[Slackaveli]

Just see if you can manage to find one of Tom's Incubus amps up for sale and just call it a day.* A TS 5998 and a nice Brimar or Melz 6SN7 equivalent and you'll never want for another HP amp -- ever!!

* Goodluck with that!

i feel very baited lololol

 

[AstronomerXI]

What makes particular tubes "a favorite"?

I'm foreign to the whole tube rolling phenomenon and rather view myself as the street urchin trying to divine what the diners in the fancy restaurant are enjoying. (hst, I'm not tube-curious more tube-cognoscenti-curious; that is, I'm curious about what the tube lovers love, rather than the tubes themselves).

Well, at its most basic, it's easiest to think of tubes like any other component in the system, like headphones for example. Different ones (tubes or cans) impart different qualities to the music. Some of those admixtures of qualities - soundstage, bass-forwardness or recessed, vocals recessed or forward, and so on for other parts of the audio spectrum, combine to make the music sound subjectively poor, OK, or wow.

Some tubes have just made the music sound lifeless, others impart a beautiful distortion to guitars but with a narrow soundstage; some sound beautiful with female/male vocals but the bass is weak and poorly defined, and so on. With my hearing, various headphones, and my audio stack with 2 headphone amps in them, the Telefunkens bring it all together: There's a 3D quaity to the sound that works with the 3 main headphones that I use in the stack, and all in various combinations with the headphone amps across genres. Instruments from bass to brass sound clear, defined, in their proper places in the mix, but in a wider and deeper soundstage. Think about everything that you liked about the Gumby and enhance it in all the best ways.

A few days ago, someone recommended the Levin Brothers jazz album. I listened to it with non Bugle-Boy Amperex tubes in the Freya N. The music was good, but it was missing something. It didn't have that 3D sound or imaging, it was a bit flat sounding. I put the Telefunkens in and BOOM! There was that clarity, sparkle, wide soundstage; Tony's bass was present and clear. Pete's keyboards were all around me, the drummer in the room with me in 3D.

I'm probably explaining it poorly, but it comes down to what one likes. The Telefunkens hit my preferences like a perfectly machined key in a lock and they opened the door to a thoroughly enjoyable music listening experience, equivalent for me to the jump from the D-S DAC to the Gumby. As soon as I heard music with them in the chain, I just knew these were the ones (for me).

 

[Ripper2860]

i feel very baited lololol

Yes, but this bait is cast with the best of intentions. It will lead to pure audio-bliss!

 

[Slackaveli]

Well, at its most basic, it's easiest to think of tubes like any other component in the system, like headphones for example. Different ones (tubes or cans) impart different qualities to the music. Some of those admixtures of qualities - soundstage, bass-forwardness or recessed, vocals recessed or forward, and so on for other parts of the audio spectrum, combine to make the music sound subjectively poor, OK, or wow.

Some tubes have just made the music sound lifeless, others impart a beautiful distortion to guitars but with a narrow soundstage; some sound beautiful with female/male vocals but the bass is weak and poorly defined, and so on. With my hearing, various headphones, and my audio stack with 2 headphone amps in them, the Telefunkens bring it all together: There's a 3D quaity to the sound that works with the 3 main headphones that I use in the stack, and all in various combinations with the headphone amps across genres. Instruments from bass to brass sound clear, defined, in their proper places in the mix, but in a wider soundstage. Think about everything that you liked about the Gumby and enhance it in all the best ways.

A few days ago, someone recommended the Levin Brothers jazz album. I listened to it with non Bugle-Boy Amperex tubes in the Freya N. The music was good, but it was missing something. It didn't have that 3D sound or imaging, it was a bit flat sounding. I put the Telefunkens in and BOOM! There was that clarity, sparkle, wide soundstage; Tony's bass was present and clear. Pete's keyboards were all around me, the drummer in the room with me in 3D.

I'm probably explaining it poorly, but it comes down to what one likes. The Telefunkens hit my preferences like a perfectly machined key in a lock and they opened the door to a thoroghly enjoyable music listening experience, equivalent for me to the jump from the DS DAC to the Gumby. As soon as I heard music with them in thr chain, I just knew these were the ones (for me).

You explained it very well actually.

 

[Slackaveli]

Yes, but this bait is cast with the best of intentions. It will lead to pure audio-bliss!

And I am in fact obliged, good Sir.

 

[AstronomerXI]

What makes a particular tube a favorite is that it SOUNDS good to the listener.

Nailed it. You answered it better in one sentence than I did in a handful of paragraphs.

 

[LobalWarming]

What makes particular tubes "a favorite"?

I'm foreign to the whole tube rolling phenomenon and rather view myself as the street urchin trying to divine what the diners in the fancy restaurant are enjoying. (hst, I'm not tube-curious more tube-cognoscenti-curious; that is, I'm curious about what the tube lovers love, rather than the tubes themselves).

Well... the TubeNOScenti will wax poetic about the differences between tubes in tonality, presentation, the holographic 3D space between instruments, the depth between instruments, sometimes the remarkable depth OF an instrument, as opposed to the flat 2D paper thin presentation of many SS devices. And on occasion, may debase themselves to describe gauche bass that smacks. But only after drinking too much.

Music is in the midrange and tubes excel in delivering an intoxicating mix of vibrant life with warmth and exquisite detail. The fun in tube rolling is discovering all the different flavours - between warm and gooey to clean, incisive and quick. With budget and insanity remaining, combining a wide variety of driver tubes with a smorgasbord of output tubes for the ultimate combolatorations (it's a word in the secret thermionic code). Sometimes one discovers a magic combo of drivers/output that reveals an encompassing soundstage - on phones - with out-of-the-head width, depth and height that can intoxicate one out of their mind. This week. Next week it's a different gourmet treat on the sonic menu.

Since tubes are more linear within their working range and far more forgiving outside it than solid sand that only measures so stunning just before they clip like a grisly bear getting a buzz cut, tubes preserve the micro-fish of micro-detail that often seems bleached-out, greyed-out by high feedback chip devices.

Other than that, not a big deal. Except...... the even bigger deal. Tube rolling can make you a better listener. No, really. Listening for inaudible differences between thousand dollar fuses or cables doesn't make one a better listener, only a better nervosa enthusiast.

There are electrical and physical differences between tubes - even of the same family. Audible differences that draw one inside the music. Effortlessly. Tube rolling develops active listening skills without the homework and term papers. IME, SS presents a facts-only, clinical, uninvolving experience. Do not want - can get that at home with my internet dentistry app.

What makes a tube a fav? Depends on the mood, the music and combo. Which is why I have about 100+ tubes in my Top 5 tube list. Crowded, sure. But never boring. Unlike my SS amps, which sound the same same every freakin' day. How tedious.

 

[artur9]

...

1) Personal preference. ...
2) Synergy with the amp (or component) in play. Some tubes may sound great in one amp, but maybe not so great in another.
3) Synergy with the other tubes in the component. A Tung Sol 5998 and a Melz 1578 are a beautiful marriage in many amps. That same Tung Sol with a Foton 6N8S? Not so much. Conversely, that Melz 1578 paired with, say, a Cetron 7236? Not so much also.
4) Synergy with the headphones (or loudspeakers) in play.
...

Like with a lot of our subjective impressions, sounds like it would be really hard to draw "definitive" conclusions from another's experience with any particular tube variant? Let alone accounting for the human variation in the manufacture of each specific tube...

I guess, if someone were to say, "This Melz 1578 sounds really good in the Vali2++ with my HD650" that's the level of "reporting" necessary...?

FTFY.

Yeah,

 

[Slackaveli]

@artur9 you asked a great question and has led to some great information.

 

[Slackaveli]

Well... the TubeNOScenti will wax poetic about the differences between tubes in tonality, presentation, the holographic 3D space between instruments, the depth between instruments, sometimes the remarkable depth OF an instrument, as opposed to the flat 2D paper thin presentation of many SS devices. And on occasion, may debase themselves to describe gauche bass that smacks. But only after drinking too much.

Music is in the midrange and tubes excel in delivering an intoxicating mix of vibrant life with warmth and exquisite detail. The fun in tube rolling is discovering all the different flavours - between warm and gooey to clean, incisive and quick. With budget and insanity remaining, combining a wide variety of driver tubes with a smorgasbord of output tubes for the ultimate combolatorations (it's a word in the secret thermionic code). Sometimes one discovers a magic combo of drivers/output that reveals an encompassing soundstage - on phones - with out-of-the-head width, depth and height that can intoxicate one out of their mind. This week. Next week it's a different gourmet treat on the sonic menu.

Since tubes are more linear within their working range and far more forgiving outside it than solid sand that only measures so stunning just before they clip like a grisly bear getting a buzz cut, tubes preserve the micro-fish of micro-detail that often seems bleached-out, greyed-out by high feedback chip devices.

Other than that, not a big deal. Except...... the even bigger deal. Tube rolling can make you a better listener. No, really. Listening for inaudible differences between thousand dollar fuses or cables doesn't make one a better listener, only a better nervosa enthusiast.

There are electrical and physical differences between tubes - even of the same family. Audible differences that draw one inside the music. Effortlessly. Tube rolling develops active listening skills without the homework and term papers. IME, SS presents a facts-only, clinical, uninvolving experience. Do not want - can get that at home with my internet dentistry app.

What makes a tube a fav? Depends on the mood, the music and combo. Which is why I have about 100+ tubes in my Top 5 tube list. Crowded, sure. But never boring. Unlike my SS amps, which sound the same same every freakin' day. How tedious.

I heard someone once say "you hear with the hairs in your ear canal, and everone's are different. With tubes you can find ones that fit your ears" and I really like that thought. Quite intriguing.

Great post, Lobal.

 

[turtlerod]

Hakushu 12-Year has been my favorite j-malt so far. My local shop used to get it in occasionally but it pretty much doesn't exist in Oregon anymore.

With all of the talk of Whiskies, and total wine and such, I decided to head over to total wine ( about 3 miles away). They had the Oregon Spirit Rye and they said it was on sale. So I bought some and it is good, and a nice departure from my regular drink of Laphroaig. However even on sale it was more than that Laphroaig. I do not have one of those new fangle Whisky serving boards so I just took the picture on one of the cutting boards that I own.

​

 

[Ripper2860]

And one more for you fine folks...

 

[sam6550a]

When I get Vali3 I'm going to hunt a Tung Sol 5998 and I'm gonna need y'all to sign off on the purchase when I do so I don't get ripped of or ganked by a fake one.

No 5998 in a Vali, Not compatible.

 

[artur9]

Well, at its most basic, ...

Some tubes have just made the music sound lifeless, others impart a beautiful distortion to guitars but with a narrow soundstage; some sound beautiful with female/male vocals but the bass is weak and poorly defined, and so on. ...

A few days ago, someone recommended the Levin Brothers jazz album. I listened to it with non Bugle-Boy Amperex tubes in the Freya N. The music was good, but it was missing something. It didn't have that 3D sound or imaging, it was a bit flat sounding. I put the Telefunkens in and BOOM! There was that clarity, sparkle, wide soundstage; Tony's bass was present and clear. ...

I'm probably explaining it poorly, but it comes down to what one likes. The Telefunkens hit my preferences like a perfectly machined key in a lock and they opened the door to a thoroughly enjoyable music listening experience, equivalent for me to the jump from the D-S DAC to the Gumby. As soon as I heard music with them in the chain, I just knew these were the ones (for me).

Well... the TubeNOScenti will wax poetic about the differences between tubes in tonality, presentation, the holographic 3D space between instruments, the depth between instruments, sometimes the remarkable depth OF an instrument, as opposed to the flat 2D paper thin presentation of many SS devices. ...

Music is in the midrange and tubes excel in delivering an intoxicating mix of vibrant life with warmth and exquisite detail. The fun in tube rolling is discovering all the different flavours - between warm and gooey to clean, incisive and quick. ... Sometimes one discovers a magic combo of drivers/output that reveals an encompassing soundstage - on phones - with out-of-the-head width, depth and height that can intoxicate one out of their mind. This week. Next week it's a different gourmet treat on the sonic menu.

... Tube rolling can make you a better listener. ...

... Tube rolling develops active listening skills without the homework and term papers. IME, SS presents a facts-only, clinical, uninvolving experience. Do not want - can get that at home with my internet dentistry app.

What makes a tube a fav? Depends on the mood, the music and combo. Which is why I have about 100+ tubes in my Top 5 tube list. Crowded, sure. But never boring. Unlike my SS amps, which sound the same same every freakin' day. How tedious.

Thank you both, very illuminating, almost like the warm glow of a tube

It does sound like a lot of fun.

The way my hearing works I do need that "sounds the same every day" quality of SS as that is what gets me more deeply involved in the music.

Again, thank you for a peek inside the tube-rolling world.

 

[ArmchairPhilosopher]

So that nobody can say that I never say anything positive about Roon; the reworked sidebar is a solid step in the right direction.