[jonathan c]

wait...CV455? I thought we were talking CV4033 here

also this brings up a seconary point since you mentioned 1956...does year matter? because Tubemonger only has the 70s lot in right now - Pulse has the '60 & '58 for a higher price; I know Wes mentioned grabbing all of them (the 4033s)

The web link in Guidostrunk’s note (post #1,586) takes you to a listing for the Brimar CV455.

 

[Lvivske]

Ohhh, ok so CV455 and CV4033 are synonymous (minus 4033 having higher standards) [it's hard to keep track]

 

[jonathan c]

Ohhh, ok so CV455 and CV4033 are synonymous (minus 4033 having higher standards) [it's hard to keep track]

so it's still the year thing

Tubemonger has 1970 4033 for $90, Pulse has 1960 4033 for $120, and ebay.uk has 1956 (non matched) 455 for $120 (from the UK)

It gets a little more complicated. A given tube might have been made in a certain plant for a specific time before production shifted to a different plant. E.g., the Brimar CV4033 was made in the Footscray plant then in the Rochester plant. The years and tube markings associated with each plant will differ.

 

[Lvivske]

the path of least resistance it is!

 

[Guidostrunk]

the path of least resistance it is!

The cv455 is the consumer/street version of the cv4033. I should have mentioned also that you will need adapters to use them.
https://pulsetubestore.com/products...uction-base-9-pin-b9a-noval-not-made-in-china

 

[KoshNaranek]

@Ripper2860 have you tried 12Axx Psvane tubes in Valhalla?

 

[Ripper2860]

@KoshNaranek -- I have not, but I have been eyeing them for quite some time. The only new production noval tubes I have is a pair of Gold Lion 6922 -- everything else is vintage/ NOS.

 

[KoshNaranek]

@KoshNaranek -- I have not, but I have been eyeing them for quite some time. The only new production noval tubes I have is a pair of Gold Lion 6922 -- everything else is vintage/ NOS.

I tried the Gold Lions and found something about their tone to be odd. I actually prefer new production JJ to them.

After your talking up the Psvane 6sn7 replacements, I have been considering them. I don't have any adapters and I am a bit leery of jumping down that rabbit hole

 

[Ripper2860]

I tried the Gold Lions and found something about their tone to be odd. I actually prefer new production JJ to them.

I agree. The Gold Lions really didn't strike a chord with me.

I do not want to contribute to the demise of yet another soul, but you must get adapters and try one or 2 pairs of 12A*7 family tubes recommended here. One need not go crazy buying massive quantities -- leverage the knowledge found here and use a quality vs quantity strategy. A pair of the discussed CV4033s are SUBSTANTIALLY nicer than stock tubes and not terribly expensive and will get one very close to the point of diminishing returns, IMHO. Whether it's your end-game tubes or the start of a very nasty habit depends on your level of self-control. I suspect that is not an issue for you, however.

 

[jonathan c]

I have, since my last Valhalla II post, put in a pair of Brimar CV455 KB/FB (Footscray, d-getter, 1956) with adapters. Outstanding results!

 

[jonathan c]

To continue from post #1,600: the combination of the NEVZ 6N6Ps and the Brimar CV455 (KB/FB) is convincingly musical in extremis. The gestalt of the sound from Valhalla II is engaging, rewarding, makes time slip by. There is no real sense of anything missing or being ‘short-changed’. Only when I put in the ne plus ultra Brimar CV4033 KB/FB square-getter tubes is there more refinement. The sonic flavour is still the same. ($ 250-ish worth of holy grail tubes in a $349 h/p/a does not seem rational - but fun once in a while…). The CV455s are “next-to-holy-grail” caliber; they can roam the halls of Valhalla…the Siemens 7308s can rest a good while…

 

[jonathan c]

To continue from post #1,601: The Valhalla II, even as an OTL h/p/a, drives the Audeze LCD-X (with a 20 ohm stated impedance) superbly. Absolutely no high-output to low-input impedance mismatch causing bass bloat or other frequency response aberrations! The Valhalla II has, in fact, an output impedance of 3-1/2 ohms at the low gain setting. In all, a wonderful “little” amp!

 

[Guidostrunk]

To continue from post #1,601: The Valhalla II, even as an OTL h/p/a, drives the Audeze LCD-X (with a 20 ohm stated impedance) superbly. Absolutely no high-output to low-input impedance mismatch causing bass bloat or other frequency response aberrations! The Valhalla II has, in fact, an output impedance of 3-1/2 ohms at the low gain setting. In all, a wonderful “little” amp!

Have you tried your Clear with it yet? I'm really curious how the pairing is.

 

[jonathan c]

Have you tried your Clear with it yet? I'm really curious how the pairing is.

~ The Valhalla II is absolutely A-ok with the Clear. There is no impedance mismatch driven frequency response aberration to be found. The quickness and clarity of the Valhalla II is displayed with authority via the Clear. Vice versa, that of the Clear is not impeded a bit by the Valhalla II.
~ To my ears, the V-II/Clear pairing is remarkably close to that of the MJ-II/Clear pairing. I actually feel that the ambience/reverberation/soundspace is slightly better with the V-II/Clear duo: absence of solid-state output buffer + absence of output transformer? …
~ As for transient response, attack and decay, when using the Footscrays, the V-II is right there with the mod MJ-II. Apparent via the Clear.
~ Interestingly, when comparing the V-II to the Woo WA3 (both OTL and both with the same Footscray tubes) through the Clear, the V-II has better bass definition, extends slightly deeper, and has sharper front-to-back delineation. Could one power tube (6N6P) per channel be more musically faithful than one power tube (6080 type) shared between channels? again…
~ In all, the Valhalla II is the little OTL that could (and should?) be in your system…

 

[Ripper2860]

I use VH2 with 35 ohm HFM Arya and it does extremely well. 13 ohm Aeon Flow Closed? Well not so much. After all, even VH2 has its limits.

My 300 ohm HD6XX are my primary cans with VH2 and they truly hit the sweet spot. A tiny bit of EQ via Roon's PEQ and they are bliss. Can't even imagine how nice ZMF HPs must sound w/ VH2.

(Arya spends most of it's time in Incubus and AFC on Ragnarok.)