[bcowen]

I just received another version of a solid plate Melz, this one with dull gray plates instead of shiny black. It also has a round getter holder and the date code is 86. First I need to test it, re-solder it then test it again and then it goes into an Incubus for a first impression. I for one like to get a feel for how the tube sounds out of the box and more intense listening later.

Bass and mids are very good, the treble needs to improve for me to be happy with this tube. There are some red flags. Metal bass appears to have been re-crimped. No actual Melz logo yet it has the majority of the right traits. Purple lettering on the base is pretty sloppy, barely legible on date code. Pins are loose and already re-soldered apparently. Upper mids are starting to remind me of actual 1578's of this period.

Current test album is The Joy of Music, The Job of Real Estate by Vulfpeck. Range of instruments and sounds is interesting, remember this is a test album, I am not recommending it the way @bcowen might suggest Marilyn Manson.



.

They might sound different if you turned them right side up. Just sayin'.

 

[bcowen]

Shhhh Cowen may stop buying them from me if he reads this.

Yeah, I'm really tired of having to paint that extra "C" on every tube you send me. Seems like it wouldn't take all that long if you'd just do it while you're resoldering the pins.

 

[Paladin79]

The solid plate Melz is coming around, a few things about it were iffy, but I do not care. This tube is starting to sound pretty good. I doubt I will buy another at around $110 and a long wait. The mids might be at a slightly higher level than my 56 and 58's but it is decently balanced and quite musical. Bass does not blur the mids like some tubes and after maybe six or seven hours the highs are there. There still seems to be a bit of a ceiling but that has been elongated since early listen so that may continue to climb.

 

[sqitis]

The solid plate Melz is coming around, a few things about it were iffy, but I do not care. This tube is starting to sound pretty good. I doubt I will buy another at around $110 and a long wait. The mids might be at a slightly higher level than my 56 and 58's but it is decently balanced and quite musical. Bass does not blur the mids like some tubes and after maybe six or seven hours the highs are there. There still seems to be a bit of a ceiling but that has been elongated since early listen so that may continue to climb.

That might have the 78 Melz sound like the ones I had...maybe

 

[Paladin79]

That might have the 78 Melz sound like the ones I had...maybe

That may well be, by tomorrow I may be able to get a better handle on the sound. Right now it is certainly not causing fatigue. Very soon I will have two 63 Melz ready to go and a bucket of Fotons, a padded bucket.

 

[sqitis]

That may well be, by tomorrow I may be able to get a better handle on the sound. Right now it is certainly not causing fatigue. Very soon I will have two 63 Melz ready to go and a bucket of Fotons, a padded bucket.

Hahaha Love it! I got you something for your stable today as well.....

Oh and I got a pair of inexpensive RCA VT-231 Gray glass and they are kinda ehhh.....nothing bad but nothing great either.

 

[Paladin79]

Hahaha Love it! I got you something for your stable today as well.....

Oh and I got a pair of inexpensive RCA VT-231 Gray glass and they are kinda ehhh.....nothing bad but nothing great either.

Finding great tubes is never easy. I have plenty of RCA, Ken-Rad. Tung Sol, Sylvania etc that might rate 85-90 on a 100 point scale but finding the 95's or better is more my goal.

 

[sqitis]

Finding great tubes is never easy. I have plenty of RCA, Ken-Rad. Tung Sol, Sylvania etc that might rate 85-90 on a 100 point scale but finding the 95's or better is more my goal.

Agree!

 

[LoryWiv]

Finding great tubes is never easy. I have plenty of RCA, Ken-Rad. Tung Sol, Sylvania etc that might rate 85-90 on a 100 point scale but finding the 95's or better is more my goal.

So true, @Paladin79. Just received a pair of Bendix 6V6GT / 5992 (adapters from @Deyan into Elise's 6SN7 socket) and 1st listen is very positive. Thehus far they lack that last few percent of technicalities of the Melz '63's I'd had in previously this week, as the Melz were so well extended on both ends, mids just right, and offered great stage, separation and layering. That said, the Bendix bring a touch more euphony and are very enjoyable in their own right. I'm oping they'll improve over next hours and days as they were NOS.

The Melz I received from @Paladin79 are a 95% for me, very special tubes and I know they'll be back in the rotation. The Bendix so far are not quite at that level but there is something about them that keeps me listening. So many tubes, so little time.

 

[Paladin79]

So true, @Paladin79. Just received a pair of Bendix 6V6GT / 5992 (adapters from @Deyan into Elise's 6SN7 socket) and 1st listen is very positive. Thehus far they lack that last few percent of technicalities of the Melz '63's I'd had in previously this week, as the Melz were so well extended on both ends, mids just right, and offered great stage, separation and layering. That said, the Bendix bring a touch more euphony and are very enjoyable in their own right. I'm oping they'll improve over next hours and days as they were NOS.

The Melz I received from @Paladin79 are a 95% for me, very special tubes and I know they'll be back in the rotation. The Bendix so far are not quite at that level but there is something about them that keeps me listening. So many tubes, so little time.

I am glad you are enjoying them, I kept hearing a bit of background noise with no signal with them that was ever so slight, it turned out to be a Tung Sol 5998. I did not have that noise with the solid plate tubes so I kept blaming it on the 63's lol. Others who owned 63's never commented on this but then my Incubus is one of a kind and I thought it might have been a combination of parts I used in my amp. One day I hope to send you an Incubus to compare with the Feliks and maybe I can match up tubes so you are comparing apples to apples.

 

[DenverW]

Does anyone have experience with new production shuguang tubes? I keep hearing how wonderful the black treasure or natural sound cv181 tubes are, but I’m honestly skeptical of new production tubes. These cost about what good NOS tubes would cost as well...

 

[sqitis]

Does anyone have experience with new production shuguang tubes? I keep hearing how wonderful the black treasure or natural sound cv181 tubes are, but I’m honestly skeptical of new production tubes. These cost about what good NOS tubes would cost as well...

I've used a set of BT in my old SLP-98 and they were top end of middle sounding. They are definitely better than EH or new Tungsol but not as organic as Melz or some really good 40's NOS stuff. It will also depend on your system as well. They also seemed a bit warmer than Sophia Blue glass 6SN7.

 

[bcowen]

Finding great tubes is never easy.

My sincerest apologies to all. I really didn't mean to buy all of them....somehow it just happened.

 

[Paladin79]

My sincerest apologies to all. I really didn't mean to buy all of them....somehow it just happened.

No I gifted you the 63 Melz, all else are humbled by its presence.

 

[bcowen]

No I gifted you the 63 Melz, all else are humbled by its presence.

No, all else are scared by its presence. They fear ties to the Russian mob, and the possibility of having baseball bats taken to their pins.