[edshull]

 

Any suggestions for good tubes then?
[/quote
I would try a pair of Gold lions if on a budget. If you can afford it get a pair of telefunken E88CC tubes. I am planning to get the telefunken E88CC within the next two weeks. Please have fun rolling.]

Thanks, I went ahead and picked up a pair of Telefunken E88CC's on eBay. Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[Mark-sf]

  Any suggestions for good tubes then?

There are quite a few out there that are suitable but have different "flavors". I am a fan of the 6N23P Voskhod Rockets which are available in a variety of years from US Audio Mart. I also have some Lorenez 6922 which are also excellent but a bit more rolled off than the Rockets. I know this thread is a bit daunting but there are many informed opinions that are worth checking out. Enjoy the journey! 

 

[Mark-sf]

  I'm recently purchased a new Lyr (not the Lyr 2) and I just purchased these tubes... will I be ok with them in the Lyr? 
Thanks!
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281412730153?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2648&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Those will work fine. I used Lorenz 6922's in my Lyr for quite some time without problems.

 

[joseph69]

  Those will work fine. I used Lorenz 6922's in my Lyr for quite some time without problems.

Thank you for the reply!

 

[ThurstonX]

  Look forward to reading your impressions, are both the 500's and 560's modified the same?

 
Both have the same grill mod.  The HE-500s have the fuzzor mod, and they both have custom pads, but from different foam (one from a pair of HFM velours, one from a pair of Q701 pads).  Both pads are angled, maybe slightly more than the FocusPads.  I was thinking I'd swap them back and forth, but I've used some photo stickies to secure the one pair to the HE-500s (see modulor's jergpad guide), and I'm not willing to redo that.  Both pads are covered in microsuede, and both are wider and deeper than any HFM pads.
 
All else being equal, they do have different signatures.  I just finished burning in the HE-500s (about 165 hours), and the HE-560s aren't yet at 200 hours.  As has been written, the HE-500s have more of a wall-of-sound approach, whereas the HE-560s have excellent separation, and much better imaging and soundstage, at least to me.  The HE-500s have plenty of width, but are rather more two dimensional when compared to the HE-560s.
 
I don't want to say more without doing some real comparisons, but between a couple tracks, and an album I listened to last night and again today, that's what I came away with.  And the comfort level, of course, though I don't mind the HE-500s weight so much.
 
All listening was done with 1964 Tesla E88CCs.  Telefunkens are probably next.
 
How's that for a teaser 

 

[htr2d2]

 
How's that for a teaser 

Meanie!
 
I am watching for my next upgrade. I probably won't buy for six to twelve months, but after my experience with the HE-400, I am waiting with baited breath to hear your observation with the tubes and headphones.
 
Very much appreciated.

 

[ThurstonX]

  Meanie!
 
I am watching for my next upgrade. I probably won't buy for six to twelve months, but after my experience with the HE-400, I am waiting with baited breath to hear your observation with the tubes and headphones.
 
Very much appreciated.

 
LOL.  Good thing you've got time, as you're going to need to be patient.  I probably won't have anything detailed to say for at least a couple weeks.  I'll try to make the wait worthwhile, and I will reiterate that my cans are far from stock.
 

 

[latimerfripp]

I think I found a treasure!.. I ordered my Lyr 2 weeks ago but haven't got it yet(im not from us) I went a street with lots of old electronics shop, in hope to find some tubes.
most of the shop owners told me I won't have any luck finding good old tubes because 'no one uses them today'. but one shop had many tubes sitting and collecting dust, and to my suprise they were ecc88\6922 and other compatible Lyr tubes. the shop owner actually thought about throwing those tubes away.. and in the end he sold it to me at like 20 dollars (and i got some 50s-60s amperex\orange globes\voskhod rockets\siemens)

now.. I just need to get my Lyr2 already and see if good tubes really make differnce. I have bad experience with another headphone tube amp-The trafomatice Head One which uses EZ80\81 and 2 WE437 tubes. bought many NOS tubes for it, but the difference was SO small and unnoticeable..

 

[ThurstonX]

  I think I found a treasure!.. I ordered my Lyr 2 weeks ago but haven't got it yet(im not from us) I went a street with lots of old electronics shop, in hope to find some tubes.
most of the shop owners told me I won't have any luck finding good old tubes because 'no one uses them today'. but one shop had many tubes sitting and collecting dust, and to my suprise they were ecc88\6922 and other compatible Lyr tubes. the shop owner actually thought about throwing those tubes away.. and in the end he sold it to me at like 20 dollars (and i got some 50s-60s amperex\orange globes\voskhod rockets\siemens)

now.. I just need to get my Lyr2 already and see if good tubes really make differnce. I have bad experience with another headphone tube amp-The trafomatice Head One which uses EZ80\81 and 2 WE437 tubes. bought many NOS tubes for it, but the difference was SO small and unnoticeable..

 
Nice score!  I think a lot of people in this thread dream of a find/deal like that.  I'm not sure, and others with more knowledge and experience can certainly comment, but you might want to either invest in a tube tester, or have them tested before sticking them in your nice new Lyr 2.  Maybe something bad could happen if the tubes aren't any good...?  Don't mean to sound alarmist, but I thought I read something along those lines somewhere.
 
Also, once tested, you could sell them on.

 

[latimerfripp]

they show good values from a friends tube tester
now, I only need the Lyr2 and the upgraded Schiit Bifrost USB to pair nicely with my headphones(Beyer T1/LCD2/Hifiman HE4 and maybe HD800 in the future)
Because I heard that the Beyer T1 is not a happy partner with tube amps that color the sound, but sound is a subjective thing... you know.

 

[satwilson]

  I think I found a treasure!.. I ordered my Lyr 2 weeks ago but haven't got it yet(im not from us) I went a street with lots of old electronics shop, in hope to find some tubes.
most of the shop owners told me I won't have any luck finding good old tubes because 'no one uses them today'. but one shop had many tubes sitting and collecting dust, and to my suprise they were ecc88\6922 and other compatible Lyr tubes. the shop owner actually thought about throwing those tubes away.. and in the end he sold it to me at like 20 dollars (and i got some 50s-60s amperex\orange globes\voskhod rockets\siemens)

now.. I just need to get my Lyr2 already and see if good tubes really make differnce. I have bad experience with another headphone tube amp-The trafomatice Head One which uses EZ80\81 and 2 WE437 tubes. bought many NOS tubes for it, but the difference was SO small and unnoticeable..

latimerfrip,
Welcome, if you have read enough of this thread you will understand the Lyr amp REALLY makes use of better tubes. Your list of brands of tubes you purchased should give you a well rounded taste of many options. "good values from a friends tube tester" is a somewhat nebulous certification given your excellent stable of headphones. They may indeed be just what you need to evaluate your personal taste, however "tube testing" is a very exact science, not just good /bad. Triode balance, overall output balance, etc will really affect the sound. IF, you have reasonably matched pairs of each brand, then yes, you have a great start to "rolling". Any questions? Please ask. 

 

[satwilson]

Thurston,
" So many tubes, so few brain cells ", certainly my quote of the month!! LOL X2. Been playing around with some really great 6N1P's, IMHO a tube, when carefully selected, rivals my RB2013 75Ref HG's. Will update my thoughts soon, have some 1966 6N1P's incoming.

 

[ThurstonX]

  Thurston,
" So many tubes, so few brain cells ", certainly my quote of the month!! LOL X2. Been playing around with some really great 6N1P's, IMHO a tube, when carefully selected, rivals my RB2013 75Ref HG's. Will update my thoughts soon, have some 1966 6N1P's incoming.

 

 
Telefunken E88CCs from Upscale + HE-560s = Pure Win 

 
6N1Ps, eh?  IIRC, they've gotten a bum rap herein.  I admit to knowing very little about them, so I'm neutral.  I'm interested to hear your impressions.

 

[jexby]

Telefunken E88CCs from Upscale + HE-560s = Pure Win

Had these in my cart Friday, but this weekend the price went up by $10 per tube before I could pull the trigger....
Ug

 

[satwilson]

   

 
Telefunken E88CCs from Upscale + HE-560s = Pure Win 

 
6N1Ps, eh?  IIRC, they've gotten a bum rap herein.  I admit to knowing very little about them, so I'm neutral.  I'm interested to hear your impressions.

Thurston, the Teles from Upscale ARE IMHO the best Euro tubes available. Keep in mind I like detailed but smooth sound, not really an Amperex type guy. I still have my Platinum set. And even though some of us have had issues with Upscale and Kevin's attitude and alleged superior "grading"(myself included), his Teles are the real deal, NIB/NOS. Nobody has better Teles for anywhere close to his price. As regards the 6N1P's it is all about vintage and interior construction. As RB2013 has succinctly pointed out in his evaluation of the 6N23P genre, the "single wire post getter" units VS the double post getter makes a BIG difference in the sound, and the price he charges. His top of the line 75 Reflektor HG's,SWPG, (Holy Grails), go for close to 100X his price for the generic double post units. Keep in mind the generic units are still an awesome upgrade from the stock tubes. I got interested in the 6N1P's reading the post's by jamato8 in the first Lyr rolling thread. Russian tubes have an extremely variable "sound" quality based on vintage and "grade". Without spending anymore time reiterating what is available there, my 75Rocket,SWPG, super matched, gold grid, 6N1P's sound awesome. Jamato8 in his eval preferred the 60s vintage as they were made for analog vs digital, and sounded better to him. My 75s sound awesome, can't wait for my 66s. BTW, the 6N1P's require more current than the 6DJ8, and only the Lyr-1 meets this spec. Concurrently my modded T50s like a lot of current, that the 6N1P's provide, just some insight, satwilson