[buldogge]

Finally got the Chinese "gold" sockets to finish the 6SN7/C3G adapter plate...
 
Is it normal for the pins to be able to slide up and down in the ceramic?
 
Looks like the one set (6SN7) have the tubular pins that need careful spreading.
 
Now I need to create a clear picture/understanding of the wiring diagram...
 
-Mark in St. Louis

 

[mab1376]

Just bought a pair of Ken-Rad VT231 for $66.95, lol. Burning them in now and so far, they sound generally speaking, very promising!

I've read they have amazing bass response which I want very much for live drum recordings.

 

[gibosi]

E182CC/7119 update.
 
As some of you might remember, I have two of these, one manufactured in 1962 by Philip's Heerlen factory, and the other manufactured in 1972 by Philip's New York factory. I should note that I run these tubes as drivers in an LD 1+. This evening I was able to spend some time listening and comparing, and as expected, the Heerlen tube is a bit more lush than the New York tube. Again, this is not a surprise to me, as I noticed the same differences when comparing Philips E88CCs manufactured in Heerlen and New York.
 
So next I rolled my favorite of the Philips 6DJ8 family, a 1961 E88CC/6922 manufactured in New York. It sounds very similar to the NY E182CC, but just a bit thinner in the upper bass/lower midrange.
 
Next, I rolled in the Telefunken 6463. It sounds most like the New York E88CC, but I believe it is a bit cleaner and more transparent. On the other hand, the NY E182CC has just a bit more body and fullness in the midrange than the E88CC and the 6463.
 
Of all these, I think I prefer the NY E182CC. However, this quick comparison was quite limited, allowing me to discern only a few differences in tonality and not much else.  My feeling is that I need to spend more time with both the NY E182CC and the Telefunken 6463 in order to better understand what I am hearing.
 
Again these differences in tonality are quite small, and I enthusiastically recommend all of them, the NY E88CC, both the NY and Heerlen E182CC and the Telefunken 6463. These are all terrific tubes.

 

[Nic Rhodes]

   
Not sure which post you are responding to...
 
What we need is more info on alternatives to the 6N6-type power tubes for the LD II, III and IV.
 
A number have tried 6SN7s and 5687s with good results. While I have tried E182CC, 7044, 6463, 6350 as drivers, and believe them to be very good, I have not seen any posts about using these as power tubes. Of course, those who have adapters to allow the use of 5687 can also roll E182CC and 7044, so I am hoping that someone will take the plunge.
 
Unfortunately, I have yet to see an adapter to roll 6463 and 6350 in a 6N6/6GC7/6DJ8 socket. In order to run these as drivers, I am using two adapters, one from 6463 to 6SN7 and then a second 6SN7 to 6N6. Pretty ugly! lol.

 
Sorry if I have explained this poorly gibosi. I have about 90x E182CC here and it would take seconds to pop into the adapter as output tube if anyone was interested in something specific. Similarly almost 150x 5687s.
 
So for E182CC they are printed as say Mullards from Holland, Great Britiain and USA. [Some also marked foreign but probably Holland], Valvo West Germany, GE, USA, Amperex, USA, Philips, USA and Holland. Most are probably Mullard marked however.

 

[buldogge]

Hey guys...Got a slightly unrelated question.  I picked up a MK III on the cheap, seller says static in left channel...I can induce or eliminate the static by moving the tube (any tube) around in the left driver socket.
 
I pulled the board (whew) and checked the soldering...all good.  Both 7-pin sockets are "loose" in their construction.  Is this normal?  You can twist the bodies (not the pins soldered to the PCB) axially a bit and feel play in the "cap".
 
Any thoughts???
 
I posted in the MK III mods thread, but that thread is barely breathing...so...anyone here with board mods, that has thoughts in that arena, would love your thoughts on cap replacement choices/etc.
 
TIA
-Mark in St. Louis

 

[Nic Rhodes]

pinch the pins with some needle nose pliers in the pin sockets when off for a while, clean and straighten pins of tubes if you can.

 

[buldogge]

Hey Nic...Will do.  Weird thing is, the pin sockets are rather tight already.  Is the looseness of the ceramic body "normal".
 
TA
-Mark

 

[Nic Rhodes]

yes often wobbly in the ceramic but should be tight when soldered to pcb. They look bad when in your hand but get better when soldered in. No harm in pinching them a little to get a tight connection.

 

[gibosi]

  ...............I have about 90x E182CC here and it would take seconds to pop into the adapter as output tube if anyone was interested in something specific. Similarly almost 150x 5687s.
 
So for E182CC they are printed as say Mullards from Holland, Great Britiain and USA. [Some also marked foreign but probably Holland], Valvo West Germany, GE, USA, Amperex, USA, Philips, USA and Holland. Most are probably Mullard marked however.

 
About 90x E182CC accumulated over many years... What a wonderful collection!
 
In addition to Philips and Amperex, I often see eBay listings for E182CC with Mullard, Valvo and even Telefunken labels. However, on close examination of the pictures, these always have etched Heerlen or Hicksville, NY production codes. But I have long wondered... Were any E182CC manufactured in Eindhoven before the Heerlen plant opened? Or in Britain by Mullard? Or in Hamburg by Valvo? It occurs to me that if so, you likely have specimens in your collection... If such tubes do in fact exist, I for one would be very curious to know how they compare to the Heerlen and NY tubes.

 

[buldogge]

  yes often wobbly in the ceramic but should be tight when soldered to pcb. They look bad when in your hand but get better when soldered in. No harm in pinching them a little to get a tight connection.

Hey Nic...TA...The pins aren't wobbly at all...the ceramic body is "loose"...it can be rotated slightly on its axis/twisted...pins stay solidly put in the PCB...pins in the socket are tight.
 
-Mark

 

[Nic Rhodes]

 
Hey Nic...TA...The pins aren't wobbly at all...the ceramic body is "loose"...it can be rotated slightly on its axis/twisted...pins stay solidly put in the PCB...pins in the socket are tight.
 
-Mark

 Two side of the same coin, often the pins are not solid with the body, not uncommon Mark. It is the electrical connection that is important more than the ceramic bit. That jsut keeps stuff separate.

 

[Acapella11]

I've read they have amazing bass response which I want very much for live drum recordings.

 
Hi mab, from an initial very preliminary comparison, Ken-Rad VT231 vs. Sylvania 6SN7WGT, the differences are quite significant. The K-R sounds darker, with more bass bias, lusher and with female voices more "seducing", which makes the Sylvanias then sound a bit thinner and brighter, resulting for example in more aggressively sounding guitar plucks. I am not yet sure whether the darker character of the K-Rs also results in a blacker background and more details.
The K-Rs are a good match with the HD800.

 

[buldogge]

 
 Two side of the same coin, often the pins are not solid with the body, not uncommon Mark. It is the electrical connection that is important more than the ceramic bit. That jsut keeps stuff separate.

Got it...Thanx.  So I guess the only other failure mode would be if there was internal break of a pin.
 
Moot point right now...Dealing with attempting to rewire this volume pot and it's cramped tiny wiring!!
 
TA
-Mark

 

[i luvmusic 2]

I have a channel imbalance from my 1+ it's a shame i need to butcher it again

 

[buldogge]

Ok...Getting ready to tackle the 6SN7/C3G adapter today.  I've attached a couple pics...Could anyone confirm that i have the pins numbered correctly?  Also, Is Hypnos pin-out correct here in post #8157?