[Jian]

Quote:

Jian,
 
Have you found the answer to this question?  I also read somewhere that the Leben has a lineout, which outs on the back are the lineout.  Another question I have is:  With speaker out to Leben for HE6, which tubes were optimal in your experience.  Thanks.


 

Thanks to skylab, the question answered

 As for what tubes, I find the NOS Sylvania triple mica 5751 and Sylvania 6BQ5 suit my taste very well.
 

 

[Jian]

Did some more tweaking, put on some mills non-inductive resistors and reissue Genalex gold lion 12AX7/6BQ5 precision matched sets. The sound changes flavor. Not necessarily better, but the sound become a touch more energetic, younger, if you like, and a bit less mellow.
 

 

 

 

[cacatalysis]

Hi Jian, Is it easy to change a 220V to 110-120 v on Leben?  Other than the tubes comes with the amp, are there any other difference between CS-300 and CS-300X.  Some also described noise issues even with HD800, how is your experience?  Thanks.

 

[cacatalysis]

Hi Jian, I read your previous posts about how to deal with noise floor.  Voltage is the only thing that prevents me from getting one.

 

[Jian]

With 300x, I think you get 5W more power, and some premium parts that 300 does not have. And it would be very hard to convert a 220v unit to 110v, I think (not sure), because you need to change all the transformers. I guess the easer solution would be to get a power conditioner to cook up the voltage. 

 

[cacatalysis]

Using a voltage converter is not a big deal.  I use one for sme amplifier I have bought from Japan.  The difference between the premium parts or not is not something that can be fixed.  If I went for a leben, a CS300X would be the one.  How does the leben compare with luxman SQ-N100?  From information here, I sense the luxman is the darker sounding one.  That may make them a good pairing with HD800 and HE6. 

 

[Skylab]

FWIW, Leben has said that for headphone use the CS-300 and CS-300XS should not be any different. When I compared the two side by side, I heard only minor differences, which could easily be attributed to the different tube sets in each. I elected to keep the CS-300. I've never regretted that.

 

[cacatalysis]

Skylab,  How do you compare Leben and WA22 for driving HD800? 

 

[Skylab]

I preferred the WA22. Probably the ONLY headphone where I did prefer it...I was a bit disappointed with the WA22, overall, but it was VERY synergistic with the HD-800 I thought.

 

[cacatalysis]

I was about to sell my HD800 until I tried the 596 with adapter as the rectifier (introduced to me by Golfnutz).  The combination of TS7236/RCA or TS 6F8G/596 is the best to my ears for HD800 on WA22.  Now back to Leben, I got quite a few Amperex 6085(E80CC, PQ), do you think I can use them in CS300 to substitute 5751/12AX7?  I also have some IEC/Mullard EL84 (60's vintage, marked as made in GR Britain), are those as good as the Mullard EL34?  I also have one pair of RCA red command 5751, I am wondering if you have tried the RCAs.      

 

[Skylab]

I would definitely not use the 6085 in the Leben.  They might draw too much heater current for the Transformer.
 
mullard EL84's (original UK ones) are VERY highly regarded.

 

[cacatalysis]

Sky, I asked Leben about the 6085 tubes.  The following is the answer from Mr. Yosshi Hontani.  
 
6085 is not perfectly compatible to 12AX7, as this tube is a similar
tube to 12AU7.
6060 is compatible to 12AX7/5751 perfectly.
6085 does not cause a damage in CS300, however, input sensitivity
of CS300 will decrease by using 6085 and you need to increase the
volume level more than 12AX7.
 
From my reading the 6085 has a higher gain than 12AU7 (also draws more current).  It is generally advised not to treat it as a drop in replacement for 12AX7 or 12AU7, always check with the amp designer and manufacturer. 
 
I am expecting to receive a CS300 in the near future.  I have no idea how the 6085 tubes will sound.  Hopefully, the lower sensitivity will work well with headphones and bring lower level of hiss and hum for certain phones.  I consulted quite a few here before my decision to buy, thanks for your advise and for sharing your impressions and views.

 

[Skylab]

Interesting answer from Leben, thanks for posting it.  However, he is actually wrong about one thing. The 6060 is a 12AT7, not a 12AX7.  The 6057, 6681, and 7025 are all 12AX7 equivalents.  
 
Interesting to note that the CS-300 can use a 12AU7 (and I suspect a 12AT7) without concern, as that could open up some interesting tube rolling possibilities. Still, I am so pleased with the 5751 in the Leben (the 5751 has slightly less gain than a 12AX7) that I doubt I will try it
 
 

 

[cacatalysis]

Just received my Leben CS300 today from tubenews.  Only had a short listen to both HD800 and HE6, and the latter from the speaker tap, stock tubes only.  I enjoyed both from the Leben, which is really good news to me.  From the speaker tap, the HE6 (with APS V3) is a truly outstanding phone, definitely at the same level as the HD800 (with a balanced DHC complement cable).  With HD800, the soundstage is better (deeper) from Leben than from WA22.  The tone is different, a little bit more forward than the Woo,  but I found it overall a very, very enjoyable listen.  I am very impressed so far and am happy that I get the Leben.  Of course, I am wondering about the impact of tube rolling now    

 

[Jian]

congrads, let the fun started!