neutralzz

the pins are assymetrical, one is bigger one is smaller.. which is the signal pin? or it doesnt matter?

where are all the hd650 hiding?? come out of hiding!!!

found!

After years of playing with tubes, NOS still sound the best for me. I've no luck with those still in production tubes.

for power tubes, i only like mesh plate tubes which is why i dont have that many choices. current productions from 天津and 曙光are superb performers, if not one of the best. perhaps i'll withdraw my statement if i get my hands on a pair of emission labs.

曙光came up with a black carbon treasure tube series recently in dec 2008 and they've been looking extremely tempting to me

for pre-amp/driver stage tubes without a doubt, NOS tubes tubes definitely supercede many if not all current productions, but i'll see if i can get my hands on a pair of TJ's 12AU/AX7 but its too unreasonably priced in sg. supposed remakes of the telefunken ecc83 with some improvements in structure/design

Thanks, all.

 

The Diva preamp uses three 12AX7 tubes but TS Lim has later recommended using two 12AX7 on the front and back, and one 12AT7 in the middle.

 

At the moment I have the GE Jan5751 with green letterings for the front and back (SGD20 each); waiting for the triple mica version to arrive.

 

As for the centre tubes, have tried the following:

Mullard CV4004 (1986) - came with amp, so not sure how much this is going for.

Philips JAN 12AT7WC (1980's)-$20 from Martin

Electro-Harmonix 12AX7 with gold pins - $20 from Martin (loan from a friend)

Mullard ECC83 (original O-Getter version- pictured below) - this is the most expensive of the four

 

From the four, in order of preference: Mullard ECC83 (definite winner), Mullard CV4004, Electro-Harmonix, Philips. Waiting for a Philips Miniwatt 6021 with gold pins to come in (second pic); will see how that one goes.

welcome to the permutation game whilst rolling the centre pre-tube results in the most significant sonic changes, the 2 other driver tubes too can result in sound differences.. so you are stuck in the scenario of trying to match both.. than choosing the best for the middle..

its going to be expensive to play around.. but definitely fun

at least you have an OTL amplifier.. and not transformer coupled.. else there's going to be another additional variability in the output path.. :X

Tubes look better in the dark.

welcome to the dark side

if you're keen on a very airy sounding but leaner bass, you can consider the dual thick mica 5751 from westinghouse, identical construction etc to that of the GE with one less mica spacer at the top. martin used to have them and may still have them.. cheap and good sounding.

whilst most people would warn against swopping 12AU7, 12AT7, 12AX7, 12AX7A interchangeably etc, they actually are pretty swoppable, except that you have to determine what parameter you are trying to achieve, i.e. lower gain but higher current drive = 12AU7, or high gain, but low current drive 12AX7 etc..

(and the crappiest thing about tubes, is that sometimes expensive is not equivalent to best sounding)

hmm.. 4th oct.. my 2A3 headphone amp might not be ready by then.. probably see you guys at the next meet.

hi all.

been away from headfi for a long time.. used to be into headphones and earphones years ago but went back to speakers and all that...

so right now with the upcoming launch of the beyerdynamics Tesla series that got me excited.. i decided to re-look at one of the old shelved plans to build a no-compromise tube headphone amp.

this is only for listening at work.. cuz at home i'm predominantly using speakers.

so right now i'm considering whether its irrational for me to revive the DIY amp project, or instead buy a cheapo headphone amp and use the $$ saved to fund a ZU credenza that i've been eying to match my 2A3 and 300B amps..

in your shoes.. which one would you choose?

I paid $900 for my hi-fi cables from a friend who DIY them. Copper cables. Sorry, don't know the details. I had monster cables before the switch. The difference was obvious. Bass and overall noticeably more musical. Since then, I have been a believer.

 

I was told, not tried it myself, that silver can make a sound harsh because of too much detail. Well, I guess it makes sense because of the level of conductivity. Copper is warmer.

 

I compared Cresendo's silver, copper directs and stock cables on my D2 Boa with a pair of SR80 with WAV. Noticeable difference between stock and the others, but really couldn't hear much of a diff between silver and copper. With a prices difference of 100%, sorry man, I'm not going to go for silver.

 

I think I would also agree that it is dependent on the system. Mid to high range home hi-fi system is very different from a portable one.

wow.. $900 for hifi cables.. occ copper? what speakers/amp are you using to justify this.. cable expenditure?

a small new set up away from home

nuforce icon & a pair of spendors

the nuforce icon is surprisingly warm and mellow, never bright. i have had the sr80/sr225 eons ago, and i used to use it with a musical fidelity amp headphone out.. with a couple of tube ampls and what not, it still has the same sound signature.

at least grados/alessandros for me right now's just for a cheap thrill, maybe listen a little a bit for the highs and what not, but definitely not for long duration listening.

my equipment often goes for relentless long durations of burn in, i've left my headphones blaring away for over a week or more a couple of times. at least to my hearing, grados/alessandros dont give you a horizontal linear response. they tend to augment the highs a lot more.

Wow, seem like many have already quit headfi. I left the headphone scene more than a year ago for various reasons.

 

1. I thought I have spent an excessive sum of $ on headphone stuff that cannot justify the costs.

2. It is a selfish hobby where only one gets to enjoy it at any one time.

3. I spend more time tweaking/changing stuff than listening to music.

4. The flavour of the month frenzy that sings praise of one component, only to be condemned in 30 days' time.

 

Moved to photography and never looked back. I'm still into audio DIY though, but only to fulfill my wish of DIYing an entire system, just for the joy of it. The material costs aren't high either, as long as you know where to find them.

 

The only headfi gear I left with is an ipod nano -> iBasso D2 Viper -> UM2.

actually i think i have spent more on photography than on headphones but i felt that spending on photog was more justifable a cost

and point number 4 -> i agree

bored of it eons ago still into speakers though

just being bored. still running cans in

you can squeeze the shure biflange onto the ue10

ok i'm back in action.

can the admins delete that mangosteens account? stupid username anyway. was a random thing back then

heheh, and i tought sarah brightman was not as bright as i liked her to be, not even on grados sr60. Perhaps i prefer the "shrills down my spine" kind of feeling.

 

I havent tried the alessandros before, but i remember they were suppossed to be an alternative for ppl who find the grados too bright. Since ur pair is new, perhaps they need some burn-in/condition period?

yeah i left it overnight blaring away on my nuforce icon. hopefully it gets better now

ahhh yes i remember my previous username all of a sudden.. neutralzz.. but just forgot the p/w and email

been a long time since i popped around here.. forgot the password and email to former account here too

my disappearance back then was due to going overseas for a stint before coming back here.

decided to drop by stereo again to pick up a pair of headphones as i've gone full time IEM ever since i made a couple of good purchases off earphone solutions and was craving for phones again.

they had those alessandros lying around and i decided to pick up a pair for the fun of it. asked the guys whether these alessandros were still that bright and "high" as the grados prestiges that gives people a slight ear-ache..

the salesman looked at me in disbelief.. as though i was a newbie and asked what bitrate were my mp3s encoded at.. and that mp3s should be encoded at 190kbps bitrate and above etc (i encode my own mp3s at 320kbps off EAC thankyou)

and right now listening to the alessandros i bought.. sarah brightman is.. bright indeed and i feel the earache coming again.

so.. the long story short.. is it only me? or what?

thanks

My brothers started it, I followed.

 

It used to be a Linn LP12, Grace G707, Dyna 10x4, Aragon tube pre which needed to be heated up, Audionics power, Mission 700s which was the rave of the British press at that time, What Hifi?

darn there's no drool emoticon lol.. LP12

martin stocks new tubes.

well audio's more for nos tubes

clarification needed.. how are we supposed to short the pcs jumper area?

hmm.. did the signal lines... had an idea actually..

decided to strip my spare belden 89259, used a penknife to slit along the insulation gently to expose the shielding and core..

removed the core from the shielding.. and slotted in 2 strands of 20 awg p-occ wires... soldered the shielding to the signal ground on one end.. i.e. rca end

wrapped the teflon insulation back.. and heat shrinked the whole thing..

so its now sorta.. 1 copper shield and 2 teflon shields for the signal line.. hope it turns out well

4556 should be usable

btw a query here for the db102g

 

on the board the + and - are on adjacent/diagonal sides whereas those i have are like these in the picture + and - along the same side

 

is this the correct db102? farnell only had this..

 

ookie no issue.. after looking at the schematic, and testing the db102g no issues at all.

just threw on the trim pots.. maybe gonna do the rca wires tonight

erm its not that necessary if you dont intend to roll your op-amp and you have.. excellent soldering skills..

else a socket is highly recommended