[TrollDragon]

This is so true i have used 6SN7 with all my amps but none are designed for it,The 6SN7 works/sound good with all my amps so i thought these tube is really good until i build these amp(see pictures)that is designed to run 6SN7 and WOW! these tube really shine it sound much much better than before.

Exactly!

Sweet looking amp, nice build!

 

[i luvmusic 2]

Exactly!

Sweet looking amp, nice build!

The beauty of this amp i can use 6/12SN7.Thanks!

 

[Hefeweizen]

I have a question on the 6N6p-IR power tubes. I am getting black "burn" marks on the sides of the tube. Is this normal? The entire MK2 seems hot after a while. I am not getting any black burn marks using standard 6N6P gold grids. I will attach a few pictures for detail.



Thanks!

 

[gulakpii]

These black "burnt" marks came with the tubes during manufacturing on mine. You probably just didn't notice them before.
If you check the pictures they post on new tubes, you'll see them there!

 

[Hefeweizen]

Thanks. I have a few more sets coming. I will look over each carefully. They do look like heat or burn marks though.

 

[OctavianH]

Mine look the same, and I observed them before using the MK2. I used here 3 months 6N6P-IR without problems so I guess they are fine.

 

[i luvmusic 2]

I do have a 6SN7 that developed that burnt marks it still working fine after all tubes gets really hot,Just my opinion i'am not a tube expert.

 

[kamzak88]

Hi I have a question. CV4015 (mullard m8161) and CV131 (6Cq6) are the same tubes?

 

[TrollDragon]

Hi I have a question. CV4015 (mullard m8161) and CV131 (6Cq6) are the same tubes?

Yes, Radiomuseum says they are basically the same tube.
http://www.radiomuseum.org/tubes/tube_cv4015.html
http://www.radiomuseum.org/tubes/tube_cv131.html

 

[gibosi]

For all intents and purposes they can be considered the same. The CV4015 is a special quality ruggedized version of the CV131. That is, it was designed to withstand severe vibration and shock allowing it to be used in difficult military and industrial operating conditions. Assuming that your Little Dot is not being used in such an environment, there is no advantage to using a CV4015 over a CV131.

 

[kamzak88]

so why such a different

"2.3 Mullard CV131/6CQ6

These are very nice sounding tubes with a laid back character that feels like you’re sitting a few rows back from the center of a concert hall. Keeping with the typical Mullard family sound, these tubes emphasize warmth and fullness, a characteristic I find very complimentary for my collection of Grado headphones. Bass quality is excellent in terms of texture and nuance, this is toe-tapping bass without being overpowering. Overall these are very nice tubes with no obvious faults and much to love.
Bass: 17
Mid: 18
Treble: 16
Detail: 14
Soundstage: 16
Total: 81/100

2.4 Mullard M8161/CV401

Focus is the word. This mil-spec version of the Mullard CV131 is one of the best sounding EF92 tubes around. It brings to the table all of the fine qualities of the Mullard CV131 and adds to it a background so extraordinarily quiet you will actually notice the silence between notes. A low noise floor lets details stand out, and music with female vocals in particular is presented with a magical sense of focused intimacy that draws you in and makes you feel as if the singer is standing right next to you, singing into your ears with all the inflections and emotions preserved. Overall this tube is well balanced and ‘audiophile’ sounding and is one of my personal favorites.
Bass: 19
Mid: 18
Treble: 19
Detail: 20
Soundstage: 19
Total: 95/100
"

??

 

[TrollDragon]

so why such a different

"2.3 Mullard CV131/6CQ6

These are very nice sounding tubes with a laid back character that feels like you’re sitting a few rows back from the center of a concert hall. Keeping with the typical Mullard family sound, these tubes emphasize warmth and fullness, a characteristic I find very complimentary for my collection of Grado headphones. Bass quality is excellent in terms of texture and nuance, this is toe-tapping bass without being overpowering. Overall these are very nice tubes with no obvious faults and much to love.
Bass: 17
Mid: 18
Treble: 16
Detail: 14
Soundstage: 16
Total: 81/100

2.4 Mullard M8161/CV401

Focus is the word. This mil-spec version of the Mullard CV131 is one of the best sounding EF92 tubes around. It brings to the table all of the fine qualities of the Mullard CV131 and adds to it a background so extraordinarily quiet you will actually notice the silence between notes. A low noise floor lets details stand out, and music with female vocals in particular is presented with a magical sense of focused intimacy that draws you in and makes you feel as if the singer is standing right next to you, singing into your ears with all the inflections and emotions preserved. Overall this tube is well balanced and ‘audiophile’ sounding and is one of my personal favorites.
Bass: 19
Mid: 18
Treble: 19
Detail: 20
Soundstage: 19
Total: 95/100
"

??

A very subjective description of a pair of tubes.
If you use the exact same tubes that he had for that trial, you might get similar results.

Don't forget that 95% of all the tubes we use in the LD as drivers were designed for high frequency RF & IF circuits. It's a bonus that we can strap these pentode's to run as a triode's and use them for audio purposes.

 

[gibosi]

And I would add.... Tubes manufactured at different times and in different factories often sound different. That is, tubes manufactured in the 1950's often sound different than those manufactured later, even in the same factory. Plus, tubes manufactured in different factories owned by different companies typically sound different. For example, Mullard is not the only manufacturer of these tubes. I have also seen CV131 manufactured by STC, Brimar, British Mazda (Ediswan) and MOV.

IMHO, unless we know precisely which tubes -- factory and date of manufacture -- are being compared, as well as the other equipment in the reviewers system, I suggest one should not take these reviews too seriously.

And given that the prices are not exorbitant, I would encourage you to try Brimar, STC, MOV, Mazda and Mullard versions of these tubes to see which sound best in your system with your ears.

 

[kamzak88]

Thanks for advice and information

 

[OctavianH]

Ok guys, I spent 10-15 hours to evaluate the C3G in conjunction with Jan Philips 6SN7 via adapters. Gain set to 5 to avoid the buzz (minimum value for this). My final statement is 9/10.
I tried then C3G with 6N6P, 6N6P-IR, Gain = 3 and I think the score remained close. So the output tubes do not really make a difference here, or I have bad ears and I do not sense it.
I tried also the 6HM5 in conjunction with 6N6P=IR and the score was 8/10. Quite good, nice surprise. But in the end I put my Voskhods near the same 6N6P=IR and the score was 10/10.
The magic was back. The perfect balance of what I need. So I will keep these ones and the others in a box. I will not sell anything at the moment because the pleasure of rolling them remains.
So I am one of those crazy guys who prefer Voskhod over the C3G. Hell knows why when all arguments and science contradicts me.