[jellofund]

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Thanks for the suggestion.  I'm still going to have to wait a bit.  The Lyr was already a jump up from my original budget of going with the Asgard 2.  Just need to put some time between this purchase and my next.  Gotta reload my mad money fund.  

 
I'm in the same boat. Started off looking at the A2 for my HD600's, then heard about the Lyr and the bank has been well and truly broken.....I've always wanted to try a tube amp (appreciate the Lyr is a hybrid) so decided to go for it.
 
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If you want to just get some great tubes without breaking the bank, just look up Mercedesman6572 on ebay and buy some Amperex Bugle Boys.  You pay around $80 or less for a pair of gently used tubes, they'll sound terrific, and you can avoid the Tube Rolling thread altogether...
 
Here, these will do nicely:
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/AMPEREX-BUGLE-BOY-6DJ8-ECC88-VACUUM-TUBE-1961-LARGE-O-GETTER-MATCHED-PAIR-SWEET-/221215760582?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item33817ca0c6
 
Of course, you're always welcome in the rolling thread, but be warned, tube rolling is a sickness!  Save yourself!  

  

 
I made the mistake of dipping into that thread....slippery slope I reckon.
 
From the brief read (didn't manage to get right through) I was leaning towards the Orange Globes. Do you think the Bugle Boys are a better match for the HD600's or do they both worth considering?
 
With international shipping, taxes etc. I may also need to defer purchase for a while. Would you recommend sticking with the stock tubes for the time being or are there some more wallet / HD600 friendly tubes I could take a punt on to tide me over (<=$30 a pair before shipping say)?
 
Thanks!

 

[kothganesh]

Quote:

 
This.
 
I have 15 pair of tubes and still not happy.

Now you are frightening me...i just ordered two pairs for the Lyr...and you're at 15 ?

 

[ilikepooters]

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Now you are frightening me...i just ordered two pairs for the Lyr...and you're at 15 ?

 
I'm just addicted to tube rolling, even though i might have good tubes and sound fantastic, there might always be something better.
 
After my next batch arrives i think i'll call it a day.

 

[Tuco1965]

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I'm just addicted to tube rolling, even though i might have good tubes and sound fantastic, there might always be something better.
 
After my next batch arrives i think i'll call it a day.

Yeah but what day are you going to call it?  

 

[nelamvr6]

Quote:

 
I'm in the same boat. Started off looking at the A2 for my HD600's, then heard about the Lyr and the bank has been well and truly broken.....I've always wanted to try a tube amp (appreciate the Lyr is a hybrid) so decided to go for it.
 
 
I made the mistake of dipping into that thread....slippery slope I reckon.
 
From the brief read (didn't manage to get right through) I was leaning towards the Orange Globes. Do you think the Bugle Boys are a better match for the HD600's or do they both worth considering?
 
With international shipping, taxes etc. I may also need to defer purchase for a while. Would you recommend sticking with the stock tubes for the time being or are there some more wallet / HD600 friendly tubes I could take a punt on to tide me over (<=$30 a pair before shipping say)?
 
Thanks!

 
 
I don't have the HD600s, so I can't comment on that specific match up.  
 
I can say that both the Orange Globes and the Bugle Boys are excellent all around tubes, with good bass extension, good bass slam, yet also with good bass control, clear, detailed treble that isn't too harsh or etched, and with nice sweet mids.  
 
How well they suit the HD600s I'll have to leave to someone else to comment on.
 
But now you're starting to leave the realm of finding good all around tubes and approaching the realm of finding specific tubes for specific cans. And that's absolutely fine.  But that's also how a tube rolling hobby (addiction) starts...

 

[jellofund]

Quote:

 
 
I don't have the HD600s, so I can't comment on that specific match up.  
 
I can say that both the Orange Globes and the Bugle Boys are excellent all around tubes, with good bass extension, good bass slam, yet also with good bass control, clear, detailed treble that isn't too harsh or etched, and with nice sweet mids.  
 
How well they suit the HD600s I'll have to leave to someone else to comment on.
 
But now you're starting to leave the realm of finding good all around tubes and approaching the realm of finding specific tubes for specific cans. And that's absolutely fine.  But that's also how a tube rolling hobby (addiction) starts...

Thanks, that's really helpful. Both tubes sound very close to what I'm after so I'll definitely read up some more on them.
 
That's a good point about matching tubes to phones......maybe not a path I should head down as I suspect that finding the 'perfect' tube could turn into a bit of an expensive (& possibly elusive) obsession. Perhaps better to just go for some good all rounders and enjoy them for a while.

 

[R Scott Ireland]

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Now you are frightening me...i just ordered two pairs for the Lyr...and you're at 15 ?

 
Not to scare you even more, but I have 37 pairs.
 
But to be fair, these also fit my Cavalli Liquid Glass, so they are not for the Lyr alone.
 
Tubes do fail occasionally/eventually, so it's nice to have backups for your favorites (I had an Orange Globe fail last week; glad I had backup).

 

[jellofund]

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Not to scare you even more, but I have 37 pairs.
 
But to be fair, these also fit my Cavalli Liquid Glass, so they are not for the Lyr alone.
 
Tubes do fail occasionally/eventually, so it's nice to have backups for your favorites (I had an Orange Globe fail last week; glad I had backup).

Do you tend to swap them around much depending on your music / phones / mood etc. or do you have favourites that you mainly stick with?

 

[R Scott Ireland]

Quote:

Do you tend to swap them around much depending on your music / mood or do you have some favourites that you mainly stick with?

 
I listen almost exclusively to classical, so I can't comment on different tubes for different musical styles. Although I do prefer the warmer tubes (like Mullards) for chamber music/vocal soloists and slightly brighter ones for symphonic music/larger ensembles.
 
I mostly swap tubes (and amps too) to try to get a good match to a particular headphone.
 
I tend to stick to favorite tubes for awhile (several weeks at a time), and then the mood hits me to experiment with different tube/headphone/amp combos and I'm off to the races again.
 
You can't go wrong with nelamvr6's endorsement of Bugle Boys and Orange Globes.  Both very nice sets of tubes, that sound good with most headphones. My current favorite Amperex tubes are the USN-CEP's; but favorites change as you keep listening (and tubes change with burn-in time, etc, etc).
 
Also, many of those 32 sets are repeats/backup sets. Just in the Amperex tubes I have 10 sets of tubes (2 sets USN-CEP's; 4 sets Bugle Boys; 3 sets Orange Globes; 1 set White Label).
 
Anyway, the most important thing is to find tubes that give you the most "Wow" factor for your setup, and then stick with those and enjoy the music!!

 

[MickeyVee]

x3 on the Amperex recommendations.  I have 6 sets of tubes and the Amperex Orange Globes are the ones I like the most.  Not sure about the HD600 but they sound great with the HD700 & HE500.  Done with the tube thing.  If I get any more, it will be a good deal on a backup set of either of the Amperex.
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You can't go wrong with nelamvr6's endorsement of Bugle Boys and Orange Globes.  Both very nice sets of tubes, that sound good with most headphones. My current favorite Amperex tubes are the USN-CEP's; but favorites change as you keep listening (and tubes change with burn-in time, etc, etc).
 

 

[nelamvr6]

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Thanks, that's really helpful. Both tubes sound very close to what I'm after so I'll definitely read up some more on them.
 
That's a good point about matching tubes to phones......maybe not a path I should head down as I suspect that finding the 'perfect' tube could turn into a bit of an expensive (& possibly elusive) obsession. Perhaps better to just go for some good all rounders and enjoy them for a while.

 
 
Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed tube rolling, it can be a lot of fun.  But it can also be expensive, and it's really not necessary to enjoy the Lyr.  It's a side hobby if you will...

 

[MattTCG]

I've got several pairs of tubes from mercedesman on ebay. I will vouch for his product and service...outstanding. I have only one set of boutique tubes right now...a set of cryo'd Russians that sound very similar to Amperex Orange Globes. I have need compulsion to change tubes. These just sound so good with everything. I plan to use them until they are no longer functional. 

 

[nelamvr6]

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I've got several pairs of tubes from mercedesman on ebay. I will vouch for his product and service...outstanding. I have only one set of boutique tubes right now...a set of cryo'd Russians that sound very similar to Amperex Orange Globes. I have need compulsion to change tubes. These just sound so good with everything. I plan to use them until they are no longer functional. 

 
 
See, now, a tube roller would at least have a "safety" pair of those tubes.  Because if you like them, you'll want to but in the exact same tube once those fail.  And they'll only get more expensive over time...  

 
See how this disease sneaks up on you?  

 

[MattTCG]

But that's the thing, I'm not a roller. I just enjoy the Schitt out of my setup. If my current set of tubes ever fail, I'll just hit up mercedesman for another pair. 
 
I wish that others could hear these Russians...just beautiful. 

 

[nelamvr6]

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But that's the thing, I'm not a roller. I just enjoy the Schitt out of my setup. If my current set of tubes ever fail, I'll just hit up mercedesman for another pair. 
 
I wish that others could hear these Russians...just beautiful. 

 
 
You're quite right, no need to obsess.