kuisis Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 I have had my peach for about a month now. I listened to it for a week with the Ei tubes that it came with and was very happy. Then I became curious about NOS tubes in the preamp. I purchased six vintage tubes and wasn't sure what to expect. I can say that as good as the peach sounded with the original tubes it sounded a lot more detailed and realistic with the nos tubes. I bought 2 E188cc Siemens, 2 E88 French Phillips, 1 E188cc Phillips SQ, and 1 Siemens E88CC nib 1960. I read old posts about noisy tubes and must be the luckiest person out there because none of these tubes are anything but quiet. My main question is about the V2 and V3 slots. I use the HI setting on the peach most of the time and was wondering if I'm wasting the French Phillips tubes by using them in V2 and V3. I have the SQ in V1 and it sounds great now. I had it in with the EI's and it sounded good, just, to me, not as clear as when I used the vintage tubes. Do you think it's a mental thing or has anyone had the same experience? Thanks Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 When I got my BBX from JC, it had Philips 6922s, and acted up all the time. Start to oscillate,etc. But they were very quiet. Mark suggest just putting in the EH 6922, which is only about $13. They may not sound as good, but have been stable. Only hear the noise if I get right up to the tweeter. I'm just not going to bother trying NOS tubes. I can't afford them, even if they are much better. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuisis Posted September 17, 2008 Author Share Posted September 17, 2008 When you look at it long term one tube was about 50 bucks. If it lasts 5 years that's 10 bucks a year. Not too bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark1101 Posted September 17, 2008 Share Posted September 17, 2008 I have had my Peach for a few years now and really like it. But I agree with Bruce. I spent a small fortune on NOS tubes........and YES they sound better for sure. But........I also was not so lucky all time and wound up with noisey tubes sometimes. Buying NOS tubes even from reputable suppliers can be a gamble. I found some JAN Phillips 6922 NOS tubes from the 80s and they were pretty cheap around $20/each. These are the type I will go for. Otherwise I am now using an EH-6922 Gold Pin in V1 and it is stable, pretty quiet, sounds good............and cheap at around $20. I was spending anywhere from $60-$180 for a single NOS tube like Telefunkens, Bugle Boys, and Siemens. No more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted September 17, 2008 Share Posted September 17, 2008 It was the JAN Phillips 6922 tubes I had trouble with. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark1101 Posted September 17, 2008 Share Posted September 17, 2008 The first time I bought JAN Phillips 6922 I found them on Ebay for $5.00 each. They were all brand new in boxes. I bought 10 of them and had to throw away 4 or 5 don't remember exactly. But a few were noisey and others were severely microphonic. But the good ones were good. Since then I bought a few more at around $14-$20 each and they were all good. I am using them now in V2 and V3. So I did run into some bad ones, but good ones too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuisis Posted September 17, 2008 Author Share Posted September 17, 2008 I guess I should consider myself very lucky. No noise issues with any of the tubes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankphess Posted September 18, 2008 Share Posted September 18, 2008 Depends on which "mode" use. Below is an explanation from Mark provided previously. Basically, put your "best" tube in V1. If you use LoZ mode, V2&V3 MUST be the same tube type because each tubes is fully specific to one channel. So, if you want the L&R to sound the same, you need the same tube type in each. "However, as to the cost/benefit ratio or overall expense of various NOS tubes in the Peach, people should remember that in order to tube roll the hi mode (which is what I use most), you only need one 6DJ8/7922/7308 tube. ============ Also or you Peach-o-philes keep in mind that the (3) tubes do NOT have to be the same varietal. V2&V3 must be the same, but can be different than V1. V2&V3 are not the same "kind" of amplifier as V1 which provides all the gain. V2&V3 are compound followers with no gain which are used to greatly reduce the driving impedance. Thus, by using different tubes in V1 than in V2&V3, you can create two very different sounding preamps - more than simply the difference of Mode 1 and Mode 2. Perhaps a Jazz v. Rock sound, or horn speaker v. dynamic speaker, or tube amp v. SS amp, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 It was the JAN Phillips 6922 tubes I had trouble with. Bruce Complain here, Bruce... http://www.janphillips.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blvdre Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Glad you're enjoying the Peach, Tom. In my experience, there are sonic benefits to using old stock tubes, but as others have pointed out, it can be a bit of a gamble. I've mostly played with old 6SN7 and 2A3's; some are noisy, some microphonic, but I see it as part of doing business. If I can't get sonic assurances from the seller, I bid or pay accordingly, expecting that there will be some fall-out. Tube testers only tell a part of the story, so it's best to be wary. In your case, it sounds like you did quite well. Just sit back and enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nu2toobs Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 This a little OT but I was having a heck of a time finding some good QUIET phono stage 12AT7's for my first gen Blueberry, and this included new Russion tubes. I then went to Tube Depot and bought 2 of their $30 NOS Mullards that were checked for noise and microphonics for an extra $4.00. These, ladies and gentlmen are the best phono tubes I've used to date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuisis Posted September 20, 2008 Author Share Posted September 20, 2008 Received my new MC2100 today from Noah and hooked it into the system, really sturdy amp! I figured it would be a good time to put the ei's back in v2 and v3. I could tell the difference, even after a few hours warming up. I guess I will just keep hoarding nos E88 and E188 tubes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuisis Posted September 22, 2008 Author Share Posted September 22, 2008 Thanks Mark: Like Yogi Berra says 50% of the game is 90% mental. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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