Tube Change WOW what an improvment

ezc

Changed the tubes in my cdp about a week ago & wow! This player is my first & only peice of equipment with tubes & I didnt know what to expect. The upgrade was not expensive, $30 for the matched pair & noticable improvement. I went form jan 6922 tubes to electro harmonix 6922 tubes w/gold pins the music now is much more resolved & has more infomation (dosnt sound as lean). I was told that it will get even better & some of the brightness will go away with more hours. Once instelled the player ran on repeat for 4 days. I listened every day for about an hour & it just got better by the day. Listened last night for a few hours & the time just flew by! I now understand why tube equipment is a favorite of 2ch systems! I never knew the LSi15 could sound that good!!!

organ

Great to hear. You should try out as many tubes as you can and use the ones that sounds best to you. There's nothing better than trying out new tubes. EH makes some killer tubes. Don't know if Svetlana (SED) makes 6922 but if they do, you should check them out. SED make great tubes. A lot of times NOS tubes will sound better but some are just too expensive. What brand 6922 were you using before the EH?

Maurice

madmax

Amperex Bugle Boy 6922's are awesome too. They are so full sounding that they turned my system into something different all together! The best way I can describe the bass is "bubbly" whatever that means...
madmax

RuSsMaN

Agreed Chuck, I really dig the Amperex and the Sovtek also. Amperex have a lively, open sound to them, the Sovtek are a little darker, a little more lush.

Just got some Mullard 6DJ8's in to try out this weekend.

Cheers,
Russ

ezc

I was using Philips Jan 6922 tubes that came with the player before switching to the EH. I never knew a tube change could make such a big difference in sound. Ill use these for awhile than try somthing else! Been looking at Sovtek to try next! It just gets better & better! My tube cdp sounds so much better than my ss yamaha, did a a/b test using the same ic's throught the same equipment & the tube cdp was sooooo much smoother & fuller! Last night sat down to listen for s ahort while next thing I knew 2.5 hrs has gone by, yup another night of minimum sleep!

scottdawg

I bought a matched pair of Amperex etched with Hewlett Packard from a guy off ebay, they were made in USA, dont think they're bugle boy but they sound better than anything else I have. The 6922 is a better quality 6DJ8, heres a link with some good info on the 6DJ8 variety.

http://www.audiotubes.com/6dj8.htm

HBombToo

Originally posted by scottdawg
The 6922 is a better quality 6DJ8, heres a link with some good info on the 6DJ8 variety.

http://www.audiotubes.com/6dj8.htm

I agree!

HBomb

RuSsMaN

A 6922 isn't always better, it's pretty much just a 6DJ8 that meets MIL Spec (specs out higher, closer tolerances).

Either way, I've got 2 tube preamps (one is actually setup as a small SET amp, it just doesn't have enough power to drive speakers alone), and a tube cdp - all using 6DJ8 / 6922. I'm a fan, to say the least.

Nice thing also, they are readily available, beit used, NOS, or just plain NEW, and can be affordable if needed.

Cheers,
Russ

ezc

Do NOS tubes sound better than tubes produced currently? Is there a certain brand of NOS tubes that sound good? & Last question how are tubes matched? I feel like Im asking dumb questions but tube's are new to me! Thanks!

scottdawg

Im curious to hear if anyone has the 7308 and what they sound like. Hey Russ, if your a baseball fan Georgia and Texas in the winners bracket Sunday for a step towards the CWS. (college world series)

pjdami

Congrats ezc. Yes different tubes make an amazing difference.

I already own one tube cd player and plan on another when I can afford it.

Rolling tubes I find makes more of a sonic difference than using different brands of wire. Just get some good wire, leave it alone and try different tubes to taylor the sound. Much more affordable and less frustrating at times. It is another variable in the equation.

I haven't tried any Amperex, Mullard, Telefunken, or some of the more expensive ones yet but have Sovtek, Svetlana, Jan Phillips, and EH tubes that I switch around in the rotation.

ezc

Paul,
What is the correct way to roll tubes? Do I find ic, speaker & pc cables that has a sound I like than roll tubes to fine tune or do i roll tubes than try to match the cables? Oh gee soo many options to try but not enough money to try them all: ) Listening to music now is much more interesting. I find myself actually sitting down & listening, before Id sit down for a few min than stand up & go do somthing else while the music played in the background. I learn somthing new almost every day! I tried the eh tubes with the dampening rings & without dampening rings, with the rings on the tube the top end isnt there the music dosnt open up, without the rings wow the top end is open & airy & more resolved! With the philips jan tubes it sounded better with the rings on! I guess each tube is different what works for one may not work for the other! I still cant believe how good the LSi15 sound! I can imagane how good they must sound played through a good 2 ch system!

HBombToo

Your likes are very personal. looks like you at least understand there is a difference.

MY ADVICE!

continue having fun:p tubes are the greatest IMHO.

Henry

pjdami

What is the correct way to roll tubes? Do I find ic, speaker & pc cables that has a sound I like than roll tubes to fine tune or do i roll tubes than try to match the cables?

Now that is the $10,000 question for sure ezc. Tubes add another dimension to the sound equation. The answer really comes from experimentation like you did with the dampeners. If your wire is of good enough quality (like yours is) then just leave it alone and try different tubes. But I can see the reverse working as well... now isn't this fun?:D Eventually, you will find the combo that you like the best.

ezc

Yup this is why I enjoy A/V! It seems like I learn somthing new all the time & the more I learn the more fun I have! ( or is it the more confused I get?) I have a set of sigma speaker cable I want to try but Ill wait till I know the sound of my system with the new tubes, than see how the sigma sounds. I have been asking myself "will I ever reach a point where Im happy with the sound of my system? My answer nah I doubt it there will always be somthing to try, somthing to tweak or a new equipment thay may sound better. Now with tubes I need to go back & try different speaker cable, ic & pc to see if the sound can improve again!!! I guess thats why my wife calls me nuts! Always trying to improve the picture & sound! My last room tweak, Went to Walmart last sunday & purchased 210" of black canvas materal & a bag of wooden cloths pins! You guessed it! I put the material over my vertical blinds & pinned it to the vert blind track! No more reflection from the blinds back to the display! Definatly helped the picture, I think it helped the sound also by not being as reflective as the blinds! Only problem we cant open the blinds with the material hanging, Its fine by me but dosnt have the waf! Ill post a pic later!

organ

Originally posted by ezc
Do NOS tubes sound better than tubes produced currently? Is there a certain brand of NOS tubes that sound good? & Last question how are tubes matched? I feel like Im asking dumb questions but tube's are new to me! Thanks!

From my experience, most of the time NOS will sound better.

There are many ways people measure tubes to be matched. The most popular from what I've seen is matching the plate current and voltage.

If you're thinking about buying some NOS tubes, do it quickly. Their prices are increasing just like the gas stations. But unlike gas, the price won't be going down. Not sure which companies made 6DJ8 and 6922's but the most popular companies from the old days are Mullard, Telefunken, Siemens, RCA, Amperex, GE, Sylvania, Philips, etc. Some tubes are re-labelled. For example, you may find a tube labeled 'Amperex' but the actual tube was made by Mullard. A re-labeled Mullard will cost less than a Mullard made and stamped tube.

Maurice

ezc

Thanks for the info on tubes, been looking on line & some tubes are expensive! I have alot to learn & try! I have friends here that are really into 2 ch & they have lots of tubes & offered them for me to try in my player. Im going that way, it wont cost me anything to try diffrent tubes & if & when I find a tube I like Ill buy a set!

scottdawg

hey ezc, Im going to be in Maui next April to visit family, my grandparents are celebrating their 75th wedding anniversary.

ezc

Scottdawg,

Cool Maui is a breautiful island! Not as crowded as Oahu & Maui has some killer beaches! Maui is how Oahu used to be maby 20 years ago. We went to maui last year for vacation & stayed at the Hayatt Regency maui for a few days, really really relaxing. Went swimming every day & did some sight seeing. I wish we had some sort of bridge to drive from island to island, flying between the islands is very costly. We always go to Komoda Bakery in Makawao to eat cream puffs & chocolate cream puffs & if time premits we bring a box home! Got to go early they usually sell out! Youll have a killer time!

scottdawg

Ah man I remember in 1969 when we lived there I was 6 years old and we would walk to Komoda's in the mornings to get doughnuts. The house we were living in belonged to my grandparents it was up that hill in front of the library, my dad was in Vietnam and we stayed there while he was gone. I havent been back since but damn you brought back some memories.

ezc

Oh Yah Komodas Glazed & sugar doughnuts are still good! They got this doughnut thats on a stick (not sure what its called) Good too! But my favorite still cream puff & chocolate cream puff! I can eat 2 each for breakfeast!