Schiit Lyr - The tube rolling thread

[barron112]

I listen to alot of electronica and pop as well as some chillout. In your guys' opinions what is the tube for the Lyr that would work best for me?

 

[HK_sends]

      Quote:

I didn't want to say that tube rolling is useless. It's great, that some people can compare lots of tubes and than advice newbies right tubes or some alternatives. I'm pleased that they are here on forum.
I just wanted to say that tube rolling is not the only one thing that can improve the sound of music system. For example, I'm planning to buy a pair of tubes and also some new cables (for headphones too). And I'm sure that altogether all these components will give me great sound.
It is the same story with cables - I have tried a lot of pairs and everyone brought somthing new in sound. I was lucky cause I borrowed them from my friends.
Nevertheless, I would like to thank everyone, who offered me some alternatives.

Hopefully, nobody took it that way (I know I didn't).  You just have to look at tube rolling as another aspect of the hobby that you can choose to take up (or not).  Before I started my tube rolling journey, I rolled headphones (no, really) because it seemed almost every new set of headphones (with rare exception) offered better, or at least different sound than the previous ones.  The issue wasn't me not knowing what I sound I like, but actually just finding it with my sound equipment (does that make sense?).  Tubes offered an easier (and cheaper upfront, but more expensive in the long run

) solution.
 
For me, the tube rolling started because I was just amazed at how much you could change an amp's signature just by rolling tubes.  If I had sprung for a higher-end amp instead, chances are I would still have tried to roll the tubes to fit my taste (or lack thereof...) in sound.  Rolling tubes just became fun for me; trying something new and comparing my impressions with others to see if we were in agreement and if not, why.  I went through 40 some-odd sets of tubes and made some great discoveries and found some I just didn't care for...but the journey was fun!  ...And that's all that really matters, isn't it?  Well, that and the sound.

 
Besides, I couldn't roll as many amps as I could tubes!

 
This wasn't a shot at anybody, just my reasoning for my own eccentric indulgence.  Of course IMHO & YMMV...

 
Cheers!

-HK sends
 
PS - I rolled headphone cables too...

 

[jamato8]

Having finally gotten into my storage I pulled a few 6N1P, military, triple mica black plate 1965 tubes. I had not used any, since I did not have access to them, in the Lyr. These, to my ear, sound nothing like the other 6N1P's. Very extended and transparent. Not a rich tube but more neutral. A nice wide soundstage and very good vocals. IMO. And they aren't burnt in, being NOS and never used. The amp isn't totally warmed up either. I hear no tube noise or hum. If the sound changes for the better or worse, I will note it. But so far I like this now very rare tube in the Lyr. 
 
The one disadvantage these tubes might face here is that they aren't being run at high enough voltages and the bias is too low. Time will tell. 

 

[HK_sends]

Well folks,
 
Thanks to Macedonianhero, I have found another great-sounding tube for the Lyr; and get this, it's a 6922...but with real bass as well.  While I found the 6922s to be very musical, I always thought the bass was lacking...thus my journey on the ECC88/PCC88 express.  But the Matsu"schiit"a/National 6922s offered on Tubemonger have somehow been made to include excellent bass extension (must be the Mullard tooling they used).  After only four hours of listening, these are already rapidly becoming my personal favorite (next to the Lorenz PCC88s).

 
And, they're only $80 a set...
 
Cheers!

-HK sends
 
PS - I already got my backup sets...

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

Well folks,
 
Thanks to Macedonianhero, I have found another great-sounding tube for the Lyr; and get this, it's a 6922...but with real bass as well.  While I found the 6922s to be very musical, I always thought the bass was lacking...thus my journey on the ECC88/PCC88 express.  But the Matsu"schiit"a/National 6922s offered on Tubemonger have somehow been made to include excellent bass extension (must be the Mullard tooling they used).  After only four hours of listening, these are already rapidly becoming my personal favorite (next to the Lorenz PCC88s).

 
And, they're only $80 a set...
 
Cheers!

-HK sends
 
PS - I already got my backup sets...

Glad you really like them. I completely agree that the bass on those babies was amongst the very best I've heard!
 

 

[WNBC]

Good to know.  I have a pair of these that never got their proper attention due to too many tubes and too few sockets.  Will load them up tonight.  The Lorenz having been sounding so good that it will be a tough fight getting them out of the Lyr.
 

 
Quote:

Well folks,
 
Thanks to Macedonianhero, I have found another great-sounding tube for the Lyr; and get this, it's a 6922...but with real bass as well.  While I found the 6922s to be very musical, I always thought the bass was lacking...thus my journey on the ECC88/PCC88 express.  But the Matsu"schiit"a/National 6922s offered on Tubemonger have somehow been made to include excellent bass extension (must be the Mullard tooling they used).  After only four hours of listening, these are already rapidly becoming my personal favorite (next to the Lorenz PCC88s).

 
And, they're only $80 a set...
 
Cheers!

-HK sends
 
PS - I already got my backup sets...

 

 

[HK_sends]

Quote:

Glad you really like them. I completely agree that the bass on those babies was amongst the very best I've heard!

Thanks, I really do...enough to pop for two more sets besides the ones I got from you. 

  
I was pleasantly surprised and impressed, especially because I thought the Matsu PCC88s weren't as good sounding as I had initially hoped...
 
 Cheers!

-HK sends
 
 
 

 

[HK_sends]

Quote:

Good to know.  I have a pair of these that never got their proper attention due to too many tubes and too few sockets.  Will load them up tonight.  The Lorenz having been sounding so good that it will be a tough fight getting them out of the Lyr.
 

Well, it HAS been a while since I had my Lorenz rolled in...

 
Cheers!

-HK sends
 
 

 

[mmayer167]

this thread is bad, every time i see a new tube you guys try and have anything but bad remarks I must try.... must 

    the problem is they're always gleeming at me like "oh im only 40, its no big deal" 
 
LOL regardless, i have a pair of these mullard toold 6922 on the way you speak of hk.. me hopes they can be my lorenz backup 

 
M

 

[xxhaxx]

Quote:

Well folks,
 
Thanks to Macedonianhero, I have found another great-sounding tube for the Lyr; and get this, it's a 6922...but with real bass as well.  While I found the 6922s to be very musical, I always thought the bass was lacking...thus my journey on the ECC88/PCC88 express.  But the Matsu"schiit"a/National 6922s offered on Tubemonger have somehow been made to include excellent bass extension (must be the Mullard tooling they used).  After only four hours of listening, these are already rapidly becoming my personal favorite (next to the Lorenz PCC88s).

 
And, they're only $80 a set...
 
Cheers!

-HK sends
 
PS - I already got my backup sets...

^ I agree after rolling the selected amount tubes I have xD I settled down with the National 6922
 

 

[HK_sends]

Quote:

this thread is bad, every time i see a new tube you guys try and have anything but bad remarks I must try.... must 

    the problem is they're always gleeming at me like "oh im only 40, its no big deal" 
 
LOL regardless, i have a pair of these mullard toold 6922 on the way you speak of hk.. me hopes they can be my lorenz backup 

 
M

I'll probably wear these 6922s out first and save the Lorenz for "special occasions" 

 (or to finance my next headphone purchase...

).
 
Cheers!

-HK sends
 
 

 

[Misterrogers]

Gonna have to roll through those again. I bought a cryo pair early one. They were nice, but didn't grab me. Now where did I store those...
 
Quote:

I'll probably wear these 6922s out first, then have the Lorenz saved for "special occasions".

 
Cheers!

-HK sends
 
 

 

 

[HK_sends]

     Quote:

Gonna have to roll through those again. I bought a cryo pair early one. They were nice, but didn't grab me. Now where did I store those...

That was the thing, based on our earlier conversation I really didn't expect much out of these.
 
Now I do have to caveat one thing...my Lyr is feeding LCD-3s, which may be taking (some) advantage of the tubes that the LCD-2s didn't.  Then again, I never tried these when I had LCD-2s so YMMV.
 
Cheers!

-HK sends
 
PS - Didn't you sell them?

 

[koonhua90]

Wanna know what's sad? Both my Siemens E188CC and CV 2493 each has 1 tube that has died. Coincidentally, both are made in the 70s, and both do not have splatter shield. 

 
So now I am living with the Amperex 7308, Telefunken E88CC, Valvo E88CC (I don't dare to try this pair, but from my impression last time I really like how it sounds), and the Amperex 6922 USN (a bit too warm and congested sounding for my liking, I guess this will be great with headphones with slightly recessed mids). The Amperex 7308 is not as buttery and warm as the Amperex 6922, and also has better soundstage, which I like more. The Telefunken E88CC sounds pretty much like the Siemens, well, not that I can compare them now, since the Siemens died. I found that the German tubes with less warmth and more sparkle fits my headphone more. The final pair of tubes is something that I got for $80....it's a pair of Valvo CCa, which should be here before next week. Sometimes, some good tubes just go by on Ebay without much people fighting for it.
 
Eventually, imo any decent vintage tubes will sound good. Just read up some reviews and see how they sound. I don't think I am gonna spend that much more on tubes anymore. The only tubes that I will get is the Siemens E188CC and the Siemens CCa, if any comes by. If I am spending like 400 on tubes, I'd rather spend it on the Fischer Audio FA-002 with Karelian Birch cup. Or throw in another 300 and get the HE-500 headphone.

 

[HK_sends]

Quote:

Wanna know what's sad? Both my Siemens E188CC and CV 2493 each has 1 tube that has died. Coincidentally, both are made in the 70s, and both do not have splatter shield. 

 
So now I am living with the Amperex 7308, Telefunken E88CC, Valvo E88CC (I don't dare to try this pair, but from my impression last time I really like how it sounds), and the Amperex 6922 USN (a bit too warm and congested sounding for my liking, I guess this will be great with headphones with slightly recessed mids). The Amperex 7308 is not as buttery and warm as the Amperex 6922, and also has better soundstage, which I like more. The Telefunken E88CC sounds pretty much like the Siemens, well, not that I can compare them now, since the Siemens died. I found that the German tubes with less warmth and more sparkle fits my headphone more. The final pair of tubes is something that I got for $80....it's a pair of Valvo CCa, which should be here before next week. Sometimes, some good tubes just go by on Ebay without much people fighting for it.
 
Eventually, imo any decent vintage tubes will sound good. Just read up some reviews and see how they sound. I don't think I am gonna spend that much more on tubes anymore. The only tubes that I will get is the Siemens E188CC and the Siemens CCa, if any comes by. If I am spending like 400 on tubes, I'd rather spend it on the Fischer Audio FA-002 with Karelian Birch cup. Or throw in another 300 and get the HE-500 headphone.

Ouch, that's gotta hurt!  Sorry for your tube troubles.  If you like sparkle and less warmth, consider Telefunkens...they are a drier, more detailed tube with (what I thought was) sparkle.
 
-HK sends