[UntilThen]

For sheer thrill, I listen with my headphone setup because it will take a very good stereo system and a well done acoustic treated room to give me the same enjoyment. Susvara is breathaking in my setup.

 

[Isaacc7]

Oh man, this amp…

I have never listened to an amp using ultra linear before. With these particular tubes it is… well, extraordinary. Ultra linear is supposed to give you the advantages of both pentode (more power) and triode (lower distortion, lower output impedance which leads to better dampening). With these 7c5 ultra linear has smoothed out the mid/highs and deepened and tightened the bass. It has also opened up the whole image and now there is much more air. Tomorrow I will see if it sounds any better with the 4 ohm tap.

I‘ll soon switch over to the tube rolling thread but I wanted to highlight just how flexible this amp is. I really feel like I can dial in the sound. For tube hobbyists like myself this is so nice. While ultra linear is pretty common with push pull amps, you can also use it with SE amps as well. SE amps using pentodes/tetrodes of course. The transformer would cost more but it’s something worth asking about if you ever have Tomas make you an amp.

Oh, the amp is dead quiet and runs pretty cool so far. The adjustable voltages for B+ and bias can lead to extra amps that the regulator has to disapate. I’ve stuck to the guidelines Tomas gave me and the side with the heat sinks is warm but not hot. And the power transformer isn’t making any heat at all as far as I can tell.

 

[audiargent]

Ok, first complaint. The power light is white! Ugh. Turn off the lights and it is impossible to see anything else. My gear is in front of me and so it is just blazing into my eyes. Why is a light needed at all? If an indicator is needed why not a small, dim red one? I’m going to have to figure out a way to cover this up. Hopefully it won’t be too ugly with the lights on.

I had asked to have it removed. No power light for me.... Just tubes!

 

[SonicTrance]

Yup. @SonicTrance is there a red light that can replace the stock one?

I’m sure there are plenty of options. The mounting hole is 8mm. Get a 12V LED. Personally I like white as it’s cleaner looking. My reasoning for a pilot light is I like to know instantly when I flip the switch that the amp is ON, and not have to wait for the tubes to heat up.

 

[OctavianH]

In my case I have no pilot light but VU meters light orange when I start the amp. However, I also have an ON/OFF switch for them, case in which no light except tubes. I barely use this one since I keep 99% the VU meters on. Reason for ordering was to ensure no distraction in low light and also to check if sound quality is influenced by something like this, as far as I know these measure on mine output signal.

 

[UntilThen]

No led light on my Odyssey. I have 6 tubes lighted.

 

[UntilThen]

Oh, the amp is dead quiet and runs pretty cool so far.

Seems to be so with all Ultrasonic amps.

 

[UntilThen]

Friday night with an all Tung Sol setup. Tung Sol 6su7gty and 6550. With such light show why would I need led light. I'm always amazed whenever I use 6550 because the bass is so special and the treble so clear but it's the mids that stands out imo.

 

[baronbeehive]

I listen to a wide variety of music except pop country and hip hop/rap left me behind around 2005 or so lol. My typical late night listening has been Indian classical music recently but I do also enjoy classical guitar and piano as well. First music using the amp is Andrew Bird’s album My Finest Work Yet.

I also like traditional Indian music, have you any titles like this you could post? I have quite a few classical guitar albums if you're interested.

... Keep in mind that multi driver speakers with passive crossovers present a much more complicated load than single driver headphones.

I was concerned about this when I got my amp but I needn't have worried, it sounds fine.

 

[Isaacc7]

I’m sure there are plenty of options. The mounting hole is 8mm. Get a 12V LED. Personally I like white as it’s cleaner looking. My reasoning for a pilot light is I like to know instantly when I flip the switch that the amp is ON, and not have to wait for the tubes to heat up.

Maybe it would be better to disconnect mine. That should be pretty easy to do right? That would save me from covering up the light and messing up the looks.

 

[Isaacc7]

I’m sure there are plenty of options. The mounting hole is 8mm. Get a 12V LED. Personally I like white as it’s cleaner looking. My reasoning for a pilot light is I like to know instantly when I flip the switch that the amp is ON, and not have to wait for the tubes to heat up.

White looks good when there’s light in the room. In the dark it is blinding. I can’t luxuriate in how good tubes look lit up! On a more serious note white light ruins night vision. When I look away I can’t see anything at all for a bit. It is also going to make it more difficult to see if there is any plate glow as I play with voltages. I will look for replacement LEDs. Are there different kinds of mounting options I need to look for?

 

[gibosi]

White looks good when there’s light in the room. In the dark it is blinding. I can’t luxuriate in how good tubes look lit up! On a more serious note white light ruins night vision. When I look away I can’t see anything at all for a bit. It is also going to make it more difficult to see if there is any plate glow as I play with voltages. I will look for replacement LEDs. Are there different kinds of mounting options I need to look for?

You could also just cover it with a decal of some sort. Maybe one of these?

https://www.redbubble.com/shop/vacuum+tube+stickers

 

[Isaacc7]

You could also just cover it with a decal of some sort. Maybe one of these?

https://www.redbubble.com/shop/vacuum+tube+stickers

It would have to be pretty opaque but it’s a thought. A friend of mine ended up using black electrician’s tape cover up a blue LED on one of his amps. Blue is the absolute worst color for this sort of thing. It stands out in the day and absolutely bores holes into your skull at night.

 

[SonicTrance]

White looks good when there’s light in the room. In the dark it is blinding. I can’t luxuriate in how good tubes look lit up! On a more serious note white light ruins night vision. When I look away I can’t see anything at all for a bit. It is also going to make it more difficult to see if there is any plate glow as I play with voltages. I will look for replacement LEDs. Are there different kinds of mounting options I need to look for?

What you need to take into account is that the front panel is 10mm thick. So you need a long threaded light holder. Mounting hole is 8mm.

Disconnecting it is really easy as well. Just cut one, or both, of the wires that runs to it. Be sure to insulate the ends when your done as to not short a thing out.

 

[UntilThen]

Which light bother you most here? None imo. They are just stars in the universe.