That’s good to hear. Those are a bit easier to find and cheaper.
ZMF Pendant by Ampsandsound; impressions, tube-rolling, and general discussions
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Been rocking out with a CBS 5814WA black plate in the driver position this morning and man this tube is so immersive, with killer bass and a very holographic and deep soundstage. The 5814 has such a unique stage presentation, in that it can sound intimate and huge at the same time. 
The detail and transparency is as good as it gets and nuance is in full effect, all while being totally fatigue free. I am loving this tube!
Back to the music. . .
The detail and transparency is as good as it gets and nuance is in full effect, all while being totally fatigue free. I am loving this tube!Back to the music. . .
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bcowen
Headphoneus Supremus
Now you have *me* stash diving. Just tried an early '60's ribbed plate Telefunken ECC82. Gaaaa. Typical non-'50's Telefunken noval. Gigantic soundstage, detail out the wazoo, explosive dynamics, and....supremely lean and totally threadbare in the mids and upper bass. I know the smooth plate versions are supposed to be better, but in this case they'd have to be several orders of magnitude better. Next up: Sylvania 6189. Haven't tried those in a while.Been rocking out with a CBS 5814WA black plate in the driver position this morning and man this tube is so immersive, with killer bass and a very holographic and deep soundstage. The 5814 has such a unique stage presentation, in that it can sound intimate and huge at the same time.
Back to the music. . .
Nice! I still have yet to find a Tele that does it for me (I still would love to hear a G73R someday . .), but every time I roll in a Sylvania it's like coming home. Sylvania's "house sound" is what I call a classic well balanced tube sound, and they just seem to always play nice.
As for tube stash diving, my sound preferences and gear have both evolved over the years, going from being all about the bass and warmth at the beginning of my journey and now I am more all about the mids and neutrality. So with that said, going back through my tube stash has yielded some great results lately.
The CBS-HYTRON and Sylvania 5814 tubes I am really digging at the moment, were some of the first 12AU7 I had ever bought years ago, and man I sure am glad I pulled them back out and gave them a try. I am also really glad I did not sell them, and that is a lesson learned. I actually just sold some tubes from my stash the other day (and many more last year), and those will be the last to leave my stash from here on out. I plan on owning a few more different tube amps down the road and will be keeping all my tubes from here on out just in case. . .
I bet that Sylvania 6189 is gonna sing for you.
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I am having so much fun with these 5814 variants and it's interesting how different their soundstage presentation is to the 12AU7. So, that got me curious about other possible drop in replacements like 12BH7, E80CC, and E180CC. I know that the 12BH7 can be used in the Pendant and I am curious if the E80CC and E18OCC would be safe in the Pendant as well?
@ampsandsound Hi Justin, I have been doing some tube research and would love to know if it's safe to use E80CC (aka 6085) and E180CC (aka 7062) tubes as the input tube in the Pendant?
From my research it seems if the 12BH7 is safe to run in the Pendant, then I would assume based off the numbers that the E80CC and E180CC should be OK as well, but I want to make sure before trying them.
E80CC (aka 6085) - 6.3 (Vh) .6 (Ah) 12.5 (gm) 250 (Va)
E180CC (aka 7062) - 6.3 (Vh) .4 (Ah) 8.5 (gm) 150 (Va)
12BH7 - 6.3 (Vh) .6 (Ah) 11.5 (gm) 250 (Va) - If this is safe to use in the Pendant, it seems like the 2 tubes above should be as well. . .is my thinking correct?
@ampsandsound Hi Justin, I have been doing some tube research and would love to know if it's safe to use E80CC (aka 6085) and E180CC (aka 7062) tubes as the input tube in the Pendant?
From my research it seems if the 12BH7 is safe to run in the Pendant, then I would assume based off the numbers that the E80CC and E180CC should be OK as well, but I want to make sure before trying them.
E80CC (aka 6085) - 6.3 (Vh) .6 (Ah) 12.5 (gm) 250 (Va)
E180CC (aka 7062) - 6.3 (Vh) .4 (Ah) 8.5 (gm) 150 (Va)
12BH7 - 6.3 (Vh) .6 (Ah) 11.5 (gm) 250 (Va) - If this is safe to use in the Pendant, it seems like the 2 tubes above should be as well. . .is my thinking correct?
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Also wondering here if a 7062 would be safe to use for the input tube?
bcowen
Headphoneus Supremus
I have a pair (one lonely pair) of 1956 Telefunken 6DJ8's that are one of my most favorite tubes. I'm not a big fan of the 6922/6DJ8 family in general as I much prefer 12A*7's and 6SN7's and variants as driver/input tubes, but the '50s Teles (at least the '56's for sure) are special. Pretty much unobtanium these days, and when they do surface they are ridiculously priced. I have several pairs of 1960's dates, and it's like they were made on a different planet in a different millennium. Huge difference...for the worse.
Some initial promise with the Sylvania 6189. Great big soundstage and a lot more meat on the bones in the bass and mids than the Tele. But it was a bit hot in the treble for my tastes last night. Letting it play now, and hopefully that treble prominence will tone down a bit and blend in with some break in time. As far as I can tell these have never been used...test better than bogey and the glass is totally clear with no darkening or coloration around the pins.
Spied another stashed 12AU7 I haven't tried in a long time -- the good ol' RCA cleartop (side getter). These were always the 'tube that could do no wrong' IMO in that they were always musical and always enjoyable to listen to. But they never stood out as special in any way either. In the olden days they were nearly free...I got a lot of 20 of them for $15 or so IIRC, but can't remember if the shipping was free.
May have to pop one of those in and see how it stacks up today.Just took delivery of another 5814 that I have been extremely excited to try. The Raytheon 5814 Black Plate Double Mica Square Getter 52'. This one is said to sound like a refined version of the CBS-HYTRON 5814. I am absolutely loving the CBS-HYTRON, so I can wait to hear this version of Raytheon. They look darn near identical except for the grid post being copper on the CBS-HYTRON and steel on the Raytheon. So, it's actually easy to tell them apart once you look at the tips of the grid post sticking through the top mica on the internals of the tube.
Raytheon 5814 Double Mica Black Plate Square Getter 52'
Raytheon 5814 Double Mica Black Plate Square Getter 52'
Raytheon 5814 is in the amp, and let the fun begin. . .
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bcowen
Headphoneus Supremus
Sweet! Can't wait to hear what you think of it.Raytheon 5814 is in the amp, and let the fun begin. . .
The Sylvania 6189 is changing. After about 10 hours, the treble edge is pretty much gone. Still a bit uptilted in the treble though, but not as much. Soundstage is out of this world -- way left, way right, way deep, but still with nice center fill. Space and delineation around the individual instruments/performers is class leading. Need that treble to blend a bit more and could use a little more impact and heft in the bass. It'll get another 20 - 30 hours and we'll see what happens with a forgotten about tube.
Have some GE 6189's as well. Unfortunately, they have etched dots meaning they were actually made by GE. Much shorter plates than the Sylvanias. Still, it's possible GE screwed up and made a good sounding tube, so I suppose I'll have to try one. Also found some RCA 6680's (another close 12AU7 variant). Don't remember ever having listened to them, so we'll see what's up later.
The CBS-Hytron 5814 is one of if not my very favorite 12AU7 type tube. Whenever I'm using a piece of gear that uses this family of tubes it's one of the first tubes I usually try. Incredible sounding tube in every piece of equipment I've tried it with and that's been quite a few over the years.Been rocking out with a CBS 5814WA black plate in the driver position this morning and man this tube is so immersive, with killer bass and a very holographic and deep soundstage. The 5814 has such a unique stage presentation, in that it can sound intimate and huge at the same time.
Back to the music. . .
Definitely recommended trying the smooth plate. It's a lot like the ribbed plate but with some much needed warmth. The ribbed plate can be a little too analytical sounding with some gear to my ears. Of course ymmv.
Speaking of CBS - has anyone heard the CBS 7729? These are super rare lab grade versions of the AX?
I have not but would live to get my ears on one.
I have and own one, as well as a few 7728. They are warmish, and decently detailed tubes, with good balance and punch. The earlier square getter versions of which are impossible to find have the magic mids and deeper bass. They have a unique stage presentation, which is more taller and deeper than wide, and have huge soaring vocals. They are not the last word in transparency and are more on the fun side with a bit of middbass bloom that can punch quite hard, and are a bit rolled off and smooth in the highs.
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