I don’t know anything about tubes, but these say 6K4, which I understand to be the format?
And 82,7 M’ (no idea what that is referring to)
Now, I don’t see any visual damage but it seems one of the tubes has crapped out on me.
When I add it, the LEDs on the power switch and even the power supply drop significantly in brightness and I don’t get any sound or almost none, even at everything maxxed out.
So now, I could replace that tube, which I suppose means getting a pair.
And that would definitely be the sensible option.
I would need suggestions on which ones to get though. I have no clue about tubes.
On the other hand…it is christmas, and do have to say I enjoyed the way the tubes changes the sound signature of both my speakers and my headphones (balance modded DT880 600 ohms).
This is paired with an IFI dac/amp zen stack.
So I could see a world where I get a proper tube amp.
In that case I guess I would probably be looking at a Tor audio balanced amp.
Or the newer balanced xduoo, or maybe there is something new, I haven’t been keeping tabs on audio news.
I dunno, I would be open to suggestions if anybody feels like it, but primarily I am looking to get some tube suggestions for the fx-audio preamp.
Russian tubes used in submarines were built to last, and importantly, were quiet. If you can contact and interact with this “Tube Amp Doctor” via phone or email, I’d do it. Those tube guys are very knowledgeable.
Yeah, I think those are compatible. Your stock tubes were probably made in the mid 1980’s or sooner, probably in China. Those RCA’s were made in the early 1960’s, but never used. I don’t have any RCA’s myself, but they are well-respected. I’m a little uncertain how well they will work right next to a computer; they may be more sensitive to RF from PCs or phones.
Sooo… I got the RCAs.
I guess this fits a good,bad and ugly format.
The good?
Well it turns out the tube was NOT broken…yay.
And the RCA tubes work just fine too, although they are a bit hard to get in.
And I know where to get tubes now lol. The tube doctor guys were quick.
(oh and no different than the stock tubes in terms of RF noise, so fine by me)
The bad?
Well, I still had no sound.
Turned out the issue was the power supply!
I had the same problem with these tubes.
No matter what I did, every time I would add the second the power would drop.
Luckily I still had an ancient powersupply lying around from a small network switch.
Seems to work…for now. Let’s hope that doesn’t break anything…or itself.
Also I am pretty sure the power switch has a loose connection somewhere…
Might have to replace this after all.
The ugly?
I’m not sure I can hear a difference. I mean they do sound different, but I have trouble pinpointing how.
I want to say the RCA tubes respond faster/more precise, but they both sound very similar.
The stock 6k4 chinese (?) tubes might sound a bit more muffled by comparison, but not necessarily in a bad way. They make for sort of a more mellow vibe.
So I’m still not sure where I stand on getting a dedicated tube amp.
I do not see a world where it would be worth the investment from a sound improvement perspective.
But I’m not above enjoying how they look…or spending money on stuff I don’t need on christmas
Nice setup, I will be buying a few adapters for my Vali 3 in the near future in preparation for adding to my tube collection (I only have 3 x 5670 tubes thus far). Holding off on purchasing them at the moment due to fear of them getting lost in the mail during the holidays. Mid next month I will purchase a half dozen tubes to start my 2025 tube saga.
