[geetarman49]

Quote:

Jeremy kindly sent me the Project Starlight and Project Ember to compare with my Project Sunrise II.  I will have some impressions in a couple of weeks.
Ember is being shipped in finished form, presently, with kits available, soon.
Yes, that was Jeremy's review of my "Tubes Tour." Jeremy and Frans work magic for prices and build quality way below their amps' performance.

i think you meant to say '... work magic for performance and quality way above their amps' prices.

 

[bluemonkeyflyer]

Quote:

i think you meant to say '... work magic for performance and quality way above their amps' prices.

LOL!! Of course. 1000 pardons to Jeremy and Frans. I'm a terrible at proofing and editing what I write. I'll correct it.
 
Thanks.

 

[daerron]

Hehe, got a couple of NOS tubes from our local valve supplier to test just in time for the weekend... I'll try and post some impressions soon, but I'll have to wait for some of the tubes to settle down.
 
The list:
6V:
National 6922 (made in Japan, probably Matsu****a, sounds better than the EH stock but needs a bit of time to settle)
Mullard 7308/E188CC (<-- Currently trying this one and seriously seriously liking what I hear so far)
AEG ECC88 (still trying to figure out who made this one)
 
12V:
Amperex ECC81 (Made in W. Germany, guess either Telefunken or Siemens)
General Electric 5751
RCA 5814R
Zaerix ECC801 (Seems to be made in UK, can't figure out who made it yet)
Sylvania 12BH7A
 
I'm having trouble thinking about swapping the Mullard out at this stage! It just sounds so sublime with female vocals. Lovely musical impact! 

 

[stupidmop]

Nice score! Look forward to your impressions.
AEG stands for Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft. Them along with siemens halske made telefunken. This link will give all the info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telefunken

 

[stupidmop]

Sorry double post

 

[daerron]

Thanks for the info! I have also been looking at images, but this AEG ECC88 looks very much like a russian type valve. It has saucer type getter. Apparently AEG did source some from Russia and they could also be made in East Germany. All I can say that they are my favourite 6922 type so far.
 
Had fun doing lots of rolling last night. Currently I'm stuck on the Zaerix ECC801S and giving it some burn in time, it sounds pretty amazing.
 
From my initial observations I can't see myself really continue sticking with 6V valves in the PSii. The 12V valves just sound quieter (cleaner) and less microphonic to these ears so far.

 

[geetarman49]

Quote:

Thanks for the info! I have also been looking at images, but this AEG ECC88 looks very much like a russian type valve. It has saucer type getter. Apparently AEG did source some from Russia and they could also be made in East Germany. All I can say that they are my favourite 6922 type so far.
 
Had fun doing lots of rolling last night. Currently I'm stuck on the Zaerix ECC801S and giving it some burn in time, it sounds pretty amazing.
 
From my initial observations I can't see myself really continue sticking with 6V valves in the PSii. The 12V valves just sound quieter (cleaner) and less microphonic to these ears so far.

yes, generally that's true ... the avg 12v tube is less problematic than their 6v counterpart (in the ps II), but my best 6v tubes are sonically superior to any 12v tube in my collection (unfortunately it hits very hard on the wallet).  however, in my mind, the best bang for the buck still remains rca cleartop 12au7.

 

[daerron]

Currently the GE 5751 is getting some running. Also a bit confused about this tubes origin? The tube is triple mica type with black plates (Has the GE logo with 5 stars next to it with "Made in the USA" below it). The box however says its a Telefunken from 1958. Perhaps it was put in a different box, but it is in the typical white boxes found in military packaging. It sounds really clear and smooth with wonderful mids, perhaps slightly lacking bass impact and the highs are a bit rolled off. Vocals sound out of this world with this one, currently listening to REMs Automatic for the People in 24-bit resolution. I feel kind of guilty paying $20 for this one.

 

[daerron]

I'll list my favourites so long with some brief comments. I'm going hiking in the Kruger National Park the rest of this week. If I get eaten by a lion unfortunately I won't be able to post any further comments! 

 
Favourites from top to bottom:
 
Zaerix ECC801 (Lovely clear sound with a balanced presentation top to bottom, good articulation, bass impact with a slight airiness in the treble, sounds great with the HE-500)
AEG ECC88 (Excellent sound staging (pretty holographic, easy to place instruments), lots of detail, fantastic mid range, this one was quite a surprise)
General Electric 5751, triple mica, black plate (Also nice and clear, slightly more laid back compared to the Zaerix)
Mullard 7308 (Smooth and lovely midrange, best one so far for female vocals)
Sylvania 12BH7A, black plate (Also quite clean and nicely balanced, a little bit bright at this stage, has had quite a bit a running, but mellowed less than expected)
RCA 5814R (Sounds a bit brittle, probably needs a lot more burn in time)
Amperex ECC81 (A disappointment so far)
National 6922 (The stock tube might be better than this one)
 
General observations: 12V tubes tend to sound cleaner on the PSii, the 6V tubes are a bit better from technical perspective, this is quite apparent with the AEG ECC88 and in the end the Zaerix takes the top honours so far.

 

[stupidmop]

Quote:

I'll list my favourites so long with some brief comments. I'm going hiking in the Kruger National Park the rest of this week. If I get eaten by a lion unfortunately I won't be able to post any further comments! 

 
Favourites from top to bottom:
 
Zaerix ECC801 (Lovely clear sound with a balanced presentation top to bottom, good articulation, bass impact with a slight airiness in the treble, sounds great with the HE-500)
AEG ECC88 (Excellent sound staging (pretty holographic, easy to place instruments), lots of detail, fantastic mid range, this one was quite a surprise)
General Electric 5751, triple mica, black plate (Also nice and clear, slightly more laid back compared to the Zaerix)
Mullard 7308 (Smooth and lovely midrange, best one so far for female vocals)
Sylvania 12BH7A, black plate (Also quite clean and nicely balanced, a little bit bright at this stage, has had quite a bit a running, but mellowed less than expected)
RCA 5814R (Sounds a bit brittle, probably needs a lot more burn in time)
Amperex ECC81 (A disappointment so far)
National 6922 (The stock tube might be better than this one)
 
General observations: 12V tubes tend to sound cleaner on the PSii, the 6V tubes are a bit better from technical perspective, this is quite apparent with the AEG ECC88 and in the end the Zaerix takes the top honours so far.

Thanks for your thoughts. I'm looking at a Zaerix now. Best I can tell they were made in england in the 80's, anyone confirm?
 
Quote:

yes, generally that's true ... the avg 12v tube is less problematic than their 6v counterpart (in the ps II), but my best 6v tubes are sonically superior to any 12v tube in my collection (unfortunately it hits very hard on the wallet).  however, in my mind, the best bang for the buck still remains rca cleartop 12au7.

+1

 

[RAZRr1275]

So I got some 6N1Ps for my PSII and I can't get it to bias correctly - no matter how low I put the bias voltage trimpots it always reads high - anyone else have this problem? is it alright if they run with voltage high?

 

[bluemonkeyflyer]

Quote:

So I got some 6N1Ps for my PSII and I can't get it to bias correctly - no matter how low I put the bias voltage trimpots it always reads high - anyone else have this problem? is it alright if they run with voltage high?

A silly question, but....is the 6 - 12 volt jumper set to the 6 volt side...far left with pin on right exposed?

 

[RAZRr1275]

Quote:

A silly question, but....is the 6 - 12 volt jumper set to the 6 volt side...far left with pin on right exposed?

yeah it is

 

[bluemonkeyflyer]

Quote:

yeah it is

Contact Jeremy for help.

 

[daerron]

Still in one piece, the lions fortunately didn't get me in the Kruger Park, though a buffalo seemed very interested in dealing out a mauling this morning when we stumbled upon it by accident. Luckily we could hide behind some trees in time and give it a wide berth! As the ranger put it, "It gave us the, you owe me money look". Scary buggers.
 
On the trimming:
My GE 5751 tube does the same thing. I can get both channels pretty close once I trim down both to the minimum. I have noticed that in most instances if you trim down the right channel and then the left, you often have to recheck the right channel to make sure it is still balanced and will often read or low. The GE tube seems to sound just fine though.
 
Re: stupidmop
Zaerix is an English brand and most of their tubes were sourced from England, though from what I can tell the ECC801 valves were only made in Germany, so the tube should be of Siemens or Telefunken origin. It has standard grey plates so I presume these are from the early 80s. I can post a picture of the tube if you are interested?