NOS Amperex Bugle Boy Tube
pearsall001
Posts: 5,068
Well, I must hand it to you tube lovers...your info has been spot on, they sure do add another dimension to the music. I recently picked up the Music Hall dac25.2 for the very reason of adding a tube into my system. It sounded very good with the stock Russian 6922 tube. But I knew that a different tube would definetely elevate it's performance.
After talking to Stephen at Quest for Sound I decided to give the NOS Amperex Bugle Boy (1958) tube a whirl. Stephen reminded me not to pass judgement till it had a good 100 hrs on it. He did however say that I would immediately hear a difference compared to the stock tube. He was dead on! Right off the bat the music was more detailed & a lushness was added that I didn't notice before.
I then let it run for the alloted 100 hrs (sneaking a listen hear & there) & it just got better & better. Now that it's fully burned in all I can say is "WOW" what a huge difference across the board sonically.
I've also read about a few easy mods that crank things up a nother notch with this dac. I just might try replacing the stock op-amps with Burson dual HD op-amps. From what I've read this is a very easy mod that reaps huge benefits. I'm thinking about it for sure.
After talking to Stephen at Quest for Sound I decided to give the NOS Amperex Bugle Boy (1958) tube a whirl. Stephen reminded me not to pass judgement till it had a good 100 hrs on it. He did however say that I would immediately hear a difference compared to the stock tube. He was dead on! Right off the bat the music was more detailed & a lushness was added that I didn't notice before.
I then let it run for the alloted 100 hrs (sneaking a listen hear & there) & it just got better & better. Now that it's fully burned in all I can say is "WOW" what a huge difference across the board sonically.
I've also read about a few easy mods that crank things up a nother notch with this dac. I just might try replacing the stock op-amps with Burson dual HD op-amps. From what I've read this is a very easy mod that reaps huge benefits. I'm thinking about it for sure.
"2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
Post edited by pearsall001 on
Comments
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Well, there you go...........now you can begin to understand what some of us are chasing; and it's damn fun, isn't it?
+1 on Burson products. I have a pair of Burson discrete regulators to put in my dac. I've already modded the PS section as well as new OP-amps in the analog stage and upgraded coupling caps. The difference is not subtle.
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
Congrats on the tube find. Amperex BB's add a great 3-D quality to the music for sure. What type of getter does it have?
Greg
Taken from a recent Audioholics reply regarding "Club Polk" and Polk speakers:
"I'm yet to hear a Polk speaker that merits more than a sentence and 60 seconds discussion."![:\](https://forum.polkaudio.com/resources/emoji/confused.png ":\")
My response is: If you need 60 seconds to respond in one sentence, you probably should't be evaluating Polk speakers.....
"Green leaves reveal the heart spoken Khatru"- Jon Anderson
"Have A Little Faith! And Everything You'll Face, Will Jump From Out Right On Into Place! Yeah! Take A Little Time! And Everything You'll Find, Will Move From Gloom Right On Into Shine!"- Arthur Lee -
Just a tad off topic, Greg, I scored a pair of 1960 NOS Valvo Hamburg ECC83 45* slant getter on your recommendation. Can't wait to hear them.
H9
P.s. back to your regularly scheduled programming"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
Excellent Brock! You will like them! They have excellent tones. One of the better 12AX7 tubes (IMO). I have only used them in one pre-amp though so I don't know how different they sound in another brand of pre? Please let us know what you think of them.
Greg
Taken from a recent Audioholics reply regarding "Club Polk" and Polk speakers:
"I'm yet to hear a Polk speaker that merits more than a sentence and 60 seconds discussion."
My response is: If you need 60 seconds to respond in one sentence, you probably should't be evaluating Polk speakers.....
"Green leaves reveal the heart spoken Khatru"- Jon Anderson
"Have A Little Faith! And Everything You'll Face, Will Jump From Out Right On Into Place! Yeah! Take A Little Time! And Everything You'll Find, Will Move From Gloom Right On Into Shine!"- Arthur Lee -
Congrats on the tube find. Amperex BB's add a great 3-D quality to the music for sure. What type of getter does it have?
Greg
Being pretty new on the tube scene...what the hell is "getter"? "2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up. -
pearsall001 wrote: »Being pretty new on the tube scene...what the hell is "getter"?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getter
It's usually on top, on a post and can be shaped like the letter "D" or horsehoe or square, most are round. Some tubes have them on the side and some older power tubes and rectifiers can have them on the bottom
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
In vacuum or gas-filled tubes, it is a small, ring or cup-shaped device containing a powdered metal that reacts strongly to oxygen. When the tube is sealed, the getter is fired (heated) to further evacuate a vacuum tube or to remove impurities from the gas. Firing causes the getter material to oxidize and absorb any free oxygen in the tube, which would otherwise oxidize the active electrodes and decrease the tube's life. Tubes with graphite-based electrodes do not use getters, because the graphite itself absorbs oxygen.
In a vacuum tube, the location of the getter is sometimes identified by a shiny silver deposit behind the glass, which is residue from the firing. The metal used in the getter depends on tube manufacturer, type and composition. Barium is an excellent oxygen absorber and is used in tubes with a fired getter. Zirconium and titanium, also used as getter material, oxidize from the tube's self-generated heat and do not require firing."Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
http://www.tube-classics.de/TC/Tubes/Characteristics/Characteristics.htm
Click on the above and then click on the various getters for pics.
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
http://www.tube-classics.de/TC/Tubes/Characteristics/Characteristics.htm
Click on the above and then click on the various getters for pics.
H9
Brock, thanks for all the great information! Interesting stuff to say the least. I'll have to pop the dac's hood & take a look.
Does one style perform better than others or is just the way manufactures choose to do it."2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up. -
Depending on the tube manufacturer and the type of tube the getter can have a dramatic difference in the sound the tube produces. It can alter the tones, 3-D imaging and stereo separation to name a few things. Is the Amperex BB you have a 6922 or 6DJ8 tube?
Greg
Taken from a recent Audioholics reply regarding "Club Polk" and Polk speakers:
"I'm yet to hear a Polk speaker that merits more than a sentence and 60 seconds discussion."
My response is: If you need 60 seconds to respond in one sentence, you probably should't be evaluating Polk speakers.....
"Green leaves reveal the heart spoken Khatru"- Jon Anderson
"Have A Little Faith! And Everything You'll Face, Will Jump From Out Right On Into Place! Yeah! Take A Little Time! And Everything You'll Find, Will Move From Gloom Right On Into Shine!"- Arthur Lee -
Depending on the tube manufacturer and the type of tube the getter can have a dramatic difference in the sound the tube produces. It can alter the tones, 3-D imaging and stereo separation to name a few things. Is the Amperex BB you have a 6922 or 6DJ8 tube?
Greg
I'm almost 100% positive that it's a 6DJ8. I'll confirm with Stephen on Monday & also ask him about the getter. Thanks"2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up. -
More detail and lushness is a good thing. I find that tubes make my rig sound more musical.
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Nice review. The Amperex BB and the A-frame are my favorites. Glad it improved your system. Get more if you really like them before the price is sky high.
