[willne1]

Hey guys, I have been learning a lot about tubes from this thread and I really appreciate it. Can someone tell me if this tube on the right looks like a legitimate Mullard? Personally I think the tube on the left is legit but the one on the right I have my doubts about. It has one row of numbers etched in it whereas the one on the left has two, check out the plates.

 

[HungryPanda]

These are the Mullards I have

 

[gibosi]

Hey guys, I have been learning a lot about tubes from this thread and I really appreciate it. Can someone tell me if this tube on the right looks like a legitimate Mullard? Personally I think the tube on the left is legit but the one on the right I have my doubts about. It has one row of numbers etched in it whereas the one on the left has two, check out the plates.

I assume these are M8100 / 6AK5W? These tubes are not worth enough money for anyone to go to the trouble to make fakes. Rather, it is likely that they were made at different times, and this would explain why the tube on the right has extra bracing at the plate/mica junction while the other does not.

 

[willne1]

Thanks for the response gibosi, they are indeed 6ak5w. So if you are correct do you think they would sound close enough to each other that it would not be an issue? the tube on the right after closer inspection (now that it's a sunny day) appears to have the bottom row of etching warn off so it's unreadable. But the top row is definitely numbered 590.

 

[gibosi]

I assume that they both have rectangular getter holders (can't make out the construction above the top mica on the right tube, but the extra bracing suggests it is the oldest of the two), so both were likely manufactured in the 1950's. So yes, I would think that they were manufactured close enough in time to sound about the same.

On the other hand, I have a pair labeled CV4010 manufactured in the 1980's, some thirty years later, and I am much less confident that these would sound the same as yours.

 

[willne1]

Both of my tubes have the rectangular getter, I saw some of those tubes you have pictured above on ebay and also the RTC labeled Mullard tubes. I was thinking about getting one or the other but I was searching on here and can't really find anything about there sound. Anyhow, I feel a little better about the two we're talking about in my post so thanks for your help on that.

 

[superdux]

Hi,

i bought a violectric v200 recently and wondered if i could use my ldmkiii as a preamp with it?

 

[mordy]

Hi,

i bought a violectric v200 recently and wondered if i could use my ldmkiii as a preamp with it?

Hi Superdux,
From the little I know, people who fed one preamp into another one ended up with an exaggerated unpleasant sound, but that was two tube preamps.
You could try and see if you like it with your setup.

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

Hi,

i bought a violectric v200 recently and wondered if i could use my ldmkiii as a preamp with it?

Hi Superdux,
From the little I know, people who fed one preamp into another one ended up with an exaggerated unpleasant sound, but that was two tube preamps.
You could try and see if you like it with your setup.

Sorry it took me 1 month to write this... The LD MK3 will serve as a preamp just fine. I used the MK4 SE to preamp my power speakers and the result was a surprise gain in clarity (crazy, right?).

How much distortion you'll have depends on how you set the volume on each amp. But, as @mordy said, the general rule of thumb is don't ever have 2 amps (pre + power) in your system. Once I just used my Aune T1 (which was DAC > tube buffer) with my Little Dot and it sounds really crapty. Too much of a good thing is never a good thing.

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

Guys I have something to ask... For the past year my tube collection has practically shrunk to: GE JAN 5654W, EI Yugo 6hm5 (tall bottle) and Voskhod 6zh1p EV (rocket logo on the box). Right now I feel like there's not much to try any more. I liked the Mullard 8100's warmth, but the cost really didn't make too much sense. Siemens 6ak5 practically sound the same. I had RCA and Brimar, nothing special I could tell.
Of the ones I have left, I liked the GE JAN's "sharp-ish" sound, which make them very good for Rock. EI Yugo are like, honey-sweet, perfect for softer music. Voskhod sort of in between, tubey-neutral, all-around good for everything.

What should I go next? I noticed the C3g years ago, but budget would be a problem. Among the cheaper driver tubes, what would bring something new to the table? I'm in the US so I'll pick up some tubes before going home, and I hope to make a decision soon. Otherwise I'll just stash up more GE JAN, El Yugo and Voskhods.

 

[mordy]

Guys I have something to ask... For the past year my tube collection has practically shrunk to: GE JAN 5654W, EI Yugo 6hm5 (tall bottle) and Voskhod 6zh1p EV (rocket logo on the box). Right now I feel like there's not much to try any more. I liked the Mullard 8100's warmth, but the cost really didn't make too much sense. Siemens 6ak5 practically sound the same. I had RCA and Brimar, nothing special I could tell.
Of the ones I have left, I liked the GE JAN's "sharp-ish" sound, which make them very good for Rock. EI Yugo are like, honey-sweet, perfect for softer music. Voskhod sort of in between, tubey-neutral, all-around good for everything.

What should I go next? I noticed the C3g years ago, but budget would be a problem. Among the cheaper driver tubes, what would bring something new to the table? I'm in the US so I'll pick up some tubes before going home, and I hope to make a decision soon. Otherwise I'll just stash up more GE JAN, El Yugo and Voskhods.

Hi WL,
You already have the best drivers and I don’t think that you will gain significantly with the C3g, not to speak about the cost of the tubes and the adapters.
The next upgrade would be a different amp, but that is a whole other story.

 

[JKWiig]

Hello guys I have been a lurker for many years and I have a Little Dot MKIII that I use as a pre-amp which is also a superb use for the LD

I run the Military spec Mullard 4015 EF92 driver tubes and a pair of Sovtek 6H30P-EV power tubes

I have been using two solid state D amps in vertical bi-amping mode on a set of XTZ 99.25`s Now I upgraded to a Naim NAP250 Clone amp and started tube rolling again
I have been happy with this setup for many years now. But the new amp has a different soundscape that needs some tweaking.

I noticed the C3G upgrade with adapters and the 6SN7 power tubes with adapters. I have removed my brass rings today and I have ordered adapters for both power and drivers.

So I have some questions for you guys.

1. It is basically the same what C3G`s I get since only Lorentz & Siemens made the C3G`s? And the jumpers need to be in EF95 mode? An eBay seller from Germany has some brand new Siemens that I am considering.
2. For power tubes, some Tung-Sol reissue 6SN7GTB should be good or a couple of Sylvania 6SN7GTB?

Thanks :3

 

[gibosi]

Hello guys I have been a lurker for many years and I have a Little Dot MKIII that I use as a pre-amp which is also a superb use for the LD

I run the Military spec Mullard 4015 EF92 driver tubes and a pair of Sovtek 6H30P-EV power tubes

I have been using two solid state D amps in vertical bi-amping mode on a set of XTZ 99.25`s Now I upgraded to a Naim NAP250 Clone amp and started tube rolling again
I have been happy with this setup for many years now. But the new amp has a different soundscape that needs some tweaking.

I noticed the C3G upgrade with adapters and the 6SN7 power tubes with adapters. I have removed my brass rings today and I have ordered adapters for both power and drivers.

So I have some questions for you guys.

1. It is basically the same what C3G`s I get since only Lorentz & Siemens made the C3G`s? And the jumpers need to be in EF95 mode? An eBay seller from Germany has some brand new Siemens that I am considering.
2. For power tubes, some Tung-Sol reissue 6SN7GTB should be good or a couple of Sylvania 6SN7GTB?

Thanks :3

To the best of my knowledge, If the black cans are shiny with white silk screened text and graphics, Siemens made them, no matter the brand -- Siemens, Lorens, Valvo or Telefunken. Most of these tubes were manufactured in the 1970's. If the cans are flat-black with embossed text and graphics, then they were manufactured by the company whose name appears on the tube. These tubes were typically manufactured in the 1960's and earlier.

And yes, use the EF95 mode.

As I had an LD1+, that is it had no power tubes, I will defer to others regarding the various reissues versus old-stock 6SN7.....

 

[mordy]

To the best of my knowledge, If the black cans are shiny with white silk screened text and graphics, Siemens made them, no matter the brand -- Siemens, Lorens, Valvo or Telefunken. Most of these tubes were manufactured in the 1970's. If the cans are flat-black with embossed text and graphics, then they were manufactured by the company whose name appears on the tube. These tubes were typically manufactured in the 1960's and earlier.

And yes, use the EF95 mode.

As I had an LD1+, that is it had no power tubes, I will defer to others regarding the various reissues versus old-stock 6SN7.....

Hi JKW,
I have the Tung Sol reissue 6SN7GTB tubes, and IMHO you are better off to buy an inexpensive pair of old production 6SN7 tubes instead.
The problem that all tube equipment manufacturers are facing today is that there are very few factories left, and to be able to have a stable supply of tubes you have to go to Russia or China for re-issues (or to Russia for large quantities of older tubes).
For an individual that just needs a pair or two it is not too difficult to find old tubes.
I found the 6SN7 power tubes better in the LD MKIII than the 6N6 variants.
I also have the C3g tubes which should work just fine.
Good luck!

 

[JKWiig]

Thank you very much for your responses.

I will upgrade my power with adapters and 6SN7 tubes and a pair of matched tall Ei 6HM5`s for drivers for now and I have the option to run C3g`s when I find a good bargain. I have bought the necessary adapters, though so I have them.

For my 6SN7 options, I got some matched Shuguang Chinese 6N8P (metal bottoms) and a pair of Russian Foton 6N8S. Looking forward to trying them out when they arrive here in Norway