[groovyd]

glad i did like i said and waited for the gallery to suss out the best tubes for it... 4 different sets of tubes later my pocket is feeling the stress of tube rolling i guess it is always good to have backups just incase but i am starting to understand the appeal of solid state

 

[desertblues]

What are you hearing now with the T1 that you like? I haven't used my T1 lately. Maybe it's time to give it a listen again.

 
A smoother top end but not rolled-off. Mids and bass have a warmer feel and vocals are outstanding. These Mullards (1964 vintage) are probably going to be my choice for the T1 - obviously improving with break in while the clear tops were great for my Grados right away.

 

[HemiSam]

Anyone come up with a more reliable solution for the triangular plastic/rubber pads that sit between the glass and the unit?  I find that they don't like staying in place and it's only a matter of time before one or more go AWOL...
 
HS

 

[groovyd]

  Anyone come up with a more reliable solution for the triangular plastic/rubber pads that sit between the glass and the unit?  I find that they don't like staying in place and it's only a matter of time before one or more go AWOL...
 
HS

I began researching to have a bunch of custom aluminum rings cuts that would have the ID to match the OD of the base and OD to match the ID of the glass holes but just never did it.  I think it would only make sense if you made like 100 of them and sold them.  Seem any decent machinist should be able to lathe them out pretty quick and cheap but unless you have a lathe it is just too costly.
 
Other option I was looking into is buying some orings of the same idea and a managed to find some but the OD is like .5 mm too fat and I couldn't think of a good way to thin them out.
 
Since then I have lost all the triangles and just try not to touch anything.  Let me know if you find a good solution.

 

[HemiSam]

 
I began researching to have a bunch of custom aluminum rings cuts that would have the ID to match the OD of the base and OD to match the ID of the glass holes but just never did it.  I think it would only make sense if you made like 100 of them and sold them.  Seem any decent machinist should be able to lathe them out pretty quick and cheap but unless you have a lathe it is just too costly.
 
Other option I was looking into is buying some orings of the same idea and a managed to find some but the OD is like .5 mm too fat and I couldn't think of a good way to thin them out.
 
Since then I have lost all the triangles and just try not to touch anything.  Let me know if you find a good solution.

 
 
I've gone down the rabbit hole on complexity on modifications to my car as I've pursued "more"...  So I was thinking something simpler.  What about some black felt round jobbies (maybe the size of a nickel but preferably a dime) that would adhear to that floating aluminum plate via adhesive and have the felt towards the glass?
 
HS

 

[Dogmatrix]

  Anyone come up with a more reliable solution for the triangular plastic/rubber pads that sit between the glass and the unit?  I find that they don't like staying in place and it's only a matter of time before one or more go AWOL...
 
HS

I use glu dots , Blu Tack brand by Bostik , removable type
I take one 10mm dot cut from the sheet with backing papers intact and cut it into quarters
I then have four little sticky corners which are easily applied to the corners of the amp
I have removed the glass half a dozen times and the dots still function perfectly the glass stays firmly in place
I had some difficulty lifting the glass the first time and had to slide a plastic knife blade in to lever up one side
I have had no problem since and a slight upwards pull is all it takes
I replaced the original dot recently and found no residue or marks no solvent was required for removal
I recommend them without hesitation
 
On another note just rolled in a pair of French made Mazda 12au7 they have uncoated silver slotted plates and triple mica .
Sound stage , imaging , detail and separation are the winners here so if that floats you're boat hunt down a pair
They are quite rare so it may take a while but for me they top the ct and jan tubes by a good margin
Have some Raytheon shiny black plate 12au7 1957 on the way
Great if they turn out to be good as they are very common and cheap 

 

[HemiSam]

 
I use glu dots , Blu Tack brand by Bostik , removable type
I take one 10mm dot cut from the sheet with backing papers intact and cut it into quarters
I then have four little sticky corners which are easily applied to the corners of the amp
I have removed the glass half a dozen times and the dots still function perfectly the glass stays firmly in place
I had some difficulty lifting the glass the first time and had to slide a plastic knife blade in to lever up one side
I have had no problem since and a slight upwards pull is all it takes
I replaced the original dot recently and found no residue or marks no solvent was required for removal
I recommend them without hesitation
 
On another note just rolled in a pair of French made Mazda 12au7 they have uncoated silver slotted plates and triple mica .
Sound stage , imaging , detail and separation are the winners here so if that floats you're boat hunt down a pair
They are quite rare so it may take a while but for me they top the ct and jan tubes by a good margin
Have some Raytheon shiny black plate 12au7 1957 on the way
Great if they turn out to be good as they are very common and cheap 

 
Brilliant.  Cheers!
 
HS

 

[JoelT]

   
On another note just rolled in a pair of French made Mazda 12au7 they have uncoated silver slotted plates and triple mica .
Sound stage , imaging , detail and separation are the winners here so if that floats you're boat hunt down a pair
They are quite rare so it may take a while but for me they top the ct and jan tubes by a good margin

Are they labeled as "Mazda"? Or are they actually labeled as Cifte?

 

[Dogmatrix]

They are labelled Teonex and came in Chelmer boxes but the design is unmistakably Mazda / Cifte I don't think anyone else ever made a 12au7 like that
The seller did not know what they were so I only paid $30 for the matched pair
Last pair I saw on Ebay went for $300
I will try and post a pic later today

 

[JoelT]

  They are labelled Teonex and came in Chelmer boxes but the design is unmistakably Mazda / Cifte I don't think anyone else ever made a 12au7 like that
The seller did not know what they were so I only paid $30 for the matched pair
Last pair I saw on Ebay went for $300
I will try and post a pic later today

That's cheap. I suspect they're the same tube I'm using, produced by Mazda and then relabled. Mine are labeled as Cifte's; they're NOS 1962's that I had cryo'd to be specific. If so, they're easily the best tube I've tried thus far. I should really grab another pair for backup.

 

[groovyd]

d*m you guys have to wait till i buy the next one before talking up another one?!

 

[phchin]

Having read comment on JAN and cleartops, I tried hard to listen to both again. On my HD800 I did not find base lacking to the extent that hurt my listening experience when I listned to Hotel California of Eagle, in cleartops. I did hear exceedingly sharp and comfortable guitar notes though. I enjoy cleartops better.

 

[Dogmatrix]

Apologies to all but these are really good
Teonex? Mazda? Cifte? who knows but the structure is quite unique

Shot of the label

One more for luck

 

[JoelT]

Those are indeed very unique looking. It's a different tube than the 1962 Cifte's I'm running. I thought they might be the same, as the Cifte's were manufactured by Mazda as well, and your sound description falls in line with my pair. Obviously they're not though. Any idea what year your tubes were made?
 

 

[Dogmatrix]

No idea on year can't find any etched code or tag , print looks very 70's but that's just a guess
Certainly a family resemblance with the Cifte tubes , lose the coating and morph the hole into a slot
I have only seen a few of these silver tubes over the last couple of years so I think you're Cifte version is a more practical option for keen rollers
Seems tubes which excel in a preamp or amp (these are well documented) are also proving useful in the Tp , probably build quality as much as anything
So I would expect tubes like Telefunken , CBS Hytron , RFT , Semens and Amperex to work as well as those we have already discovered
We just need brave rollers to try them out to reveal their charms