[bcowen]

If anybody is interested, BangyBang has a smorgasbord of 5670/2C51 type tubes available.

Here you can get a $10 pair of GE's actually labeled as GE's for $108:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Matched-Pa...a=0&pg=2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

And here you can get a $10 pair of GE's labeled as Penta Labs for $157.50:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Matched-Pa...a=0&pg=2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

And here you can get a $10 pair of GE's labeled as Amperex for $170.10 (except they're not a matched pair -- one on the left is 3 mica with a rectangular getter and the one on the right is 2 mica with a round getter...not that it really makes much difference with a GE):

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Matched-Pa...a=0&pg=2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100012.m1985

LMAO. What's unfortunate is that it appears people are actually buying these garbage tubes at the beyond-stupid prices...

 

[Ripper2860]

Ooooooh. As tempting as they are, the choice of flooring materials indicates that these are not legitimate BangyBang listings. Nice try at covertly attempting to sell-off your stash.

 

[bcowen]

Ooooooh. As tempting as they are, the choice of flooring materials indicates that these are not legitimate BangyBang listings. Nice try at covertly attempting to sell-off your stash.

You must have missed the news story: BangyBang spilled his silkscreening ink all over the carpet and had to toss it. He could probably buy another piece, but that would obviously cut into his 5000% profit margin.

 

[Ripper2860]

Yeah. I may have overlooked it. Was it mentioned in last month's 'BangyBang -- College Girls Gone Wild!' edition?



(I'll have to get it out from under my mattress and double-check)

 

[Old Deaf Donkey]

The only problem using an adapter with the Aune is it hides the LED light in the socket. I honestly didn't even know it was there, 'cause the first tube I used when I got it was a 396A that needed an adapter. Stuck the Brimar 6BQ7 in there the other day (no adapter), and after first thinking the tube had gone nuclear in a blinding white flash I was relieved to see it was the socket LED. Coolness in my book.

Your Aune is of a very old model. Mine has 4 small holes around the large hole for the tube, and I can see RED light once it is on. That is Mk3.

 

[bcowen]

Your Aune is of a very old model. Mine has 4 small holes around the large hole for the tube, and I can see RED light once it is on. That is Mk3.

Yeah, I try and keep my components vintage...like me. The LED in mine is a bluish-white (or maybe whitish-blue?) and comes on once the tube has warmed up and the protection relay actuates. I like it...adds a bit of bling.

 

[Paladin79]

Those blue tubes are definitely pretty cool, but I'm allergic to Chinese amps. Chinese cable sleeving is growing on me though.

Once I change out 90% of the parts and use larger value output caps with quality bypass caps maybe I will change the name on the front. Maybe the Cowen.

 

[bcowen]

Once I change out 90% of the parts and use larger value output caps with quality bypass caps maybe I will change the name on the front. Maybe the Cowen.

Make it the Mr. Cowen, and I'll be amenable to negotiating the royalties.

 

[Paladin79]

Make it the Mr. Cowen, and I'll be amenable to negotiating the royalties.

We will see, but say the wrong thing and I stuff the amp with GE tubes and leave them there for a week lol.

 

[bcowen]

We will see, but say the wrong thing and I stuff the amp with GE tubes and leave them there for a week lol.

Oops. A fate worse than an extended stay in a nursing home. So I'll be nice...to you. Haven't picked on @Ripper2860 in a while and he's probably feeling neglected.

 

[Ripper2860]

I'm OK. I'm used to being ignored like a virtual leper.

 

[Old Deaf Donkey]

Be very interested in your impressions of the Koss. That's the Massdrop version, yes?

Finally, I got time to connect E90 RCA in < aune T1 RCA out. Now my KOSS ESP-95X sound beautifully. Everything is there: resolution, space, precision, speed, tonal balance and richness. Slightly different from AKG K702 on Vali 2 from the same DAC, but a great euphonic pleasure nevertheless. Perhaps I will use both, just in different places - already bought a second aune T1 Mk3. In the end, even the price more or less the same: AKG K702 ca. $160 + Vali2 $170 + good tube $70 = $400; paid same for KOSS ESP-95X system. Add aune T1 Mk3 to that for $150, + adapter $25 + 2 VT-192 for $15 a pair, et voilà: 2 awesome HP rigs for less than $600 each (+cables etc). Have retired Modi MB again... Will start rolling tubes in the aune + Koss system, with a difference that now I have all the tubes I need, maybe except a Telefunken ECC88 and Siemens CCa, but won't bother

 

[Joe Garfield]

I got my Siemens 6BK7B. It’s still burning in but 10hr impressions are pretty good! I don’t have Siemens 6DJ8 or 6922 to compare it to, but compared to Amperex Orange Globe “holographic” would be a pretty good description! The highs are more sparkly and extended without fatigue. It’s pretty much what I was hoping to hear.

It seems like the lower end with new tubes takes time to develop. At first power up the bass was loose and bloody, but after 10hrs it has tightened up considerably.

I’ll do a full eval and A/B tomorrow at work when it’s back on Mimby with my familiar HD650s and streaming hi-fi.

Edit: after further listening and comparing, I have to say this tube isn’t worth it. It sounds like something is ‘missing’ - maybe the plankton or whatever. It also feels ‘erroneous’ in the bottom end. Bass seems strong but muddy and maybe compressed. Analytically I liked a lot of the upper end details and space I heard, but when I put other tubes back in they sounded so much more musical and accurate.

 

[Keno18]

Experimented with Equalizer APO. It is software that precisely removes all the hills and valleys in headphone response curves to render the 'phones virtually neutral.There are literally hundreds of preset files available for virtually any headphone. It installs itself into the Windows sound system where possible. I installed mine into the VB Hifi Cable chain used with the Qobuz through Foobar setup a while back. If you've got that or the Amazon through Foobar or Tidal through Foobar it should also work. If anyone is interested let me know and I'll do another write up.

Edit: Just tried it with the HD6XX/DarkVoice combination. Literally sounds like a different HP setup. I like it again, Sennheiser veil gone? How? Bears more testing.

 

[Keno18]

Actually I am! But I don’t know where to go from here. I’ve thought about LCD-2C but they’re expensive, heavy, and Idk if there’s anywhere to try them. Idk what other closed back options there are that are as good quality as HDxx without being fatiguing like DT-XX0.

Just saw a Z review of the Sennheiser HD280 PROS (The new model.). 32db of isolation, decent sound. $99.95 on Amazon.