[rnros]

  Hells bells.  OK, who's gonna make the list of tubes that work with this pin converter + the Lyr?
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2pc-Gold-plated-5670-6n3-WE396A-TO-ECC88-6922-6DJ8-tube-adapter-for-you-amp-/191636111735?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368

 
Here's the limited information I can provide:
 
Baldr's (Mike M) statement on this group/family of tubes:
"The 6N3P/5670/2C51/396A tube has the curves/same specs as a 6DJ8/6922/6N23P but a totally different pinout.  Therefore, the need for the adapter.  Once the adapters are bought, new options are opened for Vali2/Valhalla/Lyr rollers.  Because the 6N3P/5670/2C51/396A tubes are rare in audio design, they are cheap on the open market.  Further there is no Western Electric option in the 6DJ8/6922/6N23P tube pinout family.  The best built tube of all of these are the Western Electric 396A, period.  It is just their relative unavailability and high cost make them unsuitable for production quantities."
(http://www.head-fi.org/t/619910/schiit-valhalla-tube-rolling-thread/480#post_12466041)
 
Mike is clear on his pick of the WE 396A as the best of the bunch. (I have NOT tried this tube yet.) The 2C51, 5670, 396A all share the same short tube format. The first two go back to the fifties at least since the 5670 is included in GE's 5 Star design line-up in the early fifties. The 396A apparently was Western Electric's improvement on the 5760.
 
The 6N3P is the Russian version. It keeps the same size tube format as the 6N23P. It is available in at least five formats, 6N3P, 6N3P-EV, 6N3P-I, 6N3P-E and 6N3P-DR. The 6N3 is the Chinese version of the Russian.
 
I had already been interested in the Reflector 6N3P-E because it shares similar internal design/construction to the '60's 6N1P-E and 6N5P (which I like), but rather than the higher heater current of ~600mA (OK for Lyr1/Valhalla/Vali2) the 6N3P-E has a heater current in the ~300mA range similar to the 6DJ8/6N23P family. So we have the older triple mica, black box anode design in a version compatible with the lower heater current Schiit amps.
 
So far, I like this tube. I have four pairs in rotation-burn, '77, '79, '81, and '83. Only the '77 has more than 30 hrs. The others less than twenty. You can see my description of the sound profile in another recent post. It seems to have closed a bit (smaller soundstage) at the moment and shows a little less agility, but that's not unusual in my experience with NOS. We'll see where it goes. However I don't think this is a tube that NEEDS 100 to 200hrs. Ugh, hate that! Sounds great right out of the gate. Also, I can't tell any difference yet between the years listed. They all have identical construction as far as the naked eye (with magnification) can see. Only the Reflector etch logo changes.
 
Again, I am only referring to the REFL 6N3P-E. I have not tried the 6N3P or the 6N3P-EV, these are a different internal design (2 micas), and the 6N3P-I is the pulse version (may have the 3 micas).
I do also have the REFL 6N3P-DR, this version adds some additional internal stiffness by also anchoring the anode posts in the top mica plate. The getter assembly is also larger and sturdier. On limited initial listening, I cannot hear any difference from the 6N3P-E. BTW, the 'Triple-Mica' description refers to three layers/stages of mica plates, there are actually four mica plates, with two stacked together at the bottom.
 
And the last tube: the 6N26P will also work with this adapter but this a ~600mA heater current so can only be used in the Lyr1, Valhalla2, or the Vali2. And the current may actually be a little bit higher than that, so experiment only at your own risk, this is not a recommendation for this tube in those amps. But it's close and I can't resist...

 

[rnros]

  Looks like glass is back on the menu boys
 
edit: This is going to be a hell of a thing to unplug socket savers or not though.

I imagine there will be no audible detriment to using this adapter with the tubemonger saver.
I am using the adapter alone with the tube. The pins are solid and not as thick as the tubemonger variety, so they slide in and out of the amp socket with less force while holding the tube pins more securely.
However, I do use tube dampers, just the generic silicon O-Ring, and pushed down snugly against the amp case.
 
These are the ones I am using:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/191636111735?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
 
There is an additional version that has been linked in the last few days, a metal frame version, not familiar with those.

 

[TK16]

Think they sold a bundle of them they had 2 sold Monday now it 33.
 
 
Can anyone tell if this set is indeed Holland made? Mullard is mentioned twice in the ad and UK is the country of manufacture.
Pics don`t blow up big enough to see if theres a code visible or I cannot see it.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-MATCHED-PAIR-GOLD-PIN-6922-AMPEREX-HOLLAND-MADE-TUBES-CCA-ECC88-6DJ8-NEW-/401116700273?hash=item5d646b1e71:g:R1QAAOSw~oFXLFL3

 

[smellster]

For what it's worth I've been using the western electric 396a in my Valhalla 2 (via a Bifrost Multibit/HD650s) with the ebay adapters for a month or so now and they're my favourite along with the '59 Dutch white label Amperex ECC88.
 
Excuse my newbie description but to my ears they sound quite warm but still with great detail and bass but also they add an almost wide 3d aspect to the music. I'm quite new to the tube rolling business, so please don't take my word for it.
I'm currently burning in a pair of HG Reflektors (one was slightly noisy so I had to source a single replacement), I haven't made my mind up on those yet. I have also played with some yellow label Teslas, which are a little bright and detailed for me. I had to return 4 out of 6 pairs of tubes to a Swiss seller recently because they were very noisy/microphonic so that limited my experimentation, but I have some early Siemens E88CC and early Heerlen red Valvo E88CC on the way to try.
 
It would be interesting to see what you guys think of the WE 396a if you give them a go, reasonable value too.

 

[kolkoo]

Alright did some research found this - http://dhost.info/mhdtlab/tube.htm and from the rest I've been reading on the WWW I'm under the impression that at least the first class tubes  go like this:
 
These should be similar to our dutch tubes in sound :
WE396A (D getter, JW Military version)
WE2C51 (D getter, JW Military version)
 
Bendix 6385 (expensive) - this should be similar to telefunken
 
Ofcourse that's only from matching other people's descriptions of the sound of these tubes to the descriptions here, so take it with a big grain of salt
 
The others I am not sure about. There was also some mentions of Ericsson swedish 2C51 tube to also be 1st class. (Or Eriksson or something like that).
 
Then I ordered the adapters along with these beauties http://www.ebay.com/itm/121969542988, I may not have had pinched waists before but I'll be damned if I don't have pinched waists for 90$ I'll hunt for some more of the 2nd and 1st class of these guys and let you guys know how they fare when I get them.
 
edit: found and added the ericsson www.ebay.com/itm/262416918225 lucky me it was misspelled and almost twice as cheap compared to here http://www.audiotubes.com/audtube.htm
 
edit2: and some more impressions here http://www.head-fi.org/t/310441/mhdt-havana-dac/1830
 
edit3: Keep in mind that they were used in a DAC so not sure if these impressions are even comparable for the Lyr, but who knows at least it classifies the tubes in quality/rarity/sound from 100 pages of impressions

 

[kolkoo]

  Think they sold a bundle of them they had 2 sold Monday now it 33.
 
 
Can anyone tell if this set is indeed Holland made? Mullard is mentioned twice in the ad and UK is the country of manufacture.
Pics don`t blow up big enough to see if theres a code visible or I cannot see it.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-MATCHED-PAIR-GOLD-PIN-6922-AMPEREX-HOLLAND-MADE-TUBES-CCA-ECC88-6DJ8-NEW-/401116700273?hash=item5d646b1e71:g:R1QAAOSw~oFXLFL3

Just saw this, I can't seem to see any code to tell you for sure but the getter looks to me as a small o-getter, and holland tubes all have big O-getters. Mullard tubes do have small o-getters.

 

[TK16]

The dealer sent me a message that it had Holland code, but I asked for a pic of the code and the code in its entirety, enough for me to pass on that set, don't need any more mullards.

 

[billerb1]

Alright did some research found this - http://dhost.info/mhdtlab/tube.htm and from the rest I've been reading on the WWW I'm under the impression that at least the first class tubes  go like this:


 


These should be similar to our dutch tubes in sound :


WE396A (D getter, JW Military version)

WE2C51 (D getter, JW Military version)


 


Bendix 6385 (expensive) - this should be similar to telefunken


 


Ofcourse that's only from matching other people's descriptions of the sound of these tubes to the descriptions here, so take it with a big grain of salt


 


The others I am not sure about. There was also some mentions of Ericsson swedish 2C51 tube to also be 1st class. (Or Eriksson or something like that).


 


Then I ordered the adapters along with these beauties http://www.ebay.com/itm/121969542988, I may not have had pinched waists before but I'll be damned if I don't have pinched waists for 90$ I'll hunt for some more of the 2nd and 1st class of these guys and let you guys know how they fare when I get them.


 


edit: found and added the ericsson www.ebay.com/itm/262416918225 lucky me it was misspelled and almost twice as cheap compared to here http://www.audiotubes.com/audtube.htm


 


edit2: and some more impressions here http://www.head-fi.org/t/310441/mhdt-havana-dac/1830


 


edit3: Keep in mind that they were used in a DAC so not sure if these impressions are even comparable for the Lyr, but who knows at least it classifies the tubes in quality/rarity/sound from 100 pages of impressions

 



Ivan, I don't know if they do these things in Bulgaria but you just may need what we here in America call an "intervention".
We're doing it because we love you. Remember that.

 

[kolkoo]

Alright did some research found this - http://dhost.info/mhdtlab/tube.htm and from the rest I've been reading on the WWW I'm under the impression that at least the first class tubes  go like this:


 


These should be similar to our dutch tubes in sound :


WE396A (D getter, JW Military version)

WE2C51 (D getter, JW Military version)


 


Bendix 6385 (expensive) - this should be similar to telefunken


 


Ofcourse that's only from matching other people's descriptions of the sound of these tubes to the descriptions here, so take it with a big grain of salt


 


The others I am not sure about. There was also some mentions of Ericsson swedish 2C51 tube to also be 1st class. (Or Eriksson or something like that).


 


Then I ordered the adapters along with these beauties http://www.ebay.com/itm/121969542988, I may not have had pinched waists before but I'll be damned if I don't have pinched waists for 90$ I'll hunt for some more of the 2nd and 1st class of these guys and let you guys know how they fare when I get them.


 


edit: found and added the ericsson www.ebay.com/itm/262416918225 lucky me it was misspelled and almost twice as cheap compared to here http://www.audiotubes.com/audtube.htm


 


edit2: and some more impressions here http://www.head-fi.org/t/310441/mhdt-havana-dac/1830


 


edit3: Keep in mind that they were used in a DAC so not sure if these impressions are even comparable for the Lyr, but who knows at least it classifies the tubes in quality/rarity/sound from 100 pages of impressions

 



Ivan, I don't know if they do these things in Bulgaria but you just may need what we here in America call an "intervention".
We're doing it because we love you. Remember that.

Just slow days at work Bill, that's all it is....yeah that's it.... Slow .
Days.

 

[tvnosaint]

I forgot how slow this spaniard is shipping. Torture. Come on Jose !

 

[Pete Schiller]

What is the typical experience that people have importing tubes into the U.S., as far as customs and duty fees are concerned? I'm not sure I've ever purchased any products from a buyer outside the U.S. 
 
I'm looking at purchasing a pair of tubes from someone in Germany. I don't care how long they take to get here, I'm just concerned with complications with customs and exorbitant customs broker fees. Would a $200-300 pair of tubes typically pass through customs without any hassles or fees? Or if there are fees, are they reasonable?

 

[MWSVette]

  What is the typical experience that people have importing tubes into the U.S., as far as customs and duty fees are concerned? I'm not sure I've ever purchased any products from a buyer outside the U.S. 
 
I'm looking at purchasing a pair of tubes from someone in Germany. I don't care how long they take to get here, I'm just concerned with complications with customs and exorbitant customs broker fees. Would a $200-300 pair of tubes typically pass through customs without any hassles or fees? Or if there are fees, are they reasonable?

As far as tubes customs has been slow on occasion but I have never paid a customs fee only shipping from the seller...

 

[TK16]

What is the typical experience that people have importing tubes into the U.S., as far as customs and duty fees are concerned? I'm not sure I've ever purchased any products from a buyer outside the U.S. 

I'm looking at purchasing a pair of tubes from someone in Germany. I don't care how long they take to get here, I'm just concerned with complications with customs and exorbitant customs broker fees. Would a $200-300 pair of tubes typically pass through customs without any hassles or fees? Or if there are fees, are they reasonable?

Germany in my experience is 7 to around 12 days including weekends. Never had to pay any customs fees either. Bought some fairly expensive tube over the last few months. Russia and Ukraine in my experience takes the longest.

 

[Guidostrunk]

Customs can be tricky. I a had package sit in Chicago(customs) for 3 weeks. Never paid a customs fee though.

Out of probably 10+ , international transactions. 2 were tied up in customs for a period of time. 3 weeks for 1, and 8 days for another. Both were the Chicago hub.
For the most part, things usually arrived in a week to 12 days.

What is the typical experience that people have importing tubes into the U.S., as far as customs and duty fees are concerned? I'm not sure I've ever purchased any products from a buyer outside the U.S. 

I'm looking at purchasing a pair of tubes from someone in Germany. I don't care how long they take to get here, I'm just concerned with complications with customs and exorbitant customs broker fees. Would a $200-300 pair of tubes typically pass through customs without any hassles or fees? Or if there are fees, are they reasonable?

 

[Pete Schiller]

Thanks for your responses regarding U.S. Customs. I should probably end my tube purchasing spree for today. I had already purchased a pair of 1960 Amperex Herleen 6DJ8 tubes, that test as NOS, from an almost unused piece of test equipment for $39.99 for the pair. Then, after your comments on customs, purchased a pair of 1965 Amperex 7308 PQ USA tubes, tested and claimed to be from an unused military amplifier for $229. Then I bought two "matched quad" sets of 6N23P tubes from the Ukraine, one set Voskhod Rocket NOS for $44.99, the other Reflektor NOS for $43.99
 
All of the eBay sellers have excellent reputations. Regarding the USSR NOS tubes, the seller didn't specify date of manufacture, but hopefully they compare well to some of the Voskhod and Reflector tubes that some people have raved about. This is my foray into tube buying/rolling. Hopefully I made some good purchases today.