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Reporting day 5: Some serious tube rolling starts: Shootout #1[/size]
Burn in time so far: approx. 63 hours (about 93h for the Senns)
I had the following 3 pairs of driver tubes at my disposition apart from the standard stock Philips ECG JAN 6922 USA - which were already quite acceptable by the way:
1. Sylvania 6DJ8 1978 NOS
2. Philips ECC88 Holland "A" frame getter 1975 NOS
3. Amperex Bugle Boy ECC88 Holland "D" getter 1959 NOS (could not resist to try those - although they were pretty expensive - but I consider it an adventure well worth to try them out)
When I read through some tube rolling reviews it just came to me that I
needed to try some 5998s in addition to my 7236 Cetron as well
so I ordered some JAN 5998 Tungsol 1963 NOS Top Getter.
Now for the comparison itself: It is very difficult to A-B tubes since you will have to let cool down set A before you may try set B - which then needs a warm up period again. Remembering the sound in all its aspects is difficult. I try to focus on certain characteristics: a) immediate overall impression b) deep and defined bass c) resolution and detail d) imaging ("3D") e) midrange warmth (musicality) f) homogeneity (balance) of b) to e). To do that I use the following recordings over and over again (the music is nice so I do not get bored) to get used to the differences:
1. SACD "Closer to the music", Various Artists, Stockfisch Records, 2004
2. SACD "Hell or high water", Sara K., Stockfisch Records, 2006
3. CD "Lady", Friend'n Fellow, Ruf Records, 2009
4. SACD "Audiophile Reference IV", Various Artists, First Impression Music, 2000
5. SACD "Libera Me", Lars Danielsson, ACT, 2004
These recordings are superb and really very much recommended by the way.
Listening is always done with a warmed up amp (at
least 30 min) - I noticed that a warmup period of about 2 hours is necessary to unleash the full potential of the amp. That is not new - even my solid state amp needs a 2 hour warm up to produce the best sound.
The combinations that are therorectically possible are then as listed below. I had to perform a shootout to lower the number of combinations first. The result is as follows:
1. 7326 Cetron 1983 NOS with Sylvania 6DJ8 1978 NOS
First impression review: The Sylvania makes the sound pleasantly softer and warmer - but the combination will have a less defined bass. But for the buck the bang is definitely there. This recommendation of Skylab is really a good one. But there is something better (more expensive, though) - and therefore the first combination not in the further competition anymore.
2. 7326 Cetron 1983 NOS with Philips ECC88 Holland "A" frame getter 1975 NOS
First impression review: One step up from the previous combination. The bass is back - now its REALLY tight, however, this combination sounds a bit not so homogenous somehow - it is all there, the detail, the bass, the imaging - but the overall impression is maybe a bit too much "high end" - and not so much musical. Hard to describe. But this is still a very very good combination. Depends a bit on the taste and of the music. If I could change the tubes by flipping a switch that would be one of the options I would program. Stays in round 2.
3. 7326 Cetron 1983 NOS with Amperex Bugle Boy ECC88 Holland "D" getter 1959 NOS
First impression review: The fundament that the 7236 provides together with the musicality the Bugle Boy introduces is an extremely good combination. Stays in the competition. Could be the winner. With this combination I tried also a change of headphones with astonishing results: It was the Senn HD650/Silver Dragon vs. my old Senn 600HD/Cardas. This change was like day and night - with the 650HD/Silver Dragon winning by a VERY drastic margin ! I would describe it like the difference between AM and FM (those good old radio days), but on a much more higher level. I may only imagine that my HD600 is already too old (must be 15 years or so). The difference that I heard was really amazing - and it is NOT some bassy flavour of the 650 that make me say that. The 650 won the 1st prize overall and the 600 will be assigned to the guitar amp department in the office (home office that is).
4. 5998 Tungsol 1963 NOS with Sylvania 6DJ8 1978 NOS
Conclusion: Out for round 2 without even trying. Not reviewed, since the 5998 has already some soft characteristics (see option 5 below) which the Sylvania very most likely may not compensate. It most probably will also not be able to introduce some more interesting flavours like the Bugle Boy or the Philips.
5. 5998 Tungsol 1963 NOS with Philips ECC88 Holland "A" frame getter 1975 NOS
Conclusion: Not tested yet, but theoretically this might be a good one, too - although the combination does not include my expensive Bugle Boys. Would somehow regret if this was the final winner - but nevertheless the combination goes into the next round.
6. 5998 Tungsol 1963 NOS with Amperex Bugle Boy ECC88 Holland "D" getter 1959 NOS
First impression review: This seems to be the resolution champion and a possible winner, too. Makes me hear things on recordings that I did not notice before. And it is an extremely musical option. It has tremendous midrange warmth and homogeneity and allows unfatigued listening, making you would not like to stop listening. Voices are reproduced the most articulate with that option. Have to break it in further and then see how it compares after a while. Unfortunately, the bass fundament is not that defnied as with option 3. This may be one of the most "revealing" combinations, I predict. Seems that this one brings the pros and cons of the source to light. Unfortunately my source is just OK but not really very great. I do not dare now to lead this conclusion to a meaningful end
Any suggestions for an above average source which plays CD and SACD (SACD is a must) in the range of about up to US$ 3'000 ? (How about a Linn Akurate ? - although even more expensive - but perhaps also very good for the very high cost ?). I would have a look (listen) at a Meridian, too, but there is no model which plays both SACD and CD I think.
First tube rolling conclusions of the first shoutout round:
The 7236 is the bass champion, the 5998 is on the smoother side. The Sylvania 6DJ8 is the musical champion for the buck but will compromise on the bass side, the Amperex is better in this regard and a bit (!) more musical (although overall much better in the end - or am I saying that because it was overall much more expensive, too ?
) The Philips ECC88 is something in between.
But the good news is that with all the combinations tested I had a very good sound, with options 2, 3 and 6 standing out so far. Four candidates will be subject to more in-depth tests in the next round to find my personal favourite.
After all it’s a personal taste thing and the whole setup contributes to the overall result as well. What sounds good in my setup and to me may not sound as good in your setup and to you - but I think the tendencies would stay and I hope my further reviews will at least be helpful to some. There are other posts on this subject which may be better than my review then but the impressions must be part of of this thread - its concept is to let you participate in my experiences with the WA3+ as my first headphone amp. And I have to say thank you again to my fellow head-fiers who have given me friendly and helpful advice along the way, too.
One conclusion is as well that only some weeks ago I had been merely buying a HD650 because it was offered to me brandnew at an advantageous price. Now I find myself addicted to "tuberolling". So be warned ! Its really addictive ! (Where do I get a reasonable tube tester ?)
Even my wife finds the tubes interesting - the 5998 looks nice to her ("looks like a mummy"). I will call it "the mummy" from now on.
Of course I would be interested to know what you think about the options which you may have tried out yourself before. I'll let you know my further experiences once I go into the next round with the fab four - but first everything needs to break in further I believe.
.)