[hodgjy]

I think I finally got my setup singing the way I want it.  I started out with the Woo 3, a sort of inexpensive Teac CD player, and Beyer DT880/250s.  It was certainly a good little setup.  Surely, it was leagues better than what I been using most of my life.
 
But, over the course of the last few weeks, I swapped out my cans and CD player.  I got the DT990/600s and the Onkyo C-S5VL.  Got the cans, listened to them for a few weeks.  Then, got the new CD deck.  Getting that at different times allowed me to assess each piece's role in my whole system.
 
All I can say now is, "Wow."  The music is much more engaging.  It feels more alive.  I hate the term, "PRaT," but this setup now has a lot more of it.  Also, the music is a lot more smooth.  It sounds very analog.  Before, even with my tube amp, my source left a lot of the digital graininess in the music.  This new setup is very smooth, yet highly engaging and alive.  Also, it is completely non-fatiguing.  I am very excited about these swaps I made.
 
I did a mini-review of my new CD deck if anyone is interested in reading that as well:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/510777/my-mini-review-of-the-onkyo-c-s5vl-sacd-player#post_6903741
 

 

[Xcalibur255]

Quote:

This guy may be my friend if he can get me a match pair.  He has over 10.
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=400136538369&rvr_id=134096499414&crlp=1_263602_263622&UA=%3F*F%3F&GUID=d3163ffa12a0a0e204b50615feb5321e&itemid=400136538369&ff4=263602_263622

I contacted this seller a while ago and he told me the entire lot of 100 all had matching date codes and were well matched.  So basically you just order a quantity of two and you will be getting a matched pair more or less.  He also told me he would re-test with exact readings to ensure matching before sending pairs out.  I ended up talking myself out of it (just cannot afford it right now), but this really seems like the safest deal going for TSRs right now.  I wouldn't want to get burned on a $400 pair of tubes so treading carefully is a good idea.

 

[SpudHarris]

 
Quote:

for those of you still searching for roundplate tungsols or national union 6f8g tubes, try dale
at vacuumtubes.net. they still have about 4 or 5 pairs of roundplates rebranded. i believe they
are all rebranded tungsol roundplate types. the national union roundplates are differenct in structure
and seem to be rare.
 
best news is that they are about $20 each. the regular flat blackplates are $10 each NOS.
better prices and more reliable than epay, imo.
 
( i have no affiliation nor vested interest in the company. just trying to help fellow head-fiers find good tubes at reasonable prices)

Hmmmm.... Dale sold me what he said was his last set of Tung-Sol Black Glass Round Plates yesterday. $84 + $12 Carriage. Seems like I have been ripped off big time.
 
I will be sending dale an e-mail shortly!
 

 

[hodgjy]

If that is indeed true, that is just more evidence why I don't like dealing with those guys.  Their prices change constantly for no reason according to their mood and their communication isn't very straight forward.  Every time I've ordered a tube from their webpage, I get an email from them saying they now have a new higher price. 
 
Quote:

Hmmmm.... Dale sold me what he said was his last set of Tung-Sol Black Glass Round Plates yesterday. $84 + $12 Carriage. Seems like I have been ripped off big time.
 
I will be sending dale an e-mail shortly!
 

 

[SpudHarris]

Quote:

If that is indeed true, that is just more evidence why I don't like dealing with those guys.  Their prices change constantly for no reason according to their mood and their communication isn't very straight forward.  Every time I've ordered a tube from their webpage, I get an email from them saying they now have a new higher price.  

 
My first experience with them.
 
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to have found those tubes but as for paying more than twice what everyone else pays that's a different story and I'd sure like to know why.... Dale told me they were the last pair, MusicMan59 hooked me up as he had just bought a pair the same. I wonder if we are all talking about the same tubes?
 
I specifically asked for ''Black Glass Tung-Sol Round Plate 6F8G's''
 
I ordered some Sylvania Black Glass 6F8G's from Buenosaires Radio and he tells me he has many of the same....

 

 

[takezo]

 
Quote:

 
My first experience with them.
 
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to have found those tubes but as for paying more than twice what everyone else pays that's a different story and I'd sure like to know why.... Dale told me they were the last pair, MusicMan59 hooked me up as he had just bought a pair the same. I wonder if we are all talking about the same tubes?
 
I specifically asked for ''Black Glass Tung-Sol Round Plate 6F8G's''
 
I ordered some Sylvania Black Glass 6F8G's from Buenosaires Radio and he tells me he has many of the same....

 

 
please read my post again. i didn't state they were definitely tungsol roundplate 6f8g. i stated i believed they were rebranded tungsols,
meaning they had other brand names like sylvania, ge or raytheon.  if you were specific in asking for " black glass tungsol round plate"
these rebranded tubes may not have fit the bill. there are roundplates without the black glass and it's possible they may not
even be  tungsol; i can't and will not guarantee it unless i have them in my hands to compare with my stash. others like national
union made roundplate 6f8g as well.
 
$84 for a pair of tungol roundplate 6f8g is very good price actually, now that i think of it. if you check on epay completed auctions,
you'd see a rebranded pair of roundplates go for $97 recently as a week ago. some swear by name brand NOS but rebrands are just
as good imo. it's just that not many people know about them, so they don't trust sellers telling them that it's the same as the name brand,
hence the lower prices. (well, except on epay...)
 
ps: there's now another pair on epay branded as ken-rads that seem to be roundplates. the seller doesn't seem to indicate that they
are roundplates but the pics tell the story.

 

[Skylab]

Rebrands are just as good as long as the tubes are really identical.  I've seen some things sold as "roundplates" that are simply not the Tung-Sol round-plates.

 

[che15]

What do you guys think about those Ken rad round plates on eBay , I had contacted the seller to see if they are a match pair.

 

[Audiogalore]

Which tube is more preferred with 6SE, the EML or the Sophia.

 

[DarKu]

I have both now in my hands, EML hands down is the Best rectifier i've tried, the bass response, the dynamics, air between the notes and the soundstage is just awesome ! Sophia is somewhat bright in comparison, bass is weaker and dynamics are also weaker

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Guess I'll have to try the EML someday.

 

[Xcalibur255]

I should have mine in my hands tomorrow.  Was planning to do a writeup on them and the Sylvania Bad Boys at some point.

 

[SpudHarris]

Where is the best place at the moment to get the EML 274B? I would dearly love one for my WA6......

 

[Xcalibur255]

I got mine from Jack directly.  Just drop him an email.

 

[SpudHarris]

These came today and my initial impressions are that they sound pretty much better than anything I've tried so far, even on par if not better than the Treasures (confirm this after more listening). I didn't pay a lot for them so am blown away, are they anything special? a golden nugget picked up by accident maybe?
 
This is the stock photo......