Aesthetix Io Users Group

[oldvinyl]

Be careful with those, they can sound good but have a different plate current, i have had them burn out in the Io. The earlier version that do not say EV or EB are better suited for our Phono.

Forums - 6N23P vs. 6N23P-EV

Thanks. I’ve always wondered why the discussion on the Reflektor tubes was sometimes positive and sometimes not.
25 years ago these were being sold as drop in replacements, which they are not.

 

[oldvinyl]

IMHO, I recommend the Mullard CV2493 dimpled, followed by (in order) Mullard E88CC/01, Valvo CCa pinched, Mullard 10M, Amp 6922 pinched.

Tube preference could depend on sound preference, other tubes synergy, and system synergy.

I have Mullard CV2493 to try, they are 1970s. I suspect you are referring to the 1960s version. They are difficult to find and priced accordingly.

 

[vernonwtx]

I have Mullard CV2493 to try, they are 1970s. I suspect you are referring to the 1960s version. They are difficult to find and priced accordingly.

Actually, I also have the 1970s Dimple disk (D-getter) tubes. I have not seen any of the 1960s Halo (O-getter) tubes.

I have a fairly large section of tubes. The 1970s D-getter CV2493 were the best tubes in IO Signature, Calypso Eclipse preamp, and Canary KD-2000 MK2.

 

[oldvinyl]

Be careful with those, they can sound good but have a different plate current, i have had them burn out in the Io. The earlier version that do not say EV or EB are better suited for our Phono.

Forums - 6N23P vs. 6N23P-EV

As you can see on the packaging, these were advertised as special quality 6922.

 

[oldvinyl]

Actually, I also have the 1970s Dimple disk (D-getter) tubes. I have not seen any of the 1960s Halo (O-getter) tubes.

I have a fairly large section of tubes. The 1970s D-getter CV2493 were the best tubes in IO Signature, Calypso Eclipse preamp, and Canary KD-2000 MK2.

These are 1975 and 1976 with dimple disk getter. At some point, I got several pair from a bulk pack. These are Mullard label CV2493. From what I understand, there was a 1960s Telefunken CV2493 that is supposed to be very nice.

 

[Lagonda]

As you can see on the packaging, these were advertised as special quality 6922.
View attachment 158354
View attachment 158355

They sounded good in my Io, but did not last long, bought 4 extra pairs before i found out about the difference between 6N23P and 6N23P-NV

 

[OGH]

On my side - nothing new really, but my preamp blows the fuses and must go to repair, so I am back to listening to the Io (with volume) direct to the amps. Pure, clean, fascinating in some ways. I am lucky that my Telefunken quad in the first gain stage of the Io are still very low noise and sound good. Such tubes are now hard to find. I have also liked Philips NOS in that stage, maybe a bit more 'rock oriented' compared to the Teles, but in my case they became noisy quite fast. Why do I miss my preamp (Einstein The tube mk2)? Not sure. It certainly has minuses as well as plusses. But all in all it is more fun, and fills the room (51m2) better than the Io alone. Someone described it as "Tarzan in the jungle" among preamps. It is a hybrid solution, tubes plus s-state, and with its hefty s-state transformers gives a lot of muscle not just to the bass but the sound generally. Maybe Io is more like "Jane in the jungle". I can hear her calling, and may have to become used to it, since preamp repair may take time. Meanwhile, I have ordered some acoustic treatments that should help regardless of the preamp in use.

 

[OGH]

Another question from me. Have any of you had trouble with the Io volume controls? I had to replace mine, at the factory, some years ago.

 

[oldvinyl]

Another question from me. Have any of you had trouble with the Io volume controls? I had to replace mine, at the factory, some years ago.

Years ago (15 - 20 ) the volume controls were serviced, but I don't think they were replaced. The symptom is noise when turning the volume up or down before the phono stage was fully warmed up. Once it warms up, the noise is gone. It still sometimes does it, but it is minimal. I usually set and forget the volume level and let the Io warm up for 30 minutes before listening.

 

[oldvinyl]

FYI - I have listed some of my "extra" Io tubes in the classifieds. Nothing too exotic for 12AX7 - there are some very quiet ones. There are some really nice 6DJ8/6922/7308 (NOS or "pulls") and 6SN7 (NOS). These were purchased as NOS from known dealers and have been stored in the closet for 20 to 30 years. Guess I overestimated how many tubes I would need for the Io.

For other tube equipment, there are some very nice NOS E80CC, 12AU7, 6SL7, 5U4G, EL84.

 

[OGH]

I think it is a good idea to turn the volume controls gently and slowly. I have no proof, but rushing the controls may have contributed to cracked soldering.

 

[oldvinyl]

I think it is a good idea to turn the volume controls gently and slowly. I have no proof, but rushing the controls may have contributed to cracked soldering.

The volume control is a wiper blade that runs across the connection to a resistor divider ladder. As I understand it, each click has the same number of resistors and they are low noise. This reduces the overall number of components in the signal path. The clicking usually comes from the making and breaking of the wiper blade across the connections. Speed of rotation should have no effect on solder connections.
But anyway, I don't twist them fast and it is usually on three or four clicks - depending on the volume level of the pressing and whether I want to shake the room with bass.

 

[OGH]

The controls had been used a lot over a period of 15 years, since I ran Io as preamp direct to the amps. Also, I had been tempted to keep it on for long periods, with quite a lot of heat in the rack. So I guess this contributed as well. Anyway, Aesthetix fixed it for a very fair price, and I am not complaining.

 

[OGH]

A lucky day, my preamp is back from repair, done locally for a very fair price. I was thinking now was an opportunity to A-B test, one channel with Io direct to the amps, the other from Io to preamp to amps, but changing cables at the back of my rack is hard for my back and when I heard the sound I didn't bother. In my room and to my ears, Io clearly benefits from the 'help' from the preamp.