[jaywillin]

I have the National Union and Tung Sol round plate 6F8G versions but have not tried the Ken Rad.

I am TRYING to resist the 2C51 frenzy with so many other 6SN7, B65, 6DJ8, (6922, 7308) 12A**, dual Visseaux and Tung Sol 6J5, 6C5 and dual C3G and others.

Ken Rad made great tubes so I'm sure it's a good one!

had a national union, sadly, it died !! sniff, sniff........

 

[DavidA]

@jaywillin, bummer about the national union

 

[DRHamp]

Can I get some comparisons of 2C51 & 6SN7? More specifically I'm using a Baldwin (Sylvania) 6SN7GTB in my Ember with a HD600.
I know there are better ones out there but I'm satisfied with what I hear, although I still remain open to other tubes (especially if they're cheap & good haha)

I am terrible at putting to words what I hear.

I listen for clarity where the bass, mids, and treble are present but not distracting in any way. I want depth and width and want to be able to place instruments and vocals where I
feel they should be and in a way that is pleasent to my ear.(maybe that's "soundstage" maybe not).

I have several 6SN7s and two of them stand out for me and have generally been my "go-to" tubes. Both are Sylvania JAN-CHS-6SN7GT/VT231, one is a green label and one a white label
- both are great, one a little noisier than the other but that's only evident when no signal is being applied to the amp.
Both have excellent clarity and detail, somewhat warm, and certainly my favorite 6SN7s so far.

After reading posts from @koover about the 2C51, I jumped in a bought one of the cheap Chinese adapters and 4 of the 2C51 tubes - 2 are TungSols and 2 are JAN Philips.
I was pleasantly surprised as they fit my listening preferences well and certainly rivaled if not equaled my preferred 6SN7s. I want to do some further testing with other
6SN7s and 2C51s as time allows.

If I had just stuck with my excellent solid state amp and not dipped my toe into this tube-rolling adventure, I'm sure I would have been perfectly happy.
I don't need a better sounding tube than the ones I have ...... but maybe there is that tube that will make me go "WOW - AMAZING" and I guess that I will keep looking for it

My 2 cents FWIW

 

[Astral Abyss]

I am terrible at putting to words what I hear.

I listen for clarity where the bass, mids, and treble are present but not distracting in any way. I want depth and width and want to be able to place instruments and vocals where I
feel they should be and in a way that is pleasent to my ear.(maybe that's "soundstage" maybe not).

I have several 6SN7s and two of them stand out for me and have generally been my "go-to" tubes. Both are Sylvania JAN-CHS-6SN7GT/VT231, one is a green label and one a white label
- both are great, one a little noisier than the other but that's only evident when no signal is being applied to the amp.
Both have excellent clarity and detail, somewhat warm, and certainly my favorite 6SN7s so far.

After reading posts from @koover about the 2C51, I jumped in a bought one of the cheap Chinese adapters and 4 of the 2C51 tubes - 2 are TungSols and 2 are JAN Philips.
I was pleasantly surprised as they fit my listening preferences well and certainly rivaled if not equaled my preferred 6SN7s. I want to do some further testing with other
6SN7s and 2C51s as time allows.

If I had just stuck with my excellent solid state amp and not dipped my toe into this tube-rolling adventure, I'm sure I would have been perfectly happy.
I don't need a better sounding tube than the ones I have ...... but maybe there is that tube that will make me go "WOW - AMAZING" and I guess that I will keep looking for it

My 2 cents FWIW

I have those 2 Sylvania 6SN7 tubes. They are good tubes. If you want to try some tubes that I like even more... and are reasonably priced... try the Raytheon thin plate, bottom getter 6SN7GT and the Tung-Sol "mouse ear" 6SN7GT. If you look carefully can find the Tung Sol without the ears, but its the same tube and sounds the same. It is my favorite 6SN7 tube. Raytheon is a close 2nd.

 

[DRHamp]

I have those 2 Sylvania 6SN7 tubes. They are good tubes. If you want to try some tubes that I like even more... and are reasonably priced... try the Raytheon thin plate, bottom getter 6SN7GT and the Tung-Sol "mouse ear" 6SN7GT. If you look carefully can find the Tung Sol without the ears, but its the same tube and sounds the same. It is my favorite 6SN7 tube. Raytheon is a close 2nd.

I'll see if I can find them --- thanks

Found and ordered a couple of the TungSols -- seems the Raytheons are harder to find

 

[DRHamp]

I read the following in the 6SN7 Identification thread:
"
GTA: maximum anode dissipation upgraded to 5W (the GT is rated for 2.5W)
GTB: identical to the GTA, but with a controlled heater warm up time for use in equipment with 600mA heater strings

This is significant because it means that a circuit designed around the 6SN7GTA/GTB cannot have 6SN7GTs substituted into it. Substituting a GT in place of a GTA/GTB in your equipment will precipitate its rapid destruction and possibly damage your equipment."

I think I understand this and would assume that the reverse is not true - you can use 6SN7GTA or 6SN6GTB in the Ember in place of a 6SN7GT? Am I correct here?

 

[DavidA]

I read the following in the 6SN7 Identification thread:
"
GTA: maximum anode dissipation upgraded to 5W (the GT is rated for 2.5W)
GTB: identical to the GTA, but with a controlled heater warm up time for use in equipment with 600mA heater strings

This is significant because it means that a circuit designed around the 6SN7GTA/GTB cannot have 6SN7GTs substituted into it. Substituting a GT in place of a GTA/GTB in your equipment will precipitate its rapid destruction and possibly damage your equipment."

I think I understand this and would assume that the reverse is not true - you can use 6SN7GTA or 6SN6GTB in the Ember in place of a 6SN7GT? Am I correct here?

Should send the question to the man (Jeremy) if you haven't already done so

 

[ericr]

I read the following in the 6SN7 Identification thread:
"
GTA: maximum anode dissipation upgraded to 5W (the GT is rated for 2.5W)
GTB: identical to the GTA, but with a controlled heater warm up time for use in equipment with 600mA heater strings

This is significant because it means that a circuit designed around the 6SN7GTA/GTB cannot have 6SN7GTs substituted into it. Substituting a GT in place of a GTA/GTB in your equipment will precipitate its rapid destruction and possibly damage your equipment."

I think I understand this and would assume that the reverse is not true - you can use 6SN7GTA or 6SN6GTB in the Ember in place of a 6SN7GT? Am I correct here?

Yes, the 6SN7GT, GTA & GTB all work fine in the Ember II.

See a long list of compatible tubes in the manual!

A link to the manuals for all Garage 1217 amps is found here:

http://garage1217.com/garage1217_diy_tube_headphone_amplifiers_009.htm

In general the older 6SN7/6SN7GT sound better than their GTA or GTB counterparts.

 

[DRHamp]

An update on the 2C51 adapter from garage1217 - I received the following from Jeremy this evening:

"Just about done with the PCB layout - been under the weather this week and slammed with builds. Next step - ordering Will keep you posted !"

So, progress is being made.
Cheers

 

[jaywillin]

An update on the 2C51 adapter from garage1217 - I received the following from Jeremy this evening:

"Just about done with the PCB layout - been under the weather this week and slammed with builds. Next step - ordering Will keep you posted !"

So, progress is being made.
Cheers

 

[Astral Abyss]

An update on the 2C51 adapter from garage1217 - I received the following from Jeremy this evening:

"Just about done with the PCB layout - been under the weather this week and slammed with builds. Next step - ordering Will keep you posted !"

So, progress is being made.
Cheers

Great news! I know this is going to turn out amazing.

 

[nwavesailor]

Great news! I know this is going to turn out amazing.

I will wait for AA's take on these tubes before I go down this 2C51 rabbit hole!

I just tried a dual C3G setup. The detail is stunning but I may need a touch more bass. I love the detail but it may be a bit thin for me...............we'll see.

 

[koover]

I will wait for AA's take on these tubes before I go down this 2C51 rabbit hole!

I just tried a dual C3G setup. The detail is stunning but I may need a touch more bass. I love the detail but it may be a bit thin for me...............we'll see.

Start diggin
There are so many 2C51 variants where the bass will punch a hole through your ears.
Have your tried the 6N3P-E or Foton?
Super cheap ($10 per set) with quality that matches tubes that are high value.
If you like great mids, the Tung-Sol 2C51 is as good as it gets. Then there’s the Western Electrics where a bit warm, very detailed and smooth. Some of the best sounding tubes on my gear So much out there.

 

[DRHamp]

Late update from Jeremy re: 2C51 adapter project:

"Layout is finished - will run a test just to verify all is good tomorrow. Will then order PCB's. Will be about 2 weeks after that they will be good to go!"


"Pin test was successful (not rocket science but a must to test) boards ordered! Slightly more complex of an adapter than one would initially think to be versatile and take advantage of the 5670 center shield. "

"Just a sneak peak at the behind the scenes pin / socket compatibility testing"

Jeremy laughingly said to tell you guys that the above image is just his pin test, not the finished product == LOL

 

[ericr]

Darn, I kinda liked the look.