[San Raal]

Quote:

I do believe a lot of the NOS superiority is overblown.  For example, the Sophia Princess is new production, and people love that.  Some Emission Lab tubes, too.
 
 

 
Agree, the Sophia rectifiers (without scorched plates) are great sounding Rec's. The EML 5U4G mesh plates I' have are great. And the new production Takatsuki 300B - well, "just" amazing!

 
Quote:

Going to drop a question on NOS tubes.

Why NOS at all? I'm interested in reasons people have.
 
Tube type you want isn't made any more, fair enough.
But in the cases of tube types that exist as reproductions targeting various price points. Why?
I'm disregarding individual tube sound as it muddies the water.
 
Why Old over new? Tubes, new and old are obviously intended to conform to a particular specification and requirement (electrically speaking)
Are new tubes sloppily made? Do they not last as long? Poor vacuum hardness or what?

Even in a 'golden age' of mass production. Tubes were spewed out of factories in enormous numbers just like other components.
I've seen some great old documentaries on some tube factories on youtube...funnily enough, they looked very similar to something you'd see on 'How it's Made' or 'Megafactories' via Discovery channel. Highly industrial, highly mechanised operations to meet the large demands of the day.
 
I'm trying to understand the 'desirability' of NOS and where it comes from. 
 
I've been going mad for days thinking about it!

 
 

 
IMO that there's far too much generalising about new production tubes on the web based on a few poor samples. My local tube dealer here will label any new production tube as "awful" "rubbish" and plenty of other colourful metaphors when they get mentioned in conversation. It maybe that he genuinely has listened to them all or perhaps protecting his market!
 
The new production tubes aimed at the audiophile scene have write ups and reviews and well worth adding to any short list.

 

[Sid-Fi]

Agreed! I applaud your astute observation.
 
Quote:

 
That Sid-Fi has got taste... and a confirmation to boot!

 

 

[Sid-Fi]

I ordered it on February 26, and am scheduled to receive it next Tuesday - a tad over 6 weeks from order to delivery.
 
I have class all night after work on Tuesday and Thursday. It's going to be rough sitting in class both nights with the shiny new amp just sitting on my audio rack

.
 
 
Quote:

Good for you

 can't wait to get my own confirmation. What date did you order BTW?
 

 

 

[davidio]

I agree that it's best to just use your ears and not the "years."  But it is always nice to read some reviews and get some feedback before buying, either way.  In that regard, much more information can be found about older tubes, generally speaking.  Which reminds me, I'm wondering if anyone has tried the new Western Electric 274B remake, the Psvane rectifier.

 

[Pudu]

im eager to jump on a new pair of cans.  probably sell my 990s.  which of these will best mesh with the wa2?
HE 500, Denon 5000 or LCD2?
 
my marantz 2245 has a fantastic headphone jack so i can drive all of them.  but want the one what will play the nicest with my 2 as well.
or should i save for a pair of T1's?
 
T1s out of the wa2 vs LCD2/he500/d5000 out of the marantz?
 
hmmmm.
 
thoughts?

No idea about the Marantz synergy, but the LCD is no where near as enjoyable as the T1, from the Wa2.

The T1 brings out the lush, musical nature of the Woo and has a sound stage to match it. The LCD not so much. Also the T1's are infinitely more comfortable than the LCD ... of course a transcontinental domestic economy class airline seat is more comfortable than the LCDs. Actually I was considering selling the LCD-2s but I recently received a new DAP which has extremely good synergy with the heavy buggers. So I'll hang onto them now.

Seriously, since you have the Wa2, at least try out a pair of the Beyers before you make your buying decision.

 

[grokit]

 
Quote:

I'm wondering if anyone has tried the new Western Electric 274B remake, the Psvane rectifier.

Me too!

 

[Silent One]

Quote:

I agree that it's best to just use your ears and not the "years."  But it is always nice to read some reviews and get some feedback before buying, either way.  In that regard, much more information can be found about older tubes, generally speaking.  Which reminds me, I'm wondering if anyone has tried the new Western Electric 274B remake, the Psvane rectifier.

 
Quote:

 

Me too!

Send a PM to linda-chen of Psvane Audio here on Head-Fi. See if you could get an audition to benefit members of the 'Unite' thread. Which, by the way, is the 6th most popular thread on HF and closing on positions 5-4-3 rapidly. 

 This is something Psvane Audio should consider. 
 

 

[roadster-s]

Met Linda Chen at the MTL AV show, nice lady...hard to understand her accent but very nice lady nevertheless 

 

[jc9394]

Quote:

 

Send a PM to linda-chen of Psvane Audio here on Head-Fi. See if you could get an audition to benefit members of the 'Unite' thread. Which, by the way, is the 6th most popular thread on HF and closing on positions 5-4-3 rapidly. 

 This is something Psvane Audio should consider. 
 

She is BANNED, I don't mind audition the 274B and CV181-T.
 
http://psvanetube.com/wordpress/store/products/cv181-t-6sn7-pair/
 

 

[Zeruel the 14th]

Thanks for the response guys. I've been googling a lot late on the subject of longevity while chillin to music, and it sort of went from there with claims of new production types being 'inferior' with little else to back it up. Though in one case, a page claimed that the Guitar amp industry pressures the OEM side of tube manufacture to produce the cheapest product possible under the claim that a guitar amp is going to chew up and spit out tubes a high rate of knots anyway.
 
One site claimed new tubes didn't use the same 'expensive' cathode coatings etc as NOS stuff (It didn't expand on this). This seems hard to verify but might explain varying tastes and preference.
 
Broadly speaking, do you guys have any brands of new tube you've had positive experience with (not necessarily rock your world stuff, but not bad)
 
Quote:

I do believe a lot of the NOS superiority is overblown.  For example, the Sophia Princess is new production, and people love that.  Some Emission Lab tubes, too.
 
There has been a fair amount of documentation about Electro-Harmonix tubes of the 9-pin variety losing vacuum and prematurely dying.  So, there's that.
 
But, most importantly, of those who tried NOS tubes and their new production equivalents, many of us just think NOS sound better.  I don't think we would have any problems using new production tubes if they sounded better than NOS.  As to why they don't, I don't really know.
 

 
Quote:

For the price of premium Shuguang Treasures, I can have either Sylvania 6SN7W short bottle, JAN Raytheon VT-231, National Union 6SN7GT or Brimar CV1988, all of which are similarly priced or even cheaper. These NOS tubes are pretty renown and their sonic qualities have stood the test of time. I'm pretty sure the Shuguang Tresures are no slouch as well, but in their price range you are hard pressed to find other current production 6SN7 tubes. The sheer variety of NOS tubes means you can have plenty of fun rolling at varying price ranges.
 
I don't have anything against current production tubes; I'd gladly take the EML 5U4G mesh plate over the Mullard GZ34 metal base anytime. I've heard that current production 300B tubes are pretty decent as well. What matters is choosing the right tube at your set price point, without worrying about whether it's NOS or not.

Quote:

Agree, the Sophia rectifiers (without scorched plates) are great sounding Rec's. The EML 5U4G mesh plates I' have are great. And the new production Takatsuki 300B - well, "just" amazing!
 
IMO that there's far too much generalising about new production tubes on the web based on a few poor samples. My local tube dealer here will label any new production tube as "awful" "rubbish" and plenty of other colourful metaphors when they get mentioned in conversation. It maybe that he genuinely has listened to them all or perhaps protecting his market!
 
The new production tubes aimed at the audiophile scene have write ups and reviews and well worth adding to any short list.

 

 

[Silent One]

Quote:

She is BANNED, I don't mind audition the 274B and CV181-T.
 
http://psvanetube.com/wordpress/store/products/cv181-t-6sn7-pair/
 

 Must have been her misunderstanding between the objectives of her posts and the TOS here at HF. But, hardworking she is!

 

[dleblanc343]

So is it fair to say the WA6SE has "better soundstaging capabilities" over the WA2? With a pair of HD800's, would this even more expansive soundstage be detrimental to it?

 

[Johmem]

I'm looking for some advice on rectifiers for my WA6 (maxxed) too.  Is it worth it to spend money on more NOS rectifiers to try, or should I just get an EML 5U4G instead?  I have a Tung Sol 5U4G that I like better than my Sopia right now, and I'm curious about GZ37s, 34s, 5R4GY's etc.  But I would actually spend more money on nice specimines of these than just grabbing the expensive EML. 
 
So what do you guys with lots of tube rolling experince say?  Is the EML the best way to go?
 
I listen to Grado RS1i's right now, mainly rock, classic to metal.

 

[Ahzari]

Ok so there are limited driver tube upgrades for the WA6SE, I really want to get some of these 6SN7/ish driver tubes, I'm wondering how much it will hurt the tube to run them on the SE; Jack mentioned that it can damage the tube, if I'm spending big $ on them I'd be concerned.. For those who have run the 6SN7s on the SE (Silent One - hope you can chime in here); do you notice the amp running warmer or weird sounds coming from the tubes? I don't know the mechanics of the amps that well but does anyone know why or how the amp would damage the driver tubes? And I guess if its something that can be ignored (i.e. it will just slightly decrease the life of the tubes).
 
On another note, I finally decided on a turntable. Going with the recently released Pro-Ject Debut Carbon in red ) got a new bookshelf and cambridge audio phono preamp hopefully ill have pictures of everything up soon.
 

 
Lastly I upgraded my tube dampers from Herbie's RX line to the Halo-O III line and i like them better (look and performance)
 
RX tube damper                                                                  Halo-O III tube damper
  
 
 

 

[Ahzari]

Quote:

I'm looking for some advice on rectifiers for my WA6 (maxxed) too.  Is it worth it to spend money on more NOS rectifiers to try, or should I just get an EML 5U4G instead?  I have a Tung Sol 5U4G that I like better than my Sopia right now, and I'm curious about GZ37s, 34s, 5R4GY's etc.  But I would actually spend more money on nice specimines of these than just grabbing the expensive EML. 
 
So what do you guys with lots of tube rolling experince say?  Is the EML the best way to go?
 
I listen to Grado RS1i's right now, mainly rock, classic to metal.

Many will say the EML is better than the Sophia, but I liked the Sophia better for the type of music I listen to (electronic/pop/lounge). The the EML had a better soundstage (slightly) but I felt it lacked some bass - and I like my bass, the Sophia does bass really well. Thats the only place I can comment, don't have much experience with NOS rectifiers.