[TK16]

$84.95 free shipping 1951 WE 396A, wonky testing numbers for a pair.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Western-El...Old-Stock-Hickok-Tested-Lot-of-2/162961311001

 

[winders]

Also does anybody know if there is much difference between the Black glass and clear glass Ken-Rad vt231s? I already own some that are clear and wanted to see if I was already set.

There is no difference except the coating on the inside of the glass. I confirmed this with multiple knowledgable sources. I could tell no difference in sound between my black and clear glass Ken-Rad VT-231 tubes.

 

[bb rodriquez]

There is no difference except the coating on the inside of the glass. I confirmed this with multiple knowledgable sources. I could tell no difference in sound between my black and clear glass Ken-Rad VT-231 tubes.

Thank you for the heads up! Now I can spend that money on something else.

 

[gardibolt]

After last night's revelation with the Tung Sol 2C51s and the Elear, I thought I'd see what they can do with the top performer from my mid-fi headphone classical music shootout https://www.head-fi.org/threads/classical-music-headphone-shootout-ii-mid-fi.873251/ , the electrostatic Koss ESP-950. Delightfully airy but with plenty of presence, they are terrific all around for classical music. But could they be even better with the 2C51s?

Yes indeed. Using the Lyr 2 as a preamp for the Koss "energizer" I matched sound levels and then did an A/B on my test tracks with and without the Lyr and the 2C51s. The tubes consistently won out, imparting a warmth and richness on all ten varied tracks I tried, without ever interfering with the open and airy sound signature. The added richness was most prominent in the mid and lower bass; celli and piano left hand were the primary beneficiaries but horns and bassoon both sounded more powerful and more natural. As was the case with the Elear, the benefits were less pronounced on the better recorded material. Percussion had more weight and depth with the 2C51 tubes generally, particularly as Bill has observed with cymbals. The climactic gong in the finale of Gershwin's concerto in F has a good deal more impact and weight behind it.

The difference was nowhere near as profound as was the case with the Elear but there is a definite improvement to the sound of the music overall and especially at the lower end of the spectrum. I'm quite pleased that none of the clarity of the ESP-950 was sacrificed in the process.

I love love love these tubes. Now to burn in some Russkies and see what they can do for me.

 

[gardibolt]

I see Audeze has $500 off on the LCD-X if you don't want the travel case. How does that pair with the Lyr?

 

[bb rodriquez]

I see Audeze has $500 off on the LCD-X if you don't want the travel case. How does that pair with the Lyr?

I can't say since I haven't heard the LCD-X, but my LCD2c sound great out of it. I've been trying it out on my Massdrop Liquid Carbon and it just doesn't have the same "wow" factor that I get while using the Lyr. Overall I just find the sound from my Lyr more lively, fun and enjoyable.

I don't know if that's helpful or not, but hopefully it should give you an idea that the LCD series pairs fairly well. Most other planars I have tried with the Lyr sound pretty good too.

 

[koover]

I don’t own a single HP that doesn’t sound good out of my LYR2. If something is a bit off, roll another tube until you find it’s sweet spot. That’s why I’ll never go back to Solid state and why I hardly ever use my Jot. The Jot is a great amp too but you must be satisfied with its inherent sound.
Rolling opens up endless possibilities even if it may be slight differences.

 

[bb rodriquez]

I don’t own a single HP that doesn’t sound good out of my LYR2. If something is a bit off, roll another tube until you find it’s sweet spot. That’s why I’ll never go back to Solid state and why I hardly ever use my Jot. The Jot is a great amp too but you must be satisfied with its inherent sound.
Rolling opens up endless possibilities even if it may be slight differences.

+1

I have to agree, there hasn't been a headphone that I haven't enjoyed out of the Lyr and as Koover said above you can pick a tube that really makes them shine.

 

[gardibolt]

I don’t own a single HP that doesn’t sound good out of my LYR2. If something is a bit off, roll another tube until you find it’s sweet spot. That’s why I’ll never go back to Solid state and why I hardly ever use my Jot. The Jot is a great amp too but you must be satisfied with its inherent sound.
Rolling opens up endless possibilities even if it may be slight differences.

Pretty much. I had been looking at selling some headphones but I've got tubes that make them all sound pretty darned good.


My two sets of WE 396A came today; checked both for shorts and all is good. The 1960 square getter pair barely looks like they've ever been touched. Looking forward to hearing them and comparing to the 2C51. Also the excellent testing 1968/1971 pair. Burning in the mystery 1973 3N6P right now (which AuditoryCanvas thought were identical to his Oktyabrs). Horrifically bright at first but they tamed down nicely after 12 hours. Making no judgments for another week on these Russkies though. Next up after that are the 1985 Reflektors so I'll just be burning for the foreseeable future.

 

[TK16]

I'd give the WE a listen, I rate them higher than the Okt's plus the only need around 100 hrs burn in. Much less than the Russians.

 

[koover]

I'd give the WE a listen, I rate them higher than the Okt's plus the only need around 100 hrs burn in. Much less than the Russians.

The WE are so sweet and smooth. I agree TK. I truly love the sound characteristics of them. Then there’s the Tung Sols that aren’t any better or worse, but just as good and I like them just as much but a different sound. Then you start getting into all the Russian variants which may not be as good as the WE or TS, but pretty damn close for pennies on the dollar.
I’ll just say, it’s a fine time to be in this hobby as the possibilities are endless. I’m a rollin fool!

 

[TK16]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/162956380840
2 hours left fellas!

 

[Wes S]

Here we go. . .

 

[Phantaminum]

Here we go. . .

 

[Phantaminum]

$142 for a quad of JWs! Not bad at all.

Congrats to whoever won the bid.