[sillysally]

 
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^ For balanced use you may want to check out the new HE-6 while it's at its introductory price; it should be able to be driven from a WA22 with 7236/5998 power tubes and it comes with a very nice 4-pin balanced XLR stock cable. Anyways if mine ever gets here I can tell you for sure how they match up. I have only heard the LCD-2 single-ended out of the WA22 with the stock cable and I thought that they sounded better out of my EF5, so I wasn't that impressed but that could change with a good balanced cable I suppose.
 
 
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 for some reason shipping tends to be cheaper overseas than domestic!

 
It's like that here too, globalization at its finest 

 

I think I have a pair of HE-6s coming also it seems they ship from china, also got the E-Mail about my phone #.
 
I E-Mailed HiFiman and linked the WA5LE at Woo to ask if my tricked out WA5LE would have the power for the HE-6. There reply "Perfect".
 
The biggest reason why I did go with the HE-6 over the LCD-2 was because of what Ed Wood said about the HE-6 over the LCD-2 for the Realiser.
 
I will be trying my Onkyo A/V speaker amp also with the HE-6 just to make sure my WA5LE really is "Perfect" for the HE-6.
 
If my WA5LE easily powers the HE-6 using my Realiser also, then I may get my WA6SE out of the box and see how it is with the HE-6.

 

[realmassy]

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Good afternoon everyone!
 
I am proud to announce that my new baby WA2 arrived today, and it is simply amazing compared to my audio gd c2 amp i used to have. 

Same here: the WA3 according to my ears sounds better than the Roc I used to own with my HD650. I can only imagine how good is the WA2!
 

 

[musicman59]

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Just have the stock T-1 cable re- terminated with new balanced XLR ends, 
 
I have the LCD 2 (stock cable single ended and Balanced Blue Dragon ) and the T-1 (stock cable balanced) they are close in sound signature.. I have only had the T-1 a week.. I can safely say to my ear,, the LCD 2 has a little more sound stage and a bit more bass and the bass can go a bit lower. T-1 may be a little more revealing as far as detail,, I had a WA 22 for the summer and can say the LCD 2 would be a great match. But did NOT have the WA 22 and the T-1 or the LCD 2 at the same time.   So my impressions of the two headphones are  with my Balancing act.  Good luck..

IMO the T1 improves a lot with a good aftermarket cable. I was about to sell mine when I recebled them with the Aphroditecu29.com Zeus OCC copper cable and waht a difference. Now it is at the top of my list with tmy WA5-LE.
 
I have compared the LCD-2 and the T1 both with a Zeus cable. With my WA-5-LE the T1 sounds better to me specially in soundtage presentation but with the Rudi RP010B they are at par IMO.
 

 

[TheAudioDude]

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I finally popped in my newly acquired black glass Ken-Rad VT-231s!  Man alive these are incredible tubes.  The sound is so articulate and detailed.  I need another pair...

The Ken Rad is one of the better known tubes I decided not to explore.  Can't afford them all, and after going straight for the prize I thought my appetite for tubes would die down.  Turns out it hasn't!  I just enjoy the variety.

You can actually find a pair for a good price.  I saw a pair of clear-glass w/ staggered plates (same as the black glass) for just over $100.  Sometimes you can even snag individual tubes for cheap, too.  A good tested pair shouldn't run you more than $130 or so.  Those pairs you see on eBay for $250 are ridiculously priced.

 

[mikemalter]

Well, I got my Tung-sol 6AS7G's today.   I have a pair of NOS NIB 6SN7G Tung-Sol due here by the end of the month and a pair of GEC 6080 and a pair of RCA 6AS7G's also coming.
 
 
 The Tung-Sol 6AS7G's came wrapped in newspaper with no boxes.  I put them in my WA22 and have started listening to them.  See pictures below:
 

 
The one above was branded with Chatham and was easy to plug in and seemed very solid.
 

 
The brand on the other tube is National.  It seemed fragile when I inserted the tube like the base was not connected very solidly to the glass.
 
I was a little irritated when I saw that the tube was branded as National.  I went back to the auction, and reading it again, he does say National.  Apparently I was fixated on the brand Tung-Sol and I did not know how to read the description properly.  However now that I have been around the block once I can see that I did not give proper attention to the description.  Just seeing the name Tung-Sol is really not enough.
 
So, those of you who have been around the block a few times with regard to tubes, did I get screwed?  The guy placing the auction says that the tubes have the Tung-Sol manufacture code.  Does that mean they are a Tung-Sol?  Could it be that these tubes did not pass high standards and then were sent out to other companies who co-branded them?
 
I'm playing them now and they are replacing a pair of RCA6080's.  First thing I noticed was that I needed to pod up the volume a bit to get to the same loudness output.
 
Any thoughts from tube rolling veterans greatly appreciated.
 
Thanks.

 

[hodgjy]

See my comments embedded in your post.
 
Quote:

The brand on the other tube is National.  It seemed fragile when I inserted the tube like the base was not connected very solidly to the glass.
 
This is very common.  I have several tubes that do this.  Considering their age, it is not surprising.  Glue only lasts so long.  It doesn't matter at all, considering you should only insert and remove tubes by grabbing the base and not the glass.
 
I was a little irritated when I saw that the tube was branded as National.  I went back to the auction, and reading it again, he does say National.  Apparently I was fixated on the brand Tung-Sol and I did not know how to read the description properly.  However now that I have been around the block once I can see that I did not give proper attention to the description.  Just seeing the name Tung-Sol is really not enough.
 
So, those of you who have been around the block a few times with regard to tubes, did I get screwed?  The guy placing the auction says that the tubes have the Tung-Sol manufacture code.  Does that mean they are a Tung-Sol?  Could it be that these tubes did not pass high standards and then were sent out to other companies who co-branded them?
 
They are the same tube, same quality, and same sound regardless of the name stamp.  Think of a GMC pickup truck and a Chevy pickup.  Do you think GMC has better quality control because their slogan is "Professional grade"?  All kinds of products are rebranded.  I don't think you got screwed.  You got a fine tube and the seller told you all the details.
 

 

[mikemalter]

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See my comments embedded in your post.
 
Quote:

 
This is very common.  I have several tubes that do this.  Considering their age, it is not surprising.  Glue only lasts so long.  It doesn't matter at all, considering you should only insert and remove tubes by grabbing the base and not the glass.
 
They are the same tube, same quality, and same sound regardless of the name stamp.  Think of a GMC pickup truck and a Chevy pickup.  Do you think GMC has better quality control because their slogan is "Professional grade"?  All kinds of products are rebranded.  I don't think you got screwed.  You got a fine tube and the seller told you all the details.
 

Ok, thanks for the reality check.  It's really helpful to have a few old salts around.
 

 

[hodgjy]

No problem.  We're all obsessive about our gear and dwell on things too much.  Heck, that's the fun of this hobby and makes us flock to chat boards! 

 
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Ok, thanks for the reality check.  It's really helpful to have a few old salts around.
 

 

[Xcalibur255]

Had a little fun rolling tubes today.  I wanted to go back to the tube that is supposed to be in the amp and remind myself of the differences.  For reference I had the greyglass RCA 6SN7GT in before, and rolled to an RCA 6DE7.  The EML 274B was present in both cases.
 
The very first thing I noticed was a complete lack of vocal texture.  I can only hear the singers tone now, not the texture of their voice.  Second thing I noticed was a complete lack of weight and depth to bass notes.  There is no attack to the notes at all, and they are so shallow you feel like you are hearing the after echo of the bass note that was supposed to be there.  Third thing I noticed was the lack of separation in the stereo image.  I won't even touch on soundstage because its obvious the 6SN7 will clobber a 6DE7 in that regard, but the layers of information I am used to hearing within the stereo image and the soundstage are smeared together on the 6DE7.  It is just a blob of sound in your head with the vocals in the middle.  High notes like cymbals do not occupy their own air or space even, nor does the decay of those notes remain distinct from the music as it should.  The lack of dynamic range is really obvious too, the presentation feels flat like the music had be normalized when it really hasn't been.
 
In short, it sounds bad. 

  I would have thought the EML would extract the best these tubes could offer, but instead it just drives home how I could never go back to the time before I had my adapters.
 
It was worth it just to see how hilarious it is to have those tiny little 6DE7s sitting in front of the EML 274B which simply towers behind them.  I actually chuckled out loud after I put them in.
 
I don't think the greyglass RCAs really synergize with the EML well at all so I thought the comparison would be better, but it just goes to show how big a part the tubes can play in the sound.  I think in the future the EML and greyglass will not be playing together.  For clarity, dynamics, and low level detail the sound is great but something in the tone is just off and it bothers me enough to kill the enjoyment.  It is also the only 6SN7 I have which exhibits upper midrange harshness with the EML too, which is a big strike against them in my book.  I think I'll park the Sylvanias in the amp until next year comes around after this and let myself really get used to one sound for once.

 

[sillysally]

    
It should not matter the age of a tube if its loose bass its loose, its that simple. I would not keep them unless you got them cheap and like the way they sound.
For resale a miss matched set is not very good, and then you add a flaw like a loose base. You are just asking for a problem.
And yes as I have been saying all along you always insert and remove a tube with a bass from it's bass only.
Older value tubes used a less environmentally friendly glue so there fore if it was handled properly chances are the bass would not come loose.

 

[grokit]

Why not just use a good heat-resistant adhesive to secure the tube properly on the base?

 

[mikemalter]

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Why not just use a good heat-resistant adhesive to secure the tube properly on the base?

Any recommendations?
 

 

[Xcalibur255]

A loose base should affect neither the performance nor the longevity of the tube.  My recommendation is to handle it with care and otherwise leave it be.  If you use an adhesive with thermal properties different from the original it could result in the glass envelope cracking from temperature differential stress in the long run.

 

[mikemalter]

Does anyone know if there is a tool out there to help you remove tools via their base.  I have two sets of tubes now that are hard to get in and out without using the glass to help get them out.
 
I'm not into a lot of tube rolling, but right now I am working with three pairs of power tubes, and there will be an in and out phase until I settle on a single pair I really like.
 
What do you use when you have sticky tubes and the connection between the glass and the base seems fragile?
 
Thanks.

 

[balderon]

Quote:

Does anyone know if there is a tool out there to help you remove tools via their base.  I have two sets of tubes now that are hard to get in and out without using the glass to help get them out.
 
I'm not into a lot of tube rolling, but right now I am working with three pairs of power tubes, and there will be an in and out phase until I settle on a single pair I really like.
 
What do you use when you have sticky tubes and the connection between the glass and the base seems fragile?
 
Thanks.

 
My preferred solution for hard to get at tubes is to use a socket saver which often extends the base of the tube high enough to help you remove by holding the base of the tube or the socket saver. Flea bay usually has many of the common socket pinouts.