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Tube Rolling

Morgan D

Morgan D

Super Member
Hi, I will soon have an all tube system. I just have a general question. Which component in the analog chain effects the system the most? Where should I experiment with tube rolling. My thinking is the phono pre amp has the most influence. I know they all do to some degree . It is a 6L6gc 10 w SET amp.
 
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All of them. :D I do agree with phono tubes being important. You deffenetly want low noise non microphonic tubes in the phono stage. I did play around with some in my phono preamp. A few did make a difference in overall tone.
 
What are the other tubes? The signal tubes such as 12AX7 are what most people roll for a different flavor. Lesser effects are seen in swapping the power tubes and rectifier tube if equipped.
 
12AX7's in one phono preamp, I liked Sylvania gray plates in it. The JJ's were a close second. In another it used 12AY7's and I really liked a pair pair of GE's I put in it. The phono preamp I'm using now uses 6922's. I tried a few and wound up putting the EH 6922's that came with it back in. For new manufacture I tend to like JJ signal tubes, but the EH brand sounded right to me even over some old stock tubes I tried. It's all kind of subjective I guess. What I like others may not.
 
The 6l6 amp also includes [I think] 12au7's along with the line stage and the phono pre has 12ax7s. I am thinking of trying some JJ's in the phono pre. I have some baldwins that came with the phono pre. Any web site's you guys like?
 
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bobabode said:
What are the other tubes? The signal tubes such as 12AX7 are what most people roll for a different flavor. Lesser effects are seen in swapping the power tubes and rectifier tube if equipped.
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This.
But I'm not clear on your chain. Do you have an integrated with a built in phono stage, no phono stage integrated with a stand alone phono, or a full set of separates with distinct phono stage, preamp and power amp?
I'd roll the 12AX7 or 12AU7s closest to the power tubes first as that will affect everything you hear in the end. Swapping phono tubes before power amp driver tubes will only affect phono sq, while the power amp drivers will affect all your sources. What color ar your Baldwins as they source tubes from at least 3 manufacturers, maybe 4.

"Maybe... Baldwin used many contributors. Yellow paint is Raytheon. RCA is white, Sylvania green, and there were other colors. With the yellow paint, you can identify Raytheon contract origin, but Raytheon had outsourced production to Japan in the ‘60s, so some yellow paint are from Hitachi or Toshiba, under Raytheon."
 
They are all separates , all from PJL electronics . The Baldwins have green printing. Is that good? I am also green.
Which non microphonic tubes could I use for say under $100 a tube? Or do I have to just dig deeper? I love Sherman and MR. Peabody ! I'm about 40 mi south of Canada.
 
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Main amp running all RCAs; 2A3, 12AY7. Kinda partial to RCAs, Commands and black plates. Gold Lion 2A3 back ups.
Phono was GEs; GE 5 Star 5751. I like Telefunkens and the RCA Commands too. I didn't have much success with Amperex.

All made a difference compared to Russian or Chinese tubes. If going that way, I would go JJ (supposedly the most quiet) from Slovakia or EH Gold Lions.
For the phono pre I would try some 5751 even though they have lower gain; JJs.
Sylvanias and Phillips are inexpensive and I've some JAN phillips coming in for the phono. Running some Raytheons now, tighter on the bass than EHs.

I think NOS are built better and sound better than new tubes.
Some like JJs and Gold Lions etc.
YMMV
 
JohnT123 said:
I highly recommend the JJ E83CC for phono amp duty. Modern tubes that compete well with vintage.
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I haven't used a JJ signal tube yet I didn't like. I have JJ 12AU7 long plates in my mono blocks. JJ 12DW7's in my ST-35, a JJ 12AX7 as a driver in my headphone amp and JJ 12AX7's in an Aikido preamp I built and gave to my son.
 
If they are GEs they are probably good to go. If you want to roll the 12ax7s, look for different plates: black and grey. Also the plates differ in size, long and short.

IMG_2154.jpg

Left is 12AX7 Telefunken, I think like a Sovtek long plate (12AX7LPS) and the right is 5751 JJ with a short plate.
From what I remember, 12ax7s might have the most variations of all the tubes! Lots of different ones to try including the 5751s.
Quiet tubes usually mean trying triple micas, the round things holding the plates:

IMG_2155.jpeg

JJs are supposed to be quiet because the glass is supposedly thicker. Good place for JJs is Vivatubes.
Have fun.
 
THe MP-7 is now my back up. I'm running the Modwright PH9.0 now. I was running a Tavish Adagio which was a pure tube phono stage.
You will like the MM-6! The MP-7 is a real giant killer; almost as good as the Adagio!
 
Flattire you, more than anybody, are the reason I am still going to try SS again. Keith's Web site is the best I have ever seen.
I keep on trying to get him to write about the AR speaker lineage and for my side of the country the Altec Lansing, JBL stuff. It just has to be mentioned! Not many people know that James Lansing started JBL in San Marcos CA.
 
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A few folks have described the MM-6/MP-7 as warm, but I wouldn't know for I have/had a tube pre and amp in my system.
The MM-6 will sound great, especially since you already have tubes in your system. It will make that SAE cart sing!
 
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