[attmci]

I think so. You did alright.

Thanks for your comments sir. I have been in this game for a while and collected most of the tubes I like to try.

 

[attmci]

Looks good but it's a single. For the WA22, you need very tightly matched power tubes.

Collecting now, pairing later my friend.

 

[Adnan Firoze]

Collecting now, pairing later my friend.

I meant if you buy one, then later buy a different one (same brand and model) and they are not properly matched, you'll get channel imbalance and will have no use for the single. I bought a pair of WE 421a that were very slanted on one channel and returned the pair. So, if you are buying particularly for the WA22, matching on power tubes is crucial. Driver tubes are less prone to this though but these are holy grail of power tubes, so from wherever you buy from, I recommend one with a return policy.

 

[attmci]

After my first few hours of listening, the sound quality of WA22 is FAR superior to the Freya+.
Soundstage has widened massively, and there is a crispness to the highs that the Freya+ just doesn't have.
I had tried this tube combo (Syl 7236+TS BGRP 6F8G+Sophia Princess) on Audeze LCD-4z headphones last night, and found them to be quite bass heavy.
The James Loudspeakers I'm using tend to be quite rich in the bass department. I was concerned that this tube combo might not be ideal, and that I should replace the Sophia for a Brimar CV717 to brighten things up. Not necessary at all! I'm getting a wonderfully balanced sound that I've not heard with the Freya+.

ECC35 + 421A or 5998 may bring more enjoyable time to you. just my 2c.

 

[attmci]

I meant if you buy one, then later buy a different one (same brand and model) and they are not properly matched, you'll get channel imbalance and will have no use for the single. I bought a pair of WE 421a that were very slanted on one channel and returned the pair. So, if you are buying particularly for the WA22, matching on power tubes is crucial. Driver tubes are less prone to this though but these are holy grail of power tubes, so from wherever you buy from, I recommend one with a return policy.

I believe one of the tubes in the pair you purchased may have an issue. Luckily, I don't have severe channel imbalance issue for any pairs of my power tubes.

 

[Adnan Firoze]

I believe one of the tubes in the pair you purchased may have an issue. Luckily, I don't have severe channel imbalance issue for any pairs of my power tubes.

Precisely! That's exactly what happened.

 

[jbua5150]

ECC35 + 421A or 5998 may bring more enjoyable time to you. just my 2c.

Don't have any ECC35 or 421a. yet.....
I have Tung Sol BGRP 6SL7, TS BGRP 6C8G and also TS BGRP 6SU7. I believe they are similar to ECC35 (except for the 6C8G).
I do own/enjoy a pair of Tung Sol 5998, and I find the Tung Sol 7236 to be VERY similar.
I am blessed to have many tubes, and I enjoy various combos in tandem with various headphone pairing.
Tonight its USAF-596 + Tung Sol 6SU7GTY + Tung Sol 5998.

 

[nephilim32]

Don't have any ECC35 or 421a. yet.....
I have Tung Sol BGRP 6SL7, TS BGRP 6C8G and also TS BGRP 6SU7. I believe they are similar to ECC35 (except for the 6C8G).
I do own/enjoy a pair of Tung Sol 5998, and I find the Tung Sol 7236 to be VERY similar.
I am blessed to have many tubes, and I enjoy various combos in tandem with various headphone pairing.
Tonight its USAF-596 + Tung Sol 6SU7GTY + Tung Sol 5998.

I’m starting to feel that the USAF 596 reminds me of a winged Angel. The grounding wire leads look like an outlined wingspan. Lol. It is an awesome tube. I hope to have one some day.

 

[Adnan Firoze]

Just received an amazing rectifier. Very fast - hits even harder than the USAF 596. It's the GEC U 52. Dubstep Girl lists it as #2 on her famous rectifier rankings. More thorough impressions to come and comparison with USAF 596, Mullard/Cossor GZ37 Fat bottle, Brimar 5Z4GY, Tung Sol 5R4GY. Turns out I have all NOS rectifiers. When I save up some money (which I do not foresee), will try out the new production tubes.

 

[nephilim32]

Just received an amazing rectifier. Very fast - even hits harder than the USAF 596. It's the GEC U52. Dubstep Girl lists it as her #2 in famous rectifier rankings. More thorough impressions to come and comparison with USAF 596, Mullard/Cossor GZ37 Fat bottle, Brimar 5Z4GY, Tung Sol 5R4GY. Turns out I have all NOS rectifiers. When I save up some money (which I do not foresee), will try out the new production tubes.

Beauty, man. Keep us posted. You are definitely doing well. I’m still burning in my all Soviet line up. No tube swapping for me just yet. I’m loving the sound though. Hard to imagine certain selected tubes can make what I’m already hearing, better. Looking forward to those discoveries though.

 

[CAJames]

Just received an amazing rectifier. Very fast - hits even harder than the USAF 596. It's the GEC U 52. Dubstep Girl lists it as #2 on her famous rectifier rankings. More thorough impressions to come and comparison with USAF 596, Mullard/Cossor GZ37 Fat bottle, Brimar 5Z4GY, Tung Sol 5R4GY. Turns out I have all NOS rectifiers. When I save up some money (which I do not foresee), will try out the new production tubes.

Very nice. I took advantage of the favorable exchange rate to grab a Cossor 53KU (#3 on the list, if you're keep score) and it sounds fantastic. Paired with GEC A2293s and CV1135s.

 

[duranxv]

Just received an amazing rectifier. Very fast - hits even harder than the USAF 596. It's the GEC U 52. Dubstep Girl lists it as #2 on her famous rectifier rankings. More thorough impressions to come and comparison with USAF 596, Mullard/Cossor GZ37 Fat bottle, Brimar 5Z4GY, Tung Sol 5R4GY. Turns out I have all NOS rectifiers. When I save up some money (which I do not foresee), will try out the new production tubes.

Nice! Did you get that from Tube Depot?

 

[ColSaulTigh]

If anyone's interested, one of my favorite 5U4G rectifiers - KR Audio 5U4G Riccardo Kron Anniversary Edition is up for sale HERE.

 

[duranxv]

If anyone's interested, one of my favorite 5U4G rectifiers - KR Audio 5U4G Riccardo Kron Anniversary Edition is up for sale HERE.

What made you end up selling it?

 

[jbua5150]

I scored some NOS 6C8G a few weeks back, and just Monday was able to have them tested. These tested much stronger that the other 6C8G pairs I have, and sound amazing!
Last night I ran with TS5998, TS6C8G, and Sylvania 274B.
Sound was quite engaging, but the bass seemed just a bit round and slow.
Tonight I’ve rolled in a newly acquired USAF596 in place of the 274B, and the bass notes are now fast, full, and very present.
Why did I listen to solid state so long?