[punk_guy182]

I head that the civilian brand of the M8161 that Yen sells is very similar to the military spec with the large shield on them.
I have a pair of Sylvania 6ak5 with round getters and black plates if anyone is interested. They were bought matched and tested by Yen.
Check my sig for the ad.

 

[punk_guy182]

*double post*

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

I have both the Mullard M8161 and the CV131 civilian version, I'd say they sound pretty much the same they certainly have the same construction.

 

[KrishM]

I'm pretty excited for the driver tubes I've got coming:

Amperex EF92 6CQ6
Mullard EF91 Mil Specs

From what I've gathered from this thread, it sounds like the EF91s are really similar to the EF92s, which are more tubey, open, and have better bass than most EF95 tubes (I'm currently using the Voshod EF95 6ZH1P-EVs. I like them, but they tend to make it sound more SS, IMO (too crisp for my liking), even though my source is a tube CD player).

What are people's thoughts on the Amperex EF92? I know they are super rare to come by now, so I'm incredibly pleased with myself in finding some

Would anyone here care to comment on them?

I'll be sure to post reviews of them, comparing all three, as soon as I get them burned in. I'm not looking forward to switching jumpers each time I go between EF91/EF92 to EF95, though

 

[Donnyhifi]

I found the Russian 6Zh1P-EV somewhat disappointing, muffled, like someone put a blanket over the music, the stock ones have greater extension but less full in the mids and the bass is looser.

I'm thinking what should I try next, I would like the mids and bass like the Russian tubes but with greater treble extension and detail. What do you all recommend?

Thanks,

Donny

 

[Donnyhifi]

Sorry about the double post!

 

[Max F]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donnyhifi /img/forum/go_quote.gif I found the Russian 6Zh1P-EV somewhat disappointing, muffled, like someone put a blanket over the music, the stock ones have greater extension but less full in the mids and the bass is looser.

Strange, I wouldn't characterize them like this at all. They are well extended at both ends - maybe not as tubey in the midrange. Very good, well rounded tube.

Do you have the ones made at Vishod plant with the ridges in the glass?

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donnyhifi /img/forum/go_quote.gif I found the Russian 6Zh1P-EV somewhat disappointing, muffled, like someone put a blanket over the music, the stock ones have greater extension but less full in the mids and the bass is looser. I'm thinking what should I try next, I would like the mids and bass like the Russian tubes but with greater treble extension and detail. What do you all recommend? Thanks, Donny

Who did you get the 6ZH1P-EV from? The Russian tubes vary a lot by manufacturer and year, you would want to make sure that the russian tubes you get are the right ones. I have a few unmatched tubes from random sellers on ebay and they don't sound nearly a good as the pair I got from Yen Audio.

- DoA

 

[CDBacklash]

semi-offtopic: has anyone tried a LDMKIII with a DT880/600 or DT770/600?

 

[Donnyhifi]

Not sure where they came from to be honest. I bought the Amp on the forums and the tubes were thrown into the package. The previous owner also got them with the amp when he picked it up, not sure about how they were acquired and I have a feeling they aren't matched and possibly faulty then. I'm thinking of trying something some new from the store here

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donnyhifi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not sure where they came from to be honest. I bought the Amp on the forums and the tubes were thrown into the package. The previous owner also got them with the amp when he picked it up, not sure about how they were acquired and I have a feeling they aren't matched and possibly faulty then. I'm thinking of trying something some new from the store here

Try the Yen Audio store:

eBay Store - Yen Audio: Little Dot, 6ak5, Little Dot headphone amp

- DoA

 

[Max F]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donnyhifi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not sure where they came from to be honest. I bought the Amp on the forums and the tubes were thrown into the package. The previous owner also got them with the amp when he picked it up, not sure about how they were acquired and I have a feeling they aren't matched and possibly faulty then. I'm thinking of trying something some new from the store here

What does the writing on the glass say? Does the outer glass have ridges?

 

[Donnyhifi]

At work atm, definitely has the ridges though the dates are way off, one was dated 83 and the other was dated 88. I had another pair which the amp came with but one was written in silver and one was gold. Most of the writing was worn off so I was uncomfortable trying this pair but after trying it yesterday for the first time and it sounded more airy with much better treble extension, they also sound better than the stock GE ones accross the board. I may have upgraditis so I will look into the tubes that are talked about in this thread, thanks guys for your help!

 

[erikzen]

I have a bunch of unmatched tubes. Maybe I have tin ears but I don't really hear any problems with the unmatched tubes I've tried. I do have a few "premium" matched pairs to compare to. The difference between tubes has more to do with the build than the matching.

I think there may be too much emphasis placed on matched pairs, especially when I was able to get some pretty decent tubes - 403B comes to mind - at cheap prices when not matched.

 

[Trapper32]

Quote:

Originally Posted by erikzen /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have a bunch of unmatched tubes. Maybe I have tin ears but I don't really hear any problems with the unmatched tubes I've tried. I do have a few "premium" matched pairs to compare to. The difference between tubes has more to do with the build than the matching. I think there may be too much emphasis placed on matched pairs, especially when I was able to get some pretty decent tubes - 403B comes to mind - at cheap prices when not matched.

I do have to agree with you. And I'm curious on why Yen doesn't state the results of his testing and matching the tubes.. Tubes can be matched and be on the low end of "good" or be in the "strong" end. Most of the tubes I buy on Ebay that are tested have the actual results stated and written on the boxes. And the testing and matching shouldn't be that expensive. For instance TubeDepot charges nothing to test the tubes and $2 per tube to match them. Alot of sellers test their tubes to cull out the shorts and test emissions anyways so its not alot more trouble to write down the results and match them. While I am certain that Yen provides a good service for those unwilling to look for deals on eBay, he does charge a very high premium for said services.