[Glod]

A really welcome initiative, and great work Barry! I think many owners have looked for a list like this one.

A spread sheet (pivot table) for all Singlepower amps would be very welcome as well. There are some posts explaining which tube goes with what adaptor in which SP amp, but the information is, imo, quite scattered. Actually, I brought it up with a couple of "SP experts" some time ago, but at that time, there was no immediate interest in taking it on. Perhaps someone feels called upon, seeing this excellent example?

 

[bdh]

For the gain tubes, are there any good non-adapter tubes available? I received a Raytheon 6SN7 GTB with the amp, and it's probably the worst sounding of the tubes I tried. I've tried about five other ECC-1 adapter tubes. In the spread sheet, is there any indicatation of which adapter (or non-adapter) is required?

I like sound of the GE 6829 with Chatham 6AS7G's best, however, it doesn't have quite the impact and PRAT of my Xin SMIII. But even worse is that it gives me some horrible audio fatigue. I'll try a different combination today. The Extreme sure gives a much bigger sound and soundstage than the Xin though.

 

[bdh]

Also, before I order new tubes, do any of those output tubes listed require the bigger transformer (which I don't have)?

 

[bdh]

Ok, the 7062 is very close to the 6829. It's not quite as voluptuous, but has more impactful bass and does not cause any fatigue. Incredible sound.

Do different 6080's sound different from each other? Because the RCA one's that came with the amp sure sound dull -- with any gain tube. Should I bother getting a different brand of 6080's if I don't like the RCA's?

 

[PFKMan23]

The only output tube you need to worry about is the 6528 as that has a 5A heater current draw whereas the 6as7g/6080 is only 2.5A. This is of concern if you have the stock extreme transformer, the 14A and plitrons should work with it.

As far 6080s go, yes the different manufacturers sound different. However you just need to listen for yourself, as no one can tell you what sounds good in your system, given that we don't have your ears.

 

[bdh]

What's a 2C51 adapter and do you get them from Mikhail? And it looks like you can you these tubes for both gain and output. Should I get two?

 

[PFKMan23]

With respect to the Extreme the 2c51 adapter is for the gain tube only. Whoever put that you can use them for the outputs is/was terribly mistaken. And yes, you buy them from Singlepower.

 

[diego]

Thanks a lot for this, it will be very useful when I get my Extreme in a few days. The 6cg7/6fq7/6gu7 have their own adapter and I noticed you have that info missing in your spreadsheet.

Regards,
Diego

 

[bmclaurin]

Well, guys, my Extreme Platinum finally arrived today! Way too early to post impressions, but I will say that with less than 5 hours burn-in I'm already grinning ear-to-ear.

Oh, yeah...almost forgot...currently listening to 6SN7GTB w/ pair of 6528's.

SB3 remote in one hand...Glenlivet 18 in the other.

Barry

 

[bdh]

Okay, I got some more output tubes, Chatham 2399 and GE JAN 5998A. The 2399 sounds pretty much like the Chatham 6AS7G and the 5998A sounds pretty much like the RCA 6080. The 5998A and 6080 sound sort of dull and boring in comparison to the 6AS7G and 2399. Is there an output tube you can use in the Extreme that has a significantly different sound, or is this pretty much it with just very slight variations? (I realise there is a much wider range of gain tubes than I currently have, but I'm talking about just the output tubes here.)

With regards to gain tubes, while the Philips 7062 has a somewhat more dynamic, vivid, wider sound, it still gives me some audio fatigue after an hour -- not as bad as the 6829, but still a bad headache for the rest of the day. With the 6414 (and 6AS7G's), the sound is more focused and coherant, if not quite as spectacular, however I can listen to it all day long and have ZERO fatigue, which I've come close to before but never quite reached for one reason or another. Any one know of a gain tube with a sound somewhere between the 6414 and 7062 I could try?

 

[covame]

Hi. I have a question. Does anyone know if it is possible to use the 6h30 “supertube” (6922 tube variant) with the ECC type 2 adapter and “The Extreme”?

Thanks in advance.

 

[bmclaurin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bdh /img/forum/go_quote.gif Okay, I got some more output tubes, Chatham 2399 and GE JAN 5998A. The 2399 sounds pretty much like the Chatham 6AS7G and the 5998A sounds pretty much like the RCA 6080. The 5998A and 6080 sound sort of dull and boring in comparison to the 6AS7G and 2399. Is there an output tube you can use in the Extreme that has a significantly different sound, or is this pretty much it with just very slight variations? (I realise there is a much wider range of gain tubes than I currently have, but I'm talking about just the output tubes here.) With regards to gain tubes, while the Philips 7062 has a somewhat more dynamic, vivid, wider sound, it still gives me some audio fatigue after an hour -- not as bad as the 6829, but still a bad headache for the rest of the day. With the 6414 (and 6AS7G's), the sound is more focused and coherant, if not quite as spectacular, however I can listen to it all day long and have ZERO fatigue, which I've come close to before but never quite reached for one reason or another. Any one know of a gain tube with a sound somewhere between the 6414 and 7062 I could try?

Well, I'm certainly no expert here, but I believe the differences between the various output tubes are much more subtle than those of the gain tubes. I have 2399's, 6080's, and 6528's. I find each of them to be good in their own right. I favor the 6080's with my RS-1's because of their higher current, and I tend to favor the 2399's with my higher impedance 650's. Frankly, I'm still trying to figure out the 6528's--they seem to be finicky beasts.

With respect to the gain tubes, you might want to try the TS 2C51. It might be just what you're looking for. It seems to have lots of clarity and drive, and seems equally happy with 2399's, 6080's, and 6528's. But you'll need a 2C51 adapter from SP. There aren't nearly as many tubes that you can use with the 2C51 adapter as with the ECC1, but the ability to use that one tube alone might be worth the price of the adapter altogether. So far, I tend to prefer it over all of the ECC1 tubes I've tried. That said, I do like the 12AV7, 6414, and 6829 quite a bit.

Barry

 

[sabes]

thx guys; good, helpful thread

 

[Tbln]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bdh /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do different 6080's sound different from each other? Because the RCA one's that came with the amp sure sound dull -- with any gain tube. Should I bother getting a different brand of 6080's if I don't like the RCA's?

Have finally got my amp and I found that the supplied RCA 6080s sound anything but dull with a red base 6NS7.

The soundstage of the Extreme is W - I - D - E!

On another note, can anyone else confirm if the Tung-Sol and RCA 6080 are actually the same tube?

Lastly, does anyone have any leads for a reliable and reasonably priced place to buy some 6AS7s?

Thanks in advance.

 

[bmclaurin]

Just posted an update (v2.01) that now includes for the first time electronic specifications for most tubes, including heater voltage and current, and plate voltage and current for Class A amp operation, as well as amplification factor (μ). This is somewhat useful for matching tubes to headphones of different impedances.

On another note...just passing the 100-hour mark on my Extreme Platinum...trying to resist posting too many impressions until the Black Gate caps are fully burnt in...400 hours is a long time!!!

Barry