[chadbang]

Which of these tubes would be peoples choice for the X-cans, if I wanted to reduce its harshness. (Believe me I'll never use the word "mellow" or "laid back" around here again. Jeez...)

111E88CC / 6922NOS, Siemens Gold Pin, Premium 6922$ 49.50

12CV2493 / E88CCNOS, Mullard Made Gold Pin, packed in individual Styrofoam containers, each tube has a plastic "pin Protector", the getter ring is actually a getter plate, these tubes sound great!$ 69.50

20GB 6922NOS, Sylvania GOLD BRAND, with gold pins and Gold Print on tube, These have D getter rings, come in white boxes (from Bulk Pack) VERY RARE$ 39.50

4006922 / E88CCNOS, Philips JAN Military stock, all same lot and date codes$ 8.95

4ECC88 / 6DJ8NOS, Mullard, in original boxes$ 34.50

7E88CC / 6922NOS, Amperex Holland, various makes, great inexpensive alternative$ 24.50

 

[KR...]

I guess you will need something like the Cary amp to get that true tube sound, huh?

 

[Tuberoller]

Well,being a tube lover and tube roller and tube builder I think you can guess where I might lean in this discussion.I never warmed to the XCANV2 it was just way too harsh in the treble and lower bass frequencies.I love the MG head and have owned two, both significantly modified.

I have to disagree with you Jude on the tube vs solid-state head amp issue you have.While it is true the sonic differences that distinguish each type of amp seem more pronounced when driving loudspeakers,there are indeed audible sonic characteristics present in each type of amp.I know you had to have liked that Wheatfield HA2 that was set up.I think that is the sweetest sounding amp out there right now(short of the Orpheus and Blockhead).I love the Blockead just as much.But to my ears they have a much different sound.In my opinion these sonic differences are due to the circuit designs(tube vs solid-state).The Blockhead has razor-sharp dynamics which place it head and shoulders above ANY solid-state gear I have ever heard.By the same measure the Wheatfield has groovy,relaxed(not lazy) sound that I have never heard any solid-sate gear reproduce.I use both types of gear for different types of music.I won't attempt to hide behind any notion of superior knowledge.I have just listened to a LOT of tube gear over the years and have built numerous tube head amps(mostly from kits).Perhaps I am a victim of the polarization you speak of ,but I think my experience with both circuits gives me fair perspective to make a judgement here.I really don't like the way the amps were connected on the boards.I took a lot of pictures and notes on the connection methods.Each amp was"Flavored"in some way by the connection.I'm sure you saw how the "hi-end" board was using a Headroom Home as an active preamp or volume control to provide a signal to everything but the Orpheus and the Blockhead,which were both wired indirectly to the Krell DAC.If you base your argument on comparison of equipment connected in this manner I believe it is flawed.Whenever I make a post such as this it is usually to make the point that gear should be auditioned before it is judged,in this case you did audition the gear but I think under less than ideal conditions.Doug Schneider from http://www.soundstage.com was at the Chicago meet.He swears that he has listened to Headroom's set-up on four occasions at audio shows and it sounds different each time.Please take this into consideration.

 

[jude]

Tuberoller,

I've spent a lot more time listening to tube hi-fi in the speaker-driving world (though certainly still not as much as you) than the headphone world, this I admit.

But even in unfamiliar circumstances, the differences are generally signficant, and usually easy to point out. But not so with the headphone amps. If the Wheatfield HA-2 you're referring to was the one at the show, then I can't explain the differences in what you and I heard (I did like the way the HA-2 sounded, but it still wasn't tubey to me -- I spent some good time with that amp too).

I admit the setup that HeadRoom brought was the most practical (given the nature of the road show), but not ideal sonically. Despite the solid state preamp, I still expected the tube headphone amps to delivery more tubeyness than they did. This was not an impression I was alone in. Most CD players have solid state output stages, but this doesn't seem to keep most speaker-driving tube setups I've heard from providing the euphonics associated with tubes (again, I've also heard tube speaker-driving gear that didn't sound tubey, but this wasn't the norm).

I did own a MG Head DT and a seriously hotrodded MG Head DT. I tube-rolled the heck out of both of them -- Telefunken (ribbed plate and smooth plate), Amperex Bugle Boy, Ei, RCA, etc. And though I was able to change the tonal balance of the amp -- and though the amps sounded very good (save for a hum that developed in each later) -- the euphony that I've grown to associate with tube gear was not there.

I'll give some different tube headphone amps a go in the near future to see if this impression holds up. But I can only stand by what I'm hearing so far. I fully expect others here to both agree and disagree, and I hope more speak up. This is an interesting topic, if you ask me.

 

[Hardhead]

As mentioned in my post about the Chicago HeadRoom meet, I was most impressed with the Wheatfield HA-2 and the HeadRoom BlockHead driving the balanced Senn 600s with the Clou red cable. I'm not exactly sure what "tubey" sounds like but the BlockHead was very fast, very detailed with an immediate presence - a more pleasant presence when compared to say the Grado RA-1. The Wheatfield was more mellow (slower, less detailed) but very enjoyable. If that defines tubey than I would vote for the Wheatfield HA-2 as a tubey sounding headphone amp. Please be advised that my only significant listening to tube products was at the Chicago show and I have pointed out previously that the source differences, to say nothing about the amplification, between the two different amps being discussed were significant.

At the Chicago meet I brought my own CD player (which doesn't have a headphone jack) but was unable to use it to audition the various amps because of the way they were set up. While I had a significant amount of time when everyone was at lunch to listen to the equipment in a noiseless environment, to attempt a serious listening session with all those people there generating a lot of noise was impossible.

BTW - My "real" vote, i.e. with my money, went to the new Head OTL amp.

 

[CRESCENDOPOWER]

Not very many high-end speaker setups exclude a pre-amp. Put a pre-amp between your CD player, and tube amp for your headphones. That could give you the tubey sound your looking for.

 

[CRESCENDOPOWER]

I also feel that tube amps are better suited in speaker systems that are bi-amped. Let the tubes drive the mids, and highs, and take a big high current solid state for the woofers.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Quote:

Originally posted by CRESCENDOPOWER I also feel that tube amps are better suited in speaker systems that are bi-amped. Let the tubes drive the mids, and highs, and take a big high current solid state for the woofers.

That's assuming your tube amp isn't rolled off. A lot of lower-end/affordable tube amps have rolled off highs.

I was actually thinking about the following combo: solid state (MF A3^CR) driving supertweeter (E.G. Tannoy), powered sub, tubes driving everything else (E.G. a bookshelf, such as my Spendor S3/2's).

 

[CRESCENDOPOWER]

Dusty, what you are saying about a lot cheaper tubes having rolled off highs is true. But, depending on the acoustics of your room, the speakers you choose, and your own personal tastes sometimes they are a blessing in disguise.
I personally feel that a lot of high end speakers are so bright I can't even listen to them.