[daigo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crazy*Carl /img/forum/go_quote.gif All this talk has convinced me to do an upgrade from the stock tubes. Plus it won't be expensive. I am reading some about these: ...and some general electric ones here: GE 5654W 6AK5 EF95 - 2 MATCHED NOS YAQIN 6J1 Little Dot - eBay (item 360153931164 end time Feb-03-10 13:43:26 PST) Any more opinions or suggestions? Thanks.

I have a few of those GE 6AK5 tubes (ok, more like 6 of them since I gambled and bought a group of 6AK5 tubes from an ebay seller who had the boxes for them and all).

Comparing them to the stock Chinese tubes that came with the EF2, you'll get a bit more impact in bass (bordering on harsh) and depth in the midrange. Would be great if you listened to mainly instrumental music. I didn't like male vocals with it though, made them sound a bit shrill.

I use RCA 6AK5's in my EF2 since all vocals sound great while still providing improvement to the bass and airiness to the mids.

 

[RichieLitt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif You left the stock tubes in the EF2?

Yeah for now. I have some of the 6ak5 mullards coming eventually though

 

[Kayk]

Are there any other good tubes besides the 6AK5s?

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Mullard CV4010

 

[Crazy*Carl]

I know there several of you guys have ordered the mullard 6ak5's. Please let us know how you like them. Thanks.

 

[AcousticDreams]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kayk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Also, is it all right to leave the amp on when I'm not using it? I try to keep it off when I'm not using it as it gets a bit warm, but sometimes I forget and I'm not sure how much I should be paying attention to it.

If you don't use it for more than one hour, switch it off. The lifetime of a tube varies greatly and depends on several factors. Overheating due to constant load can reduce the life length of a tube.

 

[grahamnp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif Mullard CV4010

+1 for that

I've had mine for about a week and they fix everything I don't like about the EF2 (just the brightness) and retain all that I do like.

 

[ufotofu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif Mullard CV4010

I just received my Mullard CV4010s yesterday. After cleaning the sockets with some Flitz metal polish (great stuff) and then polishing clean with Isopropyl I popped them in. I noticed one of the Chinese 6L1 stock tubes with a significant portion of cloudy glass. I don't know if this is good, bad or just ugly (anyone?).

I have, of course, been burning the Mullard 4010s in (got about 5hrs on them last night). About 2 hrs into the burn I gave them a listen. My first impression was as follows: a definite bump in bass around 60-70Hz. Not as much detail, though. The midrange seems to have more presence. The highs are not as detailed and I notice quite a bit of sibilance. The soundstage has definitely opened up and the overall sound has more liquid character to it. At this point, I give a nod to the stock tubes with about 150hrs on them. Although, the stock tubes don't really match well with the brightness of my SR80s. I'm hoping the 4010s will tame that aspect of them just a touch.

I'll post more of my experience as I get more time on the 4010s...probably need 100 hrs at least and then A-B them both again.

I'm looping ad nauseum with FLACs of mostly jazz (Medeski, Martin & Wood; Christian McBride, Pat Metheny, Headhunters, Return to Forever, Marcus Miller and some Diane Krall for good measure).

 

[Faheem]

Even I received my Mullard CV4010 tubes 2 days back , will post the impressions once Ive done a few hrs of burn in and listening on it.

As of now , out of the box I like them more than the stock tubes,as these tubes are not as bright as the stock. Well controlled bass with thump ,smooth and more warmer midrange and well defined highs as well. A definite ad easily noticeable improvement compared to the stock ones

 

[Faheem]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ufotofu /img/forum/go_quote.gif I noticed one of the Chinese 6L1 stock tubes with a significant portion of cloudy glass. I don't know if this is good, bad or just ugly (anyone?).

Even I noticed the cloudy layer in the stock tubes while replacing them .Is this something to worry about or is it normal ?

 

[AcousticDreams]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Faheem /img/forum/go_quote.gif Even I noticed the cloudy layer in the stock tubes while replacing them. Is this something to worry about or is it normal?

Not really. It is rather a sign of poor manufacturing quality. A really perfect tube should be completely clear, particularly if it is new. The Russian tubes are here comparatively better. Possible questions to this topic are comprehensively answered in this article.

 

[ozron]

OK so after reading through this whole thread I decided to jump in and order one of these little beauties as well. Turned up last week and I've really been enjoying them with my Alessandro MS-1i, running off my MacBook Pro via USB.

Interestingly I haven't found the stock tubes to be overly bright, but I've just ordered a pair of the Mullard CV4010's anyway. Definitely looking forward to the improvement they'll bring. Overall extremely happy with the EF2A so far. Definitely very musical.

I've found much of my music (all lossless 16 & 24 bit) has been given a new lease of life. Looking forward to picking up a good DAC down the track which can passthru 24/96+ over optical.

Many many thanks to everyone for their feedback and suggestions, especially HeadphoneAddict and Skylab.

However now looking for a good quality LOD cable with RCA plugs. Would prefer not to pay more than about US$50. Any recommendations? Thanks.

Ronny

 

[richbass]

Hows the amp section as compared to D10 ?
Thanks

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by richbass /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hows the amp section as compared to D10 ? Thanks

More powerful and really nice with my HD600, and I would prefer to feed the D10 into the EF-2 with upgraded tubes than listen to D10 by itself with those. With IEM the D10 is a little more detailed and spacious, whether with iPod or built-in amp; with varying warmth depending on the opamps (just like a tube amp varies with tubes). With stock opamps the D10 sounds like a desktop amp in tone (Predator clone), but not power. I gave my 12 yr old son a choice of using the D10, uDAC or EF-2 with his HF-2 and Macbook, and he picked the EF-2. He lets me borrow it if I want. :-|

 

[DayoftheGreek]

Every time this thread pops up again it makes me want to get the uDac and those mullard tubes. I'll probably pick up the tubes sometimes soon.

Will the tubes make a bigger difference than feeding the EF2 with the uDac?