[TrollDragon]

  I have 2 87's... one for work and a very old one with the old green LCD for personal use... they were both just calibrated courtesy of work lol

Very nice that work calibrates your 87 for you.

 
I had an old Beckman TECH 310 back in the day when I was doing consumer electronics repair for Rat Shack... My father had a Fluke at his work as an industrial electrician, can't remember which model it was but I tried to get him to bring it home when he retired... 

 
As for nice test gear, a while back I was changing a hard drive in a computer for a company that builds and operates underwater ROV's.
On the workbench was a Fluke Scopemeter 190 and the other bench had a Tektronix TDS3034... "Can I just sit here and drool on these for a bit?"
 
A used Scopemeter 125 would be an amazing thing to have but I settle for an 87V any day.

 

[Oskari]

  Having spent a little more time with the Japanese Raytheon 6GC7/6FQ7 I must say that it grows on you.
 
Thanks to Oskari  (remember the mystery of Siemens Foreign tubes?) we now know that Raytheon had ties with Toshiba and that they used Philips sourced manufacturing equipment. The tube could also have been made by Hitachi.

 
I think it is a Hitachi 6FQ7.
 
Rather Hitachi had ties with Raytheon and Matsush¡ta had ties with Philips.

 

[kvtaco17]

TrollDragon,

that's the least exotic of my tools... Like I have a midtronics, alber, meggar... The first two are battery testers and the last on tests strap resistance only. I also have a density meter for specific gravity readings... And lots of crimpers from the tiniest wire up to 750mcm... I get a lot of cool tools in my line of work... As a guardian of the internet lol

 

[mordy]

Hi,
 
Gibosi: Thanks for the update on wiring. I have a whole bunch of tubes to check out, and I am trying to limit my purchases for the time being. If there are no specific advantages of loctals over octals sound-wise, I'll skip this option meanwhile. Tried to look for equivalent tubes in 8.4V and 12.6V but did not find any real bargains yet. (Maybe I did not look hard enough) Paid 99c + shipping for my Hitachi 6GC7/6FQ7 tube.
 
Oskari: Thanks for your input. This Hitachi tube is very special. My impression was that Toshiba, Matsushiita and Hitachi all bought Philips machinery and equipment.  (I think Ei started with Philips stuff and later bought Telefunken machinery - it supposedly is sitting in an Eastern European  warehouse waiting for a buyer.)
 
On another note I notice that there is a feeling that we have reached a level where people are satisfied and happy enough with the sound that they feel that there is no need to look further, be it a 6SN7, a 3Cg, a 6DJ8/9322/7308/ECC or 6CG7 tube.
 
Or, am I wrong?
 
"If good is good, isn't better better?"

 

[gibosi]

  On another note I notice that there is a feeling that we have reached a level where people are satisfied and happy enough with the sound that they feel that there is no need to look further, be it a 6SN7, a 3Cg, a 6DJ8/9322/7308/ECC or 6CG7 tube.
 
Or, am I wrong?
 
"If good is good, isn't better better?"

 
I have not reached that point yet....  Perhaps it might be accurate to say that I have reached a level where I am satisfied and happy exploring the 6SN7GT, 7AF7, E80CC and 6DJ8/6922/7308 tube groups. 
 
However, I cannot yet say, "My top 5 tubes are....."  
 
Nor can I say, "From now on, I will only roll tubes from the following tube group(s)....."  
 
Maybe in time.....  But I suspect that I will always wonder, "Is there is another great tube out there?"

 

[TrollDragon]

TrollDragon,

that's the least exotic of my tools... Like I have a midtronics, alber, meggar... The first two are battery testers and the last on tests strap resistance only. I also have a density meter for specific gravity readings... And lots of crimpers from the tiniest wire up to 750mcm... I get a lot of cool tools in my line of work... As a guardian of the internet lol

Very nice toys!
 
I used to play with an old Megger when i was young, one kid would hang on to the alligator clips and another kid would crank the handle, the longer you could hold the clips the tougher you were.... The stupid things we did as kids.

 

 

[kvtaco17]

^lol nice!

 

[tvrguy]

Hello All,
 
I have lurked on here for ages and joined last year.
Have had many headphones in addition to some very high end gear since my teens.
I am now in a condo and still have a very nice main system, but I find most of my critical listening is now done with headphones.
I am using a Windows 7 system and play only flac files through a Schiit Gungnir feeding into a Little Dot MkIII ver. IV board.
Pure silver litz wire interconnect between DAC and Amp. and then in to HD-650's with Mobius 2 cable.
I have read  almost every page of this forum and have acquired many different paris of EF95 tubes. They all have their strengths and weaknesses.
Many thanks to Dept_of_Alchemy for his original guide. He got me started. I am currently using Sovtek 6H30EB Power Tubes
and have tried almost all of the EF95 tubes that he has listed. My favorites were Mullard 8100's and Voshkod 6ZH1P-EV's.
I recently got a pair of Tesla 6F32's put together in 1956 and I must say that they blow away the former. A box of 10 for $40. (Nice Find)
They have more extended,articulate bass, smoother,lusher mids and extended top end with No Sibilance.
They also seem to give better spatial cues, sound stage and height. Anyone else with the same thoughts?
What else can I do the further tweek this system? I can tweek a Big system in many subtle ways but need help with this stuff.
I have no intentions of changing anything, the sound is SO GOOD that I am at that point I was with my big system.
Huge money in for very small gains, I studied power cords and then bought a custom made cord from a guy in the States.
Put a 3 foot cord on the Little Dot only and Huge difference! Just thought I would throw this out to you guys and see what comes back?
Can we get the First page of this Forum brought up to date by Dept. of Alchemy? Is he still around and active? 
Can we fill in the "Red" areas?
Waiting for some feedback.
 
Steve.

 

[rosgr63]

  Mordy,
 
Glad to see that you have arrived in 6SN7 land!
 
And to all of those who have mated their LD with an external heater PS, another 600ma tube that might be worth trying is the ECC40. However, it is an 8-pin miniature and thus will require an adapter -- ECC40 to 61N/6DJ8 or ECC40 to 12A-7.

 
Pleased you enjoy the 6SN7.
 
Those who use an octal base they can get/make 6CG7 to 6SN7 and ECC40 to 6SN7 adapters.
The 2C51 are also nice to try with a 2C51 to 6SN7 adapter.
 
Be careful with the ECC40 because the non original tube sockets need to be marked for the correct alignment.

 

[mordy]

Hi tvrguy,
 
Is this the TVR you mean?

For a very small investment you can get this level of performance by making an adapter and using 6SN7, 6CG7 or 6DJ8 tubes. Just be forewarned: After trying these types of tubes you will not be able to get back to your 6AK5 tubes.
 
Imagine tubes that have mainly strengths and (almost) no weaknesses - it just becomes a a question of taste.

 

[MIKELAP]

  Hi tvrguy,
 
Is this the TVR you mean?

For a very small investment you can get this level of performance by making an adapter and using 6SN7, 6CG7 or 6DJ8 tubes. Just be forewarned: After trying these types of tubes you will not be able to get back to your 6AK5 tubes.
 
Imagine tubes that have mainly strengths and (almost) no weaknesses - it just becomes a a question of taste.

+1

 

[tvrguy]

Hi Mordy,
 
I believe that is a Sagaris....Never made it into mass production. They only made a handful.
Then TVR went bankrupt. No, I had a 1973 TVR 2500M that I restored.
Had it for over 20 years.  How/Where do I get an adapter to use those other tubes?
I have read on the forum that some guys made their own.
Where can I buy them? That way I know I won't blow up my amp cause I screwed up.
And which is the best one to buy...I like a tight controlled bottom end and imaging.
 
Steve.

 

[gibosi]

   
Pleased you enjoy the 6SN7.
 
Those who use an octal base they can get/make 6CG7 to 6SN7 and ECC40 to 6SN7 adapters.
The 2C51 are also nice to try with a 2C51 to 6SN7 adapter.
 
Be careful with the ECC40 because the non original tube sockets need to be marked for the correct alignment.

 
rosgr63, welcome to Little Dot land.
 
By way of introduction, rosgr63 is the host of the "6SN7 Tube Addicts" forum, a real treasure-trove of information.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/479031/6sn7-tube-addicts

 

[gibosi]

  How/Where do I get an adapter to use those other tubes?
I have read on the forum that some guys made their own.
Where can I buy them? That way I know I won't blow up my amp cause I screwed up.
And which is the best one to buy...I like a tight controlled bottom end and imaging.

 
To my knowledge, pre-made adapters to allow the use of double triodes in an LD do not exist. Unfortunately, at this time, it is a DIY project. It isn't all that difficult or expensive, but it does require that you invest the necessary time to understand what you are doing. The best I can do is to recommend that you read over the last 100 pages, or so. And after that, if you decide to jump in, we are here to help.
 
Cheers

 

[mordy]

Hi tvrguy,
 
My favorite car was a 1992 Acura Integra even though it gave me a fair amount of trouble. Fit like a glove and made every errand an adventure to drive. Had it for 5-6 years.
 
 

Anyhow, there is a write up on this thread on how to make a solder-less adapter for the Little Dot. Go to page 301, post #4507 for full instructions. (If you are handy, you could make your own adapter - there are many posts with pictures and ideas posted.)In addition, you will need a power supply. Any 15-24V wall wart or laptop PS will do. The next item you will need is a voltage regulator. Here is one; there are many others:

This regulator costs less than $5.00. It is very easy to connect the voltage regulator.
 
If there is an interest, I will post a pictorial guide how to connect the voltage regulator.
 
Good luck!

1973 TVR 2500M