Project Ember Tube Rolling
May 5, 2019 at 5:49 PM Post #3,271 of 3,354
Never heard the 60s WEs so not sure about that. 50s Foton double micas are very good, and I had some 1985 Russian Reflector 6N3P that were outstanding - not equal to the Holy Grails mentioned before but very very good and cheap. I have some 60s Raytheon 5670 square getters that are good also. Don't recall if I tried Tungsols, but if so - they didn't make an impression.
 
May 5, 2019 at 6:16 PM Post #3,272 of 3,354
I don't know about this seller but this is the size lot I got back in 2017. These tubes are incredibly good for the money. The seller I got mine from a few years back sold them for the same price (for 8 tubes) that were NOS) but now, he sells matched pairs for $70+ His storefront is Jetparts.

You can give these a try as they're super cheap.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/8-x-RARE-6...037593?hash=item2f2d1869d9:g:IEoAAOSwHYVaeUnl

Or these
https://www.ebay.com/itm/8-x-6N3P-2...533172?hash=item4d86a66374:g:c6oAAOSwo4pYTh6s

Or even this one but it's not a 2c51 variant, Still excellent especially for the money
. https://www.ebay.com/itm/2x-MATCHED...190582?hash=item3b146456b6:g:3MUAAOSwzaJYBLC~
 
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May 5, 2019 at 7:17 PM Post #3,273 of 3,354
Never heard the 60s WEs so not sure about that. 50s Foton double micas are very good, and I had some 1985 Russian Reflector 6N3P that were outstanding - not equal to the Holy Grails mentioned before but very very good and cheap. I have some 60s Raytheon 5670 square getters that are good also. Don't recall if I tried Tungsols, but if so - they didn't make an impression.

Thanks for your help and opinion DRhamp, particularly in the LP. I will move over to the LP tube thread and don't want to derail the Ember tube rolling thread! I do own a Garage 1217 really basic amp, Project Starlight, and am very happy with the opamp and tube rolling this allows! Was't quite sure if folks had done more than 6zdj8 / 6922 / 7308's in the LPuntil I finally found the TP tube rolling thread.
 
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May 5, 2019 at 7:27 PM Post #3,274 of 3,354
The ones @koover mentioned from jetparts on EBay are the 85 Reflektors I mentioned ( in fact, Koover led me to him) - I paid $22 for 8 of them, and that included shipping from Russia - they are still one of my all-time favorites
 
May 5, 2019 at 8:34 PM Post #3,275 of 3,354
The ones @koover mentioned from jetparts on EBay are the 85 Reflektors I mentioned ( in fact, Koover led me to him) - I paid $22 for 8 of them, and that included shipping from Russia - they are still one of my all-time favorites

YIKES! We go from WE 369A at real $$$ to the Russian version for almost no $ and there are 8 of them in the lot!
 
May 5, 2019 at 8:59 PM Post #3,276 of 3,354
YIKES! We go from WE 369A at real $$$ to the Russian version for almost no $ and there are 8 of them in the lot!
Trust me (yeah right, haha) these are literally a steal. Go for it. Especially the ones in the 1970’s. Check out all the links as they’re all very very good for the money. If you don’t like the cheapies, I’ll buy them from you. But I’ll wager you’ll like them for less then a $1 a tube. Lol
Personally I have 4 pairs of the Redlektor triple micas and they’re a hair below the Foton triple micas which are as rare as a unicorn.
 
May 16, 2020 at 1:38 AM Post #3,278 of 3,354
Alright. I've read 132 pages of this tube rolling thread. It has definitely been super helpful and insightful as this is my first foray into tubes. And I feel that I have learned a ton about tubes by reading through all of this. But I don't know how much more of this I can take.

I was hoping that I could get a good summary going of what the rest of this thread encompasses (130-219).

Is the 6J5 adapter still king?
If so what are the recommended tubes?
If not, what is the new king?
 
May 16, 2020 at 10:51 AM Post #3,279 of 3,354
@RoyGB From my personal experience, I would say it was never the king, though some might disagree. It was just one more way to roll another tube type. Ultimately there are so many tubes that can be run in this amp it is crazy. Of all the tubes I own, including that adapter and 6SN7 tubes I rolled with it, my all-time favorite tube was a 12AX7.

With an amp like this that tubes can really make a difference, it would be a shame to just take my word for it. You need to just play around with it. Experience it for your self.
 
May 16, 2020 at 11:09 AM Post #3,280 of 3,354
I don't use the Ember very much any more as I seldom listen through headphones but as @Amish said, it's crazy versatile with the number of different tubes it will accomodate and add to that the various adapters from Jeremy and the number is multiplied several times. As I think back, most of my favorites were either the 2C51 variants or the 12AU7 variants from Valvo, Mullard, .... etc. Many of the 6SN7 variants were quite good also.
In the end it's a personal choice and what sounds good to your ear.
 
May 17, 2020 at 5:26 PM Post #3,281 of 3,354
Personally I have owned this amp twice. I do not currently own it, though I do have the Polaris on hand which surprisingly sounds a lot like the Ember. I digress; I owned the gen 1 and gen 2 amp and I would have a place for it in my collection now if it arrived within an enclosed case. The open concept is neat but I would prefer a non-open design. Just so it would match the rest of my gear. I have been so tempted to have a box designed so I can transplant the Ember into a proper case. I do love the Ember though.
 
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May 20, 2020 at 3:10 PM Post #3,282 of 3,354
@Amish you could probably get a custom one out of acrylic. Might cost you about $50-150 but acrylic sandwich stuff is common enough. A quick google search around your area should yield some acrylic cutting services. Or just knowing someone in your area with a laser cutter. Makerspaces are also a great idea to either do it yourself or find someone willing to take on the job. Granted most of this would need to wait until things get back to normal if you want to do it locally. If not there are some places online. Might be worthwhile to also ask around the mechanical keyboard community as well. Acrylic sandwich keyboards are fairly common, and there are a couple of people that do take commissions. Also, what 12AX7 were you a fan of? Buying a bunch of tubes right now and might pick one up.
 
May 20, 2020 at 8:20 PM Post #3,283 of 3,354
Alright just finished spending a small fortune on tubes and adapters

Here is the current haul:

6SN7 Family
  1. Sylvania Brown Base JAN CHS 6SN7WGT T plate (213 date code so these may be bad boy 3 hole T plates) Seller seemed to not realize any of this and got this this tube well below 52' Brown base going rates. Especially since it tested over 100%
  2. Whatever Sylvania Black base Jeremy is sending me with the 6SN7 adapter
  3. 2 Silvertone (Sylvania) 6SN7 angled black T plate
  4. Magnavox (Sylvania??) 6SN7 grey angled T plate
  5. Tung-Sol 6SN7 Black T Plate
  6. Crosley (Sylvania) 2 Hole imitation Bad Boy 6SN7
Also have a bid on a pair of Hoytron 6SN7GT T plates that ends in 2 hours. These may or may not arrive.

6J5 Family
  1. Sylvania 6J5G round plate
  2. Zenith 6J5G Black round plate. Got a strong matched pair at a very reasonable price.
  3. Hoytron 6C5GT matched date NOS
76 Family
These have an adapter that goes from 6J5 to 76/56/47/46/37/27/24/FU7/807 there is also a direct 6SN7 to 76 adapter that you can purchase as well. CORRECTION (Only the 76 and 37 have the correct amperage the rest WILL NOT WORK)
  1. Arcturus (National Union) JAN-CNU-76 (Type 76)
  2. Sylvania Type 76
  3. Tung Sol Type 76
  4. RCA Type 56
  5. Sylvania Type 56
  6. RCA radiotron Type 37 This one is a bulb shaped tube from the 30's. Picked it up out of curiosity Image

We will see how it all goes. I want to get a pair or two of 6C5G's just because they look so damn good. Mesh plates and chrome glass with the coke bottle shape just looks incredible. I wish there was an adapterless glass bottom tube that looked like this. Get some LED glow going into it and it would be a beauty. Even a dual triode would look awesome.

I also want to try out some 6A6's, 6N7, and 6SL7, 2C51, and some adapter-less 6V tubes at some point but that is a task for a different day and a different wallet. If you have your eye on any of these, I will likely be selling some or most of these tubes once I have some time with them and can determine which ones I like the best. Impressions to come as things arrive. I will likely trickle out reviews and then do a big summary at the end.

Right now I have a EH 12BH7AEH sitting in my Ember that I enjoy although I don't feel it does enough tube things to the sound for my tastes.
 
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May 21, 2020 at 12:28 PM Post #3,284 of 3,354
@RoyGB I'll be looking forward to your impressions on these tubes.

You may not be as excited with the 6C5Gs once you hear them. They pick up a lot of noise/interference and don't have as nice of a tone as the 6J5Gs. A bit harsher and brittle sounding.
I've been running a pair of 1930s National Union 6J5Gs in my Ember for a couple years now. I've pretty much decided that they sound the best, to me. I hadn't considered the 76 or 56 tube. Now you've got me thinking that I might have to check them out.
 
May 26, 2020 at 3:55 PM Post #3,285 of 3,354
Is anyone else's 6SN7 adapter crazy tight. I'm putting in close to a max effort shoulder blade pull and every 6SN7 that I have tried in the socket so far has been difficult to remove. I've emailed Jeremy about it, but also wanted to ask here as well. No technique is making things easier. It feels like something is going to break every time I try to remove a tube.

EDIT: Turns out it was the tube that Jeremy sent over. It was a Sylvania 6SN7 GTB coin base angled T plates. This thing does not like to come out. I got unlucky, when I tried another tube and experienced the same thing, but the issue was mainly isolated to these two tubes. Others were easier, but most still feel like a really tight fit.
 
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