billerb1
Headphoneus Supremus
About a month ago I managed to talk Bob, aka rb2013, out of a pair of his #2 ranked Russian tubes, the 1974 Reflektor 6n23p SWGP silver shields. I liked them so much I harassed him into selling me a pair of his #1 ranked 1975 Reflektor SWGP silver shields. These tubes are a revelation depending of course on your system. Not going to be great on an already somewhat bright system. These bad boys will just melt it. But in the right system both of these vintages can bring many things to the surface that weren't apparent before. They are both at the very top of the 6922 food chain...
I've been die-hard late 50's/early 60's Philips Miniwatt E188CC SQ fan for a long time. Their signature sound, after years of trial and error, really have been in my wheelhouse. I was really looking forward to comparing the "Holy Grail" 75 Reflektors to my favorite pair of Minis.
Of course take into consideration that this is not a 'which tube is best' judgment. These are my subjective thoughts on how they sound on my system (recabled T1's/Woo WA2/Schiit Uber Bifrost) and to what I personally look for in the way of sound signature, which I admit is probably not a sound signature most people would want or would consider a norm. I'm a gigging drummer and I listen to instrumental music almost exclusively, very little in the way of vocals. I look for immersion and engagement more so than strictly detail or soundstage dimension or any one part of the musical spectrum. That covers my disclaimers, LOL !!!
Well I've probably spent about 4 hours a/b'ing...typically listening to 2 songs that I know well and then switching the tubes. No eq. Bottom line at this point...if you put a gun to my head and said I had to pick one pair and not be able to keep the other, I'd have to opt for the Miniwatts. But it would be an incredibly hard choice. I would really feel cheated about what I was missing out on if I had to lose the HG's...and I'm loving the fact that I have those 2 avenues of musical exploration (3 if you count the 74's...and I am !). But lets concentrate on the HG/Mini comp.
To my ears both of these tubes blow anything else I've ever heard completely out of the water on the 6922 ocean. And I've heard a lot of supposed holy grails (early 60's S&H E88CC's, early 60's Amperex US made E188CC white label PQ's, mid-60's Mullard 4109's, La Radiotechnique green label E188CC's, early 70's Siemens A-Frame Cca's, early 60's Holland made Valvo E88CC red labels, many pairs of early 60's Holland made Philips Miniwatt E88CC's, 1963 Telefunken ECC88's, mid 60's Mullard 2492's....and probably some more that I've forgotten about)
I currently have 2 pair of Miniwatts, late 50's 7308's and a mixed pair of '63 and '66 E188CC's. You'd think they'd sound the same but they don't. The 63/66 pair are magic to my ears...I've had 2 other pair of E188CC Minis and the 7308's but that 63/66 pair is special. Magic. If I had to pick between the HG's and the my 7308's I pick the HG's without hesitation. The 7308's don't have that same degree of engagement that the 63/66's do to my ears. Each tube is like a snowflake...no two are the same.
My comparison of the HG's and '63/66's of course varies as to the engineering of each song and of course my mood at the moment, lol. Nothing uncovers detail like the HG's, nothing. If you are going to use a tube for mastering or any kind of studio work, the HG's are a no-brainer. If you want to uncover anything/everything hidden in a recording...HG's, hands down. There is a more expansive soundstage with the HG's as well and often that is very beautiful and intriguing...but sometimes it takes the music a little farther away than I'd prefer. The layering on the HG's can be quite complex and sophisticated and it's almost like exploring in a museum!!! Great stuff. So why do I slightly prefer (at least at this point in time) the Miniwatts? Even though they don't have the mining ability to uncover every microscopic nugget, to my ears, on my equipment, they illuminate more of each note...a little more texture, a little more meat especially on the bottom quarter of each note. Tom toms often have more bottom, pianos often have more presence and resonance, guitars have more balls, cymbal sustains allow you to hear the overtones and undertones, even on light hits. In short, each note carries a bit more weight. This makes the instruments sound more real to me...that lower resonance is more available to me. The notes hang more holographically in the soundstage creating a more 3D, immersive sound field. I liken it to a musical planetarium. I have found myself more engaged more often and more deeply with the Mini's vs the HG's for those reasons. It's not on all songs mind you. As Bob told me, you can just be going along with the HG's and then all of a sudden have your head blown off by something previously unknown and truly amazing. That's happened to me a bunch. So like I've said, what really jazzes me about having both pair is that I don't have to choose. They are both absolute top shelf quality and they both go about it somewhat differently. I would say that the HG's put you against one of the walls in the recording studio and give you a very intimate, precise feel for the session. The Mini's put you in the middle of the musicians in the studio and the music rains all over you.
I feel fortunate after a lot of money spent and trial and error to have it down to these two magic carpet ride options.
I would further guess that most audiophiles after hearing both would opt for the HG's. I'm just a little weird in what I listen for...and to.
Further, rb2013 says that the HG's continue to improve and evolve up to 200 hours and I have no reason not to believe that....these things have blossomed more by burn-in than any tube I have ever owned.
Great stuff !!!!!!!!
I've been die-hard late 50's/early 60's Philips Miniwatt E188CC SQ fan for a long time. Their signature sound, after years of trial and error, really have been in my wheelhouse. I was really looking forward to comparing the "Holy Grail" 75 Reflektors to my favorite pair of Minis.
Of course take into consideration that this is not a 'which tube is best' judgment. These are my subjective thoughts on how they sound on my system (recabled T1's/Woo WA2/Schiit Uber Bifrost) and to what I personally look for in the way of sound signature, which I admit is probably not a sound signature most people would want or would consider a norm. I'm a gigging drummer and I listen to instrumental music almost exclusively, very little in the way of vocals. I look for immersion and engagement more so than strictly detail or soundstage dimension or any one part of the musical spectrum. That covers my disclaimers, LOL !!!
Well I've probably spent about 4 hours a/b'ing...typically listening to 2 songs that I know well and then switching the tubes. No eq. Bottom line at this point...if you put a gun to my head and said I had to pick one pair and not be able to keep the other, I'd have to opt for the Miniwatts. But it would be an incredibly hard choice. I would really feel cheated about what I was missing out on if I had to lose the HG's...and I'm loving the fact that I have those 2 avenues of musical exploration (3 if you count the 74's...and I am !). But lets concentrate on the HG/Mini comp.
To my ears both of these tubes blow anything else I've ever heard completely out of the water on the 6922 ocean. And I've heard a lot of supposed holy grails (early 60's S&H E88CC's, early 60's Amperex US made E188CC white label PQ's, mid-60's Mullard 4109's, La Radiotechnique green label E188CC's, early 70's Siemens A-Frame Cca's, early 60's Holland made Valvo E88CC red labels, many pairs of early 60's Holland made Philips Miniwatt E88CC's, 1963 Telefunken ECC88's, mid 60's Mullard 2492's....and probably some more that I've forgotten about)
I currently have 2 pair of Miniwatts, late 50's 7308's and a mixed pair of '63 and '66 E188CC's. You'd think they'd sound the same but they don't. The 63/66 pair are magic to my ears...I've had 2 other pair of E188CC Minis and the 7308's but that 63/66 pair is special. Magic. If I had to pick between the HG's and the my 7308's I pick the HG's without hesitation. The 7308's don't have that same degree of engagement that the 63/66's do to my ears. Each tube is like a snowflake...no two are the same.
My comparison of the HG's and '63/66's of course varies as to the engineering of each song and of course my mood at the moment, lol. Nothing uncovers detail like the HG's, nothing. If you are going to use a tube for mastering or any kind of studio work, the HG's are a no-brainer. If you want to uncover anything/everything hidden in a recording...HG's, hands down. There is a more expansive soundstage with the HG's as well and often that is very beautiful and intriguing...but sometimes it takes the music a little farther away than I'd prefer. The layering on the HG's can be quite complex and sophisticated and it's almost like exploring in a museum!!! Great stuff. So why do I slightly prefer (at least at this point in time) the Miniwatts? Even though they don't have the mining ability to uncover every microscopic nugget, to my ears, on my equipment, they illuminate more of each note...a little more texture, a little more meat especially on the bottom quarter of each note. Tom toms often have more bottom, pianos often have more presence and resonance, guitars have more balls, cymbal sustains allow you to hear the overtones and undertones, even on light hits. In short, each note carries a bit more weight. This makes the instruments sound more real to me...that lower resonance is more available to me. The notes hang more holographically in the soundstage creating a more 3D, immersive sound field. I liken it to a musical planetarium. I have found myself more engaged more often and more deeply with the Mini's vs the HG's for those reasons. It's not on all songs mind you. As Bob told me, you can just be going along with the HG's and then all of a sudden have your head blown off by something previously unknown and truly amazing. That's happened to me a bunch. So like I've said, what really jazzes me about having both pair is that I don't have to choose. They are both absolute top shelf quality and they both go about it somewhat differently. I would say that the HG's put you against one of the walls in the recording studio and give you a very intimate, precise feel for the session. The Mini's put you in the middle of the musicians in the studio and the music rains all over you.
I feel fortunate after a lot of money spent and trial and error to have it down to these two magic carpet ride options.
I would further guess that most audiophiles after hearing both would opt for the HG's. I'm just a little weird in what I listen for...and to.
Further, rb2013 says that the HG's continue to improve and evolve up to 200 hours and I have no reason not to believe that....these things have blossomed more by burn-in than any tube I have ever owned.
Great stuff !!!!!!!!
