[mordy]

Funny; I had a pair of Western Electric 403A tubes, and they sounded very detailed, but thin and shrill, and I did not like them. Two days ago I was going through my stash of tubes and suddenly realized that I had another two WE tubes from 1953 and 1957 (identical, except for year of manufacture).
Revelation: these tubes sounded really sweet and involving with very good bass, and right now they are on the top of my list. The Tung Sols still have punchier bass, but the midrange is sweeter with the WEs.
I guess the lesson is that you may have to try out more than one pair of the same tube to get the sound you like.
 
Now, about black rings etc.: I have a set of Mullard CV4010 that one tube became black on top instead of silver. After reading up on Google it seems that black is OK; it does not seem to make much of a change in the sound, although I may imagine that the volume is a tad lower on this side. A tube that turns white inside is finished - kaput, which has also happened to me.

 

[mordy]

Funny; I tried a pair of Western Electric 403A tubes, and they sounded very detailed, but thin and shrill, and I did not like them. Two days ago I was going through my stash of tubes and suddenly realized that I had another two WE tubes from 1953 and 1957 (identical, except for year of manufacture).
Revelation: these tubes sounded really sweet and involving with very good bass, and right now they are on the top of my list. The Tung Sols still have punchier bass, but the midrange is sweeter with the WEs.
I guess the lesson is that you may have to try out more than one pair of the same tube to get the sound you like.
 
Now, about black rings etc.: I have a set of Mullard CV4010 that one tube became black on top instead of silver. After reading up on Google it seems that black is OK; it does not seem to make much of a change in the sound, although I may imagine that the volume is a tad lower on this side. A tube that turns white inside is finished - kaput, which has also happened to me.
 
I found that my MkIII ran much hotter when I tried a pair of EF91 tubes (EF92 setting), but with EF95 type driver tubes the MKIII doesn't get very hot and I can touch them without burning myself. However, the power tubes get very hot, and I am careful not to touch them lest I burn myself.

 

[KMASCII]

Dynasty62: did those marks just develop or were they there when you got the tubes? I don't think it's anything to worry about and could be related to the manufacture of the tubes. See post #1745 by erikzen on page 117 of this thread.
 
Also to mordy: were those earlier versions (1953 & 1957) of the WE 403 also 403A's, or were they the 403B versions?

 

[mordy]

I only have 403A versions. I think I remember that one post stated that both versions (403A and 403B) sound similar; it is only that the 403B was made to last longer.

 

[Dynasty62]

They developed as I continued to burn the tubes in, however, there was no degradation of sound quality to my knowledge, and it doesn't look like any more marks are being produced, so I don't think I'll worry about it either. 
 
My favorite tubes so far are the Amperex 6AK5 EF95 Bugle Boys. They sound pretty warm, with very good sound stage and a sweet, lush sound signature. Also, they roll off the high trebles quite a bit, which definitely help with my bright-sounding headphones. The Amperex 5654 6AK5W have a similar sound signature, especially as they are burning in, but then start developing an emphasis on the highs, which I found to be sibilant and detracting from the overall sound. The Mullard EF91 tubes definitely had the most detail and power, with a very very impressive soundstage/imaging capability, but unfortunately, one of my tubes was microphonic. The highs also were slightly overbearing through my cans, and I found them a little clinical compared to the Amperex, despite superior imaging capabilities. 

 

[mordy]

I have two Amperex tubes 6AK5; actually one each of the ones you describe. They are from 1964 and 1968 and are made in Gt Britain, and look physically the same as my Mullard CV4010s, so I wonder if they actually just are Mullard tubes. (In my set-up this "pair" of Amperex Bugle Boy and EF95 are OK, but not great. It is possible that a real pair of the Bugle Boys would sound better. The CV4010s which are the same as the M8100 tubes sound very good).
I agree with you about the overbearing quality of the Mullard EF91s. Somebody else on this forum also had the same impression: In the beginning they impress, but after a while they are too much somehow.

 

[evilsword]

Anyone know the differences of Mullard M8161 and M8100 on Little Dot MKIII? I want an upgrade from the stock tubes but can't decide which one to get

 

[HeatFan12]

Quote:

Anyone know the differences of Mullard M8161 and M8100 on Little Dot MKIII? I want an upgrade from the stock tubes but can't decide which one to get

The M8161 is from the EF92 family and the M8100 is from the EF95 family.  Jumpers must be switched.  Different tubes both great.
 

 

[Sweden]

Anyone who have any Telefunken CV131, EF92 Amperex Bugle Boys, 6Zh1P-EV, 5654 Sylvania Gold Brands or some nice sounding Tung Sol tubes that they can think of selling?
 

 

[evilsword]

Quote:

Quote:

Anyone know the differences of Mullard M8161 and M8100 on Little Dot MKIII? I want an upgrade from the stock tubes but can't decide which one to get

The M8161 is from the EF92 family and the M8100 is from the EF95 family.  Jumpers must be switched.  Different tubes both great.
 

Any ideas on the differences in terms of sound signature between the m8161 and m8100?

 

[KMASCII]

@ evilsword: I haven't listened to these tubes in a while, but I'll give them a listen this evening.

 

[qubyts]

on german ebay some equivalent power tubes ....
 
http://global.ebay.com/4_x_6N6P_ECC99_E182CC_Priboy_Little_Dot_Tube_amp/370481013379/item
 
 
And i wonder if this works too...
 
http://global.ebay.com/4_x_6C19_Svetlana_Triode_Little_Dot_Headphone_amp_6C19P/390285616331/item

 

[mordy]

The 6N6P tube will work, but the 6H6P-i (OEM) sounds a little better IMHO. If you want to try the 6N6P tube you can get it cheaper from Russian and East European sources on E-Bay.
I have never heard of the 6C19 tube before. Perhaps David of Little Dot can give advice.
BTW, I found a new variant listed on E-Bay of the Russian 6J1P-EV driver tube that uses gold-platinum wiring. Cost including shipping is $15/pair. Does anybody have experience with this driver tube? (Link below)
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130436695928&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

 

 


 
Image not available

 

 

[KMASCII]

@ evilsword: Neglected to reply to my post. Unfortunately I cannot locate my M8100's. However, the M8161's are a tubier sound than either the TungSol JTL 6AK5 or the GE 5star 6AK5. Where either of those tubes can sound a bit overly detailed and steely (but not grainy), the M8161 doesn't accent the highs as much. But, the M8161 are still capable of conveying a bit of sparkle. This is my impression only. I normally look for a more laid back sound in my equipment and primarily listen with HD650's. I like the M8161's more that the GE5stars, and only slightly more than the TungSol JTL's. Unfortunately, I cannot locate my M8100's and cannot compare these after all. Sorry. On an aside, I'm ordering a pair of WE 403B's to sample.

 

[mordy]

Noted that you misplaced the 8100 tubes - hope you will find them again. Anyhow, IMHO you cannot have too many tubes, and in a few months I bought a whole bunch of tubes, always looking for the ones that have everything - strong bass, luscious midrange and shimmering highs; detail without being analytical. But where do you store them so that you can find them easily?
Many of the old boxes are very fragile and tear easily; others have all kinds of packaging inserts. Then you have all different sizes of boxes, and then the unmarked ones etc etc. Better to store the tubes without the boxes, but how?
Being of an age where the day starts taking all kinds of medical pills, I thought of a large pill box with a compartment for each day. I had a large size that held, you guessed it, three and half pairs. OK, so two boxes would hold seven of your favorite pairs. I would put little white address labels on the individual lids and then I write the manufacturer's name and the designation of the tube, the year it was made, and so on. This worked fine, until I bought a couple of lots and had several dozen pairs to store. How do I organize and store them without spending a fortune?
After trips to Walmart and the hardware store I found the solution. For $6.00 I bought a plastic parts box for screws and nuts etc. (A plastic box with compartments for fishing tackle may also work well.) The box I bought (made by Flambeu, model #5004) has well over 40 compartments that each hold two-three tubes. The partitions are movable, so you can pull them out as you wish, and put six or eight tubes in one compartment. Before buying I took a pair of tubes with me to make sure that they would fit standing up. In order that they should not rattle around when the box is being moved I put little pieces of styrofoam "peanuts" between the tubes.
The top of the box is see through plastic, and there I stick on my handwritten stickers. Everything organized and easy to find. Only one problem now: How do I get them out of the little compartments with clumsy fingers?
This is still a work in progress, but meanwhile I took off the silicon grip from the barrel of a cheap pen. This piece is soft and has a hole in it. I pinch the silicon barrel and grab the little glass tip of the tube and lift it out. Works, but maybe somebody has a better idea....
Have fun!
BTW, I finally found a tube that has all the qualities I mentioned above: Mullard EF95/CV850 from the late fifties. These tubes are so good that I stopped listening to the tubes and what is right or wrong with them, and I am just enjoying the music! They just sound totally right!