I find just about everything needs at least 250-300 hours to stabilize, although there are exceptions, e.g., Morrow Audio cables (they have interesting FAQ). 319 should be enough for the TRP, although there will probably be incremental changes over the next 100 hours or more. It's important to distinguish between something burning in by being on directly or indirectly (tubes, fuses) and when output is needed, even if the destination is turned off.
LampizatOr Golden Atlantic + TRP
- Thread starter Golum
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I find just about everything needs at least 250-300 hours to stabilize, although there are exceptions, e.g., Morrow Audio cables (they have interesting FAQ). 319 should be enough for the TRP, although there will probably be incremental changes over the next 100 hours or more. It's important to distinguish between something burning in by being on directly or indirectly (tubes, fuses) and when output is needed, even if the destination is turned off.
I have the Atlantic TRP
stock tubes Mullard EL34
Reading all these different options on tubes is overwhelming
What tubes will outrun the stock tubes EL 34. Mullard? And rectifier tube.
stock tubes Mullard EL34
Reading all these different options on tubes is overwhelming
What tubes will outrun the stock tubes EL 34. Mullard? And rectifier tube.
This weeks TRP tube taste testing! I just received a quad of early 1950’s glass bottle Sylvania 6J5GT’s in the mail and put them in for a quick listening session. These tubes are kind of funky in the sense that they were branded by Philco for the Ford Motor Company for use in Ford automobile radios. There’s a whole history on Philco and Ford available online.
Apparently these tubes had been sitting in storage for a very long time so I let them sit in the powered up dac for 6 hrs prior to listening. While not as expensive as some specimens these tubes are a great addition to one’s collection. While finding matched quads is getting more difficult by the day these can be more frequently found in pairs for our single ended brethren.
I was only able to take in two releases tonight but early impressions say these are keepers. The overall drive is good but I found it to be slightly tamer than my 1940’s metal version which produce a deeper reaching low end and a little more punch. I’m still trying to put my thoughts together on the different nuances heard with these compared to the NOS KenRad 6SN7GT’s I’ve been running for the past few weeks. The 6SN7GT shares much in common with my older 6J5 metal version when it comes to low end response but I think I’m definitely feeling the recent glass bottle Sylvania’s share more of the midrange and upper frequency traits of the 6SN7GT KenRad’s.
There is definitely more listening to do on this one but so far these have a very appealing sound to my ears. I’ll post more impressions as time progresses.
Apparently these tubes had been sitting in storage for a very long time so I let them sit in the powered up dac for 6 hrs prior to listening. While not as expensive as some specimens these tubes are a great addition to one’s collection. While finding matched quads is getting more difficult by the day these can be more frequently found in pairs for our single ended brethren.
I was only able to take in two releases tonight but early impressions say these are keepers. The overall drive is good but I found it to be slightly tamer than my 1940’s metal version which produce a deeper reaching low end and a little more punch. I’m still trying to put my thoughts together on the different nuances heard with these compared to the NOS KenRad 6SN7GT’s I’ve been running for the past few weeks. The 6SN7GT shares much in common with my older 6J5 metal version when it comes to low end response but I think I’m definitely feeling the recent glass bottle Sylvania’s share more of the midrange and upper frequency traits of the 6SN7GT KenRad’s.
There is definitely more listening to do on this one but so far these have a very appealing sound to my ears. I’ll post more impressions as time progresses.
Congrats on your excellent DAC
I would just use the stock tubes to burn-in your new DAC and to get acquainted with it before you start tube rolling.
@2glory
Tube choices can be overwhelming and while there is great experience shared here what works best will ultimately come down to your personal taste/preferences based on how they work within your system.
If you download the list from my post #2435 in this thread you’ll have the history of what most have tried in the past as well as their summarized comments. Hopefully that and the more recent posts will help you with your selections.
How did it take so long to get the 6sn7 + Atlantic TRP compatibility uncovered! This an exemplary tube family, along with its USSR equivalents. I just installed these (w/ adapters) a week ago and am enamored with them after the first breath of vocals ...just superb...but more here later.
First off, the Raytheon 6J5G coke-bottle, which is excellent in the TRP as well. It presents with nigh the detail and top-to-bottom extension of my Mola Mola Tambaqui in back-to-back listening, yet imbued the midrange with tone and texture, superior ambiance, attack, and decay in the TRP that the MMT could not match. All of this with the Sophia 274b mark I or new mark II version up front. The tin can 6J5 GEs have more apparent added midrange warmth and a more forward soundstage, yet are slightly not as detailed, airy, nor extended up top vs the Raytheon 6J5G. The Raytheons offer more inner detail yielding a little more density and dimensionality to the image. All of this takes a few songs to tease out, as we're talking the last bit of refinement (tuning preference) here, yet a consistent difference.
Back to the 6sn7 family. The NOS Soviet 6H8C (6SN7 equivalent) and brown base Sylvania JAN 6sn7 WGTAs have possibly the most captivating vocals I've heard in this wonderful DAC. I have a nice stash of these tubes from owning many great 6sn7-based preamps. The 6H8C isn't as detailed at the Raytheon 6J5GTs in the upper mids and into the highs, being more midrange-to-low-end-centric. The Sylvania, however, closes this gap from the upper mids to the highest highs, and also offers maximal midrange magic, although they unfortunately are ~10x as expensive vs. the 6H8Cs. These are the generalities with the Sophia 274mk2 tube. I hear more midrange texture and impressive soundstage height comes with the RCA globe 80, yet get more top end shimmer and detail with the Brimar, although the Sophia seems most balanced in my system. Any which way, these are all great sounding tubes/combinations.
I'm continually amazed by the sound, versatility, and value from the GA TRP.
Happy listening
First off, the Raytheon 6J5G coke-bottle, which is excellent in the TRP as well. It presents with nigh the detail and top-to-bottom extension of my Mola Mola Tambaqui in back-to-back listening, yet imbued the midrange with tone and texture, superior ambiance, attack, and decay in the TRP that the MMT could not match. All of this with the Sophia 274b mark I or new mark II version up front. The tin can 6J5 GEs have more apparent added midrange warmth and a more forward soundstage, yet are slightly not as detailed, airy, nor extended up top vs the Raytheon 6J5G. The Raytheons offer more inner detail yielding a little more density and dimensionality to the image. All of this takes a few songs to tease out, as we're talking the last bit of refinement (tuning preference) here, yet a consistent difference.
Back to the 6sn7 family. The NOS Soviet 6H8C (6SN7 equivalent) and brown base Sylvania JAN 6sn7 WGTAs have possibly the most captivating vocals I've heard in this wonderful DAC. I have a nice stash of these tubes from owning many great 6sn7-based preamps. The 6H8C isn't as detailed at the Raytheon 6J5GTs in the upper mids and into the highs, being more midrange-to-low-end-centric. The Sylvania, however, closes this gap from the upper mids to the highest highs, and also offers maximal midrange magic, although they unfortunately are ~10x as expensive vs. the 6H8Cs. These are the generalities with the Sophia 274mk2 tube. I hear more midrange texture and impressive soundstage height comes with the RCA globe 80, yet get more top end shimmer and detail with the Brimar, although the Sophia seems most balanced in my system. Any which way, these are all great sounding tubes/combinations.
I'm continually amazed by the sound, versatility, and value from the GA TRP.
Happy listening
Interesting post this, so the 6SN7 is a direct plug and play tube? I have not considered this glass and have been using KT66 for a while now. Very interested to try this
You’ll need a 6J5 parallel adapter in order to use the 6SN7. You can see it in the pic I posted in this thread a month or so ago. They sound good! Different from the 6J5- I’m still on the fence over which I prefer better but I’ve been using a quad of 50’s Raytheon’s for the most part since February. I switched a couple of weeks ago to a quad of 6J5 glass bottles (see top of this page) but didn’t like the presentation. They are on their way back to the seller now in exchange for a quad of early 50’s Raytheon 6J5’s which hopefully will sound a little more to my liking.
Fantastic thank you, I will be trying for sure and please keep us up to date on your findings
@Socrates428
As the TRP thread was started 4/6/2019 and I’m the first person to post trying them (posted on 2/8/2024) it took just under 5 years!
Why? who knows- but I’m thankful for trying them as the 6J5’s and 6SN7’s are opening a whole new world of tube rolling options with the TRP!
Veering in the direction of your reference above to Soviet tubes I just landed a quad of 6C5C (6S5S English) which were somewhat difficult to find. I’ll be starting the break in tomorrow with the hope that they are as awesome as others claim they are!
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This is a good read and exciting too, please keep us posted. My TRP is the non balanced version, am I right in saying I’ve seen pics of a double adapter running 2 tubes in each Lampi socket or is that a different tube? What rectifier have you found runs nicely with them please?
I’ve not seen a double adapter used in the TRP- I use a single 6SN7 with a 6J5 parallel adapter in each socket as shown below-
As for rectifiers I prefer using RCA globe 80’s. They’re not too difficult to find but due to their age some are definitely better than others.
Are you willing to share the source for your tubes, here or in a DM? I see the 6J5GTs are plentiful and inexpensive, but as a Ford buff I would be looking for ones that have the "replace with genuine Fo. Mo. Co." text like yours look to have. I also want to confirm i see no adapters needed there, correct?
On the base tier DAC yes a little, but mostly from it being a soft sound. When I upgraded to the SE and their totl X Z NC (an X SE with Z binned dac chipped and nano crystal chokes) no the treble was good. It was a very thick, warmer, ground pounding dac. Tons of weight, authority, grip, control, and macro dynamics. Sometimes i would need to adjust volume mid song.
No, it should have at least 100 hours on it, but not sure if it hit the 200 hour mark. I do not keep it on constantly as i do not have an inexpensive set of tubes to "burn". I also DO NOT expect the TRP3 to transform into the Mojo but right now it seems be lacking from what i remember of past GA tryouts.
I would strongly suggest looking into the power cord and conditioner feeding the GATRP3. It's quite sensitive to that and can turbocharge the DAC.
My chain:
K50 (local files) -> Callisto USB -> Lampi GATRP3 -> Anticables 6.2 RCA -> Eddie Current Studio B -> Dana Lazuli Ultra -> OG Focal Utopia. The EC has 2 Elrog 300B-Mo, a Bendix 2c51, and a fat base Mullard GZ34, which all have been unchanged across DACs.
Yes, I am a headphones person. A 2ch is in the future but many life changes must happen before that. I simply do not have the space for it right now.
I listen to most rock and metal, rap/hip-hop, acoustic, jazz, splashes of classical, edm, pop, and almost anything 90's.
My TRP tube rolling impressions so far:
TRP2 E53 (all of these were from short listening sessions and over a year ago, this is from memory)
PSVane EL34 + KR 5U4G: This was the stock combo and i disliked it greatly. It was a small shoe box sized stage with a sound just as compressed and small. People say the PSVane tubes take a long time to break in but it would of needed go be a night and day turn around to even be considered.
New GL KT77 + KR 5U4G: Much, muuuuch better. Super enhanced high end. Not fatiguing or painful, but very prominent detail. Still not huge sounding width wise, but youre out of the box and everything goes very deep. A more neutral, technicalities based combo.
GEC KT66 Grey Glass + KR 5U4G: An heirloom wool blanket and tumbler or whiskey in front of the fireplace on a winter night. Like entering an old manor and you can see the sun poking in and highlighting the dust suspended in the air. Ethereal, ghostly, haunting, amazing golden mid warmth. The stage is big and even enough that I dont remember anything negative, but cant remember anything remarkable either.
TRP3 E11 (Compared to the 2, I find the 3 to generally be more neutral and a little more laid back. Much more balanced and even kilter with it's energy. Less boisterous but more refinement.)
F2a + RK 25th 5U4G: I need to revisit this. It was the first set I tried as things warmed up. I dont remember the bass but I do remember some aspects of realism were very impressive and had me fooled looking outside as i thought some of the sounds in the music were actually happening. Percussive, like a music teacher tapping on your desk to the emphasize the beat.
F2a + Metal base Mullard GZ34: So far my standard. Bass punches and feels appropriate but sub bass rolls off just at the point of being noticed. This reminds me of the GL KT77 but with a half degree warmer tilt, smoother detail rendering, and a bigger well rounded stage. Dynamics are ok, but I would like a little more in the macro swings and more energy for say when an electric guitar roars in with overdriven power chords.
Tesla EL51 + RK 25th 5U4G: Not a combo I enjoyed. Felt like it was falling flat in most aspects. Was expecting more from the descriptions others had with the EL51.
Tesla EL51 + WE 442a: First impression, holy jeez that WE is BRIGHT! Not sound wise but if i didnt know better this could be a light bulb. But, I am getting more of what others were talking about. I dont know if I would say it is explosive but definitely not flat any more. Things feel out there and distant, vocals are back in the mix, further and more mixed in than I would like. Bass is odd. I can hear it but It's like expecting to be hit with a ton of bricks but theyre all made of soft foam. There is no feel, like the drivers arent moving. It feels like when your headphones / speakers are underpowered and they just cant exert correct. No tactility or texture to speak of. It lacked any meat on the bone it needed.
Tesla EL51 + Metal base Mullard GZ34: Ok, I did say the F2a was my favorite combo, but after not listening to the EL51 for a while I figured I would give it another chance today, so here are my notes as I listen. Much, much better than previous EL51 impressions. It feels more filled out and complex in the midrange. Very nice for acoustic. The space is less vague, and vocals are locked in with a little romance. Things are starting to swirl all over but are resolute with good imaging, but youll need to be a fan of things being more intimate. Macro dynamics are now what everyone hinted at, more appropriate than overdone but good flow and works well with the micro side of things. Bass is better, more than adequate for most things, but is a little loose and not as quick or hard hitting as the Mojo. Bass guitar lines that would bounce and have pop on the Mojo, still hide a little too far back for my preferences here. Better bass texture though, so a tradeoff for sure. Things like bass drums kick still flush in vs punching out. Really this combo is made for guitar lovers. The texture, timbre, tactility, and sparkle are tailor made for guitar lovers. Hard rock yes, metal may be a little mismatched. And the biggest flaw is it seems it doesnt know when to put things forward or back, and there is no middle ground. So one track vocals and guitars are nice and up front, the next they are way back.
GEC KT77 + WE 422a / Mullard GZ34: Tbh, I never thought I would see a NOS KT77 tube in person so I jumped when i saw one listed. I was expecting a better version of the new prod GLs but it really is not. The caveat here is these may not be burned in nearly enough. They are for sure descendants of the EL34 and lean much more mullard el34 than gl kt77. Mid emphasis, bass and treble are more present but not like the GL where that tube is more U or V shaped. A tighter sound overall but see my EL51 + WE impressions regarding everything else.
Tubes on the list to try:
A bunch of rectis (80 globe, classic RCAs, 274B), RCA 6L6, GEC KT88, TungSol 6550, maybe a few more.
K50 (local files) -> Callisto USB -> Lampi GATRP3 -> Anticables 6.2 RCA -> Eddie Current Studio B -> Dana Lazuli Ultra -> OG Focal Utopia. The EC has 2 Elrog 300B-Mo, a Bendix 2c51, and a fat base Mullard GZ34, which all have been unchanged across DACs.
Yes, I am a headphones person. A 2ch is in the future but many life changes must happen before that. I simply do not have the space for it right now.
I listen to most rock and metal, rap/hip-hop, acoustic, jazz, splashes of classical, edm, pop, and almost anything 90's.
My TRP tube rolling impressions so far:
TRP2 E53 (all of these were from short listening sessions and over a year ago, this is from memory)
PSVane EL34 + KR 5U4G: This was the stock combo and i disliked it greatly. It was a small shoe box sized stage with a sound just as compressed and small. People say the PSVane tubes take a long time to break in but it would of needed go be a night and day turn around to even be considered.
New GL KT77 + KR 5U4G: Much, muuuuch better. Super enhanced high end. Not fatiguing or painful, but very prominent detail. Still not huge sounding width wise, but youre out of the box and everything goes very deep. A more neutral, technicalities based combo.
GEC KT66 Grey Glass + KR 5U4G: An heirloom wool blanket and tumbler or whiskey in front of the fireplace on a winter night. Like entering an old manor and you can see the sun poking in and highlighting the dust suspended in the air. Ethereal, ghostly, haunting, amazing golden mid warmth. The stage is big and even enough that I dont remember anything negative, but cant remember anything remarkable either.
TRP3 E11 (Compared to the 2, I find the 3 to generally be more neutral and a little more laid back. Much more balanced and even kilter with it's energy. Less boisterous but more refinement.)
F2a + RK 25th 5U4G: I need to revisit this. It was the first set I tried as things warmed up. I dont remember the bass but I do remember some aspects of realism were very impressive and had me fooled looking outside as i thought some of the sounds in the music were actually happening. Percussive, like a music teacher tapping on your desk to the emphasize the beat.
F2a + Metal base Mullard GZ34: So far my standard. Bass punches and feels appropriate but sub bass rolls off just at the point of being noticed. This reminds me of the GL KT77 but with a half degree warmer tilt, smoother detail rendering, and a bigger well rounded stage. Dynamics are ok, but I would like a little more in the macro swings and more energy for say when an electric guitar roars in with overdriven power chords.
Tesla EL51 + RK 25th 5U4G: Not a combo I enjoyed. Felt like it was falling flat in most aspects. Was expecting more from the descriptions others had with the EL51.
Tesla EL51 + WE 442a: First impression, holy jeez that WE is BRIGHT! Not sound wise but if i didnt know better this could be a light bulb. But, I am getting more of what others were talking about. I dont know if I would say it is explosive but definitely not flat any more. Things feel out there and distant, vocals are back in the mix, further and more mixed in than I would like. Bass is odd. I can hear it but It's like expecting to be hit with a ton of bricks but theyre all made of soft foam. There is no feel, like the drivers arent moving. It feels like when your headphones / speakers are underpowered and they just cant exert correct. No tactility or texture to speak of. It lacked any meat on the bone it needed.
Tesla EL51 + Metal base Mullard GZ34: Ok, I did say the F2a was my favorite combo, but after not listening to the EL51 for a while I figured I would give it another chance today, so here are my notes as I listen. Much, much better than previous EL51 impressions. It feels more filled out and complex in the midrange. Very nice for acoustic. The space is less vague, and vocals are locked in with a little romance. Things are starting to swirl all over but are resolute with good imaging, but youll need to be a fan of things being more intimate. Macro dynamics are now what everyone hinted at, more appropriate than overdone but good flow and works well with the micro side of things. Bass is better, more than adequate for most things, but is a little loose and not as quick or hard hitting as the Mojo. Bass guitar lines that would bounce and have pop on the Mojo, still hide a little too far back for my preferences here. Better bass texture though, so a tradeoff for sure. Things like bass drums kick still flush in vs punching out. Really this combo is made for guitar lovers. The texture, timbre, tactility, and sparkle are tailor made for guitar lovers. Hard rock yes, metal may be a little mismatched. And the biggest flaw is it seems it doesnt know when to put things forward or back, and there is no middle ground. So one track vocals and guitars are nice and up front, the next they are way back.
GEC KT77 + WE 422a / Mullard GZ34: Tbh, I never thought I would see a NOS KT77 tube in person so I jumped when i saw one listed. I was expecting a better version of the new prod GLs but it really is not. The caveat here is these may not be burned in nearly enough. They are for sure descendants of the EL34 and lean much more mullard el34 than gl kt77. Mid emphasis, bass and treble are more present but not like the GL where that tube is more U or V shaped. A tighter sound overall but see my EL51 + WE impressions regarding everything else.
Tubes on the list to try:
A bunch of rectis (80 globe, classic RCAs, 274B), RCA 6L6, GEC KT88, TungSol 6550, maybe a few more.
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I have a few things on the way. I would like a Puritan 156 but they go quick. Not saying the Lampi is a slouch but so much was put into the power sections of the Mojo that i think it was a bit more forgiving of anything it was fed.
I just posted first impressions of the 6c5c triodes I’ve been running this last week- a very nice tube so far. In an effort to not double up I’ve put a link here. As it’s early yet I will try to post more as things change with these. For now-
Post in thread 'Lampizator Valve / Tube Rolling Review Thread'
https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/lampizator-valve-tube-rolling-review-thread.26478/post-955583
Post in thread 'Lampizator Valve / Tube Rolling Review Thread'
https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/lampizator-valve-tube-rolling-review-thread.26478/post-955583
Like we discussed last week, those 6C5 tubes were directly responsible for passing basically all music recorded in the 50s/early 60s on the Ampex 300 tape machine used in studios of the era. This is the schematic of the record amplifier which used two of them plus a paralleled 6SN7 to drive the record head.
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