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Music Hall's DAC 25.2

Handlebar said:
i got an old Mullard tube for mine.. got it from AKer Stoutblock.. am happy with it as I am with the Music Hall dac.. :thmbsp:
Hbar
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The MH DAC really likes high spec tubes. I've found the Mullard CV2493 is awesome (if you can find them) and the CV2492 is probably almost as good and a little easier to find. Siemens and Valvo E88CC are also a good choice.

The high spec tubes are a little on the high side dollar wise but you only need one and they should last a long, long time...
 
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Thank you all for your suggestions. This will be my first outboard DAC and am looking forward to it.
 
I bought the MH 25.2 about one month ago. I immediately swapped the EH 6922 for a JJ, with a Herbie tube damper. My first impression was that it did indeed sound pretty good for the $595 price tag. It did improve with some break in time.

My cd player is a $3000 Musical Fidelity A308 which has had many expensive mods to it. It's an incredible sounding machine, to say the least. I tried comparing the MH 25.2 directly to it by using a Nordost MoonGlo spdif cable. I a/b'd the A308's built in DAC with the MH, and my A308 sounded better to me, with more air, soundstage and better high frequency detail. What the hell, I expected it to sound better considering the price difference. But I was impressed at how good the MH sounded. I should point out that tube rolling has a huge impact on most audio equipment. A different tube could have narrowed the gap.

I really bought the MH 25.2 for use with a pc music server. After ripping a favorite cd to AIFF using iTunes on a Windows XP pc, I connected the MH to my Musical Fidelity A308 preamp using Nordost Red Dawn ic's, and an ordinary usb cable to the pc. The usb cable had a ferrite core on one end. When I ran iTunes and the ripped tracks, the sound was not what I had expected. The high frequencies were somehow screwed up and it didn't sound at all like it did when I had used the cd player as the source for it. I tried a different usb cable which didn't have the ferrite core and seemed to have better shielding, and I noticed a big improvement in the sound overall. A friend of mine dropped by with a dbAudioLabs usb cable to try out, and it was an immediate big improvement. The MH dac sounded much cleaner, with a purer sound overall and much less noise. The usb cable was at least as big an improvement as the tube swap, if not more so.
 
Number 6 said:
I bought the MH 25.2 about one month ago. I immediately swapped the EH 6922 for a JJ, with a Herbie tube damper. My first impression was that it did indeed sound pretty good for the $595 price tag. It did improve with some break in time.

My cd player is a $3000 Musical Fidelity A308 which has had many expensive mods to it. It's an incredible sounding machine, to say the least. I tried comparing the MH 25.2 directly to it by using a Nordost MoonGlo spdif cable. I a/b'd the A308's built in DAC with the MH, and my A308 sounded better to me, with more air, soundstage and better high frequency detail. What the hell, I expected it to sound better considering the price difference. But I was impressed at how good the MH sounded. I should point out that tube rolling has a huge impact on most audio equipment. A different tube could have narrowed the gap.

I really bought the MH 25.2 for use with a pc music server. After ripping a favorite cd to AIFF using iTunes on a Windows XP pc, I connected the MH to my Musical Fidelity A308 preamp using Nordost Red Dawn ic's, and an ordinary usb cable to the pc. The usb cable had a ferrite core on one end. When I ran iTunes and the ripped tracks, the sound was not what I had expected. The high frequencies were somehow screwed up and it didn't sound at all like it did when I had used the cd player as the source for it. I tried a different usb cable which didn't have the ferrite core and seemed to have better shielding, and I noticed a big improvement in the sound overall. A friend of mine dropped by with a dbAudioLabs usb cable to try out, and it was an immediate big improvement. The MH dac sounded much cleaner, with a purer sound overall and much less noise. The usb cable was at least as big an improvement as the tube swap, if not more so.
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I thought you were never coming back. ;)
 
The DAC has been breaking in for about 3 days and I have to agree with everyone's opinion,it really is great sounding,even with the stock tube. Much better than a Marantz and OPPO BD player I had auditioned and they both played SACDs. So much so, that I am playing CDs I havent listened to in years because they sound so good.

This may be one of the best upgrades I've made in ages.To hear the smoothness of the tube has me wanting more....
 
I just received a pair of Mullard CV2492 tubes for $90 for my DAC from a place called Tubemonger. I ordered them on Wed. evening and they arrived here today at noon. After I check them out, I'll be sending one of them to another AK'er because I only need one. Thanks to this thread for recommending the Mullard. I'll give my impressions here after I install and listen tonight.
 
classic carl said:
I just received a pair of Mullard CV2492 tubes for $90 for my DAC from a place called Tubemonger. I ordered them on Wed. evening and they arrived here today at noon. After I check them out, I'll be sending one of them to another AK'er because I only need one. Thanks to this thread for recommending the Mullard. I'll give my impressions here after I install and listen tonight.
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Those aren't the box plate ones, are they? I'd really like to hear your impressions of your new tubes, although since they're Mullards I think I know what's coming... :)
 
Mr. Lin said:
Those aren't the box plate ones, are they? I'd really like to hear your impressions of your new tubes, although since they're Mullards I think I know what's coming... :)
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I don't know what you mean by box plate ones. Please explain.

The Mullard is definitely a step up from the stock tube. I'd like to thank stoutblock for his recommendation. This tube has a better low end and it brings a warmer presence to the midrange. The biggest difference is the improved soundstage. I was listening with a buddy yesterday and we both noticed that it sounded like the music was coming from the entire wall as it does with my vinyl sources instead of 2 speakers and a sub.
 
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classic carl said:
I don't know what you mean by box plate ones. Please explain.
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I'll do better than explain, I'll show you. Although it's not particularly easy to tell from the picture, the grid plates on these tubes are like boxes, instead of just flat plates. However, the point is sort of moot here because I made a mistake, these are 12AX7 tubes, not 6922. I don't know if Mullard made other "box plate" tube types. Just thought I'd show you for your information. I didn't know about them until I bought a pair.

classic carl said:
The Mullard is definitely a step up from the stock tube. I'd like to thank stoutblock for his recommendation. This tube has a better low end and it brings a warmer presence to the midrange. The biggest difference is the improved soundstage. I was listening with a buddy yesterday and we both noticed that it sounded like the music was coming from the entire wall as it does with my vinyl sources instead of 2 speakers and a sub.
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Nice, sounds like a winner. Remind me, what was the stock tube? Or is it not labeled?
 

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Mr. Lin said:
Nice, sounds like a winner. Remind me, what was the stock tube? Or is it not labeled?
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The stock tube is an Electro-Harmonix 6922. I don't know if the Mullard is a box plate type. It's installed in the DAC and the other one is boxed up waiting to be shipped to another AK'er pending payment.
 
classic carl said:
The stock tube is an Electro-Harmonix 6922. I don't know if the Mullard is a box plate type. It's installed in the DAC and the other one is boxed up waiting to be shipped to another AK'er pending payment.
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On AK I make no secret of the fact that I'm not a fan of any type of EH tube that I've tried; they're my least favorite of the "new production" tubes. So I'm not surprised you heard an improvement. Sometimes tubes get better after many hours of use, but who knows...
 
classic carl said:
I don't know what you mean by box plate ones. Please explain.

The Mullard is definitely a step up from the stock tube. I'd like to thank stoutblock for his recommendation. This tube has a better low end and it brings a warmer presence to the midrange. The biggest difference is the improved soundstage. I was listening with a buddy yesterday and we both noticed that it sounded like the music was coming from the entire wall as it does with my vinyl sources instead of 2 speakers and a sub.
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No problems. I tried about 6 different tubes and the Mullard CV2493 was a clear winner in my system. I have never heard the CV2492 but I know the CV2493 is a select CV2492 so I'm sure it is similar if not the same. Does your CV2492 have gold pins?
 
stoutblock said:
No problems. I tried about 6 different tubes and the Mullard CV2493 was a clear winner in my system. I have never heard the CV2492 but I know the CV2493 is a select CV2492 so I'm sure it is similar if not the same. Does your CV2492 have gold pins?
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Yes it does.

Mr. Lin,
The stock EH tube was in the DAC for almost 8 months, so I'm sure that it had a chance to burn in.
 
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You guys agree on the Mullard CV2493? I've tried a JJ 6922, which definitely was an improvement over the stock EH. It was smoother, but in my system the dac still doesn't have the soundstage to compare with my other sources. I'm trying an nos Amperex 6922 now, and I think I might stick with it for a while. I might try the Mullard, but it would be nice if I can find one locally to try out first. I've ordered the Burson discrete opamp upgrades for my dac. Once I get them and burn them in I'll post my impressions of them.
 
classic carl said:
Mr. Lin,
The stock EH tube was in the DAC for almost 8 months, so I'm sure that it had a chance to burn in.
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I was actually referring to your new Mullard tube.

Number 6 said:
You guys agree on the Mullard CV2493? I've tried a JJ 6922, which definitely was an improvement over the stock EH. It was smoother, but in my system the dac still doesn't have the soundstage to compare with my other sources. I'm trying an nos Amperex 6922 now, and I think I might stick with it for a while. I might try the Mullard, but it would be nice if I can find one locally to try out first. I've ordered the Burson discrete opamp upgrades for my dac. Once I get them and burn them in I'll post my impressions of them.
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Of the new production tubes, I really like the JJ as well. The Burson discrete op-amps are really neat, I've read a couple reviews of them. That will probably make quite a difference.
 
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