Oh, man! I swapped in some Sylvania JAN and it's dead silent now on high all the way to 1 o' clock! These Ken-Rads I had in there are apparently noisy. Should have thought of that before I posted here. Thank you so much!!
In theory you would be missing some mid bass. The high impedance output should give you a fuller sound.
I realize this now that I'm running them on high, thank you. The ZMF Atrium works really well with this amp, btw. Need to look for some different pairs of 6SN7 to try now...
You could look out for some Mullard CV181 that I got from Audio Antiquary in Bologna, Italy.
But the sound is totally worth it.
Don't ever hold back from posting. We are here to help each other. Plus the fact that I was able to help you has given me a beautiful warm feeling!
I had a couple of Psvanes including the CV181T in my Lyr3. My impressions there were the same as yours on the WA5. I have about 20 pairs of 6SN7s I bought from a couple of guys here, but I only have 2-3 that I like now. I was going to try Ken-Rad VT231 black glass if I find them in a fair price and red base RCA 5692 (again for a fair price). I'll add the Mullard CV181 to the list.You could look out for some Mullard CV181 that I got from Audio Antiquary in Bologna, Italy.
Before them I was running the Psvane CV181T mk II. Those were good, very quiet, low microphonics, but the sound was competent rather than fully engaging.
With the Mullards (made in Blackburn, UK '68) the sound came alive, with much better bass extension, and unheard fine details. Incredible fine details that could still be heard despite the music playing loudly.
They are quite microphonic so you will need to protect them well from vibration.
Until I used them I wasn't really understanding why tube people tear their hair out over vibration isolation. Now I know why!
They cost an arm and a leg but they come in perfectly matched pairs - matched not just in gain but other crucial parameters too.
I have read (but I can't remember where) that with 6SN7/300B amps you are listening to the 6SN7 as much as the 300B. People throw serious money at the 300B, but this experience shows that you must not forget those little driver tubes!
I also have some Sophia Royal Princess tubes that came with the amp that I haven't really listened to. I may try those on there to see what I get as well.You can do much better than the Sophias. People talk about EML but I don't know how available they are. Takatsuki really cost an arm and a leg and WE originals are just mad. I run the Kron 300B and 300B XLS tubes and I love them. Quite apart from the sound they have an awesome build quality and are visually beautiful.I had a couple of Psvanes including the CV181T in my Lyr3. My impressions there were the same as yours on the WA5. I have about 20 pairs of 6SN7s I bought from a couple of guys here, but I only have 2-3 that I like now. I was going to try Ken-Rad VT231 black glass if I find them in a fair price and red base RCA 5692 (again for a fair price). I'll add the Mullard CV181 to the list.
And yes, I was one of those people that didn't realize the drivers made such a big difference. I don't roll the 300B or the rectifiers because of the cost, but didn't care about the 6SN7s much either. Now I do
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Oh, you are asking me a hard question. I been trying to figure them out to see which one is better, sound wise they are almost the same. WA22 has a tiny better in details and clarity but the Sonett 2 has sweet organic vocals.
What are you using as a front end for all those lovely amps?I love tube amps.
