[alsius]

i've had the vali 2 for about a month. it came with a sylvania 6bz7 tube.
i replaced the sylvania within the first week for a tesla e88cc gold pin, which was a decent improvement, but yesterday switched to a ge jan 5670 with an adapter. the ge sounds awesome compared to the other 2.

i'm curious if there's anything considerably better than the ge, but for now i'm very happy with this tube.

 

[chef8489]

i've had the vali 2 for about a month. it came with a sylvania 6bz7 tube.
i replaced the sylvania within the first week for a tesla e88cc gold pin, which was a decent improvement, but yesterday switched to a ge jan 5670 with an adapter. the ge sounds awesome compared to the other 2.

i'm curious if there's anything considerably better than the ge, but for now i'm very happy with this tube.

Using the 5670 adapter i really like the 70s Reflector 6N3P-E tubes. They are probably one of my favorite tubes i have tried overall put of any tube i jave tried.

 

[alsius]

Using the 5670 adapter i really like the 70s Reflector 6N3P-E tubes. They are probably one of my favorite tubes i have tried overall put of any tube i jave tried.

i might have to check that one out. i was thinking of buying a spare of the ge, but that one looks inexpensive enough, might get that instead.

 

[chef8489]

Here is a list of all the vintage i have tried thus far. https://www.head-fi.org/threads/vali-2-tube-pass-of-2017.855165/
I have also tried the Gold Lion 6922 modern tube and have some more vintage inbound that i am looking forward to trying.

 

[alsius]

Here is a list of all the vintage i have tried thus far. https://www.head-fi.org/threads/vali-2-tube-pass-of-2017.855165/
I have also tried the Gold Lion 6922 modern tube and have some more vintage inbound that i am looking forward to trying.

nice. you've definitely tried a bunch. how would you rate the ge jan among the others? i've read about the gold lions but those are pretty expensive for me.
i ordered the reflector to try it out, thanks for the recommendation.

 

[chef8489]

nice. you've definitely tried a bunch. how would you rate the ge jan among the others? i've read about the gold lions but those are pretty expensive for me.
i ordered the reflector to try it out, thanks for the recommendation.

Its a pretty good tube. Better than stock, but bass is not as deep as the reflector or highs as detailed and not as much width. I use my k7xx to evaluate the different tubes.

 

[Niggi183]

Recently got a tesla e88cc gold pin and in comparison to the stock tube, the bass (especially the subbass) seems to have improved quite significant. Wish I could A/B them properly, but for now I'm happy.

 

[Tuneslover]

Recently got a tesla e88cc gold pin and in comparison to the stock tube, the bass (especially the subbass) seems to have improved quite significant. Wish I could A/B them properly, but for now I'm happy.

It is a very nice tube although I find it a bit warm sounding and recessed in the high frequencies.

 

[DeeKay10]

Finally got some time to review the bunch of tubes I ordered a while ago, so without further ado:

Name/Type​	Noise (with IEMs)​	Soundstage​	Frequency Balance​	Character​
NOS 6BZ7/6BQ7A	Low, very slight hum.	Wide.	Lows unemphesized, mids and highs somewhat screechy.	The stock tube you might get with the Vali. Detailed and packs a wide soundstage. Great with warm-sounding transducers, great for IEMs. Doesn't sound a terrible lot like a tube, definitely not smooth or gooey and both mid and low bass are "just there".
NOS 6BZ7/6BQ7A (Canada)	High, hums, with inefficient cans too. Noise during volume spin. Likely a bad tube in that regard.	Medium-wide.	Balanced, doesn't screech.	Another stock tube you might get with the Vali. This one has a a narrower soundstage for some reason, doesn't exhibit as much an emphasis on the highs and sounds somewhat less detailed (perhaps as a result). Still great with warm-sounding equipment.
Electro-Harmonix 6CG7	Low-medium. Sligt hum.	Medium-wide.	Small lows emphasis.	A smooth, slightly gooey-sounding tube, with a small emphasis on the bass. Soundstage is narrower and more intimate than the stock tubes. Personally the to-go tube if you want your Vali to sound like a tube amp.
Electro-Harmonix 6922	Low, very slight hum.	Wide.	Lows and high-mids are slightly emphasized.	Another smooth-sounding tube, but this time more detailed than either before. Has a wide soundstage and can be reliably used with IEMs.
JJ E8CC (gold pins)	Medium, slight hum, slight hiss.	Wide.	Balanced.	Smooth-sounding, very slightly less detailed than the previous one and with a slight empahsis on highs. Soundstage is pretty wide and all in all this is another all-arounder, although not as silent for IEMs as the first 6BZ7 and the 6922.

My bottom line and recommendation: Got the Vali 2 to taste some tubes? Electro-Harmonix's 6CG7 and 9622 are the address. Like a more smooth, warmish low response? Get the prior. Looking for more balance and detail, or just using IEMs? Get the latter.
Probably just my selection of tubes, but it seems Electro-Harmonix had hit a home run when it comes to the Vali 2.

 

[winders]

You want some tube magic? Get a 5670 to 6922 adapter and get an older NOS Western Electric 396A tube with a square getter. All the tubes you have tested so far are terrible in comparison.

 

[Wyd4]

You want some tube magic? Get a 5670 to 6922 adapter and get an older NOS Western Electric 396A tube with a square getter. All the tubes you have tested so far are terrible in comparison.

Interesting

Considering picking up a vali2. But after a stereotypical tube sound. Wondering if this setup might fit the bill

 

[Guidostrunk]

Look for some 50's Tung-sol 2c51, Bendix 2c51, and some Western Electric 396a. The GE 5 star triple mica are awesome tubes, but there's others to be had. The 5670 variants are much cheaper as well.
Here's some tungsol's. Can't beat the price either.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/151621028745

i've had the vali 2 for about a month. it came with a sylvania 6bz7 tube.
i replaced the sylvania within the first week for a tesla e88cc gold pin, which was a decent improvement, but yesterday switched to a ge jan 5670 with an adapter. the ge sounds awesome compared to the other 2.

i'm curious if there's anything considerably better than the ge, but for now i'm very happy with this tube.

 

[Guidostrunk]

Yep! Lol

You want some tube magic? Get a 5670 to 6922 adapter and get an older NOS Western Electric 396A tube with a square getter. All the tubes you have tested so far are terrible in comparison.

 

[Andrew Nguyen]

I'm quoting myself here.

Well guys, I'm not sure how to word this. But, I received my second 6922 EH earlier today. I had stuff to do so I plugged er in and let it play for ~5hs for a little burn-in. This second tube came from Tube Depot. I ticked the balanced output and low noise boxes that added $6 to the price. The first tube that I have been praising came from......... Amazon.

I didn't want to wait so that's why I got it from there. I'm thinking you get what you get when ordering from there.

After disclosing that, what do you think I'm going to say........

The new tube from TD has the same, recognizable, sound like the first one has, but, it falls short. That first tube I got from Amazon does appear to be special. No wonder I've been so gaga over it. It is crystal clear and spacious with deep luscious bass. Very natural tonal wise also. Slightly binaural sounding in its presentation. Lush. I could go on. The TD one is just not quite all the way there.

The second one from TD is still the second best sounding tube I have. Just to refresh, I have..

ITT 6BQ7A (Japan) - Stock tube - Too aggressive for my tastes _ alters the tone
JJ 6922 (JJ ElectronICs) A bit soft sounding & unengaging
6GC7 (Electro-Harmonix) Pleasant sounding.. not bad
6922 EH (Electro-Harmonix) (two) My favorites

So, I still recommend the 6922 EH. I know there's a lot more out there to roll. Specifically, the 6DJ8 is intriguing.

So, if anyone tries the 6922 EH, I'd love to hear what you think. Everybody probably for that matter.

So, get to rollin' guys... me, I'm headed back for some more tunes.

I have tried the 6922 EH, got it from upscale audio, but it didn't quite do it for me either. It provided more bass, but, to me, it lost some high clarity and a more narrow soundstage. It's still way better than the stock tube for sure. I ended up getting a Philips 7dj8. I think it has clearer highs and upper mids, wider soundstage, and cleaner bass. YMMV.

 

[cebuboy]

Hi guys, been reading this thread for a while and I'm looking for a tube that would make this little amp as tubey as possibe. Any recommendations and suggestions are highly appreciated.