[Shini44]

 
 
it may be that the RCA clear-tops just distort a little at higher volumes.    

i doubt that its the case, with V-Moda 100 i did notice that, but i was like M100 cant controll the bass like other cans

then TH900 had the same thing with higher volume where i see punchier bass, and it wasn't as clean as it should be.


again it might be the PC, or what so ever, i will test next week and see, it will take time, dang i love the RCA's bass, the hugo as amp don't give me a punchy bass when compared to RCA, more quantity there, but less quality on higher volume


Tubes should always sound clean, if its true about Clear Top being distorted at higher volume, that would be sad, 

my unit isn't from Ebay, its from tubesworld.


updates yet to come. 

 

 

[Jeb Listens]

Cool, best of luck with your exploration!  Head-Fi salutes you.
 
In my testing, some tubes definitely aren't as "clean" and clear sounding as others but if it's a change in sound then that definitely warrants some further investigation.  I hope it turns out for the best... I know you loved those clear-tops!.  I found them to be quite clear and clean during my listening and the bass was always tight... one of their strong points.  
 
Keep us posted! 
 
Jeb.

 

[Shini44]

the CIEM is here, so i did notice all of these errors and muddy sound again,  turned out i had it on High Gain!! LOOOOOOOOOOL!!! 

guess i forgot on this mode when i was testing some headphone before XD


i knew something was ultra odd -.-'' 


k will testing everything from the start now  

 

[bflat]

Just want to report on my recent upgrade to Gungnir Multibit. The WA7 scales beautifully with the increased resolution. Anyone looking to upgrade to an external DAC, R2R even, the new Gungnir is a great choice.
 
I still have the Phillips Herleen tubes in, but broke down and got some expensive Siemens silver plates on the way. Really look forward to trying those with the new Gungnir.

 

[Jeb Listens]

  Just want to report on my recent upgrade to Gungnir Multibit. The WA7 scales beautifully with the increased resolution. Anyone looking to upgrade to an external DAC, R2R even, the new Gungnir is a great choice.
 
I still have the Phillips Herleen tubes in, but broke down and got some expensive Siemens silver plates on the way. Really look forward to trying those with the new Gungnir.

Very cool bflat, congratulations on your new DAC upgrade! - would love to see some pictures of the two together.  
 
Very interested in R2R and I was thinking about the Audio-GD DAC 19 but the new Gungnir multibit looks very tempting.

 

[bflat]

Here is my setup. I didn't realize until after the fact that the WA7 was the only tube amp that could fit in my limited desk space.
 

 

[Jeb Listens]

  Here is my setup. I didn't realize until after the fact that the WA7 was the only tube amp that could fit in my limited desk space.
 

 
Oh wow - looks so good bflat, it really does.  Dac under the screen is a great idea.  Makes me want the Gungnir-MB. 
 
It brings joy to my heart to see so much machined aluminium. 

 

[bflat]

   
Oh wow - looks so good bflat, it really does.  Dac under the screen is a great idea.  Makes me want the Gungnir-MB. 
 
It brings joy to my heart to see so much machined aluminium. 

Thanks!
 
A couple technical notes on the GMB and fit. Most monitors have a platform foot unless you mount it on the wall. The GMB only has 3 rubber bumpers on the bottom - 2 up front and 1 in the center back. It is the back bumper that creates the challenge of just placing the GMB on the foot under the monitor. Fortunately, you can just unscrew the rear bumper off. I then measured the hight of my monitor foot and 3D printed a couple spacers and put some stick on silicon pads on the bottom to secure the fit on top of the monitor foot. The GMB is a pretty shallow depth so it worked out well and you can see it is slightly elevated off the desk.

 

[Jeb Listens]

Cool good tips!  Mine would go under an iMac.  I'll check dimensions if I go ahead.   
 
That's a seriously potent desktop set-up, I'm not surprised you say it sounds good.  
 
Hopefully the Siemens silver plates will seal the deal.  I Will be interested to hear how you get on with them.  

 

[bflat]

Tube rolling update
 
I received the Siemens silver plates a couple days ago and have been listening for the about 4 hours. I am also on day 4 of the ridiculous warming up requirements of the GMB so some of the SQ comments below may have been impacted by this.
 
Overall - you are right Jeb, these are "the ones". In brief, the Siemens have the the bass extension of the Phillips but tighter; the smooth, slightly forward mids of the Mullards but better detail; and lastly the treble extension is better than either. In terms of soundstage, the width sounds about the same as the Mullards, but my closed headphones probably have more to do with that. However, the depth of sound especially in the layers of bass are superb. The Siemens don't have the "liquid" quality of bass of the Phillips and you lose some boom, but the accuracy and layers of sound are far superior. If you want some of the boom back, just up the 60 Hz range by about 3-6 dB.
 
I do caution folks from putting too much into my own personal impressions. Looking at my entire chain, I have a neutral DAC (used to be warm before multi bit upgrade) and a neutral, if not analytical headphone in the T5P. Any coloration of sound on your own equipment likely impact the overall sound than just tube rolling.
 
Perhaps it's nostalgia, but I've listened mostly to modern remasters of some classic prog rock and just loving it:

1. ELP (self title)
2. King Crimson, Night Watch
3. Led Zeppelin, I
4. Rush, various singles

 
I think the combo of the GMB and a great tube amp like WA7 really brings these classics to life! I'm likely going to put a number of tubes in classified to recoup some rolling costs, but will probably wait until I get my Ether C and redo all the fun of rolling!
 
I do have a couple more tubes coming - Valvo branded Philips (curious if there is a difference) and Westinghouse carbon blacks. Will report back on these as well.

 

[Jeb Listens]

Great work bflat!  Happy to hear you are enjoying the silver plates - a very nice tube indeed - as you say: layered, detailed and accurate whilst retaining enough mullard-eque smoothness to be very enjoyable and listenable too.  
 
I understand needing to recoup some of the tube rolling costs on the classifieds - I wonder about doing the same, but I keep thinking that they'll probably double in value in 5 years anyway
 
I have not seen any reports to-date of the westinghouse carbon plates with the WA7tp, though I know Chry5alis was also expecting some.  Keep us posted!  

 

[bflat]

Report back on Westinghouse 12AU7 Carbon Blacks
 
I gave these a listen today and pretty sure these are the "correct ones" from Tube Maze:

1. Plates are indeed a carbon black - not grey and not flat black. Just like a #2 pencil.
2. Can make out factory code ending in 337
3. Getter post is copper and "D" getter is formed by 2 pieces of wire
4. Silver on top makes it difficult to see getters clearly
5. 12AU7A marking with dots above

 
These are really lovely tubes visually and just scream NOS. You can see through the mica plates and the overall shape of the tubes have some slight bulges around the base. I really had high hopes for these, especially given the attractive price I got these for.
 
Unfortunately, the sound is not so lovely. I found the overall sound a bit thin. There was a decent amount of bass, but not much extension plus a little loose. Mids were not as smooth and flowing as Mullards or Siemens. The treble was forward, but pretty dry and harsh. In fact it pretty much loses all the wonderful new details from my GMB. Overall, a flat sound with nothing worth mentioning in terms of sound stage. I couldn't put the Siemens back in quick enough!
 
This was all with a 1 hour warm up and 1 hour of listening. I now that's not a lot of time, but there would have to be some drastic improvements for me to put more effort into these. Again, this is the result for my specific components and others may want to try since these have some positive comments for other systems. Anyone know if these need a long burn in to really bloom?
 
Last tubes I'm waiting on are Valvo branded Phillips just to see if there is a difference.

 

[bflat]

Last tube rolling update:
 
Got the Valvo branded ECC82 and compared to Phillips ECC82. Both have confirmed delta factory code and confirmed made in Holland. Visually they are identical and sound wise I couldn't tell the difference. At least for me, either branded ECC82 is the same so I would recommend getting the ones that cost less. Pics are below so you can see for yourself:
 

 

 

 

[Jeb Listens]

Those are great reference pics for this thread.  
 
Beautiful boxes in fantastic condition too - I've always loved the simple bold graphic of Valvo boxes - absolutely classic! 

 

[groovyd]

pin metal looks different, that's all i see.