[techboy]

Jeremy has asked me to choose between 6N1P and RCA Clear Top 12AU7.
 
Can you explain to me the difference in sound characteristics and tonal differences between the two tubes on offer?
 
In terms of:
 
Mids
Highs
Lows
Transparency and clearness
Crispness
Lushness
Forward or neutral etc?

 

[cheaphifi]

Quote:

Jeremy has asked me to choose between 6N1P and RCA Clear Top 12AU7.
 
Can you explain to me the difference in sound characteristics and tonal differences between the two tubes on offer?
 
In terms of:
 
Mids
Highs
Lows
Transparency and clearness
Crispness
Lushness
Forward or neutral etc?

 
6N1P is more on the "fun-side" : big bass impact, good dynamic, a bit warm, good extension in the highs but not great precision.
RCA Cleartop is more lean and transparent on all frequencies, crispy highs, good precision and clearness, great mids, bass is not as impactfull as on the 6N1P but theay have a best amount of details.
 
You should ask for a RCA Cleartop, i think it will fit your taste better.

 

[techboy]

Which is more neutral? Which has clearer mids?

 

[RAZRr1275]

Quote:

Which is more neutral? Which has clearer mids?

Read this http://musicandlistening.wordpress.com/2013/08/15/another-post-on-synergy-fostex-t50rp-project-ember-and-voshkod-6n1p/
 
As far as neutral, that doesn't exist in the tube world for the most part so there really isn't too much of a point in talking about it

 

[ethan7000]

Look what came in today

 

[rmouser]

Hello ethan7000,
 
Ah, welcome to the world of Projects. I have a Sunrise 2, Starlight and Ember. If you really like rolling then you have the right amp!
 
There is a separate thread for Starlight at     
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/657635/incredible-the-younger-sibling-of-project-sunrise-2-the-new-project-starlight/15
 

 

[ethan7000]

Thanks rmouser!

 

[techboy]

Can you recommend me tubes which meet all these requirements:

They can be from any family. Whether you sell them or not. I can find on ebay if you want. Family or make doesn't matter. Just recommend the best for my purpose.

Neutral or slightly bright treble, shouldn't be warm. I don't need warm.
Extremely crisp, better than rca clear top
Super fast attack and prat, better than rca clear top
Super clean, super clear and super transparent, better than rca clear top
Forward mids or very forward mids or slightly forward mids
If possible, thumping bass as well. And if possible strong bass. Bass is secondary though.

For this purpose which family do you recommend? 6DJ8 or 6922 or something else? which make and model? approx ebay pricing?

Can you recommend me my top 5 choices?

Thank You

 

[TIMITS]

techboy,
 
I noticed that you have posted this same question in the Sunrise /PS2 Tube Rolling Thread also. You might want to consider reading the forum's posting guidelines otherwise you might find that your account is suspended.  Here is the relevant section:
 
Only make the same post in ONE thread. Cross-posting is frowned upon and may be treated as spam which may result in your account being locked after your posts are deleted.  
 
And here is the Posting Guidelines link: http://www.head-fi.org/a/posting-guidelines.

 

[RAZRr1275]

Okay so to get this back on track after techboy's questions, I've figured out that which resistance settings, input cap settings and gain settings I find most desirable don't only have to do with the headphones -- the tube is also a big factor. For example, I prefer the Telefunken on the high resistance setting and high gain because it creates an incredibly sweet sound without losing out on the refinement and detail that the tube possesses. 

 

[rmouser]

As a bonus, Jeremy sent a GE 6DJ8 with the Ember prototype I bought.
 
I generally prefer the sound of 12 volt tubes. They seem more "engaging" to me.
 
In comparing the 6922 to the 6DJ8, the 6DJ8 has more "impact" to me. I use a lot of EQ, especially on the low end and it handles that with ease. On some songs, I hear more "background treble" like cymbals. This sells for $34.95 at Garage1217 and I feel that it is worth the $$.

 

[TIMITS]

I received a Project Ember today and have been having heaps of fun changing impedance settings, swapping out the original tube to an RCA 12AU7 clear top, bypassing the input caps and changing the LED colour to a nice restful blue.  For anyone interested this little amp can definitely accommodate sensitive IEMs (mine are 16 ohm) without any channel imbalance at lower listening settings.  You can change from Low to Medium to High impedance settings while the amp is powered up and listen to the change immediately.  The only thing to watch is that each time you select a lower impedance setting the volume increases.  I'm not exactly sure how to express the change in sound with caps bypassed but I like it. Slightly more "presence" or perhaps it is just a little bit clearer.  One thing that has become immediately obvious is that my cheap, 4 year old, no-name DAC is the weakest link and now sounds compressed and strident.  Anyway, I'm more than happy with how things sound at the moment and looking forward to purchasing some more tubes.

 

[RAZRr1275]

Quote:

I received a Project Ember today and have been having heaps of fun changing impedance settings, swapping out the original tube to an RCA 12AU7 clear top, bypassing the input caps and changing the LED colour to a nice restful blue.  For anyone interested this little amp can definitely accommodate sensitive IEMs (mine are 16 ohm) without any channel imbalance at lower listening settings.  You can change from Low to Medium to High impedance settings while the amp is powered up and listen to the change immediately.  The only thing to watch is that each time you select a lower impedance setting the volume increases.  I'm not exactly sure how to express the change in sound with caps bypassed but I like it. Slightly more "presence" or perhaps it is just a little bit clearer.  One thing that has become immediately obvious is that my cheap, 4 year old, no-name DAC is the weakest link and now sounds compressed and strident.  Anyway, I'm more than happy with how things sound at the moment and looking forward to purchasing some more tubes.

Try playing with gain settings too. At high you'll get a smoother, more resolving sound.

 

[ninjapirate9901]

Wait, the gain setting changes the overall sound as well?

 

[RAZRr1275]

Quote:

Wait, the gain setting changes the overall sound as well?

Yup - I find high to be a bit smoother and more airy. Low is a bit more up front and full