[Ieonasj]

You are dodging questions because you know that the answers will lead to one conclusion: you are pulling claims out of thin air without having tried the equipment that you are talking about. You are broadly generalising and spreading misinformation here which is confusing to folks who are genuinely trying to find valid advices from people who have the knowledge about certain equipment. What about RFT tubes? You have posted here how amazing they are, an improvement over stock tubes, even posted a review of the tubes on the site that you have bought them. A few days later you did a 180 and suddenly stock tubes became much better. You say that vintage tubes have foggy sound. That is quite a broad description for all the vintage tubes when you have personally tried 2 pairs of 12au7, don't you think?

im focal stellia user now. i like listen factory tuned headphones without EQ. Stellia is described as "neutral sounding with bass boost",but it is not... Stellia-my exclusive listening sessions and will have more input at that time... I listen to all genres and these headphones put there stamp on all of them. The bass is handled excellently with punch and clarity, my reggae tracks are much clearer and less muddy in the Stellia’s and the details are exactly. The highs, lows and mids sound equal with no mudding, which I’ve been looking for years. Clarity will cost you a good penny but if your ready and want a closed back go to, the Stellia’s are a good investment especially if you can get a discount....

so,RFT tubes is more V-shapped sounding with foggy mids, with bigger bass and extended highs. not for my stellia. im returned for linear and musically sounding stock xduoo tubes,for perfect tuned TA-22 sound with Stellia combo. Not only 3D music listen from set ,but and 3D photo making from my fuji GFX camera shows this- only the one- End game

 

[jhsbdn]

How Sennheiser HD-600 scales with my new TA-26s is just incredible, effortless fullness, bass slam and quantity, even treble extension is improved I'd say. I'm enjoying this combo a lot. It happens similarly with HD-660s but to a lesser degree, I guess having half of the impedance of 600s being the reason.

 

[jonathan c]

How Sennheiser HD-600 scales with my new TA-26s is just incredible, effortless fullness, bass slam and quantity, even treble extension is improved I'd say. I'm enjoying this combo a lot. It happens similarly with HD-660s but to a lesser degree, I guess having half of the impedance of 600s being the reason.

What tubes are you using? The listening can get even better via tube selection .

 

[Ieonasj]

What tubes are you using? The listening can get even better via tube selection .

im use TAD selected 12au7a. but will see at tungsol later

 

[Just85]

im use TAD selected 12au7a. but will see at tungsol later

For god’s sake, you are not using Tube Amp Doctor tubes, you are using stock Xduoo tubes with Xduoo logo on them and you don’t know their original manufacturer, because you have no confirmation either from Xduoo or Tube Amp Doctor.

 

[jhsbdn]

What tubes are you using? The listening can get even better via tube selection .

Stock tubes atm,waiting for some though

Waiting for GE 6AS7GA NOS and Phillips 6080WC NOS as power tubes and new production 6SN7GT tung-sol and TAD for preamplifier. Are they any good? Anyone has any of these or proven them?

 

[muchacho]

I will share my experience with xDuoo and TAD tubes. I have a TA-10R amplifier which is fitted with one 12AU7 / ECC82 tube. I was not at all satisfied with the stock sound, and it also suffered from high microphonics. I bought a TAD 12AU7A and was extremely satisfied with the sound and no microphonics. For comparison, I also bought a JJ-electronic with gold-plated pins, and unfortunately the TAD bulb burst when replacing the tubes. So I bought the same new TAD after a few months from the supplier, but it was comparatively worse in terms of sound and microphonics than the first TAD, so I didn't use it in the final, I listened through JJ and also got a few NOS RFTs and Teslas from the 60s and 70s at a very good price . Sound heaven...!!! But then I was making a box for storing the tubes and while straightening I noticed a very interesting fact. Upon very detailed examination with a magnifying glass, I found that the stock xDuoo and the new TAD have exactly the same internal construction including electrodes, mica spacers and pin connections, and unfortunately, exactly the same bad and obscured sound. I'm not saying anything, but I think TAD has changed suppliers and is using the same cheap Chinese tubes that differ only in xDuoo and TAD printing. I am attaching photos for my own reference.

 

[Ieonasj]

I will share my experience with xDuoo and TAD tubes. I have a TA-10R amplifier which is fitted with one 12AU7 / ECC82 tube. I was not at all satisfied with the stock sound, and it also suffered from high microphonics. I bought a TAD 12AU7A and was extremely satisfied with the sound and no microphonics. For comparison, I also bought a JJ-electronic with gold-plated pins, and unfortunately the TAD bulb burst when replacing the tubes. So I bought the same new TAD after a few months from the supplier, but it was comparatively worse in terms of sound and microphonics than the first TAD, so I didn't use it in the final, I listened through JJ and also got a few NOS RFTs and Teslas from the 60s and 70s at a very good price . Sound heaven...!!! But then I was making a box for storing the tubes and while straightening I noticed a very interesting fact. Upon very detailed examination with a magnifying glass, I found that the stock xDuoo and the new TAD have exactly the same internal construction including electrodes, mica spacers and pin connections, and unfortunately, exactly the same bad and obscured sound. I'm not saying anything, but I think TAD has changed suppliers and is using the same cheap Chinese tubes that differ only in xDuoo and TAD printing. I am attaching photos for my own reference.

no need to buy for see it 'news'...im told this 2month ago ,that xduuo stock tubes is same TAD 12au7a. they very good sounding. but if you not liked them then must see to another. im compared RFT vs stock tubes and RFT is V shaped sound,extends bass and a bit more highs, so im like xduoo tubes more for linear sound for listen full range of music on my stellia.

yesterday orderer a pair of tungsol 12au7w tubes compare them to xduoo stock.What i know JJ tubes more gain highs, and tubes like gold lion or psvane art s not works with xDuoo tune..so im never will buy genalex or psvane for my ta-22.... For TAD 12au7w is only positive reviews... see here ,man. https://www.tubeampdoctor.com/en/12au7a/ecc82-tad-premium-selected-balanced

 

[muchacho]

You are a lucky person to be so happy with the stock xDuoo tubes, I wasn't happy with it one bit, just like the current TAD. Your great reviews from the TAD link are from 2017 and 2019, when TAD probably bought from better manufacturers. According to my experience, it is so, and you enjoy your excellent xDuoo tubes. Enough feeding...

 

[Ieonasj]

You are a lucky person to be so happy with the stock xDuoo tubes, I wasn't happy with it one bit, just like the current TAD. Your great reviews from the TAD link are from 2017 and 2019, when TAD probably bought from better manufacturers. According to my experience, it is so, and you enjoy your excellent xDuoo tubes. Enough feeding...

after month or more listen ta-22 im found that as you told maybe later edition TAD tubes is a bit noisy , im hear ground or floor noise when music not runs. both at xlr balanced or 6.35 outputs. it is very small noise,i think from tubes,but this not impact for listen music, but as all talking im ordere free of noise tungsol 12au7w pair set tubes try. maybe if not like hybrid dac im return to more compact powered from laptop dac/amp , ifi gryphon, xduoo XD05 Bal,xduoo xa-10,fiio BTR7 ,Shanling UP5
or ifi hip dac2 as see too much cables around me at desktop . good review of TA-22 https://primeaudio.org/xduoo-ta-22-review/

 

[Ieonasj]

received today new tungsol 12au7w tubes on my ta-22. as all saying,another league vs stock tubes, few times better sound quality,every note from bass to highs. . extended from bottom to end. mostly linear sounding tubes. silky smooth highs. no noise.hi-end league. superior 'tube sound", impressive 3D sound...best combo have. after listen few songs -decided not to buy any portable or any other amp. audio nirvana. tidal happy user.so far so good.tidal 352.8khz pcm stream ,audioshock. with stock tubes amp was too hot sometimes , at sunny days too much. problem solved .tungsol tubes.- amp slightly warm now only.tried 6.35 output still. think from balanced XLR get a bit more sound quality. immediatly closed all portable ones dac/amp srearching and buying. ta-22 keeper.

 

[Quarzer]

Short question to the TA-22 owner: Do you know if the device is capable to drive Phillips E80CC Tubes? Is anybody aware of that? The Rest should be totally fine.

 

[Ieonasj]

Short question to the TA-22 owner: Do you know if the device is capable to drive Phillips E80CC Tubes? Is anybody aware of that? The Rest should be totally fine.

you must ask in tubes forums or xDuoo official site. ta-22 owners only listen music.

after rolled nos telefunkens,rft,tad, im found modern tungsols is superior to them all. im happy user- focal stellia/ta-22/tungsol 12au7w. DOT

 

[Just85]

received today new tungsol 12au7w tubes on my ta-22. as all saying,another league vs stock tubes, few times better sound quality,every note from bass to highs. . extended from bottom to end. mostly linear sounding tubes. silky smooth highs. no noise.hi-end league. superior 'tube sound", impressive 3D sound...best combo have. after listen few songs -decided not to buy any portable or any other amp. audio nirvana. tidal happy user.so far so good.tidal 352.8khz pcm stream ,audioshock. with stock tubes amp was too hot sometimes , at sunny days too much. problem solved .tungsol tubes.- amp slightly warm now only.tried 6.35 output still. think from balanced XLR get a bit more sound quality. immediatly closed all portable ones dac/amp srearching and buying. ta-22 keeper.

I am glad that you have changed your mind 180 degrees again and found out what everybody was saying everywhere all along. Higher priced modern tubes offer an improvement over stock Xduoo tubes. Tubes from different manufacturers sound different and it's a matter of taste or other equipment used. When you come out from your audioshock and audio nirvana subsides, you can as well go a few pages back and correct your posts about "superior TAD tubes", "no need to roll tubes", "all tubes sound the same", "factory tuned Xduoo tubes" and other valuable advices. This might as well indicate, that you should go easy on comparing items that you have not had a chance to listen to, moreover give confident advices to others.

 

[Ieonasj]

I am glad that you have changed your mind 180 degrees again and found out what everybody was saying everywhere all along. Higher priced modern tubes offer an improvement over stock Xduoo tubes. Tubes from different manufacturers sound different and it's a matter of taste or other equipment used. When you come out from your audioshock and audio nirvana subsides, you can as well go a few pages back and correct your posts about "superior TAD tubes", "no need to roll tubes", "all tubes sound the same", "factory tuned Xduoo tubes" and other valuable advices. This might as well indicate, that you should go easy on comparing items that you have not had a chance to listen to, moreover give confident advices to others.

factory xduoo tubes is very very good. if use cheap headphones not every can feel difference rolling tubes. im not change my early posts- they all correct. Im now Focal Stellia user and can say what im saidalso user of many top headphones as beyerdynamic aventho, hifiman ananda, focal bathys and more.im started in audiophile world few month ago and im fast lift up to top of music world. this is too easy