[chinook9]

geetarman49, you may indeed be right about the old tubes vs. new, that's why I want to hear the opinions of others on the TJs that I like so much. I plan to do a lot more listening and burning-in of my CBS Hytron and in the near future I will get a Conn organ RCA cleartop 12AU7.

 

[geetarman49]

it doesn't have to be 'conn'  ... rca made a whole whack of tubes for the various organ vendors of the day ... these included conn, baldwin, and others.   so if you don't want to spring for an actual rca-labelled tube, just remember that the organ 'pulls' are (usually) the same thing & typically at a much lower price.
 
i can't say these rca are the best tubes, but i certainly prefer the rca/conn over most russky tubes i've heard so far.  i've not listened to any premium chinese tubes yet
 

 

[chinook9]

I did look for an organ manufacturer's tubes but was unable to find a single cleartop at a good price.  This morning, however, I found a vendor on eBay who has a bunch of Conn cleartops that he is selling for $7.49 ea + $2 shipping so I have one on the way.
 
Presently, I'm still burning in the stock tube, the TJ Full Music, the basic Shuguang 12AU7, and the CBS Hytron.  I am getting some sense of the differences in these tubes but it will take quite a while just to make sure they are burned in.  
 
I have a Shuguang I will get rid of real cheap if anyone wants it....or trade.  If anyone would like to try one out send me a message.  I had to buy two so I have a spare.  I'd also like to hear from anyone who might like to split a pair of Psvanes.  These can generally be gotten for $70-75 a pair on eBay.

 

[dpmalito]

Tried a telefunken 12au7. So far I like the mullard 12au7 better but well see.

 

[Modular]

Thanks for starting this thread. I've got the TJ Fullmusic on the way from China and started looking for other options as well. Then I realized that I'd probably be better off getting new phones first. This hobby gets expensive quickly, but man is it fun! What phones are you all using?

 

[chinook9]

If you like music and like to play with stereo equipment, I suggest you read up on modifying a pair of Fostex T50RPs.  There is a thread where Keith explains how to do it and someone on the thread will send you the stuff needed on the cheap.  It takes a couple of hours to do the mods and there are a few places you can get the headphones for around $100
 
I was planning on getting the HifiMan HE400 at $400 but ended up with the T50RPs and I'm happy as a clam.  Actually, I'm about to get a pair of Fostex T20RP MKII and play with modifying them.
 
Good luck..

 

[AlbinoBlacMan]

Where are you guys ordering the Psvanes and TJ Fullmusic tubes from? Might have to pick one up by the sounds of it (plus I think my stock tube might be going on my PS1)

 

[Micaiah]

Where are you guys ordering the Psvanes and TJ Fullmusic tubes from? Might have to pick one up by the sounds of it (plus I think my stock tube might be going on my PS1)

I ordered a single TJ full music for $31 on eBay, the only place I saw them. The Psvanes are on eBay, Amazon and psvanetube, though on psvanetube i think they cost a little more.

 

[chinook9]

Does anyone know enough about DAC/preamp circuits to know for sure if the Sunrise requires better than "driver" grade tubes. I found the following thread: http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=s1pefij61khc2f7p6t9dnoqa92&topic=91642.20 where one of the respondents states: "With any of tube LFP-V Edition Tube boards (single tube), the "driver grade" is fine" I believe the piece of equipment they're referring to is the Isabellina HPA LFP-V Edition shown on the following page. http://www.aloaudio.com/isabellina-hpa-lfp-v-edition I just don't know enough about the exact function of the tubes in this equipment to hazard a guess.....and driver grade tubes are a whole lot less expensive than the higher grades.

 

[geetarman49]

that designation (driver grade) is used by one of the tube dealers.  his description of driver grade includes higher levels of microphonics than the premium grades.  if your phones are not overly sensitive (think 300r senns or 600r beyers), then these levels are not likely to be intrusive at all.  otoh, if you use iems or more sensitive cans &/or if you have good ears, you'll probably notice and recognize these tubes for what they are.  <n.b.  the fact that he uses such grading indicates that you are already paying a premium for the basic grade of tube .... i.e. expect no bargains here>.
 
fyi - his best deal might be the matsu****a pcc88 (which i've never tried ... i have a telefunken version).
 
the other thing to remember is that the sunrise barely puts the 'heat' to the tubes;  tubes should last for 1000's of hrs & many yrs of use.  for myself, i could easily see a tube lasting 10yr, so if i paid $100 for such a tube, the amortized cost is only $10/yr.   one other thing to remember about nos is that they rarely decline in price.
 
<edit -- i  just re-read what i wrote ... perhaps not all that useful for what you're asking, so ... imo, i think (his) driver grade will be okay for the most part>
 
hth,

 

[chinook9]

geetarman49, You make some good points. I expect I may try and approach buying tubes assuming that I can always resell them at somewhat close to what I pay for them. One of the major difficulties with buying NOS tubes (after you determine which ones you want) is confirming that the tubes you find for sale, are in fact what you are looking for (i.e. design and manufacturing plant.) On a related note, I am getting my CBS Hytron 5814 12AU7 burned in (30-40 hours) and I am beginning to believe the reviews. I received my 12AU7 RCA cleartop, and I like it, but I believe the Hytron will better it. I'm assuming the used organ pull cleartop is already well burned in and will not improve with use.

 

[geetarman49]

if there were a single 'best' tube it would make life so much easier ... but there isn't.  there may be a personal favorite tube for a particular system & for a particular headphone for that system and for a particular musical genre, but that tube might be just so-so for someone else's setup.  in the realm of 12au7 types, i continually refer to the rca cleartop, not because it's the best, but because in the world of nos, this brings tremendous value.  what other very good sounding 1960's tube in nos or anos state can you get for <  $8?   for me this tube sounds very, very good whether i'm using my t50rp, hfi-780, rp-htf600, or superex st pro-b. 
 
are there other tubes i'd like to get?  absolutely ... how about telefunken ecc802s or dutch amperex 7316, all from the '50s or '60s.  even mentioning these tubes makes my wallet sweat .. LOL.
 
did you happen to get a 1950's square getter, d-getter or halo getter hytron?
 
i like my raytheon 5751 windmill getter in my other tube amp, but there's also '60s raytheon jan-crp-5814a with windmill getter which would be interesting to try.   so many tubes, so few $$.
 
best,

 

[chinook9]

if there were a single 'best' tube it would make life so much easier ... but there isn't.  there may be a personal favorite tube for a particular system & for a particular headphone for that system and for a particular musical genre, but that tube might be just so-so for someone else's setup.  in the realm of 12au7 types, i continually refer to the rca cleartop, not because it's the best, but because in the world of nos, this brings tremendous value.  what other very good sounding 1960's tube in nos or anos state can you get for <  $8?   for me this tube sounds very, very good whether i'm using my t50rp, hfi-780, rp-htf600, or superex st pro-b. 
 
are there other tubes i'd like to get?  absolutely ... how about telefunken ecc802s or dutch amperex 7316, all from the '50s or '60s.  even mentioning these tubes makes my wallet sweat .. LOL.
 
did you happen to get a 1950's square getter, d-getter or halo getter hytron?
 
i like my raytheon 5751 windmill getter in my other tube amp, but there's also '60s raytheon jan-crp-5814a with windmill getter which would be interesting to try.   so many tubes, so few $$.
 
best,

 
I don't know the year of the CBS Hytron 5814 but it is one of the ones with the sloping square getter. It is printed with the Arkay brand. There are some marks between the pins in the base but I can read them...might be an 8 or 9 and a 4. but its hard to read. I can tell you that it is starting to sound real sweet now that I've burned it in 30+ hours. I expect I will be buying quite a few tubes, but its a complicated market and its going to take one heck of a lot of research before I spend much money on tubes. I am intrigued by the Matsu****a you mentioned somewhere, and I probably would have bought it already except that shipping amounts to 1/3 the cost of the tube. We'll see...

 

[chinook9]

geetarman49 Is it possible that what I described as a "sloping square getter" is in fact a D getter. I have also seen these described as "mid 1950's...14 mm black plate tubes with angled bent rectangular getters."

 

[Micaiah]

Just won a pair of RFT 12AU7's on eBay for $20 plus $9 shipping to try out in my Project Horizon.
 
Still waiting for my TJ Fullmusic to come too. I'll report back when they come.