[Chefguru]

When I had GG here, it was equipped with Mullard Reissues. My feeling was that tonality was more on the full bodied side. As I had no idea how much the sound might change by rolling tubes on GG, I got some cheap JJ EL34 II tubes, which were repeatedly reported to be more on the leaner side. And indeed, the whole tonal balance was shifted a bit. Now GG was more on the leaner side, less body, tighter bass and more focus on treble. It was quiet a difference. What I preferred in the beginning turned out to be a bit tiring in longer listening sessions, so I put in the Mullards again. So I think changing tubes on GG can help matching personal preferences and finding synergies with the source. I´m still curious to experience how much good NOS tubes with a similar “tonal characteristic” (if that term is tolerable) of a standard current production tube could really improve the sound (as my test turned out to be a trade off). Unfortunately in case of EL34 this can be an expensive attempt.

Again, not an expert, but I've been told a large majority of NOS tubes these days are in reality just old rejects and it makes more sense to stick to new production.
Plus tubes do degrade which in some instances might be making the sound softer with less emission aka adding distortion.

 

[rizena]

How much is kggg?

Is it about 4000 dollars?

 

[ColSaulTigh]

How much is kggg?

Is it about 4000 dollars?

I'm new to these amps, so I can't be of much help. I bought mine used from the Classifieds and paid a little less than that. If you want a new one, you'll have to talk with one of the main amp builders out there. Mine was built by @soren_brix but I understand there are several others out there.

 

[mulveling]

Again, not an expert, but I've been told a large majority of NOS tubes these days are in reality just old rejects and it makes more sense to stick to new production.
Plus tubes do degrade which in some instances might be making the sound softer with less emission aka adding distortion.

There are definitely rejects out there, but if you properly vet sellers, the hit rate for good tubes should be really high. I'm not hung up on NOS. True NOS is increasingly rare these days. And true NOS power tubes are close to extinct. The tube lover's mindset should be that "used tests very strong" is close enough to NOS. Effectively it's just as good - will it have some good mileage on it? Possibly. But (9 times out of 10) it will still long outlast an equivalent Russian or Chinese (or JJ) tube.

If you just buy on ebay your you're definitely gonna get some duds, but still some good tubes too. The risk/reward equation is that the most trustworthy tube dealers (Brent Jesse, VTS, etc) charge a premium for their tubes. Is it worth buying those once, or buying 2 or 3 (or more!) times at a much cheaper price and just tossing the duds?

I use MaxiMatcher testers and they're great for screening and matching. A bad sounding tube will usually test bad, relative to known good tubes of the same type. But there are exceptions - some vintage tubes sound good "to the last drop". A good testing tube, matched within ~10 - 15% or better to its counterparts, will almost always sound good

 

[bearFNF]

Well, I finally took the plunge and invested in a decent Electrostatic amplifier - a Soren Brix-built Kevin Gilmore Grounded Grid! Which means...now I have an EL34 (and variant) addiction to feed!

So if anyone would like to enable my lack of impulse control and/or OCD (OCD, OCD, OCD), feel free to throw some recommendations my way!

Amp should be here next week, so until then - off to eBay I go!

Congrats on the incoming money pit...

I remember reading this a while back (it's for the BHSE so take it with a grain of salt):
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/headamp-blue-hawaii-special-edition.439657/page-472#post-11503035

I use the Shuguang Treasures in my BHSE and like them very much.
Dan Clark recommended the Siemens NOS EL34 from Ram labs.

The fuse discussion is amusing, also.

 

[Aspirant Audiophile]

How much is kggg?

Is it about 4000 dollars?

I know Soren was charging 3300 early last year, but I expect he's raised his prices by now.

Well, I finally took the plunge and invested in a decent Electrostatic amplifier - a Soren Brix-built Kevin Gilmore Grounded Grid! Which means...now I have an EL34 (and variant) addiction to feed!

So if anyone would like to enable my lack of impulse control and/or OCD (OCD, OCD, OCD), feel free to throw some recommendations my way!

Amp should be here next week, so until then - off to eBay I go!

Congratulations, I'll be interested in your impressions! I nearly got Soren's GG but picked up his Carbon and MT instead. I expect I'll need another year before I'm "finally" ready to part ways with the Carbon. And until I can afford a T2, the MT (with cheap Mullard tubes) stays with me

 

[musicman59]

I bought the Siemens based on Dan’s recommendation. If you are looking for neutrality and detail then they are very good but do not expect much warmth and big bass. I bought them for a PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium HP that I use exclusively as headphones amplifier.

Later I bought the Tungsol 7581A and like them better. They provide a sweeter and natural midrange and bass.

The ones I have always intrigued by are the Sophia EL34 but never have taken the chanceZ

 

[buzzlulu]

.

 

[number1sixerfan]

That's very true, the differences with rolling EL34 in BHSE and T2 are more subtle than in power amps. But definitely still audible.

Yup, agree. You can definitely notice the changes, but they are a bit subtle in nature. I have a nice pair of NOS Philips metal bases I've used in both. Definitely a nice improvement over the new production mullards, but you're absolutely paying a premium for them.

 

[buzzlulu]

True however I definitely noticed a difference when I put some EL34 XF2 into my T2 (as Kerry suggested to me). They definitely were pricey though!
I now have a set of Siemens 6922 from the 60's which will be with me shortly.

 

[number1sixerfan]

True however I definitely noticed a difference when I put some EL34 XF2 into my T2 (as Kerry suggested to me). They definitely were pricey though!
I now have a set of Siemens 6922 from the 60's which will be with me shortly.

Nice tubes. And even though pricey can definitely be worth it. I just don't think I'd go on a tube rolling spree like with some other amps lol

I know there isn't a T2 thread, feel free to post your thoughts on the 6922's on my thread. Or via pm. I've been dragging my feet on replacing the stock tubes but need to explore.

 

[buzzlulu]

@number1sixerfan
actually pm’d you 10 days ago - must have got lost in the shuffle

 

[number1sixerfan]

@number1sixerfan
actually pm’d you 10 days ago - must have got lost in the shuffle

Definitely did as I've been moving and taking a lot of gear for loan. My bad, so sorry. Just responded! Again, looking forward to the impressions

 

[Aspirant Audiophile]

Nice tubes. And even though pricey can definitely be worth it. I just don't think I'd go on a tube rolling spree like with some other amps lol

I know there isn't a T2 thread, feel free to post your thoughts on the 6922's on my thread. Or via pm. I've been dragging my feet on replacing the stock tubes but need to explore.

Now there's a great thought... Why isn't there a dedicated T2 thread by now...?

 

[ufospls2]

Now there's a great thought... Why isn't there a dedicated T2 thread by now...?

I think this and the general Eksonic thread in the amps section are the closest to a general T2 thread currently.


https://www.head-fi.org/threads/t2-finally-bought-one.885161/