Tubes amp

[Kippei 0]

I was playing around with my SOHa... for some reason. I hit the sweet spot. The sound is good. I think the tube need some burning in to sound good. Some song i prefer it on soha over PPA. If only i can fix my random buzz and wheees....

[Kippei 0]

Whats input offset voltage......

 

I got OPA2132P and OPA2132PA. Spec sheets show OPA2132P have a lower offset

[squalle 0]

kippei

 

I just played around with different source

 

I have this digital receiver with its own DAC

hooking the SOHA to it, creates the same buzz and wheee...

haha. now I know wat u mean.

 

try on urs if it's the same. try put ur vol pot near max, will the buzz go away? it does on my setup

 

my setup is like this: NVidia onboard soundstorm --> optic out --> digital receiver + DAC --> SOHA

 

If I touch the case of the jack sockets (the body has some metal part), the buzz and whee sound go away. but, if i touch the pot, it becomes worse

are these all the same?

[Kippei 0]

yup the same situation the same scenerio..

 

My source is a iaudio U3

[Kippei 0]

Some of the tube review i found. 10 being the highest score

 

10

AEG ECC82

(Long Plate)

This is the best ECC82 I have heard, it sounds perfect and I have no complaints at all. The way this tube makes the sound become real is very impressing, the sound is smooth and warm but at the same time dynamic with excellent transient response and treble detail. Voices sound real and you can hear every detail without any veil. I found this tube on a close-out sale and paid $2.50 which makes this my cheapest ECC82. I walked around with it in my pocket for a day but now when I know how good it is I would be more careful, the most expensive ECC82 was $45 and this tube is worth much more to me. Unfortunately I don't know what kind of tube this is and it is probably very difficult to find another one. AEG-Telefunken is normally listed as one brand and I suppose it is some sort of Telefunken variety, it has long flat plates but is not identical to the Telefunken listed further down but pretty alike. Now I think I know, it looks EXACTLY as the EI ECC82. I tried the EI tube again and you can read my comments further down. The EI tube is a Telefunken copy and the AEG probably is a Telefunken tube. The Telefunken tube I have is not nearly as good as this one, there are many versions available and some are better than the others.

 

10

GE 5963

(Long Plate)

A very good tube, creating a stunning 3D 'audio hologram'. The treble is detailed and realistic, the midrange is clean with voices appearing with lots of realism and separating overdubs in a most impressive fashion. This is the tube I have been using for the past two weeks and I am very happy with its performance. I tried this tube several weeks ago and liked it a lot but replaced it since I thought the bass was too thin, a couple of weeks I tried it again and the bass is steadily improving and by now it is very good. The JJ ECC82 is still the bass reference but the GE 5963 comes pretty close, it is only below 30Hz or so it lacks some power. The bass is however still improving and with some more running in it may reach the JJ level. The RCA 5963 I have tried previously is also a good sounding tube and if it was not so microphonic it should have been in the 10 point level, the GE 5963 is not microphonic at all and share the RCA 5963 sonic character and is a clear 10 point tube. I bought this tube from Antique Electronic Supply and paid $4.50, a bargain!

 

10

JJ ECC82

(Long Plate)

The sound was a bit harsh at first but with some running in this is a top class tube with a nice, large soundstage and also impressive dynamic capabilities. The bass is the best of the ECC82s I have tried, it is however not quite as realistic sounding as the AEG or GE 5963 tubes but not far behind. It is well balanced and does not emphasize a particular frequency range like some of the very popular ECC82s like Telefunken or Mullard. A very good tube this too and with the availability and low price this is a tube I recommend, it costs less than $10 and I am very satisfied with this one too.

 

9

EI ECC82

(Long Plate)

I like this tube, it has a wonderful midrange, almost as good as the AEG but it lacks some detail and the treble is a bit rolled off.

This tube is probably the same as the AEG and the sound is very similar but lacks some detail and treble extension, this is because the EI tube has done service for a couple of years and probably is a bit worn out. I recommend this tube and it is still available at reasonable cost but maybe not much longer because the Yugoslavian factory was bombed in the war.

 

8

RCA 5963

(Long Ribbed Plate)

A nice sounding tube, good resolution and a musical sound. The lowest bass could be a little more firm. The soundstage is very good and it shares some of the treble qualities of the AEG. I was going to give this tube a score of 7 but the pins had some oxidation on them so I decided to clean them and after that the tube sound was improved substantially. Not quite up to the JJ standard yet, but some more breaking in may do the job. This NOS tube is still available at decent prices, I paid $17.

I have reduced the score from 9 to 8 because this tube is VERY microphonic, at low level it is probably the best of all my tubes but the microphonic behaviour makes it less interesting.

 

8

Mullard 12AU7LP

(Long Plate)

After some breaking in this tube started to sound really good with very good treble and good soundstaging. I think the treble is a little over-emphasized though and it does not sound as engaging as the two best tubes.

 

7

Telefunken ECC82/12AU7

(Long Plate)

I hoped this tube should sound as good as the AEG or better but it does not. Maybe it needs some running in but at the moment the sound is only good and slightly mechanical. It is not as smooth and alive sounding as the AEG tube. Telefunken has quite a reputation as one of the best manufacturers of tubes and I hope it will deliver the magic after some running in.

 

7

Sylvania 6189/12AU7WA

(Long Plate)

 

 

6

Philips 6189W

(Long Plate)

The deepest bass is not well defined and the treble is rolled off but the midrange is very good and also the ambient detail. A good tube for string quartets or small Jazz ensembles and it may also be perfect for mini-monitor speakers with metal dome tweeters.

 

6

Golden Dragon 12AU7/E82CC

Warm sounding, easy to listen to but it lacks some resolution.

 

6

Sovtek 12AU7A

Slightly mechanical sound but with good definition and a good soundstage.

 

 

[squalle 0]

LOL ours not even mentioned

 

btw, hmm maybe shd try tying the input ground and pot's body together, with the output ground too

the thing is, how to do that uncased?

 

[Kippei 0]

btw how hot does your lm337 runs

[squalle 0]

my guess is around 60-70c

[squalle 0]

wanna share some tubes with me?

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/LOT-OF-3-VACUUM-TUBES-...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

the tubes are 5963

if you calculate down, price of each is around 10 bux sing

[Kippei 0]

yep those are the ones with long plates.... i think i want 1....

[siriuz 0]

if no one wants the 3rd tube in the lot i'll have it!

[squalle 0]

wow

 

siriuz playing with tube amp too?

 

so shall we get them then?

 

who's got ebay acc? I dont

coz so far havent got any needs yet

[Kippei 0]

-.- sia lah i tot u have.....

[siriuz 0]

see everyone playing with tubes, so might as well =P

 

i don't have an ebay acc, is it easy to register one?

[Kippei 0]

I got a activated ebay acc and a unactivated paypal. But my paypal bust the limit for not activatiing but ordering is not as simple. 1 thing i dont like is the shipping can buy another 3 set of tubes.....

Edited January 14, 2006 by Kippei