I'm back!!! And back to basics for the moment. (lots of pictures)

[Mr. Lin]

Tubes galore!

Now for the really fun part! :drool:

As with most aspects of my hi-fi systems, years ago I invested quite a bit of time, and more than a bit of money into tubes. I caught the disease, despite the ominous warnings of some AK members.

In order to have these tubes in one very safe place, I purchased two "Tube Cubes" from Tube Depot. Hardly the cheapest solution, but I really like these things because they're basically indestructible (lifetime warranty), and you can pull out little pieces of foam to arrange the tube boxes any way you please. Of course I now have way more tubes than I can fit in two of these cases, but I'm presently broke so the others get a nice little wooden box.

Here's what the case looks like with tubes in it, followed by a closeup of one of the cases:

Next you see the very first pair of NOS tubes I ever purchased - they came from Virginia Tube Audio - Sylvania ECG 12AX7. From that point I was hooked on NOS tubes. These have a sound more in the realm of traditional, stereotypical tubey-ness, if you know what I mean. Warm, liquid (especially that), with a somewhat overblown midrange and rolled off top-end. Sounds like it would be a mess but when you want to eat ice cream they're pretty fun. I chose to start off with them a few nights ago:

From that point on I shifted my focus from everything else toward the search for the perfect tubes. This led me to Upscale Audio, purveyors of the very best NOS tubes at a premium price. But I happily (well maybe that's an exaggeration) payed the price once I verified that their tubes really are all that and a bag of chips, on top of good customer service, should you need servicing.

Upscale is run by Uncle Kevin (not actually my uncle), who, as he says, does indeed "have your back." Apparently he's traveled the world searching for forgotten lots of fantastic NOS tubes. He and his team then thoroughly test and examine them all, and break them down into three categories: Driver Grade, Gold, and Platinum. Prices rise accordingly.

Yes, I've done the ebay thing too, and yes I've gotten some good deals that way as well. But when you want the best, and you want to avoid the anxiety of wondering whether you've got a tube on its last leg, or even worse, a counterfeit, these guys are the way to go IMO. I know I kind of sound like an advertisement right now, but I support small businesses who actually do what they say they do, and provide good customer support, and Kevin has always done me right. In fact, last Christmas I asked for and received a pair of Tung Sol 5751 tubes for my Jolida CD player. There was just one small problem: one of the 5751 tubes was actually a 12AT7! Well, when Kevin found out about this he flipped. He called me on the phone, apologized profusely, and went on and on about how this mistake was totally unacceptable. I just didn't want to get anybody fired over it. To make it right, he sent me a platinum rated pair of 1950s-era RCA triple-mica black plate 5751 tubes, which he now sells for $80 a pop, about three times what the Tung Sol tubes cost. That's what I'm talking about.

So, brief intermission and then I'll get on with the tubes I bought from Upscale.

...

 

[davidro]

That so looks like a mafia briefcase dude

 

[theophile]

A nice recommendation for a vendor who values Customer Service as a business fundamental. :thmbsp:

 

[Mr. Lin]

Rollin' rollin' rollin'...

Last night I began the tube fun by pulling out the Sylvania ECG 12AX7's seen in the last post, and replaced them with a pair of Philips Holland 12AX7, platinum rated from Upscale. One cool thing about these tubes is that they have an unusual (AFAIK) dimple-pan getter. I now wish I'd attempted to photograph that part of them, maybe later.

With these tubes comes clearer and better defined high frequencies, and a generally neutral sound all around. As you can see, parts of the boxes are having issues:

A word on the boxes: call me materialistic, but I really love some of the boxes these old tubes come in, as well as some of what's silk-screened onto the tubes. Case in point:

La Radiotechnique 12AU7, made for the French military's Signal Corps, as denoted by the little flags you see on the tube on the right. Isn't that neat? Well I think it is at least. In a lot of ways these tubes are somewhat similar to the Philips seen above. They don't really have much of a character in fact, the sound is neutral, unobtrusive, sparkly on top, perhaps a little lean in the middle. These are from ebay, I have a better pair that's even older from Upscale, more on those later. As for the tubes in question:

Next is another cherished pair from Upscale: Siemens Roehre E82CC (12AU7). The exposed filaments on these glow brighter than this tube type typically does. They're definitely quality: extended top end, and improved dynamic impact. I'm running them right now:

Now excuse me as I go futz around with my cartridge for a few moments. Then I'll be back with one more tube picture/story.


...

 

[theophile]

"A word on the boxes: call me materialistic, but I really love some of the boxes these old tubes come in"

I actually surmised something similar about your nature when I saw how pristine the covers were on the records you posted(they aren't reissues).

Beyond Mint.

I thought "I get the feeling that this guy values the visual condition of the item as a desirable attribute".

 

[Mr. Lin]

That so looks like a mafia briefcase dude

Tube mafia man, don't f*** with me! istols:

Just a side note of sorts: I'm listening to a reissue of Charles Mingus' The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, which is a pretty good recording both musically and sonically. I pulled this one out on purpose because I wanted to readjust the VTA and VTF and see what happens. I dropped that pivot end of the tonearm as far down as it can go, since, if memory serves correctly, Grado cartridges like a VTA that's a little tail down. Then - because of course messing with the VTA necessitates readjusting the tracking force - I lightened the VTF from 1.8g to 1.5g.

I like the results. The sound became a little smoother, and perhaps more that I can't think of how to describe because it's 3:30 in the morning.

 

[Mr. Lin]

"A word on the boxes: call me materialistic, but I really love some of the boxes these old tubes come in"

I actually surmised something similar about your nature when I saw how pristine the covers were on the records you posted(they aren't reissues).

Beyond Mint.

I thought "I get the feeling that this guy values the visual condition of the item as a desirable attribute".

That would be a correct assertion, and thank you for complimenting my records. I went to the trouble of ordering hundreds of .5mil thick clear lp sleeves from sleevetown, as well as their best inner sleeves. Every new record goes right into one of those, and if it's special in some way or another, it gets one of the fancy inner sleeves as well. One of my pet peeves is those blasted cheap half-circle plastic inner sleeves that so many lps come with. Those go right into the trash.

 

[davidro]

Tube mafia man, don't f*** with me! istols:

Just a side note of sorts: I'm listening to a reissue of Charles Mingus' The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, which is a pretty good recording both musically and sonically. I pulled this one out on purpose because I wanted to readjust the VTA and VTF and see what happens. I dropped that pivot end of the tonearm as far down as it can go, since, if memory serves correctly, Grado cartridges like a VTA that's a little tail down. Then - because of course messing with the VTA necessitates readjusting the tracking force - I lightened the VTF from 1.8g to 1.5g.

I like the results. The sound became a little smoother, and perhaps more that I can't think of how to describe because it's 3:30 in the morning.

Meaning the reissue is a 180g?

 

[theophile]

Daylight Saving Time here in Oz is Sunday 19:55.

No daylight saving where I live: 18:55 here. :yes:

 

[Mr. Lin]

OK let's wrap it up for tonight...

One of the smart aspects of Mr. Wright's design for the 200C phono preamp is a power supply in a completely separate chassis, with an umbilical cord that's fairly long, allowing one to place the power supply a good distance away from the copper chassis, the gain and equalization stages. Even cooler, IMO, is that even the power supply is 100% tube - tube rectified, probably most significantly.

So in the picture you see a close-up of the two tubes in the power supply, which they share with a large capacitor and the power transformer. The rectifier is the ubiquitous 6X4 type (I like them because they glow brightly ), and a 6EM7 type tube is for series pass regulation. On that last task, will one of our resident techs or more knowledgeable tube-heads please explain what the heck a series pass regulator does? George Wright explained it to me in a now-lost e-mail, but back then I had literally no knowledge whatsoever of electronics, and now I've taught myself the basics so I should be able to get the drift of what it's about. Thank you.

A word on tube rolling with the power supply. I have four different 6EM7 tubes or variants thereof, and I don't hear any difference at all from one to the next. Probably not surprising.

But - the rectifier tubes are a different story. I have the JAN Philips example seen in the picture below, which is my favorite, but also Sylvania, and Mullard 6X4's. It was with the Mullard that I first really noticed immediately that there seemed to be more bass in general, which was subsequently reduced when I went back to one of the others. Some of you might be skeptical, but years later (as in this past summer, I believe) there was a review in one of the hi-fi mags (either TAS or Stereophile) of some fancy amp of one sort of another that was tube rectified. The reviewer made a comment about his (and others') opinion that tube rectification can result in better bass than typical solid state rectification. So perhaps it would follow that since the 6X4 has some impact on the sound, different ones might yield different results. I don't claim to know for sure, but I recall being pretty confident about what I was hearing with the Mullard 6X4 tube. Just food for thought I suppose.

With that I bid you bonsoir and guten Abend until tomorrow evening, when I'll come up with some other pictures and antics that will hopefully amuse some of you.


...

 

[Mr. Lin]

Meaning the reissue is a 180g?

Yep, that's right. I see that now there's another reissue of this album and Mingus... x5 that are double 45rpm lps. If only I had money right now...

Daylight Saving Time here in Oz is Sunday 19:55.

No daylight saving where I live: 18:55 here. :yes:

Wow, I forgot that you guys are that far ahead of us. I like how my dysfunctional sleeping habits have resulted in me currently having an all-Aussie audience. :thmbsp:

 

[theophile]

I like how my dysfunctional sleeping habits have resulted in me currently having an all-Aussie audience. :thmbsp:

I'm aware that this is completely lacking in humility,but:

You could do a lot worse.

 

[Mr. Lin]

I'm aware that this is completely lacking in humility,but:

You could do a lot worse.

In all honesty, I already knew that. :yes:

 

[Mr. Lin]

It's going to be a fun night...

I'll be back here shortly with more pictures of albums, tubes, and so forth. Now I have to go take some of said pictures.

 

[Mr. Lin]

Ok, seems to be a quiet night on AK, but it's the end of a holiday weekend, so I suppose that's not a surprise.

So here's the deal - I'm a freaking liar. I said I wasn't going to put up anymore pictures of albums I'm listening to, but just one more time, just one more...

I'm sure most of you will overlook this minor offense.

Tonight I actually started things with a couple records from the Rubble series, a six volume reissue lp set - I bought every one after hearing the first volume - it features various 60s-era U.K psychedelic and freakbeat bands. Really cool. But I gave those their own thread, with pictures of each, because they have great covers, and I like great covers. So check that out, it's in the turntable forum too.

I stopped by the house where the majority of my lps are currently stored - which is now like going to a really awesome record store since I have the analog setup back in action. And again, there's more than few I've either never listened to yet, or hardly listened to at all.

One of those records - although in truth I've spun it at least three or four times, because I like it a lot - is the classic Mingus album The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady. I mentioned it last night as I used it to test a cartridge setup tweak. I'm also amazed at the bizarre horns (and notes they hit) at the very beginning of this record. And the sound, it is very fine:

Next, the famous and excellent Herbie Hancock album Head Hunters. I didn't beat it up like that, it came that way. But the record sounds fine:

My cousin (and closest friend) recently opened a record store! I visited a few weeks ago and picked up this Roxy Music comp, among other things. I have most of their albums on CD, but this is worth having too IMO, especially since it starts with my favorite Roxy song: "Love Is The Drug" And no, the actual record is not clear/colored like the picture on the cover - what a disappointment!

Now, many people don't know about my second favorite band - the Australian act that's been around since the early 80s and continues to make amazing albums today: The Church. Or if they do know, they know the band only from the huge hit single of the late 80s: "Under the Milky Way." Take it from me, they have waaaay more to offer than that. Front man/bassist Steve Kilbey has been making solo albums as long as the band has existed, and most of them are very good. This is one example, although somewhat neglected even among Kilbey/Church fans, the dark, synth-laden, and trippy Remindlessness:

I bought this reissue a little more than a year ago just out of curiosity. See, I was just an infant during its time. When I heard it, I had one of those "Wow! I had no idea what I've been missing!" moments. I really, really like this album, and I don't know how the original lp sounded, but this reissue has top-notch sound, period:

Now, quick break, then more album pictures and comments. I can go all night baby!

 

[theophile]

Is it true that Pink Floyd looked at that Mingus LP's cover for inspiration when they were designing the cover for 'The Wall'?

More nice LPs please.... :yes:

 

[theophile]

So,it's 04:00 in the morning for you Lin....You're a night-owl aren't you?

 

[Mr. Lin]

Oh good you're back! So I'm not talking to myself at the moment.

Is it true that Pink Floyd looked at that Mingus LP's cover for inspiration when they were designing the cover for 'The Wall'?

More nice LPs please.... :yes:

I have no idea, honestly. I'll bet someone around here does though.

So,it's 04:00 in the morning for you Lin....You're a night-owl aren't you?

Well, yes. I don't always do this. It's a good thing I don't drink, or I'd never be motivated and/or steady enough to take all these pictures. :yuck:

I'm starting the next post now, much to my girlfriend's irritation.

 

[Scuzzer]

Mingus, Herbie and Roxy Music. Damn you've got fine taste in music Mr. Lin!

 

[Mr. Lin]

Onward!

This is a reissue of an (obviously) old mono recording. Unfortunately something must have gone wrong when it was pressed, because during the first three songs there's excessive noise (like crackling, dirt, etc) but only in the left channel. With headphones in particular this is annoying. And it was like that the first time I unwrapped it and put it on the turntable.

But even through the problematic first tracks it's enjoyable, and even though I'm using a stereo cartridge (I know, one doesn't have to have a mono cartridge for mono records to sound good - see recently revived thread in this forum). How can I describe the sound... ? Redding's voice, for one thing, is clear as daylight and it sounds powerful in this recording - I'm tempted to say piercing but the negative connotations make that a bad idea. Dynamics in general are strong, not just the vocals:

When I got the elusive disc update e-mail notifying me of this lp's release I thought: I need to hear another recording of Four Seasons like I need a hole in the head. But the promise of a tight performance, unusual interpretation, and great sound lured me in, and I pulled the trigger (what the heck, one more hole won't hurt). It's different, that's for sure, and tight. It lacks the timeless beauty heard in certain parts of the original version, but mostly makes up for it by being intriguing. And the sound is good enough to be attention-grabbing. Plus it has a cool OBI:

I love classical music. And I like Stravinsky (we're not at the point of love just yet in our relationship, but one day), and these are pieces I'd heard of, but never actually heard before buying this lp. Yes, once again, this is another "audiophile" reissue. But there are no defects. The record is quiet, the dynamic range adequately large, the music quite entertaining. As for the quiet part, it's a good thing because there are lots of nearly silent passages throughout this record, so noise would kind of ruin things. And again, as a bonus, I think the cover is nice:

Let's see, what next... Those of you who are fans of the "shoegaze" genre will know the band Lush. I actually haven't gotten to this one yet tonight, but I used to play it every once in a while. It's an ep, and it's played at 45rpm. Luckily, the sound is good. The music - well, if you're familiar with this band the quality of the content is a give - female vocals, fuzzy guitars, infectious melodies, and so on and so forth:

I'm a big fan of Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. This album came out last year, or something like that, maybe longer ago. This guy puts out a lot of albums, and I have to say that up until this one I've immensely enjoyed all of them. This one, titled Beware, certainly isn't bad, but it doesn't do it for me, it's boring. I wonder if repeated listening will one day change my mind, you all know how that goes. Beware indeed:

Where to even begin with this one?! How about with the manufacturer's description:
Transferred from the original three-track session master tapes directly to master lacquer on Bernie Grundman’s all-tube cutting system.
This was enough to pull me in, hook, line, and sinker. But it was out of stock. I forgot to cancel the order as I usually do in that case, and about 8 months later Music Direct contacted me wanting to know if I still wanted the record, it was back in stock. I said "no." But then I thought about it, and ended up buying it. And I'm glad I did.

There's a very negative review of this record on the Acoustic Sounds website. The reviewer complains that the record was noisy to the point of being unacceptable. Mine is not, thankfully. However, every once in a while, in the background, there's some kind of noise, almost like something ripping. Maybe that's part of what he was talking about? Doesn't bother me, and I'm picky.

So I put this record on expecting there to be some noise, and expecting to be pissed off and wallow in my own self pity for about 15 minutes, then move on. Quiex vinyl? We'll see about that. But it's true in this case. Aside from the tape hiss (to which I'm practically immune), it is DEAD silent, I mean nothing (intermittent sound aside), no pops, crackles, or another other noises that sound like an advertisement for cereal. The performance is good, a little warm overall, dynamic range is big, dynamic impact dramatic, this is a winner. Oh, and I like the cover :

That's all of it for now - at least all of it that I took pictures of. Next I'm going to try and get away with putting together another post about glorious tubes. Yes.


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