[Thaddy]

Hey in case anyone is interested, I'm going to be selling a handful of power tubes that I had originally purchased in anticipation of my Odyssey, that unfortunately was never completed. I should get them up in the classifieds tomorrow, and they are all NOS purchased from a reputable dealer that I've used for 10+ years. They are:

1. Mullard xf2 EL34
2. RFT EL34
3. GEC KT66
4. Tung-Sol 6550

 

[Isaacc7]

Hey in case anyone is interested, I'm going to be selling a handful of power tubes that I had originally purchased in anticipation of my Odyssey, that unfortunately was never completed. I should get them up in the classifieds tomorrow, and they are all NOS purchased from a reputable dealer that I've used for 10+ years. They are:

1. Mullard xf2 EL34
2. RFT EL34
3. GEC KT66
4. Tung-Sol 6550

Woo. Some desirable tubes there. If they don’t sell here you might want to check out reverb.com if you want to see if guitarists want them as well.

 

[hpamdr]

D8000 Pro is open back.

I agree. I have not tried electro or synth based music, but I agree that what I have heard might suit that kind of music. Not my type of music either.

It's an idea above what I would pay for a headphone, and hard to find in Europe. But I look at Austrian Audio The Composer.

I as badly supposing that it was closed as i did not seen any grid on the side, Thx to correct me.

I do not know if any authorized Yamaha dealer can get a pair for test even Thomann in Germany.
Have you ever heard Meze Empyrean (It is based based in Baia Mare, Romania) ?

 

[OctavianH]

Have you ever heard Meze Empyrean (It is based based in Baia Mare, Romania) ?

Yes, not my type. Sweet laid back and forgiving without being too resolving. Might work fine for solid state amps to remove some sharpness. Under the level of D8000 Pro but more comfortable.

 

[Thaddy]

Woo. Some desirable tubes there. If they don’t sell here you might want to check out reverb.com if you want to see if guitarists want them as well.

Thanks for the heads up! They're in the classifieds now but may try Reverb.

 

[timsams]

It seems that from th reviews, the latest Yamaha flagship could be very close to what you have with D8000.

They actually are very similar and they use the same planar technology with an air dampening grill. Apparently, final even hired some yamaha engineers during the developpement of the D8000
https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...orthodynamic-headphones-hp-1-successor.12712/

When I heard both of them, the bass was actually very very similar on the D8000pro and YH5000SE. Same texture and qualities, they even vibrate your ears.
Where they differ is the tuning. D8000pro is recessed in the upper mid, allowing it to supress sibliance but also keep some kind of natural timber. The Yamaha is so wonky and metalic, it's almost unlistenable for me. It's like those two headphones were made to please the opposite people.

I have to admit the confort of the yamaha is a blessing. if Final could put their drivers inside Yamaha frame, it would be the best D8000pro ever made.

 

[Isaacc7]

@OctavianH you mentioned before you think I might have some actual Telefunken el90 tubes. Never thought to check the obvious. There is a diamond shape in the glass between the pins but I don’t know if it’s the real deal.

I’m cautiously optimistic that I have actual Telefunken tubes. Now if I could just get my amp working…

 

[OctavianH]

@OctavianH you mentioned before you think I might have some actual Telefunken el90 tubes. Never thought to check the obvious. There is a diamond shape in the glass between the pins but I don’t know if it’s the real deal.

Yes, according to some sources those were identified as Telefunkens. However, the "house sound" of Telefunken was not present, at least not on mine. I took them now from the box and saw that both my Csf/Thomson and Sfr branded EL90 have a number on the bottom but I see no "diamond".

For example, Csf/Thomson EL90:

And Sfr EL90:

If these pairs I listened here are Telefunkens, then this adds to my findings related to old european pentodes where some Philips 4654 were identified in several sources as Mullards or RT, those sounding different than all my other Mullards or RT I have in my collection. In short, my house sound theory was wrong. Another possibility being that at that stage, very early in the history of tubes, Philips produced all these in different factories using the same parts and this is why all sound like the Holland made tubes.

 

[Isaacc7]

Yes, according to some sources those were identified as Telefunkens. However, the "house sound" of Telefunken was not present, at least not on mine. I took them now from the box and saw that both my Csf/Thomson and Sfr branded EL90 have a number on the bottom but I see no "diamond".

For example, Csf/Thomson EL90:



And Sfr EL90:



If these pairs I listened here are Telefunkens, then this adds to my findings related to old european pentodes where some Philips 4654 were identified in several sources as Mullards or RT, those sounding different than all my other Mullards or RT I have in my collection. In short, my house sound theory was wrong. Another possibility being that at that stage, very early in the history of tubes, Philips produced all these in different factories using the same parts and this is why all sound like the Holland made tubes.

I’ve long been skeptical of the idea of house sounds since what a tube “sounds like” will vary depending on the circuit, transducers, etc. Plus, the engineers making the tubes weren’t listening to them to tune them. Still, I am drawn to GEC/Marconi/Osram/MOV tubes. Specifically I like their small signal tubes and I’m hoping the n78 will continue the run. I wouldn’t expect the l36 to have a similar “sound” to a KT66, nor would I expect a KT66 to sound like a KT88.

I do think that different manufacturers had different materials, processes, and QC over the years. At one point in time tubes were cutting edge technology, then they were mission critical components, then mature technology, and then afterthoughts made just as spares for legacy products. Different manufacturers changed their processes at different rates. if there is a house sound I expect it to change over the years of production and possibly from tube application.

Sorry, I‘m feeling grumpy this AM because my preamplifier is acting weirdly and I’m still trying to get my amplifier fixed. I‘m hoping that I can get back to normal soon.

 

[OctavianH]

Sorry, I‘m feeling grumpy this AM because my preamplifier is acting weirdly and I’m still trying to get my amplifier fixed. I‘m hoping that I can get back to normal soon.

I thought your Odyssey is fixed, you said that it was sent to someone and he made some small adjustments but the problem was a fuse. Do you have other problems with it?

 

[OctavianH]

I have returned to Philips 4689 and Fivre 6SL7 but not accidentally. There is a plan, but first I need to realign my memories about this combo. Tomorrow I'll try something interesting with these outputs and something else.

 

[hpamdr]

If these pairs I listened here are Telefunkens, then this adds to my findings related to old european pentodes where some Philips 4654 were identified in several sources as Mullards or RT, those sounding different than all my other Mullards or RT I have in my collection. In short, my house sound theory was wrong. Another possibility being that at that stage, very early in the history of tubes, Philips produced all these in different factories using the same parts and this is why all sound like the Holland made tubes.

@OctavianH to what i experienced you do not have a real Brand "Sound" but more a factory and a "technical" sound... By extension you have for tube before the 50's a bigger chance to have dedicated factory and building process only for one Brand. After all is more complicated starting in US and the same in Europe a bit after.
For Russian tube it is the same depending of some tube, some factory have a better building process and a more constant quality..

Telefunken, started to use RFT tube like siemens did tin the late 50 beg 60.. So much less Telefunken/Siemens sound as it was

I also have some EL90 which I like in output. But I prefer 6/12AV6 or 6C4 in input...

 

[Isaacc7]

I thought your Odyssey is fixed, you said that it was sent to someone and he made some small adjustments but the problem was a fuse. Do you have other problems with it?

When I finally set it back up the bias meters were jumping all over the place. The tech is befuddled since all he did was replace a fuse.

I had been listening to my SE amp with my tube preamp but the sound got worse and worse until last night it was obviously a bigger issue than just a wonky tube. The sound started out as just sounding a little over driven and now is completely messed up. The thing is that was the same kind of sound I was getting from my Odyssey. So maybe my preamp is what was causing the trouble to begin with?

I need to hook the Odyssey to my Schitt preamp and see if that solves the problem. It’s hard for me, getting on the floor and back up can be an adventure. Hopefully I’ll have some news by the weekend.

 

[hpamdr]

The thing is that was the same kind of sound I was getting from my Odyssey. So maybe my preamp is what was causing the trouble to begin with?

I do not use preamp anymore for more than 20 years.... My first step was to switch to "passive preamps" with transformer. As i was never a Vinyl addict, good dac have numeric volume that do the job without any loos in quality...
(The only pre-amp i still have is my F.A. Euphoria )

 

[Isaacc7]

I do not use preamp anymore for more than 20 years.... My first step was to switch to "passive preamps" with transformer. As i was never a Vinyl addict, good dac have numeric volume that do the job without any loos in quality...
(The only pre-amp i still have is my F.A. Euphoria )

I am currently using the “passive” mode of the Schitt Freya+. I know that all an active preamp does for line level sources is add distortion but I like it with the distortion I guess. Things are bigger, richer, and the timbre of instruments seem more real. I have no trouble getting loud enough with the passive. There is a bit of glare in the midrange with the Schitt. Or maybe the Supratek rounds things off? Dunno, don’t really care lol.