[nwavesailor]

Anyone try the Eriksson version of the 2C51 / 396A in their LP or other amp? They are supposed (?) to be quieter than the WE 2C51 / 369A but curious if you folks have tried them in the real world.

Tried a 1950's WE JW-2C51 tonight in a Garage 1217 amp and did it ever sound nice! This amp does not have the gain of the LP, so it's hard to say if they would be quiet in the LP with the gain issues.

I need to return this pair of WE 2C51 at any rate as 1 tube tested and sounded great where the other tube may have grid leak according to my tester.

 

[bcowen]

I only go after holy grail resisters. Do these qualify?

They have a Western Electric label on them, and seeing they're being sold via Menifee I'm guessing they are legit (just overpriced). So yeah, those are probably holy grail versions if their resistor tubes are anything like their 300B's. Not exactly sure why a resistor tube would have even been invented or produced, unless there's some application where you'd need to change resistor values on the fly and this was the best known method at the time for doing it. Seems kinda like putting a transistor in a 6SN7 bottle though...

 

[TK16]

They have a Western Electric label on them, and seeing they're being sold via Menifee I'm guessing they are legit (just overpriced). So yeah, those are probably holy grail versions if their resistor tubes are anything like their 300B's. Not exactly sure why a resistor tube would have even been invented or produced, unless there's some application where you'd need to change resistor values on the fly and this was the best known method at the time for doing it. Seems kinda like putting a transistor in a 6SN7 bottle though...

What about holography? Currently running 3 pair of the least 3D sounding tubes I have. Lorenz PCC88, 6201 PW, and 7316 D getters. Will these tubes make an improvement in that respect?

 

[TK16]

Anyone try the Eriksson version of the 2C51 / 396A in their LP or other amp? They are supposed (?) to be quieter than the WE 2C51 / 369A but curious if you folks have tried them in the real world.

Tried a 1950's WE JW-2C51 tonight in a Garage 1217 amp and did it ever sound nice! This amp does not have the gain of the LP, so it's hard to say if they would be quiet in the LP with the gain issues.

I need to return this pair of WE 2C51 at any rate as 1 tube tested and sounded great where the other tube may have grid leak according to my tester.

Quieter is tube dependent, the LM E 2C51 square getter, both steel and gold pin are polar opposites in terms of sound vs the WE. Highly detailed, bordering on harsh to my ears and lean in the bass, I did not care for them 1 bit.

 

[nwavesailor]

Quieter is tube dependent, the LM E 2C51 square getter, both steel and gold pin are polar opposites in terms of sound vs the WE. Highly detailed, bordering on harsh to my ears and lean in the bass, I did not care for them 1 bit.

Thanks, TK16! I believe you just saved me $200 for this pair.
I saw a listing for the gold pin version or the Ericsson 2C51 and wanted to know if the hype was accurate. I liked what I heard in the 1950's WE JW -2C51so I better stay with those! My Garage 1217 takes a single and if I snag the LP I'll need a pair.

 

[HellooooThar]

I’ve been sinning — dabbling in the dark arts of putting my Lyr 2 on preamp duty with some affordably acquired gear.

Including the price of the Lyr, I think this whole setup cost me less than $800

 

[koover]

Quieter is tube dependent, the LM E 2C51 square getter, both steel and gold pin are polar opposites in terms of sound vs the WE. Highly detailed, bordering on harsh to my ears and lean in the bass, I did not care for them 1 bit.

So he sold them to me. Lol
But? Dependent on what headphones you’re using, I like them a lot. For instance, with my Klipsch Heritage HP3 which has some really slamming bass, or maybe a ZMF where they don’t have a ton of sparkle up top, they match up well and become a bit more neutral. Not a lot but you can hear it. If you used this tubenwith say a HE560 or maybe a HD600, no, just no!

 

[TK16]

Thanks, TK16! I believe you just saved me $200 for this pair.
I saw a listing for the gold pin version or the Ericsson 2C51 and wanted to know if the hype was accurate. I liked what I heard in the 1950's WE JW -2C51so I better stay with those! My Garage 1217 takes a single and if I snag the LP I'll need a pair.

Which tube tester do you have? What measurement was the shorts at?

 

[nwavesailor]

B & K 700 and 707. The tube testing rock solid was at 85-90 w/o any sag. The suspect tube was a little less than 80 but then the meter display dropped down into the ‘bad’ zone. Whenever I’ve had this sag, it has been a bad tube.

The seller asked if I wanted to keep the good tube and refund the cost of the second. Not sure if I want a single WE but it tests nicely and sounds good. He also has more of the same date code so I could snag another pair and have 1 backup of the same tube I suppose.

 

[TK16]

B & K 700 and 707. The tube testing rock solid was at 85-90 w/o any sag. The suspect tube was a little less than 80 but then the meter display dropped down into the ‘bad’ zone. Whenever I’ve had this sag, it has been a bad tube.

The seller asked if I wanted to keep the good tube and refund the cost of the second. Not sure if I want a single WE but it tests nicely and sounds good. He also has more of the same date code so I could snag another pair and have 1 backup of the same tube I suppose.

I`d exchange the bad tube for another, worst case you have 2 singles for your amp and best case you have a pair for a different amp that takes pairs.

 

[nwavesailor]

My options are:

Returning the pair for full refund

Keeping the 1 good tube of the pair with refund for the bad tube

Buying another pair with identical date code

There is not an option to just replace a single tube w/o breaking up a pair.

 

[nwavesailor]

I may just want to snag the other pair of WE as I would then have a matched pair (date code and plate readings) and an almost identical (slightly lower testing) single as a spare.

If I wanted to sell these WE to another Head-Fier at some point, having an almost identical spare wouldn’t be bad!

 

[bcowen]

What about holography? Currently running 3 pair of the least 3D sounding tubes I have. Lorenz PCC88, 6201 PW, and 7316 D getters. Will these tubes make an improvement in that respect?

They might cause holes to appear in some of the capacitors in your amp. If you measured the size of each of hole and then plotted them out on a graph, that would be holography, right?

 

[TK16]

So he sold them to me. Lol
But? Dependent on what headphones you’re using, I like them a lot. For instance, with my Klipsch Heritage HP3 which has some really slamming bass, or maybe a ZMF where they don’t have a ton of sparkle up top, they match up well and become a bit more neutral. Not a lot but you can hear it. If you used this tubenwith say a HE560 or maybe a HD600, no, just no!

I don't remember selling you any, maybe someone else? If I did, good riddance!

 

[koover]

Lol
I believe you sold me 1 and @Phantaminum sold me a pair. I quite like them with certain headphones.