[TrollDragon]

Just got some tubes in today. Not sure what to expect. They were pretty affordable and bought off Amazon. I will try them out tomorrow morning.

Nice, my MK IV came with GE 5654 installed as stock, they were the first things I changed out.

 

[Shane D]

Nice, my MK IV came with GE 5654 installed as stock, they were the first things I changed out.

Mine came with extra tubes, including 5654's, but they made a horrible sound and never settled down. I ended up throwing them away. I LOVE the Voshkods, but am curious about others.

I am actually using this amp right now, with a Schiit Loki in the chain. I have it on it mid-gain and am using my new T60 Argons.
Really nice sound. Very full and bassy, but it needs to be run at 2:00-3:00, depending on the music. If I was going to use just these, I might bump it up to high gain.

Before I turn everything on in the morning I will change the tubes and let it run for an hour or two. As long as there is no immediate noise.

 

[TrollDragon]

Mine came with extra tubes, including 5654's, but they made a horrible sound and never settled down. I ended up throwing them away. I LOVE the Voshkods, but am curious about others.

I am actually using this amp right now, with a Schiit Loki in the chain. I have it on it mid-gain and am using my new T60 Argons.
Really nice sound. Very full and bassy, but it needs to be run at 2:00-3:00, depending on the music. If I was going to use just these, I might bump it up to high gain.

Before I turn everything on in the morning I will change the tubes and let it run for an hour or two. As long as there is no immediate noise.

I'm out on the deck at the moment running my T50RP MK2 from the FiiO E12, would love to hear a pair of T60 Argons, very nice enjoy.

Hopefully the 5654W perform well.

 

[Shane D]

I'm out on the deck at the moment running my T50RP MK2 from the FiiO E12, would love to hear a pair of T60 Argons, very nice enjoy.

Hopefully the 5654W perform well.

Right out of the gate they sound wonderful. No noise, no static and no channel imbalance. They sound very smooth and I am going through my test list.
Laptop to BF2 to Schiit Loki to LD MKIII to T60 Argons.
I wish I could do an instant back and forth with the Voshkods.

 

[lupoal]

production date?

 

[Shane D]

production date?

No idea. I will have a look later.

 

[xxAMAROKxx]

True, the getters themselves have no effect on the sound. And further, they have no effect on other things that do.

For those of us who collect tubes, the primary importance of the getter shape is that it provides an important clue as to when the tube was manufactured. For example, halo getters were first introduced in the late 1950's, and became common in the 1960's and into the 1970's. And therefore, a Mullard M8100 with halo getters was likely manufactured in the 1960's, or later. Prior to that, Mullard M8100's had rectangular getters.

So your question could be rephrased: Do the older Mullard M8100 from the 1950's sound better than the newer ones?

(And as I haven't listened to those tubes in a several years, I will leave it to others to jump in here....)

Hmm, I can hear smoother, more laid-back hieghts with the ring getter. Square getter is a bit brighter and maybe more extended.

 

[gibosi]

Hmm, I can hear smoother, more laid-back hieghts with the ring getter. Square getter is a bit brighter and maybe more extended.

I have no trouble believing this. But I strongly doubt that any sonic differences you hear are solely due to the shape of the getter. It is more likely that coincident with the introduction of halo getters, Mullard made other changes to the construction of this tube due to new materials, new technologies and feedback from the field, and it is likely that some of these are not visible to the naked eye. Enjoy.

 

[CADCAM]

I have the LD MKIII and really enjoy the Yugo 6HM5 tall bottle tubes in it. Is the 6HM5 and 6HQ5 used safely in the LD MKIII? Is there any issue's running a 6HQ5? I don't want to do anything negative. The amp came stock with 5654's I believe. Is that whole family of 6J1, 5654, 6AK5 interchangeable with the 6HM5, 6HQ5 tube?

 

[gibosi]

I have the LD MKIII and really enjoy the Yugo 6HM5 tall bottle tubes in it. Is the 6HM5 and 6HQ5 used safely in the LD MKIII? Is there any issue's running a 6HQ5? I don't want to do anything negative. The amp came stock with 5654's I believe. Is that whole family of 6J1, 5654, 6AK5 interchangeable with the 6HM5, 6HQ5 tube?

The 6HM5 and 6HQ5 are very similar. And in the LD, they can be considered identical.

The amp was actually designed around the 6J1, 5654, 6AK5. And as a lucky coincidence, the 6HM5 / 6HQ5 are also plug and play. Enjoy.

 

[CADCAM]

Tried the 6HQ5, and while good, I still prefer the Tung-Sol 6AK5W. My power tubes https://www.ebay.com/itm/313238472630 with the Tung-Sol drivers is so musical to me that I think I could keep this combo in for quite some time. Great hobby!

 

[CADCAM]

I just got a Xduoo MT-602 hybrid headphone amp and have been rolling tubes in it with some great results. I was listening to Widespread Panic ~ Everyday and it sounded good being fed from my SMSL SU-8 DAC and NAD C542. Just to compare I put the same tracks on the Little Dot MKIII, itself being fed from a Maverick Audio D2 DAC and another NAD C542 I have (I love this CD player) and the LD thrashed the Xduoo completely. I know it should sound better the LD retails for almost three times the little Xduoo does and to be (un)fair I was using my Superlux HD668b cans with the Xduoo and my DT990 Premium (600 OHM) with the LD but man not even close. Maybe it's time to re-evaluate if I need 5 headphone amps...

 

[amorrish]

Hi Mojo35,

There is no such a thing as Sylvania gold grid tubes. What you are referring to are Sylvania tubes with gold plated pins. Some people are getting insane prices for these JAN (Joint Army and Navy) 5654 tubes.
As mentioned previously on this site, inexpensive Sylvania JAN 5654 tubes made in the 60' and 70's are identical to the ones with the gold plated pins, but without the gold plating on the pins, and they sound exactly the same. The way to identify these inexpensive tubes is to look for Contract Number DSA 900 on the box. Here is an example of the print line on the box: CONT. NO. DSA 900-67-C-9983 (This tube is from 1967).

Good luck tube rolling! I myself the have the 6N6P gold grid power tubes together with the Tung Sol 6AJ5 driver tubes, and in my system I am perfectly content to stay with this combination. I did notice that there is a slight variation in the sound between different years of the Tung Sol 6AJ5 tubes. The 1945 ones I tried first were very good, but a later 1960's pair had even stronger bass. The mid range is excellent, and the treble is absolutely gorgeous with crystal clear shimmering highs.

Would like to try the 6N6P-IR tubes, but I am waiting to find a bargain - I never paid more than $8 for a tube yet.

issue. always have is I have to pay more for the shipping to the UK than the cost of the tubes

 

[TrollDragon]

issue. always have is I have to pay more for the shipping to the UK than the cost of the tubes

Same here in Canada, it is what it is...

 

[triod750]

You should buy more expensive tubes. That would solve the problem. Try Italy!