also have Mullard and Miniwatt EL11. Have not tried in amp yet.

Hi myphone...they might not be mesh-plated, but those EL11s still look very nice lol! And I'm sure that they will - as with all EL11s - drive the EL38 perfectly...and the EL39 even better!! ...CJ

 

[mordy]

myphone, sorry for the delay, had to wait till I got through listening and they cooled off. This is about as good as I could get, as you can see the plates are not solid but fine mesh. You can just make them out looking through the clear portion at the top of the tube.

Hope that I am not saying the wrong thing, but this mesh plate looks to me like a perforated plate. I recall seeing true mesh plates that were made out of woven metal strands (similar to fabric).
I was under the impression that true mesh plates are the real thing. They were used in early tube production but later less expensive alternatives were found.
To me this tube looks like real mesh:

And here is a perforated mesh type:

 

[myphone]

Thanks CJ and CF,

Will keep eyes on these EL38/39.

I am rolling in 6SN7/12SN7, and 6080/6AS7/5998/421a.

So many choices and combos.

 

[hypnos1]

Hope that I am not saying the wrong thing, but this mesh plate looks to me like a perforated plate. I recall seeing true mesh plates that were made out of woven metal strands (similar to fabric).
I was under the impression that true mesh plates are the real thing. They were used in early tube production but later less expensive alternatives were found.
To me this tube looks like real mesh:

And here is a perforated mesh type:

Hi @mordy

Thanks for your photos. Actually, those plates look much more like they've been stamped, rather than true woven mesh. Stamped plates have a much more uniform look as per those you showed. I must admit that from @connieflyer 's photos, they could be mistaken for stamped (very difficult to get precise image of them), but on close inspection of the 'real thing' with a magnifying glass, one can see the less-than-totally-perfect 'weave' of the individual metal strands (plus their shape), especially at the top and sides, as opposed to a single piece of uniform metal that has undergone stamping. I do in fact have 2x 'mesh' plate EL3Ns (not the EL3NG)...one is true mesh, like my and cf's Valvo EL11s, but the other looks quite different - the much more uniform appearance of a stamped one. Hope this gives a few more pointers lol...

 

[hypnos1]

Yes, sometimes that extra speedy service is not what it is supposed to be. But at least that will give you more time to get outside and get back to work on the garden!

Hi cf.
After much heated to-and-froing with the UPS guys here in the UK, it looks like someone there dragged their heels in dealing with our Customs people...a prime case of 'buck passing'! If I hadn't got in touch with them directly today - and with the help of a VP at 'Amplified Parts' (USA) - it looks like my adapter parts would have winged their merry way back to the US!...not a very happy chappie here...once more!! This project is ageing me fast, alas ...but have come to expect no less in this hobby of ours!

So, hopefully they will in fact arrive tomorrow, and I can make a start on the adapters. Given that you @barontan2418 and @ZRW0 were the first to be so cruelly disappointed when you plugged in your EL39s, it's only fair that yours are first on the bench...hope others agree ...CJ

ps. The garden will just have to wait, mon ami!...

 

[hypnos1]

H1 (Colin) that obligatory step would be to superglue to top cap on just in case, right?
... reinforce it with superglue rather than attempting to nudge it first to glue underneath it.

Also I realized the reason I was never overtly impressed with my Tung Sol 5998's may have been because mine have the silver top instead of clear top.

Hi DL. This might be a good point at which to remind folks of those obligatory steps lol!

But first a word of WARNING...do NOT attempt to 'nudge' or twist the top cap of any tube. The wire inside is usually extremely small, and the slightest corrosion will make it very fragile indeed...a couple of twists and it can break!! So yes, just apply some superglue around where its base meets the glass. And the same goes for the pin base/glass interface...again, try not to move this base around, if at all loose.

After these musts, then clean the pins with fine emery paper 'til they're shiny and smooth. If the corrosion should ever be more severe, than coarse emery paper can be used first, or a small knife (or back of...). But always finish with fine emery to regain a nice, smooth surface. Sometimes a pin can look clean and OK, but in fact not be making very good contact. I myself therefore always make this an essential task before going anywhere near the amp. The same applies to the top cap...once glue has been applied.
Then all that's needed is to clean up the tube - pins and all - with something like White Spirit/Turps solution

And don't forget that if a lot of tube rolling has been done, there are bound to be deposits in the amp's sockets themselves. A (thin) cotton bud dipped in Isopropyl alcohol (or similar) should clean them out nicely!...CHEERS!...CJ

ps. So no excuse in getting these jobs done on your EL39s while waiting for adapters lol!