T2 - Finally bought one!

[mulveling]

Thanks for the warnings guys. I might go for a premium 6922/6dj8/7308 NOS quad a bit down the road. Certainly the Mastush*ta 7dj8 are doing something right!

 

[astrostar59]

My view is that the input tubes are the most important. Matched pairs, west german or british made, EU equivalents of the 6922 or 7308. From reputable dealers only, because these tubes can be a bit noisy in a T2 but perfectly fine in a different amp - probably starting at about $100/tube. The 6dj8/7dj8 matsu****as (made using Mullards old equipment) cant be beat though for price/quality - nothing comes close.

I used NOS Telefunken 6922s in my last DAC, and they were superb, detailed but still smooth at the same time.

 

[336881]

My view is that the input tubes are the most important. Matched pairs, west german or british made, EU equivalents of the 6922 or 7308. From reputable dealers only, because these tubes can be a bit noisy in a T2 but perfectly fine in a different amp - probably starting at about $100/tube. The 6dj8/7dj8 matsu****as (made using Mullards old equipment) cant be beat though for price/quality - nothing comes close.

So Technics/Panasonic tubes? Does not surprise me. I think a lot of people think Technics is overpriced/over rated because the sl-1200 prices went bonko's a few years back and because that is the most iconic piece of audio equipment ever made. Other than the sl-1200 I think Technics is the most underpriced/under rated stuff out there not including their new stuff. Maybe Sansui but I kind of feel like the cat is out of the bag on them.

Sony probably had more money than both of them combined but Sony stuff is pretty sought after and thus prices not quite as good.

 

[omniweltall]

@mulveling belated congrats on your end-game amp.

 

[mulveling]

@mulveling belated congrats on your end-game amp.

Thanks! It is definitely so end-game. What an amazing piece of gear georgep built for me

 

[Jones Bob]

So Technics/Panasonic tubes? /snip

Even though Matsushita is the parent company, I’ve never seen Matsushita manufactured tubes with those brand labels.

 

[mulveling]

Those E88CC Philips SQ look so tasty. Spendy at $169 a tube, but I'm getting more tempted to try them by the day. At this level of sound quality, any further improvement is worth it. Edit: I just asked my gf to buy me a quad, but don't think she's gonna go for it lol.

@Whitigir @georgep -
Is there a consensus on the longevity of NOS EL34 in the DIY T2? I know that the BHSE was running them so low that they were loafing and could practically last forever, but it seems like the T2 is pushing more Watts through them. I have a spare set of Hollands, but would like to get a sense for what the timeline might be - and mine were really "used, tests strong", not true NOS sets. And now that I think of it, what's the expected longevity of NOS 6922 in this circuit?

Not that it's too much of a big deal. Even with cheap Russian Mullards and Japanese 7DJ8, this T2 is still far and away better than any other non-T2 headphone amp I've ever heard. I remember drooling over those old Singlepower SDS-XLR monstrosities in the mid-2000's; $20K+ amps that when paired with an MDR-R10 could render "some" of the magic we all crave, but not like the T2/009, and not nearly as accurate, balanced, and complete a sound either.

 

[Whitigir]

Those E88CC Philips SQ look so tasty. Spendy at $169 a tube, but I'm getting more tempted to try them by the day. At this level of sound quality, any further improvement is worth it. Edit: I just asked my gf to buy me a quad, but don't think she's gonna go for it lol.

@Whitigir @georgep -
Is there a consensus on the longevity of NOS EL34 in the DIY T2? I know that the BHSE was running them so low that they were loafing and could practically last forever, but it seems like the T2 is pushing more Watts through them. I have a spare set of Hollands, but would like to get a sense for what the timeline might be - and mine were really "used, tests strong", not true NOS sets. And now that I think of it, what's the expected longevity of NOS 6922 in this circuit?

Not that it's too much of a big deal. Even with cheap Russian Mullards and Japanese 7DJ8, this T2 is still far and away better than any other non-T2 headphone amp I've ever heard. I remember drooling over those old Singlepower SDS-XLR monstrosities in the mid-2000's; $20K+ amps that when paired with an MDR-R10 could render "some" of the magic we all crave, but not like the T2/009, and not nearly as accurate, balanced, and complete a sound either.

I believe KG has his tubes for more than 10 years and still running ?

 

[astrostar59]

Those E88CC Philips SQ look so tasty. Spendy at $169 a tube, but I'm getting more tempted to try them by the day. At this level of sound quality, any further improvement is worth it. Edit: I just asked my gf to buy me a quad, but don't think she's gonna go for it lol.

@Whitigir @georgep -
Is there a consensus on the longevity of NOS EL34 in the DIY T2? I know that the BHSE was running them so low that they were loafing and could practically last forever, but it seems like the T2 is pushing more Watts through them. I have a spare set of Hollands, but would like to get a sense for what the timeline might be - and mine were really "used, tests strong", not true NOS sets. And now that I think of it, what's the expected longevity of NOS 6922 in this circuit?

Not that it's too much of a big deal. Even with cheap Russian Mullards and Japanese 7DJ8, this T2 is still far and away better than any other non-T2 headphone amp I've ever heard. I remember drooling over those old Singlepower SDS-XLR monstrosities in the mid-2000's; $20K+ amps that when paired with an MDR-R10 could render "some" of the magic we all crave, but not like the T2/009, and not nearly as accurate, balanced, and complete a sound either.

mulveling, now you have the T2 are you going to sell your other gear? I have 2 systems, one I use at my parents, the other main system at home. It is so tempting to hoard gear, I am trying to resist it. I am glad you have your destination, now all you need to watch is you don't stay up till 4am listening too your massing setup!

At the moment I am at my parents, and have no speakers, but am kinda loving the headphone thing more because of it.

 

[mulveling]

mulveling, now you have the T2 are you going to sell your other gear? I have 2 systems, one I use at my parents, the other main system at home. It is so tempting to hoard gear, I am trying to resist it. I am glad you have your destination, now all you need to watch is you don't stay up till 4am listening too your massing setup!

At the moment I am at my parents, and have no speakers, but am kinda loving the headphone thing more because of it.

Yep there really is no remaining desire for me to keep or use any other headphone gear. Utopia and BHSE will be first to go! Other stuff may linger a while, out of laziness - not interest. But I've definitely piled up too much extra gear, and need to start the culling ASAP. My speaker setup has been doing amazing, and was pushing even the Stax into disuse, but the T2 has pulled it back to full relevance. I'm staying up past 4, 5, sometimes even 6:00 on weekend nights listening between speakers and/or Stax. The speaker rig obviously offers a more complete performance/experience, and gets more weekend time - but at 5x the overall cost. And sometimes it's just current mindset that leans me towards preferring one or the other.

Honestly I'd also like to unhook and sell my little bit of digital gear too (ECP Audio DAC and Audiophilleo), but I'll regret that when I can't listen to a few digital-only albums anymore. It's just that it remains unhooked and in disuse most of the time (only 1 input on my T2). Vinyl is now my by-far primary source for headphones, and still remains my only source for speakers.

 

[mulveling]

Utopia and BHSE sold already; shipping put today. Man it's so much easier to sell headphone gear than anything else in hi-fi audio. I've got to keep it up and sell other headphone stuff not in the T2 system. Anyone want a Headroom Home Balanced or Headroom Max Balanced for a good price? Great dynamic amps if you haven't been fully indoctrinated into Stax yet

 

[Whitigir]

Utopia and BHSE sold already; shipping put today. Man it's so much easier to sell headphone gear than anything else in hi-fi audio. I've got to keep it up and sell other headphone stuff not in the T2 system. Anyone want a Headroom Home Balanced or Headroom Max Balanced for a good price? Great dynamic amps if you haven't been fully indoctrinated into Stax yet

LOL! I actually agree, Headphones is taking the market pretty easy. It is the convenience and the experiences from headphones itself. A full blown headphones system may take up a small desk, but a large stereo will need a whole room and muscle to move stuff LoL.

I congratulate whoever bought the stuff from you, always the best pricing and awesome conditions

 

[mahesvara]

@mulveling apologies for the noob question ... how does one order a T2?

 

[Rhamnetin]

@mulveling apologies for the noob question ... how does one order a T2?

 

[joseph69]

This is simply an awesome post!!!