dpump
valued member
Posts: 16 
|
Post by dpump on Sept 6, 2015 23:53:58 GMT
For all you tube rollers, you should remember that you can't get a true idea of a tube's sound if you plug it in, listen for a few minutes, and swap it out. Just like solid state, tubes need time to warm up and settle in. I would say at least 15-30 minutes for the tube to stabilize. Unfortunately, this negates the quick comparisons we all want to make. I recently installed 4 NOS tubes in one of my amps, let it warm up for 15 minutes, and then listened. I wasn't impressed as the sound was somewhat rough and unrefined. After using the amp for a few days with several listening sessions, these tubes have now settled down and are very clean and clear. Makes sense since these tubes haven't been used in many years, but it also applies to any 'cold' tube even if it has been used recently. It's something to think about when trying to compare tubes.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2015 23:58:16 GMT
@ Jellofund: The scratchiness of the volpot can also be heard with the input cap not bypassed. It is very faint though and is only heard when no music is playing. Ember 2 has an extra resistor which prevents this BUT with SOME tubes it is possible background hiss becomes audible. Modification is possible. When I have some time I can do those mods to my Ember and make a tutorial. Now quite busy with 3 other time consuming articles and proto typing. Thank you Frans! It's one of these things I've been meaning to ask for a while but never quite got round to. As you say it's quite faint and only really becomes slightly more noticeable towards the top end of the pot. Not somewhere I'm ever likely to go in normal usage. Really appreciate the offer of a tutorial but it's not something that bothers me enough to feel the need for modification. Just having the reassurance that it's a normal 'characteristic' of the volpot is good enough for me. Cheers, Mark |
|
olindh
valued member
Posts: 11
|
Post by olindh on Sept 7, 2015 8:29:07 GMT
Hey all, There's a lot of great info in here and a lot of tube discussion, but being late to the game, it's hard to find the time to read through all 107 pages. Does anyone have a consolidated list of their impressions of various tubes with the Ember? This would be hugely helpful and it may already exist on the forums here somewhere. The best two I've got at the moment as the Amperex 6DJ8 EC88 and the Sylvania 6SN7 GTB. My first gut impression is that the Sylvania is clearer with more sense of space and depth, but the Amperex is no slouch. I've only been comparing them for a couple of days, and so far feel like I could be happy with either of them. I've got a few other 6SN7 tubes, but they've gotten yanked pretty quickly since they can't stand up to the Sylvania. I've also got the Frankenember setup, but haven't had a chance to play around with it yet. I'll certainly give it a shot, but I tend to prefer simplicity. If you want to go with the 6sn7 type then I read a couple of reviews from reputable people saying the Shuguang treasure tube is better than the best of NOS 6sn7. Another guy over at head-fi says it is as good as Franken ember setup. It requires some burn in time though. I aim to purchase one myself but have some other tubes incoming that I want to try first. www.ebay.com/itm/252076188223?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT |
|
howie
quite active
Posts: 158
|
Post by howie on Sept 7, 2015 9:46:16 GMT
Does that Shuguang fit into the 34mm diameter hole in the top plate? I think I read somewhere that it has a wider base than other 6SN7's.
|
|
obo78
valued member
Posts: 22
|
Post by obo78 on Sept 7, 2015 12:45:27 GMT
Does that Shuguang fit into the 34mm diameter hole in the top plate? I think I read somewhere that it has a wider base than other 6SN7's. Once you have the adapter in place it sits above the top plate. I use mine without any problem. |
|
|
|
Post by richard51 on Sept 7, 2015 14:36:19 GMT
Hey all, There's a lot of great info in here and a lot of tube discussion, but being late to the game, it's hard to find the time to read through all 107 pages. Does anyone have a consolidated list of their impressions of various tubes with the Ember? This would be hugely helpful and it may already exist on the forums here somewhere. The best two I've got at the moment as the Amperex 6DJ8 EC88 and the Sylvania 6SN7 GTB. My first gut impression is that the Sylvania is clearer with more sense of space and depth, but the Amperex is no slouch. I've only been comparing them for a couple of days, and so far feel like I could be happy with either of them. I've got a few other 6SN7 tubes, but they've gotten yanked pretty quickly since they can't stand up to the Sylvania. I've also got the Frankenember setup, but haven't had a chance to play around with it yet. I'll certainly give it a shot, but I tend to prefer simplicity. If you want to go with the 6sn7 type then I read a couple of reviews from reputable people saying the Shuguang treasure tube is better than the best of NOS 6sn7. Another guy over at head-fi says it is as good as Franken ember setup. It requires some burn in time though. I aim to purchase one myself but have some other tubes incoming that I want to try first. www.ebay.com/itm/252076188223?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AITI confirm what you said... if i had not already buy the 7193 twins tubes i would have bought the Shuguang Treasure CV-181 6SN7GT... i had read some review that equal it to the 7193...and its more simple: only one adapter to buy....best regards |
|
|
|
Post by tommo21 on Sept 7, 2015 17:52:17 GMT
Hi all.
I'm a old/new member. I've just gotten the Ember II. I've owned the Ember I previously. Selling that after not using it because of changed work conditions, but now I'm back.
I'm going down the 6sn7 route and also the Frankenember. Regarding the the Shuguang CV-181 Z I've been doing some research where I've found that getting Shuguang 6N8P with metallic bottom is getting you near 95% of the Treasure at 1/5th of the price. I've ordered a few different versions of these to try out. They're around $10 each, so no huge loss if they're crap. I've had good experience with cheap shuguang 12AX7 versions in an other amp previously. But have also been using the Shuguang Psvane "deluxe" versions as well.
|
|
|
|
Post by tunkejazz on Sept 7, 2015 18:29:37 GMT
If you want to go with the 6sn7 type then I read a couple of reviews from reputable people saying the Shuguang treasure tube is better than the best of NOS 6sn7. Another guy over at head-fi says it is as good as Franken ember setup. It requires some burn in time though. I aim to purchase one myself but have some other tubes incoming that I want to try first. www.ebay.com/itm/252076188223?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AITI confirm what you said... if i had not already buy the 7193 twins tubes i would have bought the Shuguang Treasure CV-181 6SN7GT... i had read some review that equal it to the 7193...and its more simple: only one adapter to buy....best regards I have only seen one person using this tube with the Ember, are there more posts? |
|
howie
quite active
Posts: 158
|
Post by howie on Sept 8, 2015 8:37:09 GMT
Does that Shuguang fit into the 34mm diameter hole in the top plate? I think I read somewhere that it has a wider base than other 6SN7's. Once you have the adapter in place it sits above the top plate. I use mine without any problem. Thanks for confirming it fits okay. I could be tempted!! |
|
|
|
Post by tunkejazz on Sept 8, 2015 18:49:53 GMT
I have tested a few tubes by now, but I keep coming back to my ken-rad vt-231. My new $20 Sylvania (supposedly) a Bad boy also sounds pretty god. I can live easily with them for a while!
|
|
|
|
Post by tommo21 on Sept 9, 2015 9:39:42 GMT
I've seen some earlier discussion in this thread about 12sn7 tubes. Can these tubes now be used on the Ember II with the 6sn7 adapter from Jeremy?
|
|
solderdude
Administrator
measureutternutter
Posts: 4,886
|
Post by solderdude on Sept 9, 2015 10:59:50 GMT
12SN7 tubes can not be used with Ember.
The only G1217 amp that can use them is the Solstice.
The reason for this is the only heater voltage that is present in these amps is 6V.
Noval 12V tubes have a centertap. This means Noval 12V tubes actually have 2x6V heaters in series.
By changing the pin configuration you can change the heater arrangement.
Between 4 and 5 is for 6V tubes and 4+5 connected to 9 is for 12V tubes (so in essence for a 12V Noval tube the heaters are in parallel)
The 12SN7 does not have a centertap, because of lack of free pins so it can only work with a real 12V on it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Thujone on Sept 9, 2015 13:39:44 GMT
Hey, folks! Haven't checked-in in a while but I figured I would since I have Ember back in my hands after a short tour over at changstar, and I also picked up an HE-6. Oh, and I was out of the loop long enough to need beg Jeremy for the growingly popular 6SN7 adapter/tube.
I've only just started listening to her again, and I have a lot to try out, but my main focus has been the HE-6. On that front, the Ember doesn't even choke. On low gain (with most tubes), I have to get the knob up to around 2:00 average. On high gain, I settle around 10:00. For the "least efficient headphone on the market", I'd say this is pretty great! The Sylvania 6SN7 tube I have on hand is crystal clear, but I've been preferring my Amperex Bugle 6DJ8 for the added warmth on the HE-6.
I know these aren't in depth impressions, but it's always nice to have another person chalk a 'yes' the "HE-6?" column. Now back to thinking about FrankenEmber...
|
|
|
|
Post by jhelms on Sept 9, 2015 14:21:00 GMT
Another confirmation is always awesome - thanks!
|
|
|
|
Post by skyline on Sept 9, 2015 14:38:43 GMT
Hey, folks! Haven't checked-in in a while but I figured I would since I have Ember back in my hands after a short tour over at changstar, and I also picked up an HE-6. Oh, and I was out of the loop long enough to need beg Jeremy for the growingly popular 6SN7 adapter/tube. I've only just started listening to her again, and I have a lot to try out, but my main focus has been the HE-6. On that front, the Ember doesn't even choke. On low gain (with most tubes), I have to get the knob up to around 2:00 average. On high gain, I settle around 10:00. For the "least efficient headphone on the market", I'd say this is pretty great! The Sylvania 6SN7 tube I have on hand is crystal clear, but I've been preferring my Amperex Bugle 6DJ8 for the added warmth on the HE-6. I know these aren't in depth impressions, but it's always nice to have another person chalk a 'yes' the "HE-6?" column. Now back to thinking about FrankenEmber... I have the Frankenember setup with no intention of using it if you're interested. Drop me a PM here or over at Changstar... |
|
