I guess I am trying to say that the main point of buying a car is not for sound for most people(a car is def not an ideal environment for sound), and when you throw a killer stereo in the car your goal is not to get better performance from the car’s main function, but instead upgrade something else. Relating to the tube amp discussion above, wanting to upgrade the sound of a tube amp would be like wanting to upgrade the driving performance of a car. Throwing a 5k system in a crap car would be like using your darkvoice like a lamp, where you aren’t upgrading the main function of the item, instead upgrading a secondary aspect of it
I really hate it when you use logic and reason, M0N. <_<
My office was cold yesterday, so i powered up my tube amps and used them as heaters, i plugged in the cheap tubes btw…
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Don’t know if this is quite in line with the topic, so sorry if it is to off.
I wanna talk music for Tube amps. Now I know it sounds strange as the change a tube amp do should be for all kinds of music, but I am really want to try and understand how do these translate for genres, if one is better or the other, what should you should consider, and other stuff.
I am recently (ish) bought a cheap Hybrid Tube Amp and while hearing it I couldn’t spot major difference to my other amp. I even try A/B with it and to no effect. Now I know this can be just the amp in itself that lack “tubiness”, but this really got me thinking while looking at my usual test musics and other stuff kinds of music I usually hear. What would, at least in theory, make better use of Tubes?
Hmmm, yeah, I wouldn’t say there are any set rules or any more general rules of thumb. Some tube devices, particularly cheaper ones, are “slower” than solid state devices. This can lead to individual sounds blending together a bit more, which can translate into a messier or sloppier sound. Thus, the more detail a piece of music throws at it, the worse this gets. However, the level to which this happens does very from device to device and tube to tube.
I am curious about you not hearing a difference with your amp, though. Which tube amp are you using and what solid state amp are you comparing it to?
weird. even if I leave my Vali 2 on overnight, its not uncomfortable to wrap my hand around the tube.
Hybrid tube is the Bravo Ocean, with both stock and Electro Harmonix tube.
Solid-State is the DAC-X6, a combo dac/amp with a line-out I am using to feed the Ocean.
Like a said, both are cheap amps, so maybe is just that.
I have owned several hybrid amps and none sounded “tubey”. It might be that all of them were affordable, but they did not stand out from my SS amps.
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Imo if you wanted a bit warmer smoother wider leaning amp just grab a liquid spark instead of the cheaper tube hybrids lol
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I think the Loxjie P20 sounded reasonably “tubey.” But there are plenty of other reasons not to recommend that one.
I’ve not heard the Ocean but I imagine its tube is really just there to look cool.
question. is there a difference between an E88CC and ECC88 tube? Watford uses both terms for recommendations to pair with the Vali 2. and what about adding the letter B on the end? how does that affect what I’m looking at. does it make it entirely incompatible or does it just mean a nuance?
I’ll admit I used Google foo for this, from another board
The E88CC is a substitute for the 6922. The ECC88 is a substitute for the 6DJ8. The 6922 has a max voltage of 220 volts. The 6DJ8 has a max voltage of 120-130 volts. You can put a 6922 in a 6dj8 circuit but not the other way around.
Short version is in a Vali2 they are inter changable
Yeah, I kind though after I turned the the amp on and the tube was only slightly warm. And considering is a Class A amp which uses the whole unit as a heatsink, I don’t even know if it’s not warm because of the fets’ heat.
@M0N and @ShaneD I basically saw this used for like $45 shipped (amp + extra tube) in AVExchange and though “why not give it a try?” But I will note what you said of a warmer SS amp.
I might post some impressions of the amp in another thread here in the forum. I also have some photos of it, and I might just test some parts of the pcb just to make sure everything is working properly.
@Marzipan, my tube amps get extremely hot and To add to that heat source i have a class A amp In the mix that also generates mucho heat. Just for shits and grins this past winter on a particularly cold day i turned all 3 units on and left them running for a few hours to see what was going on, whew, the room got so hot it was honestly uncomfortable. It’s a fairly small room so the heat generated gets trapped and makes a difference.
There are hybrid designs that run the tubes at low voltages, they still get warm (they have heaters), but not as hot.
The starving student https://diyaudiostore.com/products/starving-student-ii does this and is considered quite good, but decent valve selection is very limited for those sorts of designs.
My speaker system has 2 130W Class A Valve monoblocks in it, they generate enough heat to heat any room they happen to be in.
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For the Vali 2, I hands down recc a 6CG7…any 6CG7 really. Between my father, brother, and I we all preferred the tonal characteristics with that amp. The best part is that any 6CG7/6FQ7 sounded great, and we rolled like 20+. I doubt that the amp uses the grounding pin/plate in a CG7 since we couldn’t really tell a difference so save some bucks and try a FQ7 if you can. Better than all new and NOS 6DJ8 variant I tried in it. 6SN7 is ok, but the CG is my go to. Happy to answer questions etc.
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thank you Mt! I emailed audiotube.com last night to see what they thought and this is what they recommended.
6DJ8 Amperex Bugle Boy 1960s Holland $49.00 each
6DJ8 Amperex “selected tube” medical grade aftermarket selected $80.00 each
6922 Amperex PQ premium quality logo, 1960s gold pin, $115.00 each
7308 Mullard UK made telecommunications grade early 1970s military stock gold pin, $175.00 each
can anyone advice what a good socket saver would be for my Vali 2? that way I don’t wear it out if I do start rolling tubes?
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