[nephilim32]

Congrats!.
fyi, this tube is discussed on page 1 of the Rectifier Thread. Apparently there are a few variations.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dub...mparison-rectifer-tube-rolling-thread.694525/

Oh yes. I’m very familiar with this thread and it is definitely that of a good one.
Now the variants of the Mullard GZ/34 (5AR4 equivalents) in “black base” are quite extensive. In this particular instance “Dubstep girl” is talking about a Mullard variant in the black base as having a bit of grain with some instances in the treble. I’m not getting that with the Hammond. The Hammond generally does sound very clear in its overall presentation with good detail and a proper amount of warmth. I’m very happy and impressed with it. I think the biggest compliment you can give a tube is that you just leave it in the amp and don’t roll it out for quite sometime. I plan to do that.

 

[nephilim32]

@LegionofDoom mentioned to me that his amp has a little bit of 60 Hz hum when music is paused. I have the same issue. It was present before I did the coupling cap mods, and it is there regardless of what tubes I’m using (I’ve replaced them all in multiple configurations, and it’s aways there. It’s not bothersome when listening to music, but I’m sure there would be a subtle improvement to detail and soundstage if this were corrected. Another quirk I’ve found is that it seems much more noticeable with low impedance headphones. A little digging online has me thinking it might be a result of DC coming through my mains. I stuck a multimeter in an outlet and I have about 58 mV of DC on the line, which might be too low to have an effect, but then again this is a very sensitive piece of gear, so perhaps…

Anyway, I was thinking of getting a filtering device. Pine Tree Audio makes custom linear power supplies and other esoteric electronics for audiophiles - they were recommended to me by Geno at Geshelli Labs when I was looking for a linear power supply for my soon-to-arrive Dayzee DAC. They have a power filter with a DC filter and AC noise filtering with fancy meters, etc. for $1,100, which seemed a little high to me for an uncertain possibility of fixing this one problem, so I am waiting to hear back from Jessie over there on a quote for a bare-bones version with all of the filtering, but a more basic case and no monitors, as well as a quote for straight up DC filter. I also saw this one, but I’m not ready to gamble this much $ for something I’m not sure will help…

https://upscaleaudio.com/products/i...sCCyS4wdoj1_u0hjbgZZd2m_cFn9OrgRoChxwQAvD_BwE

I’d be curious if anyone has any thoughts / insight on this. Either way, it’s sounding so good, I won’t be bothered if I can’t fix it. It’s in one of those spots right now with this tube set that I keep thinking of things to listen to, but I don’t even want to switch off the random tracks coming on after each song

Transformer hum is usually caused by DC offset. ISOTEK and puritan power conditioners have a good reputation for fixing DC overload in your system.

 

[elig63]

Hi guys ! How do 6080 power tubes work? Does it make sense to upgrade? What power tubes can you recommend?

 

[u2u2]

Hi guys ! How do 6080 power tubes work? Does it make sense to upgrade? What power tubes can you recommend?

I don't have the knowledge to explain the workings but I can offer they make significant difference so upgrades are worthwhile. Many member here get into nose bleed territory but I have only gone mid range.

These are excellent values in my view and a major step up from stock:
GEC 6080 and 6080WA variants including CV8614, CV5008, CV2984
Mullard 6080 including CV2984

Ones to avoid:
GE 6080WC
Raytheon 6080WC
National Electronics 6080WA
Brimar 6080 (a caution, the ones I have experienced are made in USA, marked as Brimar foreign made, sold in England)

If one goes through some of this thread you will quickly see some top end power tubes that are now very expensive. Shouldn't restrict yourself to 6080 only as there are many more to choose from. I am partial to early 1950s RCA 6AS7G. For more power Woo used to recommend the Sylvania 7236 and members seemed to like them. I have a set and don't care for them.

Here is a fun thread for WA22 owners:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/for-6as7g-tube-rollers-here.410326/

 

[elig63]

Do Sophia Electric have such tube?

 

[u2u2]

Do Sophia Electric have such tube?

I am not aware of any and believe all on the market are NOS or used so supplies are shrinking! Someone with deeper knowledge is sure to chime in.

 

[ziggz]

*Edited for spelling errors

Getting ready for first listen, had trouble deciding which cans to use first, but ultimately settled on my Auteur Classic's.

 

[skhan007]

I love this amp in silver. Sometimes, I wish I bought mine in silver.

Regarding 6080's, I absolutely love my NOS GEC's. Had to have them shipped to the states from the UK, but totally worth it.

 

[ziggz]

I love this amp in silver. Sometimes, I wish I bought mine in silver.

Regarding 6080's, I absolutely love my NOS GEC's. Had to have them shipped to the states from the UK, but totally worth it.

I AGONIZED for days on what colour to go with, in the end, I chose silver just due to the fact that most of my gear is black lol. So glad I did though, it pops on the white surface of my desk.

 

[Promee]

Hi guys ! How do 6080 power tubes work? Does it make sense to upgrade? What power tubes can you recommend?

The power tubes will definitely affect the flavor of the sound in this amp in my experience. The most popular options are also the most expensive - supply and demand - but I do think they sound a little better. I have been trying a few of them out and find the 5998 and 421a to be very similar with a very slight preference to the 421a, but that could be down to the individual pairs I have. I did not care much for the Svetlana 6H13C that people seem to like, but synergy matters, and I am going to try them again in the future for sure. I tried a pair of well-matched 5998A (not the same as 5998, and considered less desirable) and found them extremely enjoyable, though the pair I have increased background hum a decent bit.

The ones I have been using the most are Tung-Sol 7236. They are a little less powerful in the bass in my opinion, but they are also very clean and technically proficient with just the right dash of tube magic for my current tastes (people say they sound solid state, but if solid state sounded like this, I don’t think I’d bother with tubes, ). I don’t know a ton about how tubes work, but I can tell you that these power tubes (and drivers too) are all dual triode models, so basically two amplifiers in each bottle, one for the positive and one for the negative portion of each channel (left and right) in the fully balanced design. This means that in addition to trying to match the values as closely as possible between the left and right channel tubes, ideally you want the 2 sections inside each tube to match each other, because they are going to be working together and can create some not so nice distortion if they are way off. I do think it makes sense to upgrade, but my stock set of 6080 sounds very good too. As with all things audiophile, be aware that you are stepping off a cliff of diminishing returns, but hey, that’s part of the fun, right?

 

[Promee]

*Edited for spelling errors

Getting ready for first listen, had trouble deciding which cans to use first, but ultimately settled on my Auteur Classic's.

I hope the experience is blissful! I can’t imagine that it would be otherwise

 

[Promee]

Do Sophia Electric have such tube?

I don’t know for sure, but it looks on their website like they don’t make any power tubes for this one. It’s really the most unfortunate part of this amp that it has power tubes with no high-quality new production versions (definitely no 5998, 421a, or 7236 new production as far as I can tell). And yes, the NOS supply is rapidly shrinking for the most desirable ones. All of the 5998, 421a, and 7236 sound good, but the improvements as you spend more on some of these drop off fast. I’m using ones I paid $150 / pair for on EBay while 2 other pairs that cost $500 / pair sit and watch, so more $$ definitely doesn’t equal better. Luckily there are lots of options for 6SN7, so that gives us a more reasonable way to modify the sound, as well as a few choices of rectifier that are easy to get.

Here is a fun thread for WA22 owners:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/for-6as7g-tube-rollers-here.410326/

Definitely agree with checking out this thread, it’s a deep dive, but fun. Also, reminded me that there is also the option of getting an adapter to put in pairs of single-triode power tubes to pull the duty of a dual triode like the amp was designed for. I haven’t tried that yet, but it definitely provides some hope for the future to be able to get reasonably priced tubes if nobody starts making new 6080 equivalents and the NOS continues to dwindle...

 

[LegionofDoom]

Does anyone have any experience with re-based 7N7 tubes into octals? Found a few youtube videos by practioners, and the results seem impressive, and potentionally more affordable rather than chasing mainstream favorite 6SN7 tubes.

 

[elig63]

I found power tube on ebay. Do they fit the amplifier? Can anyone tell me about the quality?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1342143365...PDA0|tkp:Bk9SR9rd9OOrYw&LH_ItemCondition=1000

 

[u2u2]

Does anyone have any experience with re-based 7N7 tubes into octals? Found a few youtube videos by practioners, and the results seem impressive, and potentionally more affordable rather than chasing mainstream favorite 6SN7 tubes.

7N7 are very affordable and perform well. The time, effort, and risk to rebasing, in my opinion, is misplaced. Adapters are available and work flawlessly. That is the route I went. Don't talk about 7N7 much as they need to be kept a secret. Most especially the tall bottle variant. I have been triggered so some will roll into my 22 this morning.