[rtsy]

My X-Cans v2 shipped not with JAN Philips 6922 but with Yugos. It appears latter batches had Yugos on them. Sound was OK when my cans were the HD495 but when I switched over to the HD600, I needed something smother and more refined as the HD600 was unforgiving of upstream components.

My next improvement was ditching the Yugos in favor of Mullard 6922 Gold Pins. Took a good week to settle down. Sound had more body, I got better articulation, the sound relaxed yet at the same time revealed more detail making for a non-fatiguing yet involving because of all those little cues and hints from those details.

I then came across a pre-owned X-PSU. Result was even greater ambient detail (perhaps due to lower noise floor) and larger headroom.

I'm seriously considering modding the volume pot and opamps. Anyone who's done this, please post results.

Thanks!

 

[PinkFloyd]

Well.. that's "exactly" 24 hours since I fitted the JJ E88CC's and they have been supplied with a musical signal for the entire 24 hours with the pot (volume control) of the MF X-Can V2 being set at the 9 o'clock position. Fed by Marantz CD 17 Ki Sig source with Yellos "Motion picture" album on repeat.

I'll keep my "24" hour review brief and to the point as I don't want to burn my bridges should these valves decide to "kick in" over the next few days.

Ok here goes...... I'm in total receptive mood at the moment (intoxicated) which is always the best time to listen? (not the best time to type though)

Pleasant enough sound but far too pleasant to be real. It sounds as if I am listening to a band "outside" the venue instead of sitting next to the mixing desk inside the venue.

The "rubbery" quality has been replaced with a vagueness which is very hard to make out. The valves initially (about 12 hours ago) gave a slight insight to the midrange intricacies of Roger Waters "Amused to death" album but have reverted to a very "flat" uninvolving (even distant) presentation.... I'm having to really concentrate to hear the portions of intricacy I am used to hearing without effort.

The bass is pacy and tight but certainly not "deep" and the high frequencies are very "pitter patter" if you know what I mean? they "pit and pat" without any real sense of realism. Yes these vales sound "smooth" but I am listening to Roger waters and yello through rose tinted specs and it is, to be honest, like eating fish with mashed potatoes instead of chips... tooooo smooth.

Having said that, I'm 24 hours into the audition and probably shouldn't critique their addition into the circuit for a few days but, at this moment in time, I feel compelled to report my findings.

They seem neither here nor there........ smooth yes, dynamic no, revealing no, airy no, proportionate bass no.......

I could go on but I'll see how they sound tomorrow.

An "immediate" difference over the Philips but an "improvement"? Time will tell....... to my ears they are still imparting a sense of "rubberyness" which I can't live with

All the best


Pinkie

 

[ServinginEcuador]

Pinkie,

Thanks for keeping us posted!! Let us know if these tubes go thru any mor esonic changes as I have been very curious to hear how tubes settle in and change over the first 48 hours of so of constant use. Since most of my tubes are already used I'm wondering what the NOS' that I've got will do and how much time I should give them before deciding to sell them off!!!

 

[PinkFloyd]

10:54 GMT and have swapped the wallwart for my new revised PSU http://freespace.virgin.net/rock.grotto/index2.htm with an "immediate" improvement to the quality of sound.

I'm glad I didn't "burn my bridges" in my last post! The sound has certainly evolved from "rubbery" to extremely "neutral" and spacious. The quick switch to the higher current PSU has brought about the qualities Nick speaks about in his review of the JJ E88CC's.

The bass isn't what I'd class as "stygian" but it is certainly better formed than the bass the JAN / Philips portrayed. I wouldn't say it is "deeper" but I definitely class it as "faster" and "tighter"

Voices are so real with "lipping" being very audible. Seperation is absolutely phenomenal with a real sense of air and space around each musician. Close eyes and Imaging is truly deep, wide and high with a true "beyond the ear" excursion.

Treble is still a tad subdued but that's better than the "toppy" harshness the JAN / Philips were guilty of.

They seem to be getting better all the time but I still won't give my final comprehensive verdict until they've been live in the circuit for 300 hours.

As it stands, 50 hours in, I've no hesitation recommending these as a "VAST" improvement over the stock valves... and I mean "vast"

Will give my final verdict in 250 hours

All the best

Pinkie

 

[PinkFloyd]

A few weeks in and I have replaced the JJ E88CC's with the original philips. The sound became more and more "mushy" the longer the amp remained on to the degree, at one stage, I thought my CD player had developed a fault. Substituting the CD player with my Marantz CD 17 ki gave the same results so it was out with the JJ's and back in with the Philips.

Immediately obvious the JJ's were the culprit. Sound is now a lot airier and spacious (in fact you could call the changeover a breath of fresh air)

I've managed to organise a "grand valve tasting" for this Christmas where I will try out a vast selection of Valves (including a pair of JJ E88CC's from a different batch) just to see which valve really does "improve" the X-Can V2.

I notice that Nick used the JJ's in the original "x-Cans" and wonder if they are maybe not as well suited to the "X-can V2"?

Initially they "did" sound a lot smoother and easier to listen to but with prolonged listening I found them to be extremely uninvolving with everything thrown into the background. In a sense the musicians sounded like they were being blended in a kenwood mixer and compressed into a small space... "mush" is the only way I can describe the sound.

One thing is for sure: I will never again comment on any tweak until I have given it a period of time in circuit and had a really good chance to listen to the music. My girlfriend, who is not really musically astute even noticed a "vast" change in sound from what she could remember with the philips commenting "it sounds kinda distorted" "It sounded a lot clearer before you changed those things" (things referring to the valves!)

The guy who supplied the valves reckons it "could" simply be due to anomalies with the valves themselves and is sending some from a different batch to try so I'll have to wait and hear if they exhibit the same characteristics. As it stands though, they sounded so bad I had to remove them. Anyone else found this with the JJ's?

Pinkie

 

[ServinginEcuador]

Quote:

Originally posted by PinkFloyd The guy who supplied the valves reckons it "could" simply be due to anomalies with the valves themselves and is sending some from a different batch to try so I'll have to wait and hear if they exhibit the same characteristics. As it stands though, they sounded so bad I had to remove them. Anyone else found this with the JJ's? Pinkie

Pinkie,

I am running a pair of them in my Melos amp right now and totally enjoy the sounds they produce. I'm bot sure if these tubes are like some other current run models in that the ones produced a few years ago are better, but I like mine!!!

 

[PinkFloyd]

This is becomming an obsession! I've now got 2 X-can V2's running, side by side, JJ E88CC's in one (old batch) and Mullard E88CC's in the other.

Early days but the Mullards are making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.. very good sign. The older batch JJ's certainly sounding more lifelike than the other (newer batch) ones I tried.

So far the Mullards are giving me a real insight into the music. I keep turning my head to see where the strange sound is coming from only to find it's part of the music! Listening to YELLO "zebra" at the moment and there is detail there I have never before heard.

Gotta go! this is too good to type to!

Pinkie

 

[Nick Dangerous]

There must be something horribly wrong with that pair of JJ's you received. Everything got better for me when I swapped out the Philips valves for JJ's.

When I owned a Melos SHA-1, the JJ's also did a great job. Of course, they didn't quite keep up with vintage Amperex valves... but for the money and availability, I found them to be perfectly acceptable replacements.