Thanks again - Maron, Rob, Sheltie Dave, and Fish

[cjgeraci]

Carl, May I ask what tubes you have in your VRDs and if you've done much rolling? I have VRDs as well and my gut says I can do better than what I've got in the tube dept.

Actually, Meagain, I do not own VRDs

Carl.

I think I meant the Peach. And the Jolida CDP for that matter. Have you come up with anything interesting for them (tubes) that made you go "yea, I love those tubes there". ?

Why yes I have. In the Peach, I've tried a bunch of new Soviet pre tubes and a variety of NOS (new old stock) tubes, including various models of Amperex, Telefunken, Mullard, RCA, and Siemens. By far.......the most impressive tubes are the ones that I run in the SuperLoz mode - two early '60s Siemens CCAs. They are some of the "holy grail" tubes and are fairly expensive, but they are 1) low noise; 2) nice extension on the top end; and 3) very detailed; and 4) very smooth. Only downside - not as "wet-sounding" (or drier) than some NOS tubes (e.g. Amperex). Yes, you will pay well over $100 for a single one, but they are rated at 15,000 hours. You can do the math as to how expensive they are actually in the long run. One word of caution. If you ever are interested in a pair (or even one), be sure that you are dealing with a reputable forum member or a reputable dealer. Many have said that the late 50s and early 60s Siemens CCAs (blue and yellow boxes) are the "real" ones of higher quality as opposed to the later models made in the '70s. And, if it rumoured that some attempt to pass off the later-versions as the earlier ones. So, it may be important to get the right ones. Holland Amperex white labels are the finest non-pinched waist I have found of the Amperex brand, and they are also far less expensive than the Siemens CCAs. They are nice tubes, though not as smooth, and I run one in the Blueberry stage of my Peach. Summing up, I would say that I "love" my Siemens CCas and "really like" the Holland Amperex white labels.

Jolida CDP - Mullard CV4004s. Rolled Amperex, Telefunken and the Mullards. I also love the Mullards - but they are not cheap also.

Some people say that NOS tubes are not worth the cost. For certain NOS tubes (and for certain functions, e.g. output tubes on amp), I would agree. But, I thought that the Siemens and Mullard purchases were worth it - at least to me.

Carl.

P.S. Do some web surfing about those particular Siemens and Mullards to get others' opinions of their sound

[meagain]

Carl - Thanks! I'm going to save this for when I'm ready to play. I don't want to (or can't afford) to get crazy, but I think I can certainly make improvements with it.

[cjgeraci]

Carl---

Untangle that wire behind the rack. Just kiddin'. Looks great! Your comments on the CCa are interesting. I think I have an interesting alternative to the CCa and other NOS 6922, but I haven't actually tried it in the Peach just yet. I have redesigned the BlueBerry line out stage with a totally new tube, and so far I am blown off my chair by the results. It's probably a change I will make in the near future - Xtreme2 - or something like that. Blacker background, quieter, deeper clarity levels, unbelievable focus. Trying it in the Peach is a bit more involved, but I plan to try it this week or next with all three tubes in the Peach.

So, nice system there Carl!

Thanks, Mark. I am happy with both of my CCa in the SuperLoz mode, but I am always open to tube rolling for the heck of it. I would be curious to know your impressions of that tube, especially the Blueberry stage.

Yep, I know about the wire mess behind the racks. I still plan on breaking everything down later this summer and retaping and painting three of the walls behind the racks so everything will have to be moved (again) - ugh!!. Hopefully, by the end of the summer, once I am finished remodeling the basement - I can put everything back where it belongs - and nice and pretty this time, including cords. For a good long while. My wife is bemused because the "system" downstairs has gone through multiple incarnations the past four years, including various Reference models (Ref 3, Ref 7), various Heritage models (Belles, Cornwalls), various Altecs and finally the current setup. And the systems have been in four different parts of the basement - and turned different ways.

What is nice is that I finally have the speaker setup I've always wanted - and they are now placed where they are going to remain for a number of years. Its great to be at a sonic happy happy place - although the hunt was fun while it lasted. []

Carl.

[meagain]

Carl---

Untangle that wire behind the rack. Just kiddin'. Looks great! Your comments on the CCa are interesting. I think I have an interesting alternative to the CCa and other NOS 6922, but I haven't actually tried it in the Peach just yet. I have redesigned the BlueBerry line out stage with a totally new tube, and so far I am blown off my chair by the results. It's probably a change I will make in the near future - Xtreme2 - or something like that. Blacker background, quieter, deeper clarity levels, unbelievable focus. Trying it in the Peach is a bit more involved, but I plan to try it this week or next with all three tubes in the Peach.

So, nice system there Carl!

Carl - your wires look a bit like mine only mine are a bit in a flatter mess. If you come up with any handsome way to deal with it all, give me a holler.

Mark - May I ask why trying this tube in the Peach is "more involved"? I'm going to be dipping my toes into trying some tubes pretty soon. Looking forward to hearing your review.

[Parrot]

Your comments on the CCa are interesting. I think I have an interesting alternative to the CCa and other NOS 6922, but I haven't actually tried it in the Peach just yet. I have redesigned the BlueBerry line out stage with a totally new tube, and so far I am blown off my chair by the results. It's probably a change I will make in the near future - Xtreme2 - or something like that. Blacker background, quieter, deeper clarity levels, unbelievable focus. Trying it in the Peach is a bit more involved, but I plan to try it this week or next with all three tubes in the Peach.

So, did you finally find the 12AX7 outperforms the 6DJ8?

[DrWho]

Nice setup [Y] You weren't joking when you said it was complicated either!

Is it fairly easy to control? Just wondering how the rest of the family uses the system.

[meagain]

Thanks Mark - Will ask more questions once you're into it more with the project.

[cjgeraci]

Nice setup [Y] You weren't joking when you said it was complicated either!

Is it fairly easy to control? Just wondering how the rest of the family uses the system.

Thanks for the compliment. Actually, once you understand where the HT bypass is on the Peach and how the switcher for the rear surrounds works, it is not that difficult to control.

Even the five year old has figured out that there are separate volume controls on the Peach and the Classe prepro, although given the mode, one or the other may not be in use.

Generally, my wife does not mess around with the variety of amps, processors. She knows how to turn everything off, and that's good for now. When I am not home, my wife confines her (and the child's) movie watching to the upstairs system, which is controlled by a single receiver.

Carl.