[PanamaRed]

I have a local tube hookup I use. He really has no use for those tubes and just charges me for his time to find them in storage.
 
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But where did you find those red lablels already?  Though very low on my list of priorities I did try to find the GE red's without any luck.
 

 

 

[DeadEars]

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In anticipation of my new MAD Ear + HD I already have a small collection of tubes forming:
 
So far, 2 pairs of 12b4a GE Red labels.
 
Mullard 12ax7 Longplate Halo Getter
Telefunken Smooth Plate
Telefunken Ribbed Plate
Sylvania Triple Mica Gold Brand
So I have a great deal of testing to do....

 
I'm thinking of perhaps getting some additional 12b4a's for more possible combinations.
 

Congrats on your MAD amp.  I'm fonder of the 5751 tubes in mine (which is a Super, not the standard model) than the 12AX7's.  That said, the new production Gold Lion 12AX7's (New Sensor) sound really good, and they're cheaper than most good NOS.
 
I find the Telefunkens a little too thin sounding, tho I've only used ribbed plates.  They last forever though!
 
I like the sylvania's too, altho I've had several varieties.  The TMBP's are among the best.
 
I have some nice Mullards, but have never tried them in the MAD amp.  They're in my Rhea preamp at the moment.  I tried some of the re-issue Mullard-clones and found that they lacked clarity in the highs.  I was disappointed.
 
The other 12AX7 tubes that I really like in my MAD amp are orange label Holland mfgr Amperex Bugle Boys.  They have a richer, fuller sound than the Telefunkens, and are my standard when I want the higher gain of 12AX7's versus 5751's. 
 
The 5751's sound a little more linear to me, and I have more of those that I like.  Some cheap JG JAN GE's are among my favorites.  I also have tried the 5-star's with success, and some double-mica black plate RCA's that I really like a lot.
 
So far, I've found NO correlation between sound quality and cost of the tubes.  Best to try everything and settle on what works best with your source & cans!
 
HTH,
 
Frank

 

[eucariote]

Quote:

In anticipation of my new MAD Ear + HD I already have a small collection of tubes forming:
 
So far, 2 pairs of 12b4a GE Red labels.
 
Mullard 12ax7 Longplate Halo Getter
Telefunken Smooth Plate
Telefunken Ribbed Plate
Sylvania Triple Mica Gold Brand
So I have a great deal of testing to do....

 
I'm thinking of perhaps getting some additional 12b4a's for more possible combinations.
 

Haven't tried the first 3 on your list.  Tho of the ones I've tried with RS-1, my favorites are Sylvania triple mica gray plate (gold brand, yellow & green letter) and Raytheon WMG.  Enjoy!

 

 

[PanamaRed]

Thanks a lot DeadEars and Eucariote. I will try to get my hands on some 5751s, Orange Label Amperex, and that Raytheon tube. Thankfully I know a local guy that stocks these tubes in huge quantities. Actually he was talking very highly of a Matsushita 12ax7 that I probably will pick up next.

 

[rclanger]

Generally not as common, but I've been using  Tung-Sol 5751's in my Super II along with the RS1-i phones I picked up recently. Seems to be a pretty good combination.  Will try my Sylvania TMGP's soon.

 

[indydieselnut]

I thought I'd post a picture of my new baby in this thread as well.  I greatly appreciate all the tube-rolling discussion as I am picking my way through 5751s right now.  Great discussion!
 

 

[PanamaRed]

Wow she is gorgeous. And i'm really digging your room in general. Lots of natural materials and some cool looking artwork. Good stuff.
 
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I thought I'd post a picture of my new baby in this thread as well.  I greatly appreciate all the tube-rolling discussion as I am picking my way through 5751s right now.  Great discussion!
 

 

 

[indydieselnut]

Panama, thank you for the kind words!  The unfinished basement (man cave) is a great place to listen - dark, quiet.  I scored the old Steelcase desks, I have nice tapestries from travel in the middle-east, and I also love natural materials. 
 
The amp is coming along nicely and I have a good selection of 5751 tubes to roll in as I have time.  Cheers!

 

[PanamaRed]

Quote:

Panama, thank you for the kind words!  The unfinished basement (man cave) is a great place to listen - dark, quiet.  I scored the old Steelcase desks, I have nice tapestries from travel in the middle-east, and I also love natural materials. 
 
The amp is coming along nicely and I have a good selection of 5751 tubes to roll in as I have time.  Cheers!

Ahh lucky man. I've always wanted a basement but they are hard to come by here in Los Angeles (earthquakes and all).

 

[blur510]

Hi all, I have a problem with a MAD Ear + I shipped ( I know it's not a purist HD but) I am hoping someone here can help. I am not the builder of this unit, and I am not really a DIY'er so I have no clue what I am looking at. Here is a picture, taken by the person I sold the MAD ear + sent me.
 

 
I was told that the screws holding the transformer came loose in transit and that 2 wires a black and a green one was severed from it's original connection.  He was able to re attach(solder) the wires but the amp still doesn't work.  We are both thinking that we are missing something or that the wires weren't connected to the right location. Any ideas? thanks

 

[lbj]

Hopefully someone can help you.  I can't tell from that pic myself.  I would contact Lloyd too, iirc he's willing to troubleshoot even if the amp has changed hands.

 

[tme110]

It's interesting how different those new legs make the whole amp look.  I don't think it would have the same effect on the un-super but I like it.
 
Quote:

Wow she is gorgeous. And i'm really digging your room in general. Lots of natural materials and some cool looking artwork. Good stuff.
 


 

 

 

[rclanger]

I thought I'd post a picture of my new baby in this thread as well.  I greatly appreciate all the tube-rolling discussion as I am picking my way through 5751s right now.  Great discussion!
 

Wow! I agree on the sharp looks! I almost went with the Sage Green on my Super II but settled on the RCA Red that seems to be their house-finish.

A couple of questions:
Are the brass footers that replaced the stock feet screwed into the base?
What type of headphone jacks are you using?

Thanks

 

[indydieselnut]

Thanks for the nice words guys!  I'm not typically a tweaky kind of guy, but the footers made a nice difference on my HD250 when I had it so I thought I'd try.  
 
The footers are from Mapleshade.  It's a company that draws a lot of comments because of its unorthodox approach.  I've fooled with some of their stuff with success.  I also like quite a few of the records they produce.  It's so shocking and refreshing to hear a record with no compression!  
 
One set of the footers (power supply) is lightly glued with Gorilla Glue.  Because most of the components of the power supply of the Super II are attached to the baseplate it would be a nightmare to try and screw the footers on.  The set of footers on the amp portion is threaded for 1/4"x20.  I removed the bottom plate, drilled out the rear two holes and made a new hole in the front...then just screwed them on.  I'd like to claim some golden-eared rationale for the alternating front-to-back orientation between the PSU and amp but it is purely out of necessity.  I would have rather had the two in the front on the amp for stability, but the transformers ruled it out.  As it is, I like the quirky look they add.  The walnut block is from a previous project and I'm using the Mapleshade cork blocks.  
 
The Saturn is sitting on a purely self-made platform of rejected granite (cut to dimension) and some old Billy-Bags cones fixed with blu-tack and sitting on some old Billy-Bags discs.  I hear NO difference in sound with or without that platform but it allows me to precisely level the player...which I have found is a plus.
 
I have a whole pile of GE 5-star 5751 tubes on the way from different sources.  It'll be fun to roll them in.  Also, a Moon Audio Blue Dragon v.3 cable is now living on the HD650s.  After time with HD800, PS1000, GS1000i, RS1i, AH-D7000 and many others I keep coming back to the HD650s.  I guess I'm okay if that makes me lo-fi!  They're comfy and they make music with my gear.
 
Cheers guys, lots of great stuff in this thread! 

 

[indydieselnut]

My apologies for not getting your other question - they are the locking Neutrik headphone jacks.  I've had them on a bunch of different amps and appreciate their build.  My Super II had a few odd items including the Auricaps, BlackGates, different-spec RCA jacks, passive preamp option, and the Neutrik jacks.  If I didn't tend to listen quietly I would have gladly gotten the DACT attenuator.  All the amps I've had with a stepped attenuator caused me fits trying to create the proper volume.  
 
 
Quote:

Wow! I agree on the sharp looks! I almost went with the Sage Green on my Super II but settled on the RCA Red that seems to be their house-finish.

A couple of questions:
Are the brass footers that replaced the stock feet screwed into the base?
What type of headphone jacks are you using?

Thanks