steamer Posted April 18, 2006 Author Share Posted April 18, 2006 Jay, I started this thread because I was asking the same question as you LOL. Not laughing at your question just the sudden reversal of it all. As you know I have only heard the Sovtek's in my amps.I do like them and they seem like big bang for the buck.My take on the situation is that the NOS RCA's are very good tubes if you want to spend the money.My RCA 45's from the same era are VERY good and if that is any indication then I can recommend the 2a3's.Blackplates seem to be more favored than the grey's and furthermore the monoplates are better than the dual plates.Sylvania's from that era are good too.This is all so subjective and one needs to test the waters it seems for what you like. I dont feel comfortable making any kind of recommendation except the Sovteks(bang for buck)and the RCA's(due to my expierience with the 45's).Another recommendation is to take the advise of the guys that have posted in this thread,they have much more expierience than me. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmusic Posted April 18, 2006 Share Posted April 18, 2006 Yea! right on, I was just trying to feel out what you thought. Erik says he likes the sovteks also. I guess I will get a few more opinions then decide. Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steamer Posted April 18, 2006 Author Share Posted April 18, 2006 Yea! right on, I was just trying to feel out what you thought. Erik says he likes the sovteks also. I guess I will get a few more opinions then decide. Jay Jay, Forgot to ask,what amps are you running? Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmusic Posted April 18, 2006 Share Posted April 18, 2006 It's the one I just got off audiogon Antique Sound Labs 2a3 Orchid SET Intergrated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steamer Posted April 19, 2006 Author Share Posted April 19, 2006 Well,I won an auction for a pair of NOS RCA 2a3's.I am looking forward to comparing them with the Sovteks. http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/auc.pl?accstube&1145497253&item&auc Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 Erik, The Moth is so cool looking. This is the first pic that showed off the two tubes inside the case with the little portholes. Are those 6sn7? Very very cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazman Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 Well,I won an auction for a pair of NOS RCA 2a3's.I am looking forward to comparing them with the Sovteks. http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/auc.pl?accstube&1145497253&item&auc Greg Greg, The tubes pictured in that ad are not RCA blackplates. They are grey plates. Notice the darker color of the plates in the photo below from the Tube World site. Also notice the square getter visible in the bottom of the tube on the right as oppsed to the halo getter of the tube in the bottom photo. The grey plate should still sound very good. Klipsch out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 Dee: "The Moth is so cool looking. This is the first pic that showed off the two tubes inside the case with the little portholes. Are those 6sn7? " It is a unique design, isn't it? It's a very big amp, too. The tubes you see through the ports are not 6SN7s, but rather 6SL7s -- one for each channel. Each 6SL7, just as the 6SN7 has two sections (kind of like two tubes in one envelope), and those are connected together in parallel, and in turn direct coupled (no coupling capacitors to worry over) to the grids of the 2A3s. The output transformers are inside, just behind the 6SL7s, and are giant things from Electraprint. I'll take some inside shots of this thing sometime. You would be amazed at how good this amp sounds with headphones and the Lexicon, recently worked on by Shawn. Quieter than it ever has been! Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 Greg: I hope you enjoy your new tubes -- which are actually antiques! Wolfram and my wife conspired together to get me a very nice pair for Christmas a couple of years ago, and they are very natural sounding 2A3s. I also like them very much. I find the Sovteks to be a little more forward sounding, which is not good or bad. Just something I notice, and I like aspects of all the 2A3s I have. I also have another pair of RCAs that I paid dearly for. Unfortunately, they have noise issues that are distracting. Have fun! Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steamer Posted April 20, 2006 Author Share Posted April 20, 2006 jazman, Yes,these are not the blackplates I spoke of in an earlier post.I think these are from the 50's due to the red lettering.Wanted to hear the older RCA's and the price was reasonable,I think? Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steamer Posted April 20, 2006 Author Share Posted April 20, 2006 Erik, I think the Moth is pretty cool too.Are they still in business? I am looking forward to the sound of the RCA's.Should be interesting. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcmusic Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 Greg, I have some sovteks coming today, I will give you my opinion after a session or two. Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazman Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 jazman, Yes,these are not the blackplates I spoke of in an earlier post.I think these are from the 50's due to the red lettering.Wanted to hear the older RCA's and the price was reasonable,I think? Greg Greg, Yes, the price was reasonable. There are however, plenty of vintage RCA blackplates available on ebay, and many go for bargain prices if one is willing to shop with the standard precautions of ebay purchase, meaning a buyer with sufficient positve feedback, and good communication. Patience, doing your homework on prices and brands, and not being caught up in bidding wars are the additional keys to success. I hope you enjoy your new tubes. Klipsch out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steamer Posted April 21, 2006 Author Share Posted April 21, 2006 Jay, I look forward to your impressions of the Sovteks.Dont know what you have replaced but I think you will like them.I'll have to give some impressions of the RCA's when they make it into the amps vs. the Sovteks. Every amp is different and has its own sound with any given tube so this could be interesting.I say interesting because the impressions expressed here are with amps other than mine.Will I have the same impressions? Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steamer Posted April 21, 2006 Author Share Posted April 21, 2006 jazman. I agree if a guy does it right he can land some very good tubes for a good price.I believe I will enjoy the RCA's and with these amps there should be a noticeable difference between the tubes. I will eventually get to the blackplates,hey I'm not in a big hurry,want to enjoy the NOS RCA's for awhile get used to them then with some surplus of $$$ work on getting the blackplate monos. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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