[Carson]

I got tired of messing with my Little Bear preamp and went and bought their MP-P1 Tube Phono Preamp. I took the GL12AX7s out and stuck them in the new Preamp. While i was at it i changed out my audio-technica at-lp120-usb cart to a AT120EB. I had already bypassed the preamp section inside. After testing tubes i have settled on Tung-Sol 6L6G's and Sylvania 6Sj7WGT's.
The GL KT88's and RCA 5693 sounded way too high and tinny for my ears. 
The Preamp sounds worlds better, the new cartridge for my TT sounds way better so now its a whole new setup of tubes for the amp. The more its breaking in the better its sounding.
I dont have those really piercing highs and my midrange really opened up. Bass is quicker too.

 

[Carson]

I have some Svetlana SED "Winged C" EL34 coming from Upscale now. Will give them a try.
The Musical Paradise MP-P1 MM MC Tube Phono Preamp made a huge difference! Way more quiet, better sound, less buzzing.
My GL88's dont sound as good as the 6L6's. I tried them last night again. My RCA 5693 red tubes now sound a bit too bright and have a "metallic" sound to them. Dont know, the Sylvania 6SJ7WGT's sound richer.

 

[kpfeifle]

I tried a few different combos of tubes in this, my current favorites are the RCA black plate 807 tubes for power and NOS winged c EF86 for driver. I really can't believe the difference these made. Prior to that, I was using some Sylvania 6L6ga smoked glass tubes, but I find the 807's much more dynamic and musical.

 

[Samut89]

Hi guys..
Jonathan here..new to hifi stuffs also..
Have the mp301 mk3 for 1 year plus..

Having the gold lion KT88 and the Winged Efsj6..

Just recently bought form.a headfier 2 pair of tubes..

Just wanna ask..could i do tube rolling with these..??

Reflektor 6P6S (6V6 equivalent), 1968 (VII)..

Thanks,
Jonathan

 

[Carson]

Ok its been a few months.
I did buy their preamp. That helped alot. GL 12AX7 in V1 and 2 and OEM Tung-Sol 12AZ7 (has less gain) in V3 and 4
As for the amp i am running RCA 6SJ7GT's and Winged SED EL34
 
It sounds way way better. Still sensitive to EM from my light switches but now it really fills the room and brought out the mid-range while cutting some of the shrill from the high end i was experiencing. I put my subwoofer on a thick piece of butcher block to reflect the sound better as well. I made sure my amp is away from speakers and vibrations and used shorter RCA cables
 
If you need help with tubes, which ones are similar and pins and all that download this
 
http://www.duncanamps.com/tdslpe/

 

[KyungMin]

Just picked one of these up. Can anyone recommend some speakers to use on there? also I have a pair of 6SN7 tubes but not sure if the amp can use them. I have the MP-301 MKII with PSvane power tubes and stock preamp tubes. Thanks!

 

[Carson]

I am using the Fluance SX6-BK bookshelf speakers and their Sub.
They sound fine. I think my setup has reached the point where some better speakers are needed so i was looking at the

TriTrix MTM TL Speaker Components And Cabinet Kit Pair

from Parts Express.
(Sorry my copy and paste) You have to build them yourself but has good reviews.
 
As for the tube, i really dont know. Give Gary and email at M.P and ask.
Read up on my post to see which tubes i am using now.  But what i learned is you change one thing in  your setup-like TT needle- and it changes the whole system. Thats the "fun" of tube rolling.

 

[Veltri]

Hi, I'm new to tubes and have this amp on the way.
What would be a very warm sounding tube that would be great for female vocals and acoustic guitar? Or do you get warmth at the expense of vocals?

 

[wietrg]

I have had mine now for around 8 months and so far so good. When i first got it the fuse would blow but Gerry instructed me to use a higher value and its been fine since.
I am running GL KT88's and RCA 5693 red tubes and so far i keep going back to them.  The sound stage is alot wider, instrument separation is very noticeable and clear. It is like listening to music in "3-D".  Nuances and little details i never noticed have come out.  This combo can seem a bit bright.
I have also tested the 6550 -seems good for low end but centers the sound stage some and the Syvlania 6sj7WGT does the same thing.
Certain music which is very bright i switch the lower sounding tubes. It doesnt seem to like music with a lot of heavy distortion. 
My TT is an Audio-Technica  AT-LP-120 usb. I jumped the wires from tone arm past the internal preamp directly  to the output. Even with the internal preamp bypassed switch set to External the signal still went through a circuit board. I wanted a clean sound.  Jumping it did help. I use a spare blue ray DVD to play CDs and i think it sounds just fine, less harsh.
My Preamp is a Little Bear Toroidal Transformer Little bear T10 Pro with Russian 6N2 tubes. Speakers are Fluance SX6-BK bookshelf (89db) and their subwoofer.  I can crank it up pretty loud.
So far thats all the tube rolling i have done with it.  I did alot of research and tried to use everyone's suggestions, but it is hard to find people who are tube rolling with this amp. I tried to buy the best of the lower priced gear because i am not rich. Being able to modify things helps build a better sounding system.

Hum and Buzz...I moved the amp away from the subwoofer and i turn off all the lights except an overhead LED. Dimmer switches are awful noisy when on. Plasma TV's too. Anything that causes EMF it will pick up, but not as bad as the tube preamp which i had to "fab" a grounded shield for.  Hum and buzz are acceptable now. I have to crank it to 2 o'clock to hear hum clearly. Careful for ground loops as well. Plug everything into one power strip.
Different tubes are more noisy as well. Cheap tubes means more noise. I did try the Chinese tubes that came with it-very noisy. 

 

 

[wietrg]

Have you ever try GL KT77 with RCA 5693 red tube?

Thanks
Wiet

 

[nickverlaine]

I reckon the winged c in pre and tad 6l6 are audio magic. I couldn't stand the red rca in pre. Maybe I got a bad pair. Underwhelmed by the gold lion KT66.

 

[hiilari]

One of my original 6L6's started making snap-cracle-pop sounds so it's time to get new ones. Meanwhile I grabbed a new pair of Electro-Harmonix EL34s to keep Tidal flowing in my home office - but I don't like the sound, really. I love EL34s in guitar amps but not here. Suggestions as to what to look for in 6L6s?

 

[Carson]

One of my original 6L6's started making snap-cracle-pop sounds so it's time to get new ones. Meanwhile I grabbed a new pair of Electro-Harmonix EL34s to keep Tidal flowing in my home office - but I don't like the sound, really. I love EL34s in guitar amps but not here. Suggestions as to what to look for in 6L6s?

Over time i did the upgrades to this amp. Bigger caps, ect ect.
I have settled on the Sylvania 6SJ7WGT and Tung-Sol 6L6G
The 6SJ7WGT's are a bit harder to find than they used to

 

[andred]

bringing this thread back up. recently pulled out my MP-301. had not liked it compared to XDuoo 20 and 30 last time i compared. swapped some obscure russian tubes out, and some more classic tubes in. the 301 sounds amazing! and not just "for the price." switched in Gold Lion KT-88s and enjoying this sound more than expected. currently running the RCA "red can" input tubes. how are others faring with your 301s?

 

[unclefred]

I'm using one on my desktop, Military spec glass bottle 6SH7GT in the inputs, so far my favorite, and JJ KT77's.