[GDuss]

LOL! Yes, I would have greatly preferred it be photographed on some nice carpet like BangyBang uses, but you can't have everything for $10.

Good point. In this case, at least you know your money is going towards the tube and not to pay for their photo box setup.

 

[Paladin79]

I landed more winged C’s from the 50’s, they will need the pins cleaned and the solder replaced by the looks of them, they are getting tougher to find.

 

[therremans]

I landed more winged C’s from the 50’s, they will need the pins cleaned and the solder replaced by the looks of them, they are getting tougher to find.

Hmm I do like mine from the 86’. How do these older versions compare?

 

[gibosi]

I landed more winged C’s from the 50’s, they will need the pins cleaned and the solder replaced by the looks of them, they are getting tougher to find.

Nice catch!

And echoing @therremans , how would you describe the sonic differences between 50's production and later production?

 

[Paladin79]

Nice catch!

And echoing @therremans , how would you describe the sonic differences between 50's production and later production?

I will try to do some serious listening over the weekend, I am in the middle of building a class A SET amp using Russian tubes in order to win a bet. I just happened to receive those tubes along with other other things I ordered but it will take time to clean them up and test them. The solder looks awful compared to the newer once so I do not take any chances till after that is replaced.

I have a 55 military version somewhere and I will try to listen to it as well compared to the 50's and the later ones.

Oh and the driver tube I will use is a 1958 Melz 1578 without the perforated plates, a Gungnir DAC and Incubus headphone amp feeding Focal Utopias. Choice of music will most likely be 25 recordings that were done for my local group, I will have my wife swap the tubes so it is a blind test. I like to stay away from expectation bias.

 

[LoryWiv]

I will try to do some serious listening over the weekend, I am in the middle of building a class A SET amp using Russian tubes in order to win a bet. I just happened to receive those tubes along with other other things I ordered but it will take time to clean them up and test them. The solder looks awful compared to the newer once so I do not take any chances till after that is replaced.

I have a 55 military version somewhere and I will try to listen to it as well compared to the 50's and the later ones.

Oh and the driver tube I will use is a 1958 Melz 1578 without the perforated plates, a Gungnir DAC and Incubus headphone amp feeding Focal Utopias. Choice of music will most likely be 25 recordings that were done for my local group, I will have my wife swap the tubes so it is a blind test. I like to stay away from expectation bias.

Man if I asked for a wife swap I'd be sleeping on the sofa for a week!

 

[Paladin79]

Man if I asked for a wife swap I'd be sleeping on the sofa for a week!

Lol I realized how that might be interpreted much after I wrote it.

In order to make testing simpler I am meeting with a couple friends today and we will use four identical amps and Melz 1963 1578 driver tubes, I have a matched quad.

Two of us will do a blind listen and we can A-B-C-D the tubes. I will use a Tung Sol 5998 in the mix just to give some perspective, otherwise I will be listening to and grading Winged C's.

1955 Naval version 6H5C
1958 standard version 6H5C
1971 6H13C

One friend who will not be involved in the test will set up the tubes in the amps and we will never see which is which till the testing is over. All volume levels will be precise and we are using HD 800 Senn headphones. I built the amps and they are as identical as I can make them. I know the source material and the recordings are superb. The DAC may well be an Aqua La Voce, my groups favorite. The end result will be a numeric value but I will then try to explain where any score differences were derived. The driver tubes rate 96 out of 100 as best I recall and there is no way around them being in the circuit. A metal cage covers all tubes so we will not see any of them during test.

 

[bcowen]

Man if I asked for a wife swap I'd be sleeping on the sofa for a week!

ROFL!!

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Well, I tried everything and nothing I could do enabled me to recover from the left channel going out on my TS 5998. The good news is that I called the vendor I bought it from and he is accepting a return. Good out come, but I lose that tube. Vendor doesn't have any replacement TS 5998s, so I asked him what else he has. He has the following and I bought them

GEC 6AS7G
7236
6520.

I would be interested in your feedback on these tubes and what input tubes might pair best with them on my Bottlehead Crack.

 

[JKDJedi]

Well, I tried everything and nothing I could do enabled me to recover from the left channel going out on my TS 5998. The good news is that I called the vendor I bought it from and he is accepting a return. Good out come, but I lose that tube. Vendor doesn't have any replacement TS 5998s, so I asked him what else he has. He has the following and I bought them

GEC 6AS7G
7236
6520.

I would be interested in your feedback on these tubes and what input tubes might pair best with them on my Bottlehead Crack.

Does the 6520 have domino plates? Nice trio.

 

[CaptainFantastic]

Does the 6520 have domino plates? Nice trio.

Yes, I would say that the vendor definitely did not underwhelm in offering alternatives to that 5998.

 

[LoryWiv]

Well, I tried everything and nothing I could do enabled me to recover from the left channel going out on my TS 5998. The good news is that I called the vendor I bought it from and he is accepting a return. Good out come, but I lose that tube. Vendor doesn't have any replacement TS 5998s, so I asked him what else he has. He has the following and I bought them

GEC 6AS7G
7236
6520.

I would be interested in your feedback on these tubes and what input tubes might pair best with them on my Bottlehead Crack.

I have GEC 6080 in power position now and while I recognize they are not equivalent to 6AS7G, I have a power tube "bias" (pun intended) toward the GEC. This 6080 is best output tube I've had.

 

[Paladin79]

Ok the results of some blind listening comparing different Winged C's and a Tung Sol 5998

Tung Sol 5998 96 95 Second number is that of a friend. The Tung Sol tested higher in mid bass and mid highs and detail

1955 Military winged C 92 93 Very musical and excellent timbre

1958 Winged C 90 91 decent with a nice stereo spread

1971 Winged C 89 89 tough to differentiate much difference between this and the 1958 to be honest mid bass was not as pronounced if anything, my friend rated mid highs a bit lower.

All tests were done with blind listening and I am very used to those driver tubes with the Tung Sol so that was an easy one for me. We only learned which tube was which after spending three hours listening after the tubes had warmed up for an hour or so.

 

[CaptainFantastic]

Ok the results of some blind listening comparing different Winged C's and a Tung Sol 5998

Tung Sol 5998 96 95 Second number is that of a friend. The Tung Sol tested higher in mid bass and mid highs and detail

1955 Military winged C 92 93 Very musical and excellent timbre

1958 Winged C 90 91 decent with a nice stereo spread

1971 Winged C 89 89 tough to differentiate much difference between this and the 1958 to be honest mid bass was not as pronounced if anything, my friend rated mid highs a bit lower.

All tests were done with blind listening and I am very used to those driver tubes with the Tung Sol so that was an easy one for me. We only learned which tube was which after spending three hours listening after the tubes had warmed up for an hour or so.

Very nice test. So overall the 5998 came out the winner, even though in some areas the others beat it? Which one was best for vocals?

 

[therremans]

Thanks for posting the listening test. Are these similar to your 50s winged c?

Edit: I see many winged-c have the upper guard and not just 50s