[bass_nut]

this smallish tube amp deliver many hours of enjoyable and non-fatiguing music as i listen through my Grados/Alessandros (ms1, sr325iS, HF-2 F1)

listening to Yanni "within attraction" & "keys to imagination" (live version, iTunes lossless files ripped from CD) ==> snappy drums.. ample and tightly controlled bass with cavernous deep extension... rich, detailed, revealing and full bodied mids unfold well... ultra fast violins and pianos pleasure to hear.. highs rolled off nicely

 

[jrah]

Should I get these for the power tubes:
6N6P RUSSIAN DOUBLE OUTPUT TRIODES. Lot of 4 - eBay (item 200406944952 end time Nov-23-09 13:18:59 PST)

And these:
CV4015 M8161 EF92 9D6 MULLARD QDD TUBE VALVE NOS PAIR on eBay (end time 22-Nov-09 11:42:27 GMT)
or
2 NOS Mullard M8161 EF92 CV4015 6CQ6 Mil Spec Amp Tube - eBay (item 160349158320 end time Dec-13-09 04:10:05 PST)

for the other two?

How can you tell if they are authentic? the logos on the two mullards look different than some photos I've seen here on Head-Fi.

Or is there someplace else where I could get them cheaper?

Also, would I have to do anything with jumpers if I got those tubes?

Also, would those tubes be recommended?

Edit: By the way, these will be used with a Senn HD 600

 

[RallyMaster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank I /img/forum/go_quote.gif I use the Russian 6n6p and Mullard 850 and the amp sounds great. I havent swapped any other tubes except these. I was wondering how other 5654 tubes sound and if it would be a bvetter match for the Mk11. otherwise I love this amp and couldn't be happier.

I'm currently using just the stock tubes (left driver tube is getting noisy) and just ordered 5 GE 6AK5 5654W just to see what this whole "tube rolling" business is all about. I'll let you know my results once I get 'em.

 

[RallyMaster]

Just got home from school and finally swapped out the stock driver tubes with two GE 5654W. The noise is gone from the left channel and I think there may be a slight enlargement of the sound stage. I'll keep you guys posted.

 

[ashtray9]

Bump!

I was wondering, do only some of the amps have L.E.D.'s beneath the tubes? I've seen pictures with lit and unlit tubes. I really will be disappointed if the one I just ordered is lit. Why would anyone wish to detract from the tube glow?.

Another point I am wondering is, seriously, could you guys tell the difference between the LDII and LDIII with stock tubes in a double-blind test? It's so hard to get an accurate idea of the differences in SQ between models since by nature we all tend to exaggerate minute details.

Thanks!

 

[Frank I]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashtray9 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Bump! I was wondering, do only some of the amps have L.E.D.'s beneath the tubes? I've seen pictures with lit and unlit tubes. I really will be disappointed if the one I just ordered is lit. Why would anyone wish to detract from the tube glow?. Another point I am wondering is, seriously, could you guys tell the difference between the LDII and LDIII with stock tubes in a double-blind test? It's so hard to get an accurate idea of the differences in SQ between models since by nature we all tend to exaggerate minute details. Thanks!

I asked David about the MK1V SE if it would be a big improvement over the MK11 and he told me 30-5o percent but diminishing returns was working big time, In other words stick with what you have. I liked the MK11 because of its narrow casing and because it was compact/ Great amp

 

[john57]

Sound like David is more honest that some salespeople I know. It is not every day that I would hear a sales man would say "diminishing returns" instead of saying the higher model is many times better. David answer my E-mails promptly and so far his advise is good. I would get the MK1V SE if I was to keep it a long time since it has a higher quality of parts and the volume pot is going to last longer as a example.

 

[bball]

I dropped my Mk II into my dad's stereo and did some A/B listening between his Audio Research SP9 and my little Mk II both as preamps. The thing did a surprisingly admirable job. It didn't quite get as loud with his inefficient speakers although it was on the lowest gain setting. (didn't get a chance to try it with a higher gain setting) I wasn't expecting it to sound anywhere close to the SP9. The Mk II had a very clean sound to it and didn't really add in anything that wasn't there. It didn't cloud up the music and matched the Audio Research in this area which I was surprised. The Mk II had good texture and 3D sound that reproduced instruments accurately. The one area that the Audio Research cleaned up was the soundstage. The Mk II kept up width wise but the depth of soundstage was lacking comparatively. I know before I bought my Mk II I couldn't find a whole lot of info on people using mainly for its preamp section so hopefully this helps anyone in the same situation.... Other components used were: Esoteric Transport (i forget which one) > Timbre TT-1 Dac > LD MkII/AR SP9 > Krell KST 100 > Custom built 4 way speakers

 

[lh0628]

Could some confirm that the volume knob works on the RCA out as well?

Thanks.

 

[ashtray9]

Well, I received my MKII just a couple of days ago. I cannot believe shipping took less than a week from China. I was initially disappointed with the sound quality, but burn-in has opened and refined the sound by a large degree. I am now enjoying this amp very much. I should also note that I received the amp already set to low gain. Once I set for maximum gain (with HD600) the bass gained slam.

Anyway, while I had the amp opened up I noticed that there were already jumpers in there. They seem to be positioned for EF95, and it looks like I would need to scoot said jumpers over to set for EF92. So, my question is: Why are there four more jumpers supplied with the amp? Am I missing anything? Also, when set for EF92 I am assuming the old power tubes can remain in place? Am I correct in assuming the jumpers only relate to the driver tubes?

Thanks!

 

[bball]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lh0628 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Could some confirm that the volume knob works on the RCA out as well? Thanks.

Yes the Volume knob controls the RCA out. If you have headphones and the RCA plugged in it controls both the volume of the headphones and the speakers. In my case the volume of the headphones and my speakers is about even so one isn't playing too loud if I happen to have both on. But that would depend on your headphone impedance and speaker efficiency.

 

[lh0628]

Great, thank you for the answer!

 

[Project22a]

Checking in again guys. I've owned this amp for a year and a half now and it still impresses me. My stock driver tubes died after about a year of heavy use (well not literally dead, one of them is exhibiting a lot of hissing. I tried cleaning the tube pins and the hissing is still there).

I'm currently enjoying a pair of GE JG-5645/6AK5Ws and just picked up a set of Raytheon JRP-6AK5W "Anchor" today.

I'm still on the hunt for a full shield pair of M8161s. But I'm confident the GEs and Raytheons will keep me happy for quite a while longer.

If anyone is on the fence on ordering this amp; please do yourself a favor and order it immediately. This model is easily one of the best bang for buck amps on the market.

David and the staff over at Little Tube are great and I wouldn't hesitate to business with them again.

 

[debitsohn]

I know there is the tube rolling post but there is simply too much info to go through. can anyone tell me the best budget combo for upgraded tubes? I was looking around and found the EF92s and the russian 6n6p or whatever.

 

[donunus]

I have tried ef91, ef92, the voshod 6zh1p-ev, some generic 6ak5, 6j1, and some tung-sol 6ak5s and if you want the best combination of speed and transparency without spending big money on power tubes, I would stick with the stock power tube with some Mullard ef92 driver tubes. The russian 6n6p power tube seems to make the sound a little less organic IMO.