[geoffalter11]

(Pharmaboy, breaking free of restraints again)

Exactly which Westinghouse 6SN7GTBs do you refer to ("asking for a friend")

Igolioto had a pair of Westinghouse Golds for sale on Ebay. They looked gorgeous...

 

[Pharmaboy]

Igolioto

?? Is that a seller's name? Can't find it

 

[infinity3914]

(Pharmaboy, breaking free of restraints again)

Exactly which Westinghouse 6SN7GTBs do you refer to ("asking for a friend")

Hope this “friend” of yours could grab a pair!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2259199335...yQFHL5uSV2&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

[JerseyD]

?? Is that a seller's name? Can't find it

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ss...gradios&_oac=1&_trksid=p4429486.m3561.l161211

 

[geoffalter11]

?? Is that a seller's name? Can't find it

That is it

 

[geoffalter11]

That is it

Here is a link to a rectifier I am eyeing. This will take to his page.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2856739322..._MyLD24SXK&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

[Pharmaboy]

Here is a link to a rectifier I am eyeing. This will take to his page.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2856739322..._MyLD24SXK&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Just made the mistake at looking at his page, one gorgeous pair of 6SN7s after the other.

I just went blind!!

 

[geoffalter11]

Just made the mistake at looking at his page, one gorgeous pair of 6SN7s after the other.

I just went blind!!

He is an engineer. He and his brother run their tube business together in Jersey. They build old radios and scour the Eastern Seaboard for tubes. What he has on his page right now is maybe 1/100th of what he has. He has 12 full pairs of original Western Electric 205Ds. The oldest tube in production. They were made from 1926-1934. It is the tube David Shaw uses for his flagship headphone amp.

Their names are Frank and Igor.

 

[G8torbyte]

He is an engineer. He and his brother run their tube business together in Jersey. They build old radios and scour the Eastern Seaboard for tubes. What he has on his page right now is maybe 1/100th of what he has. He has 12 full pairs of original Western Electric 205Ds. The oldest tube in production. They were made from 1926-1934. It is the tube David Shaw uses for his flagship headphone amp.

Their names are Frank and Igor.

Yeah, that area in Jersey is rich in history of electronics innovation and inventions from the early 1900's. The Thomas Edison National Historic Museum is near there. Visited it a few years ago and it was a fascinating tour of his research park and development center. Do Frank and Igor have an on-site shop? It would be cool to visit with them.

 

[geoffalter11]

Yeah, that area in Jersey is rich in history of electronics innovation and inventions from the early 1900's. The Thomas Edison National Historic Museum is near there. Visited it a few years ago and it was a fascinating tour of his research park and development center. Do Frank and Igor have an on-site shop? It would be cool to visit with them.

I don't think so. Just an eBay store. I have gotten to know them pretty well and I find them to be honest, and straightforward in their dealings. What you see is what you get and their knowledge of tubes is mind blowing. I asked them for a set of Black Glass 2A3s and they put like 5 different sets on their page to purchase and their prices are extremely fair for what you get. There are other great sellers too. @jonathan c knows way more than I do. I am super loyal to Frank and Igor as they have never steered me wrong. Sometimes I can't afford what they have, but they have never told me they didn't have something.

 

[ardbeg1975]

I don't think so. Just an eBay store. I have gotten to know them pretty well and I find them to be honest, and straightforward in their dealings. What you see is what you get and their knowledge of tubes is mind blowing. I asked them for a set of Black Glass 2A3s and they put like 5 different sets on their page to purchase and their prices are extremely fair for what you get. There are other great sellers too. @jonathan c knows way more than I do. I am super loyal to Frank and Igor as they have never steered me wrong. Sometimes I can't afford what they have, but they have never told me they didn't have something.

I will add they typically have more vintage US tubes given their location as discussed before. If you are looking more for European NOS tubes, Brent Jessee is another very reliable source.

 

[lauthoerer]

Thanks all for the tech tipps yesterday, gave me quite the scare for a long moment, but finally made it work. The seller later came back and shed some light on my predicament:

The HP8 I got has a speaker output and two RCA inputs! The switch at the front marked “mono/stereo” selects one of the RCA input. This explains why the „wrong“ setting there, didn’t give me the expected sound from the HP jack

Will try this insight after work today, but expect both RCA inputs to give the same sonic experience from the HP jack as long as the front lever is set correctly…

Still waiting on a reply who changed these inputs/settings and if that was done at Icon Audio or DYI. Either way, I quite liked what I heard last night via the GH2, E3, and especially my HD820. The volume for the low impedance phones needed to be set pretty low (9h), while I was able to adjust my DAC with the HD820 so that I was able to go up to 10/11h. I expect the 12AT7 from Langrex to work very well for my setup, to give me the additional headroom for volume adjustment and dynamics.

With the sound issues settled, I also ordered those Hytron 6SN7GTs, hoping to get the relative „best“ sound out of the HP8 with „medium“ investment. Will report back here, how I get on.

 

[Pharmaboy]

He is an engineer. He and his brother run their tube business together in Jersey. They build old radios and scour the Eastern Seaboard for tubes. What he has on his page right now is maybe 1/100th of what he has. He has 12 full pairs of original Western Electric 205Ds. The oldest tube in production. They were made from 1926-1934. It is the tube David Shaw uses for his flagship headphone amp.

Their names are Frank and Igor.

(excerpt from my medical chart)​

​

Cause of sudden blindness: Frank and Igor​

On a less tangential note, last night I fired up the HP8 with 2 x NOS Sylvania 6NS7s & a Fisher 12AX7 (DAC is the Metrum Onyx, then heard various genres of music via the Verite Open. That may be the best, most incisive tube sound I've ever heard. Simply outstanding.

The VO always surpasses/impresses; but this Fisher input tube really took the HP8 higher. There's talk in this thread about the relatively minor improvements/changes in sound one can get by tube rolling this amp. That has not been my experience...

 

[geoffalter11]

(excerpt from my medical chart)​

​

Cause of sudden blindness: Frank and Igor​

On a less tangential note, last night I fired up the HP8 with 2 x NOS Sylvania 6NS7s & a Fisher 12AX7 (DAC is the Metrum Onyx, then heard various genres of music via the Verite Open. That may be the best, most incisive tube sound I've ever heard. Simply outstanding.

The VO always surpasses/impresses; but this Fisher input tube really took the HP8 higher. There's talk in this thread about the relatively minor improvements/changes in sound one can get by tube rolling this amp. That has not been my experience...

This is such a great post because it highlights how differently we all hear and what we like. When I told David Shaw that I heard differences on the HP8 with tube rolling, his response to me was, then your hearing is better than mine. I wish I had your hearing because I have never heard a difference when tube rolling on the HP8 and he uses one personally for his headphone listening.

I think what Peter says has major weight when considering this topic. Amperex is my favorite 12AX7 tube. As for 6SN7s, there is nothing like a good ole' USA made wartime special...

Plus, when you have a tube from 1960 or earlier in your amp there is just something romantic about the idea that something made so long ago sounds so good. My 1932 Single Plate 2A3s are 90 yrs old and they just sing. Plus, I have such pride of ownership. It is a romantic concept for sure.

 

[geoffalter11]

Hey all... For those looking for a great 6SN7 tube, here is a very reasonably priced RCA with the Meatball logo which means it was made before 1945 from Igolioto. Measurements are not new which would be 3500, but they are over 3000 and will last thousands of hours in the HP8. These are great tubes...That amazing RCA midrange that is so seductive.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2856738293...BVNKN8&hash=item42837cb416:g:aXMAAOSw~5lltdQd