Just got my 3 mica Istok and 2 mica Fotons from AC today. They arrived in perfect condition, thanks again AC
I'll let them burn in when I'm not listening, but right now I'm enjoying my new Tung Sol 2c51's.
As far as those (Tung Sol 2c51) go, I've had them for about a week now. Although I haven't been keeping exact tract, I think they should have about 100 hours on them at this point, most of which was not actual listening time but rather leaving my amp on and letting them cook a bit. I'm not as good at describing what I hear as a lot of you guys, but I'll give it a go nonetheless with some initial impressions. I definitely notice an improvement over the stock Lyr 2 tubes. One big thing that stands out to me is the soundstage, especially the soundstage depth. The stock tubes tended to compress the height of the stage as well as the depth. I often felt like the drums and vocals were kind of smeared together and in one plane with each other. With the 2c51, I get a much better impression of the singer being front and center, with a "bigger" image that helps portray that, and the drums in the background. It was particularly impressive in a few songs where the drummer was singing some backup vocals/harmony. For the first time, I actually had the impression that those vocals were actually coming from behind the lead vocals. It sounds like a small thing, but noticing little things like this in songs that I've heard many times before is really cool and rewarding. I also noticed some subtle reverb in a song that I had never noticed before. These are just some first impressions, I'll give more as I get more used to them.
I did have a couple questions though. I noticed that a lot of you guys recommend socket savers, even for people with adapters. I don't have much trouble getting tubes in and out with the added height of the 6922 to 5670 adapter I have now, is there a reason to add a socket saver?
Another question - has anyone heard the LM Ericcson 2c51 tubes? Gold pin or otherwise. And if so, how do they compare to the WE and TS 2c51? I haven't seen too many impressions from the LM E's in this thread or from a google search.
I'm a bit conflicted as to whether I want to buy a few more set of tubes (LM E's and/or WE 396a). I want to be able to finally tube roll for myself and think it would be fun to see how different tubes affect what I hear. I also really want to try the WE 396a after hearing how much people like them. But I do worry that after spending too much more money I might regret not just selling my Lyr 2 and picking up a Lyr 3. I don't want to let my enthusiasm for finally being able to roll some tubes drive me entirely broke lol. The way I'm currently justifying it is that I can always sell them for not much less than I paid if I don't end up using them or regret it.
That post was longer than I intended, but I'd love any input you guys have. Thanks!