The Apex Teton Review and Impressions Thread

[Xecuter]

Congrats! Look forwards to hearing your impressions with the hd-800s!

 

[XXII]

  Just ordered my Teton, really looking forward to it. 

Congrats!
 
I'm still waiting for my Teton to arrive. But I've spent the this time sourcing tubes. So far I have
 
For the output tube: GEC 6AS7G, Western Electric 421A and various 6528s
For the rectifier tube: Amperex metal base gz34, Cossor fat bottle Gz37 
 
I already have several nice 6sn7s for my Balancing Act.

 

[chengka7]

Can I use EML 5U4G on it?

 

[XXII]

Can I use EML 5U4G on it?

 
I think so but you should double check with Pete or Todd.
 
Here is the tube rolling guide for the Wheatfield HA-2 which the Teton is based on:
 
http://www.pmillett.com/Wheatfield/tubes.htm
 
I'm not sure how much applies to the Teton though.

 

[chengka7]

Can anyone here give me some recommendation on tubes for HD800?


I also want to know if u52 and We421a can be used on teton.

 

[XXII]

  Can anyone here give me some recommendation on tubes for HD800?


I also want to know if u52 and We421a can be used on teton.

 
Western Electric 421A is equivalent to 5998 so it can be used as the output tube in the Teton.

 

[minimus]

  Can anyone here give me some recommendation on tubes for HD800?


I also want to know if u52 and We421a can be used on teton.
 

According to Pete and Todd, it is fine to use the U52 rectifier in the Teton.
 
As far as recommendations for the HD800s:  for the input tube, I really like the RCA 6F8G and the National Union 6F8G.  Someone else who is demo'ing the amp highly recommended the Sylvania 6SN7 metal base to me in a PM, although I have not tried that tube.  It is not cheap.
 
For output tubes, I like the IT or Tung Sol 6528, as well as the Chatham 5998.  The 5998 is a little faster sounding than the 6528.
 
For rectifiers, I like the stock NOS Sylvania that Todd supplies with the amp.  You can certainly try others -- the Mullard 5AR4 is a good choice, especially if you are looking for a mellow, slower "tubey" sound from the amp.  The Mullard U52 is the opposite -- it is very fast and dynamic sounding in the Teton.

 

[chengka7]

But aren't Mullard gz34/5ar4 metal base suppose to be super fast? I tried it with wa22 before and like it a lot, super fast sounding

 

[chengka7]

Lol, I guess I will stop tube rolling at this moment, spent more than 1k on those tubes right now:
 
Mullard GZ34 Metal base
EML 5U4G
U52 Marconi UK
Tung-sol 5998
Raytheon 6528a
Tung-sol 6sn7 BGRP
RCA 6F8G

 

[minimus]

Congratulations on the Teton purchase.

I am not a big fan of the TS BGRP. They will speed up an overly "tubey" slow amp, but the Teton doesn't have that problem.

The Mullard 5AR4 black base, not metal base, is a mellow tube when used in the Teton or in other preamps I have owned with tube rectification.

The Teton is a very fast, detailed, dynamic amp, so I am finding I like tubes with a little more "bloom", hence my recommendation of the RCA 6F8G, the NU 6F8G, maybe even a Ken Rad 6SN7. Trust me, they won't make the amp sound boring or overly colored. And they happen to be relatively cheap.

If you really want to spend a lot of money, you could always track down the legendary Mullard/Chelmer ECC32, which is fine to use in the Teton. Those sell for up to $500 a tube and all of them are used, not NOS. But they do sound good once you forget how much you paid for them.

But for now, you will have plenty of tubes to get started. Mind you, the new Teton out of the box sounded to me a tad bit lifeless in comparison to Todd's loaner. I normally think "burn in" is BS, but the amp will sound better and better within a month.

 

[chengka7]

Thank you guys all for the great help here. I cannot wait to receive my Teton. 

 

[chengka7]

http://tubeworldexpress.com/collections/preamp/ECC32
 
but are they the right ecc32? I know ecc32 is like super rare, I never realize that they have ecc32 in stock

 

[complin]

You should also consider 6SN7's from Mullard/Brimar/Philips too, and the Italian Fivre from 1950's vintage too are really worth a try.
 
Quote:

Congratulations on the Teton purchase.

I am not a big fan of the TS BGRP. They will speed up an overly "tubey" slow amp, but the Teton doesn't have that problem.

The Mullard 5AR4 black base, not metal base, is a mellow tube when used in the Teton or in other preamps I have owned with tube rectification.

The Teton is a very fast, detailed, dynamic amp, so I am finding I like tubes with a little more "bloom", hence my recommendation of the RCA 6F8G, the NU 6F8G, maybe even a Ken Rad 6SN7. Trust me, they won't make the amp sound boring or overly colored. And they happen to be relatively cheap.

If you really want to spend a lot of money, you could always track down the legendary Mullard/Chelmer ECC32, which is fine to use in the Teton. Those sell for up to $500 a tube and all of them are used, not NOS. But they do sound good once you forget how much you paid for them.

But for now, you will have plenty of tubes to get started. Mind you, the new Teton out of the box sounded to me a tad bit lifeless in comparison to Todd's loaner. I normally think "burn in" is BS, but the amp will sound better and better within a month.

 

[minimus]

http://tubeworldexpress.com/collections/preamp/ECC32

but are they the right ecc32? I know ecc32 is like super rare, I never realize that they have ecc32 in stock

Those are the ones. Chelmer is just a rebranded Mullard. Those prices seem on the low side to me, so grab one if they are in stock.

 

[chengka7]

@XXII, have you received your Teton yet?