[LustLoveLuck]

Tidal > Bifrost multibit gen 2 > Loki > Lyr 3 > Aeon Flow Closed. I really like the Lyr 3 compared to the Asgard 2 i had. I've been enjoying the 6sn7 TS from Schiit and have been listening to music non stop. The clarity and soundstage is awesome from this tube. It should be just about fully burned in over 50 hours. Ive been enjoying my AFC without any filters ( i used to use the black foam, don't have white filters). I have not used the Russian 6sn8 yet. I just bought a generic Westinghouse tube and 2 holy sylvania bad boy. I hope the sylvania bad boy sounds as good or better than the schiit TS. with the Schiit TS I have noticed that vocals are slightly grainy and ever so slightly sibilant, however the grain in vocals is less than the first couple of days the TS has been in the lyr (recording matters). Just started burning in the bad boy, does the bass quantity/quality change as it burns in?

 

[MikeW]

Im thinking of trying a LYR3 soon, currently have bifrost multibit and jotunheim with HD650. What are the favorite HD650 tube pairings for LYR3?

 

[Freeflap]

Tidal > Bifrost multibit gen 2 > Loki > Lyr 3 > Aeon Flow Closed. I really like the Lyr 3 compared to the Asgard 2 i had. I've been enjoying the 6sn7 TS from Schiit and have been listening to music non stop. The clarity and soundstage is awesome from this tube. It should be just about fully burned in over 50 hours. Ive been enjoying my AFC without any filters ( i used to use the black foam, don't have white filters). I have not used the Russian 6sn8 yet. I just bought a generic Westinghouse tube and 2 holy sylvania bad boy. I hope the sylvania bad boy sounds as good or better than the schiit TS. with the Schiit TS I have noticed that vocals are slightly grainy and ever so slightly sibilant, however the grain in vocals is less than the first couple of days the TS has been in the lyr (recording matters). Just started burning in the bad boy, does the bass quantity/quality change as it burns in?

If you like the stock tungsol, you will love the other tubes recommended here: the 2 hole badboy, 7n7 frankentube, westinghouse dgetter, etc... Enjoy the ride!
i am using laptop to lyr3 multibit to ether flow open. love the sound. currently using a westinghouse d getter. For reference, haven't been back to the stock tungsol in almost a year.

 

[bcowen]

.

 

[Scrith]

I do have a Brimar CV1988. $38 from nova.76 on eBay. I highly recommend that seller because 1) he auctions most tubes with a low starting price (no comment on how one can exploit this), and 2) his tubes are some of the best I own. I got a TungSol round plate from him a few days ago for $34, although the test numbers weren't all that great it should work reasonably well, hopefully. My best deal from him was a great-sounding National Union VT-231 w/ black glass for $1 (love those low minimum auctions!).

Now I need to find a deal on a Tesla or Mazda tube for my garage, maybe?

 

[Freeflap]

I do have a Brimar CV1988. $38 from nova.76 on eBay. I highly recommend that seller because 1) he auctions most tubes with a low starting price (no comment on how one can exploit this), and 2) his tubes are some of the best I own. I got a TungSol round plate from him a few days ago for $34, although the test numbers weren't all that great it should work reasonably well, hopefully. My best deal from him was a great-sounding National Union VT-231 w/ black glass for $1 (love those low minimum auctions!).

Now I need to find a deal on a Tesla or Mazda tube for my garage, maybe?

Yes, Ken b is a good seller. Lives near me actually. I bought my first brimar from him.

he has a huge stash of tubes. does a great job sorting and testing them out. enjoy!

 

[ilikepooters]

Rolled in one of the 6N1P Orel factory tubes...

I'm impressed! Slightly different flavour to NEVZ 6N1P-VI, this is a touch more warm and bass heavy, highs a little more laid back and the soundstage bigger.
Also seems a little more "tubey" in nature, more liquidity.

Probably a good match for a clinical, fast and bass light headphone.

Mine is '71 vintage and from this seller: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-x-6N1P-6DJ8-ECC88-7308-E88CC-6H1P-ORZEP-Orel-TUBE-1970s-NEW-BEST/183309809938?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Nice and cheap If you already have the adaptor this tube is definitely worth a punt. Completely trounces any 5692 if you need a comparison money-wise.

 

[blacksimon]

This is basically my first post lads, be easy on me - I've coupled together my thoughts about the PSVANE CV181-TII tube. Note that my musical tastes revolve mostly around faster paced metal (sometimes melodic), modern and classic rap, as well as some classic rock. This is a decently wide spread of sounds, but maybe not as wide as the rest of you lads.


I picked this tube off taobao, as an upgrade to my cv181 treasure (psvane describes this as an improvement to the full range sound response with no loss in soundstage or flavor) - I've burned this in for at least 300 hours now

I can only really compare this to the treasure series CV181, since the only prior tube I had in here was the stock 6sn7.

First off, the tube construction feels just as solid as the treasure, the pins look about the same material and quality. the only real difference is that this tube actually fits into the lyr3 - the treasure required a socket saver, or a lot of forceful pushing coupled with hopes and dreams.

Soundstage honestly feels a little more limited, by a small degree, only really noticeable with tracks with a wide echo, or recorded in a concert hall

the low end sounds much tighter and more responsive, particularly in sub-bass, while the upper end of bass response sounds just as good as the treasure

the mids sound a touch more pronounced than the treasure, if not on par - I'm still having difficulty comparing the two - they might be exactly the same for all i know

the highs sound much better, more crisp, more responsive, a tiny bit less forgiving - though running some tracks with background hiss through the PSvane does clear them up nicely compared to a SS source

So is this tube worth the $65?

I think so, since these are modern fabrication, dealing with new old stock isn't an issue. The QC from PSvane is good (I hear) and in my case, my tube was top notch - Though I'd look a little deeper into the topic if you're looking for matched pairs or something

From my research, the team that designed the original treasure series cv181 split off from the company and moved to psvane to work on this project, gradually improving it. If you want to support the makers of the original treasure, I guess buy this one, as the original company still owns the rights to produce the old treasure tube


anyway, here's a pic of it in the Lyr

thanks for the read

 

[FLTWS]

I have a matched pair of these T II's sourced from Grant Fidelity, I'd say $65.00 is a great price if it's in good working condition.

 

[buonassi]

I've really grown to love the Northern Electric 6SN7 - which looks identical to the TJ full music tubes. It has a similar shape to the PSvane tubes and is a current production deal (or manufactured relatively recent). I have a riser under it to display its full glory!



Wouldn't be surprised if it was made in the same factory. It bests all of my NOS/used tubes (including the D getter) in coherency, resolution, and cleanliness. It's got just a hint of low end grunt, and is relatively fast in the bass attack, with perfectly timed decay. It's not the widest or most tubey sounding, but there is definitely some nice richness in the mids. The treble is flawless. simply pristine, with no grain or etch. Nice and smooth balance overall - it's had the most amp time this past month and I can't seem to pull it out.

A tip to you lyr users I recently discovered: I now use digital attenuation (18-24 dbs). You'll note my volume in the pics - I find that the amp sounds its best about 3 oclock - which makes sense given the resistance of the volume pot. But I have no idea how a higher volume may interact with the tube stage - maybe that's why I'm hearing a nice gain? It really pushed my immersion factor up a notch! you guys with 32 bit DACs who can dither and attenuate digitally - give it a try. Heck, even a 24 bit DAC has enough room to dither and lower by over 40 dBs with zero loss of resolution (on 16 bit source content). Dither is important to maintain linearity during quantization process - so don't skip it. And your DAC should have a noise floor commensurate with your level of attenuation.

That's it, been a while since I posted and thought I'd check in. Hope you guys are all well and enjoying the music!

 

[kiwivda]

Oh look we are in tune testing the psvane TSeries Mark II CV181, to me sound veeeeery good. Clear, rich bass and very good separation.

 

[quimbo]

Oh look we are in tune testing the psvane TSeries Mark II CV181, to me sound veeeeery good. Clear, rich bass and very good separation.

Last week I talked myself out of getting one of these. After seeing this post I just ordered one.

 

[kiwivda]

the Lyr or the tube?

 

[quimbo]

The tube. Bought a Lyr 3 about a year ago, have picked up about 20 different tubes and was ready to stop searching

 

[Scrith]

Update on my tube rolling (which was on hold for a couple of weeks):

- Mullard ECC33 is still my favorite. Perfectly clear, wonderful detailed bass, and that warmth.
- Shuagang CV-181Z. Not a bad tube, but not terribly exciting. The bass seemed a bit dull and restrained. The highs seems solid though.
- PSVane CV-181T Mark II. A surprise after hearing people generally not voicing much enthusiasm for Chinese tubes...it sound great! It's right up there with tubes like the Bad Boys and reminds me a bit of the glorified Tung Sol round plates / black glass tubes. It just needs a little warmth like the British tubes.
- Tung Sol Round Plates w/ Black Glass - I managed to get a surprisingly cheap one on eBay (used of course, without particularly high measurements, but still above "ok", from a trusted seller I've bought quite a few tubes from), but was disappointed when I heard it. Yes, it sounded quite good, but needed a bit more gain that other tubes (which leaves a bad initial impression, since quieter generally sounds worse than louder), however the game-changer is that it has a small amount of hiss/distortion in the left channel, making it a disappointment in my eyes. Beware those used tubes with low measurements, I guess.
- Tung Sol Mouse Ears - Very nice. This reminds me of other US-made tubes from this era. Maybe just a notch below my good Tung Sol w/ Round Plates. Another sub-$20 tube from eBay.
- Sylvania 2-hole Bad Boys (2) - another cheap pick-up from a trusted seller on eBay. They sound great, similar to my other Bad Boys. Not bad for $15 each.