[TK16]

Just joking. No offense intended to Tesla or Thurston. Actually started with jokes about crazy price being asked on eBay for a triplet of tubes.

Never heard Teslas, if they are that good, I'll have to give them a try.

Teslas are way too forward sounding to me, great sounding tubes but that is a dealbreaker for me. So much so they get 0 playtime. If highs are your thing you will like them.

 

[billerb1]

This has ThurstonX written all over it...

http://www.msn.com/en-us/video/peopleandplaces/a-village-in-china-has-been-taken-over-by-monkeys/vi-AAh7UnY

 

[TK16]

Hey man monkeys are people too.

 

[spyder1]

Just joking. No offense intended to Tesla or Thurston. Actually started with jokes about crazy price being asked on eBay for a triplet of tubes.

Never heard Teslas, if they are that good, I'll have to give them a try.

​I am stunned at how clear and detailed Tungsram E88CC's sound. Tubes from Hungary can punch with the Heavy Weight Div.

 

[tvnosaint]

My tungrams are not so awesome. They were nos ecc88s. I put them in the speaker stage of my dac to burn them in. Mostly because they were too boring to listen to. Similar to matsu****as . I wanted to like them just because of my affection for Hungary. It was a one sided affair. No love returned. At least they weren't too expensive . Glad you like yours.

 

[billerb1]

   What is the uproar about Tesla E88CC's? They have a sound signature close to Siemens, and Telefunken in my Lyr 2, and their cost is reasonable. I like Tungsram E88CC's, and Ei PCC88's, does that make me a villan?

 
Seriously, to me there are no great or bad tubes.  We each have a 'sound' that suits our ears and everybody's "HG" sound is different.  When you find a tube that gets you as close as you can get to that sound, no matter what it's name, that's a great tube....Tesla, Amperex, Mullard, Telefunken, Russian, whatever.  It's not about having the most popular or the one someone tells you is better than all the rest.  It's only about you...and your little monkey ears.
Now deciding whether you've gotten 'close enough' to your sound...that's when things can get a little out of hand.  There's ALWAYS something closer...right ???  

 

[spyder1]

   
Seriously, to me there are no great or bad tubes.  We each have a 'sound' that suits our ears and everybody's "HG" sound is different.  When you find a tube that gets you as close as you can get to that sound, no matter what it's name, that's a great tube....Tesla, Amperex, Mullard, Telefunken, Russian, whatever.  It's not about having the most popular or the one someone tells you is better than all the rest.  It's only about you...and your little monkey ears.
Now deciding whether you've gotten 'close enough' to your sound...that's when things can get a little out of hand.  There's ALWAYS something closer...right ???  

Yes! I totally agree! That is why there is 9532 posts in this thread. Tubes in a sound system. Everybody may be running a lyr in their Sound System, but the systems are not the same.

 

[Supurderek]

Subscribed for sure and thanks for past and future info!

 

[ThurstonX]

  Seriously, to me there are no great or bad tubes.  We each have a 'sound' that suits our ears and everybody's "HG" sound is different.  When you find a tube that gets you as close as you can get to that sound, no matter what it's name, that's a great tube....Tesla, Amperex, Mullard, Telefunken, Russian, whatever.  It's not about having the most popular or the one someone tells you is better than all the rest.  It's only about you...and your little monkey ears.
Now deciding whether you've gotten 'close enough' to your sound...that's when things can get a little out of hand.  There's ALWAYS something closer...right ???  

 
You can have my Mitcham-made 1970 "RTC" E188CCs, and I pity your ears.  They are B-A-D-D bad.

 

[billerb1]

   
You can have my Mitcham-made 1970 "RTC" E188CCs, and I pity your ears.  They are B-A-D-D bad.

 
Hmmmm, Tony I think you missed my point (surprise)...but I LIKE where this is going.
Let's see, what tube did I buy that damn near made me puke ?  I'd say the pair of early 60's
Siemens E88CC's were the most disappointing.  Had HUGE expectations and they just didn't
speak to me at all.  Mids seemed very recessed on my rig...and that's the ultimate killer for me.
I felt like I was in the last row at Woodstock.

 

[tvnosaint]

I don't mean to intercede into what is surely going to be a cleverly played game of cat and also cat, but... I agree about the Siemens as well. Didn't stroke for me. I think my pair is a bit weak. They kinda sound like Martin Logan speakers to me. All the info is there , just not clean and not beguiling. Lacking in the magic of my favorites. Heerlen , Blackburn and kalugas all have qualities I go back to.
That's it. You may continue. Where is that pop corn icon... One more thing I wanna try
MatsuAs. See if the censor got that.

 

[rnros]

   
Hmmmm, Tony I think you missed my point (surprise)...but I LIKE where this is going.
Let's see, what tube did I buy that damn near made me puke ?  I'd say the pair of early 60's
Siemens E88CC's were the most disappointing.  Had HUGE expectations and they just didn't
speak to me at all.  Mids seemed very recessed on my rig...and that's the ultimate killer for me.
I felt like I was in the last row at Woodstock.

Have two pairs of Siemans E88CCs, one is what you should expect, very good, the other with (to me) noticeable distortion or 'smear' in the highs.
 
All my tube amps are Schiit, so I may be surprised someday when I try my tube favorites in a different amp designer's product. But in addition to the amp, what we are feeding the amp is going to play large in our perception of the tube. Different file resolutions, a cold or warm (SQ) DAC, a dirty power issue, whatever characteristics or deficiencies lie upstream, it will influence perception of a tube's performance. A higher etch may seem to increase detail in one system, in another system it will be an intolerable deviation from 'natural.' A little bloom in the upper bass/lower mids can seem to add substance and spacial volume in one system, in another, a distortion that actually destroys the 3D spacial cues. Same with 'air' in the highs, transcendent in one case, hissing torture in another.
 
People have different opinions about mids, but I want to feel like I do in a concert hall (within the first ten rows), I want to hear the direct waves first, reflected waves in a supporting role. So when mids are artificially recessed and I'm told that it increases the size of the soundstage, I just try to change the conversation.
 
With Woodstock, are you sure it wasn't the mud?

 

[TK16]

Just burned in a pair of 64 Siemens grey shields E88CC, i prefer the E188CC version of the tubes much more. Probably my favorite pairs. I also love the Mullard sound as well, if anybody is giving away Mullards I'll take em. IIRC I read somebody wanting to give em away. Hint hint. Lol.

 

[Thenazgul]

Just burned in a pair of 64 Siemens grey shields E88CC, i prefer the E188CC version of the tubes much more. Probably my favorite pairs. I also love the Mullard sound as well, if anybody is giving away Mullards I'll take em. IIRC I read somebody wanting to give em away. Hint hint. Lol.

Haha same goes for me. I want to buy a new pair of tubes since the stock lyr-2 tubes sound really bad. But I have to prioritize my budget on the Sennheisers hd800s first . Ordering tomorrow

 

[rnros]

You can have my Mitcham-made 1970 "RTC" E188CCs, and I pity your ears.  They are B-A-D-D bad.

LOL When they're that B-A-D-D, I usually refuse to admit it. Denial. Bottom of a box or back of drawer kind of denial. Like someday they're going to magically sound better.