aussievintage Posted October 16, 2019 Author Posted October 16, 2019 The Psvanes arrived, and I am very pleased with them. Initial report here... 3
mwhouston Posted October 16, 2019 Posted October 16, 2019 Though I have only tried the JJ 12AU7 I think the JJs could be worth an inexpensive try. I was surprised just how good they sounded. Others have found the same. Evatco sell them.
Ittaku Posted October 16, 2019 Posted October 16, 2019 (edited) FYI, every component I've bought from ARC have every single small signal tube with two damper rings on them, and they're all 6H30s which are less microphonic than the 12A*7 tubes. Considering how cheap the damping rings are, I wouldn't use a small signal tube without them. The cheap silicone ones from evatco are just as effective as herb's dampers that I paid for on my preamp 6SN7s. Edited October 16, 2019 by Ittaku
aussievintage Posted October 16, 2019 Author Posted October 16, 2019 59 minutes ago, mwhouston said: Though I have only tried the JJ 12AU7 I think the JJs could be worth an inexpensive try. I was surprised just how good they sounded. Others have found the same. Evatco sell them. I have one JJ 12AX7, and iirc it was ok. A bit noisy perhaps. It is an older one, they might have changed.
aussievintage Posted October 16, 2019 Author Posted October 16, 2019 40 minutes ago, Ittaku said: FYI, every component I've bought from ARC have every single small signal tube with two damper rings on them, and they're all 6H30s which are less microphonic than the 12AU* tubes. Considering how cheap the damping rings are, I wouldn't use a small signal tube without them. The cheap silicone ones from evatco are just as effective as herb's dampers that I paid for on my preamp 6SN7s. Yep, should order some
eman Posted October 16, 2019 Posted October 16, 2019 On 07/10/2019 at 2:54 PM, eman said: Looks like the Shuguang black glass ones come in TA & TG. I wonder if there's any actual difference? I asked them. They say there is only T and TA now. I've tried to ask them twice what the differences are. Apparently they are carbonised to beautify the sound.
aussievintage Posted October 16, 2019 Author Posted October 16, 2019 5 minutes ago, eman said: Apparently they are carbonised to beautify the sound. I interpret that to mean they look cool while sounding good. Fair enough
eman Posted October 16, 2019 Posted October 16, 2019 1 hour ago, aussievintage said: I interpret that to mean they look cool while sounding good. Fair enough Dark glass might look cool compared to clear glass but there's actually less to see when powered.
aussievintage Posted October 16, 2019 Author Posted October 16, 2019 33 minutes ago, eman said: Dark glass might look cool compared to clear glass but there's actually less to see when powered. True. I do like to see inside. The nice branding and gold trim on the ones I just got looks tops. 1
aussievintage Posted October 18, 2019 Author Posted October 18, 2019 (edited) On 16/10/2019 at 12:30 PM, Ittaku said: The cheap silicone ones from evatco are just as effective as herb's dampers that I paid for on my preamp 6SN7s. I ordered some and they arrived today. They are fatter than I thought. That will only be an issue if I need to use a shield can, because it would not fit. I'd have to build a cage or something for the valves. Happily, where I have my preamp at the moment, it doesn't need shielding, the valves can sit out in the open. I really can't tell if the rings have changed the sound. Still, can't hurt to have them, and they are so cheap. Edited October 18, 2019 by aussievintage
Ittaku Posted October 18, 2019 Posted October 18, 2019 (edited) For reference, this is how ARC distribute the damping rings on their 6H30Pis. Dust looks much worse than it is because of the magnification from a distance Edited October 18, 2019 by Ittaku
Guest Muon N' Posted October 18, 2019 Posted October 18, 2019 (edited) Interesting, I usually place a ring around where the internals are braced against the inside of the envelope. Edit: that's if they are at all, in absence I space them evenly which places then where the 2 mica's are usally. I did have some on my 6H30's but removed them after they became hard after a while. Edited October 18, 2019 by Muon N'
eman Posted October 18, 2019 Posted October 18, 2019 On 16/10/2019 at 3:51 PM, aussievintage said: True. I do like to see inside. The nice branding and gold trim on the ones I just got looks tops. Mine are mostly encased on my current gear so doesn't matter either way for me. Something I noticed generally with the tubes I've tried is that current production is more 'sparkly' than the old ones.
aussievintage Posted October 18, 2019 Author Posted October 18, 2019 28 minutes ago, Ittaku said: For reference, this is how ARC distribute the damping rings on their 6H30Pis. Dust looks much worse than it is because of the magnification from a distance Dust always embarrasses us when we photograph our gear up close I decided to distribute mine at thirds, figuring the expanse of glass would be best damped that way. 26 minutes ago, Muon N' said: Interesting, I usually place a ring around where the internals are braced against the inside of the envelope. Edit: that's if they are at all, in absence I space them evenly which places then where the 2 mica's are usally. That's almost where they ended up. (near the micas). Second guessing, maybe better to have them between the micas, as the mica itself will do some bracing of the glass against bibration. Someone mentioned overthinking?
aussievintage Posted October 18, 2019 Author Posted October 18, 2019 7 minutes ago, eman said: Something I noticed generally with the tubes I've tried is that current production is more 'sparkly' than the old ones. They used to just be boring old components inside gear. Now we like to see them and admire them 1
Guest Muon N' Posted October 18, 2019 Posted October 18, 2019 2 minutes ago, aussievintage said: Dust always embarrasses us when we photograph our gear up close I decided to distribute mine at thirds, figuring the expanse of glass would be best damped that way. That's almost where they ended up. (near the micas). Second guessing, maybe better to have them between the micas, as the mica itself will do some bracing of the glass against bibration. Someone mentioned overthinking? Don't worry, I thought similar but didn't post it I back pedaled considering the source would be where the internals contact the mica, but then again
aussievintage Posted October 18, 2019 Author Posted October 18, 2019 A pic of mine with the nice new red rings
aussievintage Posted October 18, 2019 Author Posted October 18, 2019 By the way, see that lovely smooth plate AWV 12AU7 on the right? Every pic I have studied, of Telefunken long smooth plate 12AU7s, looks just about identical internally. Now right back at the start AWV was formed and they had the involvement of Marconi and Telefunken. That had rights to patents of both companies. Is it possible that the valve is essentially the same as the fabled Telefunken smooth 17mm plate valve, that people pay silly money for these days? All I know, is that, after trying a box full of different 12AU7s (including Mullards), 6189s, 5814s, and 12BH7s, these were best convincingly. So maybe... ??? Oh, and btw, the few 12BH7s I have would be the next best choice - just realise they need twice the heater current if you try them.
eman Posted November 9, 2019 Posted November 9, 2019 On 18/10/2019 at 6:22 PM, aussievintage said: A pic of mine with the nice new red rings How are those Psvane going ? I've found there is only one designation of black glass Shuguang. The Psvane black glass equivalent is going under a name 'Cossor' for some reason.
aussievintage Posted November 10, 2019 Author Posted November 10, 2019 41 minutes ago, eman said: How are those Psvane going ? Yes, it's probably time for a report. They have settled down and lost the initial brightness, but retained the detail, so very happy with that. The sound is now nicely balanced. I have them in my main system, so I listen to them most days. I have them in one phono preamp, and the Philips Miniwatt in another preamp with nearly the same circuit. I would say they are starting to sound very similar, and this is not a bad thing. The Philips were my pick of the old manufacture valves I already had, before buying the Psvanes. Great to be able to buy newly manufactured valves as good as the old greats 3
eman Posted November 13, 2019 Posted November 13, 2019 On 10/11/2019 at 10:47 AM, aussievintage said: Yes, it's probably time for a report. They have settled down and lost the initial brightness, but retained the detail, so very happy with that. The sound is now nicely balanced. I have them in my main system, so I listen to them most days. I have them in one phono preamp, and the Philips Miniwatt in another preamp with nearly the same circuit. I would say they are starting to sound very similar, and this is not a bad thing. The Philips were my pick of the old manufacture valves I already had, before buying the Psvanes. Great to be able to buy newly manufactured valves as good as the old greats Bit of a Philips fan myself. From my limited experience (& your comments ) it seems like the top current production can be pretty good.
aussievintage Posted November 13, 2019 Author Posted November 13, 2019 Just now, eman said: Bit of a Philips fan myself. From my limited experience (& your comments ) it seems like the top current production can be pretty good. Definitely. I did note elsewhere they were a bit more microphonic than I expected (but no worse than many others I have tried), but I put on some damping rings and it isn't causing any audible problems.
astormsau Posted November 13, 2019 Posted November 13, 2019 It would be a great comparison to put these up against the new production Genalex Gold Lions. I’ve had lots of success with them in my line stage and phono preamp.
aussievintage Posted November 13, 2019 Author Posted November 13, 2019 34 minutes ago, astormsau said: It would be a great comparison to put these up against the new production Genalex Gold Lions. I’ve had lots of success with them in my line stage and phono preamp. If they were a bit cheaper, I'd buy a pair just to try them, but, at over a $100 a pair, they are nearly as expensive as the Psvanes were.
astormsau Posted November 13, 2019 Posted November 13, 2019 If they were a bit cheaper, I'd buy a pair just to try them, but, at over a $100 a pair, they are nearly as expensive as the Psvanes were.I have not compared them personally however I’ve heard they compare favourably to NOS Telefunkens. I can’t say which specific Tele’s because I’m a bit ignorant when it comes to NOS tubes and all the specifics but I do like the GL’s as I can source them locally in Melbourne without having to have them posted from overseas
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