How many tubes do you have in your rig?
treitz3
Posts: 19,029
Hello all and good afternoon to you all.
Just as the title states, how many tubes are you running in your system?
I'll start.
Lampizator DAC/PS - 4
Canary Pre/PS - 7
Jolida JD-9 MkII - 2
So, for my rig? At the moment, I have a total of 13 tubes that heat up the room quite well and offer me that great tube bliss.
What say you?
I may be wrong but I believe John has the most amount of tubes in his system simply because of his amps (from memory). Not that this is a contest or challenge....just curious.
If you don't have tubes...do you want to introduce them into the rig or are you satisfied with straight up SS?
If you do have tubes in your rig...do you yearn for more or have you found that sweet spot where you are content and just want to roll tubes from here on out?
Tom
Just as the title states, how many tubes are you running in your system?
I'll start.
Lampizator DAC/PS - 4
Canary Pre/PS - 7
Jolida JD-9 MkII - 2
So, for my rig? At the moment, I have a total of 13 tubes that heat up the room quite well and offer me that great tube bliss.
What say you?
I may be wrong but I believe John has the most amount of tubes in his system simply because of his amps (from memory). Not that this is a contest or challenge....just curious.
If you don't have tubes...do you want to introduce them into the rig or are you satisfied with straight up SS?
If you do have tubes in your rig...do you yearn for more or have you found that sweet spot where you are content and just want to roll tubes from here on out?
Tom
~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
Comments
-
6 in the preamp
In the power supply 1-5ar4, 1-6bq5 and 1-12ax7
In the signal path 2-12au7 and 1-12ax7 -
9 Cary SLP-05
3 OPPO-Mod Wright 205
2 JD-9 Mkii -
None yet but I have 1 tube pre in house for a trial & picking up another one Sat to do a comparison. Having some fun 🎵🎵🎵"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.
-
Just one tube here….
The little Aiyima tube pre/DAC combo unit does surprisingly well with the tiny 5W class A ACA Mini driving the R200’s (despite their low-ish efficiency.) Fun to fool around with for sure. 😁🤘🏻
Current Collection: Monitor 4a (Peerless), Monitor 5B (Peerless), Modified Monitor 7b (Peerless), RTA15TL (SL3000), SDA CRS+ (194’s), SDA SRS 2.3TL, R100's, R200’s, R300 🤩 -
Five tubes, but two are twin triodes -- i.e., functionally, seven.
The number goes up quite a bit when the MR-67 tuner's online.
PS -- don't ask me how many there are in the house in toto, or even how many vacuum tube hifi components there are here. I do not know. I do even have one all vacuum tube television (a GE Portacolor!), and it sort of works, but not really. I can get a raster on it. -
Zero 😬
Not ready for that pursuit at this time, damnit treitz.... 😳 -
Six
2 in the Modwright SWL9.0SE
4 in the Modwright PH9.0X
The more tubes the merrier!2 Channel in my home attic/bar/man cave
2 Channel Focal Kanta 3 I Modwright SWL9.0 Anniversary Pre I Modwright PH9.0X I Modwright KWA-150SE I VPI Prime Signature w/ Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC I Lumin U2 Mini I North Star Designs Intenso DAC I Audience OHNO ICs/Audience Furutech FP-S55N and FP-S032N Power Cables/Acoustic Zen Satori I Isotek Sirius -
Audio Research Reference 3. 4 - 6H30 audio circuit. 1- 6H30 and 1 - 6550 in the power supply.
Bottlehead Eros Phono. 2 - Telefunken EF86 first gain stage, 1- Amperex 7308 second gain and 1 - 12BH7 regulator. Yes, the Eros is worthy of the pricey tubes.
Ten total tubes.
Had tube amps before. Very happy with my Krell KSA-250 NPN bipolar SS amp. It gets toasty. Fortunately, the open main level with high ceilings doesn't trap the heat.
Salk SoundScape 8's * Audio Research Reference 3 * Bottlehead Eros Phono * Park's Audio Budgie SUT * Krell KSA-250 * Harmonic Technology Pro 9+ * Signature Series Sonore Music Server w/Deux PS * Roon * Gustard R26 DAC / Singxer SU-6 DDC * Heavy Plinth Lenco L75 Idler Drive * AA MG-1 Linear Air Bearing Arm * AT33PTG/II & Denon 103R * Richard Gray 600S * NHT B-12d subs * GIK Acoustic Treatments * Sennheiser HD650 * -
Jolida JD9 phono preamp: 2
Eastern Electric M520 integrated: 10 -
WOW!!! 3 JD-9’s in this thread…
-
6
2 x ECC802
4 x EL34
Analog: MoFi MasterTracker > MoFi UltraDeck > Sutherland 20/20
Digital: Cambridge CXC / Streaming > Cambridge CXN v2
MastersounD Dueventi > Rosso Fiorentino Certaldo or Arcam rHead > Hifiman HE4XX
Discogs -
I'll play. The next question should be how many tubes do you own for all the tube gear in your house!?
Eastern Electric - Avant Pre-amp
(3) 12AX7/ECC83 - 1 pair of 1956 Tung Sol JTL 5751WA; single 1959 GE Gray plate for the balanced output which I am currently not using. So the tube is just a "place holder"
(4) 12AU7/ECC82 - 1 pair 1955 Brimar ECC82 long black ladder plate w/sq getter; 1 pair 1960 Sylvania JHS Gold 5814 3 mica gray plate
(1) 6X4 - 1959 Tung Sol JTL 6X4WA black plat "D" getter (rectifier)
Eastern Electric - Mini Max Dac PLUS
(1) 12AU7/ECC82 - Single 1957 Amperex Holland ECC82 long gray plate w/slant getter.
That's the main rig. I still own (3) integrated tube amps w/power tubes 6L6 and 6V6. Driver tubes are 12AU and 12AX variants as well as 6SL7, etc.
I have been trying to obsess less on tube rolling as the combinations are literally more than I have life left to try. So far the above combination has been the most enjoyable.
As far as the dac, the Amperex went in the day I bought it and I changed it out one time for a 5814 GE tube, put the Amperex back in and it's been there ever since.
In the dac the op-amps for the tube and SS output are socketed. I have upgraded all (4) with DEXA discrete Op-amps about 6-7 years ago. Made a huge difference.
The rig has never sounded better.
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! -
I'll play. The next question should be how many tubes do you own for all the tube gear in your house!?
H9
Oh God !! That's more than I want to type!! -
Right now I have enough tubes....meaning the right amount. I also own a huge stash to keep the rolling going if I so choose. I have found when I want to just change things up, sometimes just a different battery of tubes scratches that itch vs. buying something new.
I will be replacing the awesome Pass Aleph 30 soon. It's been a trusted work horse and if you're a single ended class A guy, sounds superb. Moving on to the most current iteration in the same vein the Pass XA25.
I was negotiating with a guy (buying an XA25) a couple weeks ago, asking questions, etc. $3.5K+ outlay person to person is huge deal to me. So I was covering all the bases and someone swooped in and paid him more than asking right as I was getting his PP info. I was annoyed, but that's how buying used gear on the internet goes it seems. Anyway sorry for going slightly off topic......
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! -
I was thinking a round number......listing them all would take me until next weekend!
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! -
I used to have 26 tubes in play at the same time when I ran a Sonic Frontiers Line 3 preamp with a Sonic Frontiers Power 2 amp together. I suppose it could be 28 if the twin tubes inside a Musical Fidelity A5 cd player are counted. I no longer run tube gear although I do still have the Power 2 amp and A5 cd player stashed away. I preferred running the tube preamp with a solid state amp and the tube amp with a solid state preamp anyway.
-
I have only 7 tubes in my rig two 6sl7 in my preamp two rectifier tubes in the separate power supply one of my 866 rectifier tubes is from the 1920's, two 6sn7 in my dac and a 6x5 in the rectifier of the DAC.
-
2Gustard X26 Pro DAC
Belles 21A Pre modded with Mundorf Supreme caps
B&K M200 Sonata monoblocks refreshed and upgraded
Polk SDA 1C's modded / 1000Va Dreadnaught
Wireworld Silver Eclipse IC's and speaker cables
Harman Kardon T65C w/Grado Gold. (Don't laugh. It sounds great!)
There is about a 5% genetic difference between apes and men …but that difference is the difference between throwing your own poo when you are annoyed …and Einstein, Shakespeare and Miss January. by Dr. Sardonicus -
I have a tube of Preparation H. Can I join the club?
-
18 tubes, with twenty KT120’s in reserve…The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
4 in my Hagerman Cornet 2 phono pre...Jay
SDA 2BTL * Musical Fidelity A5cr amp * Oppo BDP-93 * Modded Adcom GDA-600 DAC * Rythmik F8 (x2)
Micro Seiki DQ-50 * Hagerman Cornet 2 Phono * A hodgepodge of cabling * Belkin PF60
Preamp rotation: Krell KSL (SCompRacer recapped) * Manley Shrimp * PS Audio 5.0 -
Just as the title states, how many tubes are you running in your system?
If you don't have tubes...do you want to introduce them into the rig or are you satisfied with straight up SS?
Zero. Satisfied with solid state.
-
Bat mono blocks --24
-
In the process of buying a bat pre amp and that has 8 tube in it.
-
37 total. 2 amps, 12 in each. Another amp (XAM receiver) has 13 in there I believe.SDA SRS 2.3TL's
Silk Audio MS-90-BT integrated tube amp
Yaqin MS-20L integrated tube amp
SDA 2B TL's -
Conrad Johnson ET3 pre has 4, but 3 are phono stage
-
“Just” 9. But, hey, that’s 9 more than I had 6 months ago.
12AU7 and 12AX7 recommendations from members here have me super-content at the moment. Time will tell what the future holds.
Brian
One-owner Polk Audio RTA 15TL speakers refreshed w/ Sonicap, Vishay/Mills and Cardas components by "pitdogg2," "xschop" billet tweeter plates and BH5 | Stereo REL Acoustics T/5x subwoofers w/ Bassline Blue cables | Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum III integrated tube amp | Technics SL-1210G turntable w/ Ortofon 2M Black LVB 250 MM cart | Sony CDP-508ESD CD player (as a transport) | LampizatOr Baltic 4 tube DAC | Nordost & DH Labs cables/interconnects | APC H15 Power Conditioner | GIK Acoustics room treatments | Degritter RCM -
“Just” 9. But, hey, that’s 9 more than I had 6 months ago.
12AU7 and 12AX7 recommendations from members here have me super-content at the moment. Time will tell what the future holds.
Have you tried the AX7's I sent you yet?Gustard X26 Pro DAC
Belles 21A Pre modded with Mundorf Supreme caps
B&K M200 Sonata monoblocks refreshed and upgraded
Polk SDA 1C's modded / 1000Va Dreadnaught
Wireworld Silver Eclipse IC's and speaker cables
Harman Kardon T65C w/Grado Gold. (Don't laugh. It sounds great!)
There is about a 5% genetic difference between apes and men …but that difference is the difference between throwing your own poo when you are annoyed …and Einstein, Shakespeare and Miss January. by Dr. Sardonicus -
Eighteen in the Joule Electra amp nine in the Cary none sure in the LA-300me
-
In with 28
5 in the Lampizator DAC
9 in the Cary 05 pre
14 in Rogue mono blocks
Sound is sooo goodAC Regenerator PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 10
Source Lumin U1 Mini into Lampizator Baltic 4 DAC
Pre Cary SLP-05
Power Rogue M180 Dark monos
Mains Salk HT2-TL
Rythmik F12
