LampizatOr Golden Atlantic + TRP

leftside

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Jan 22, 2018
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The Takatsuki 274B is on sale at Parts connexion for 899. Is this a good deal? worth spending money on it?
Thanks in advance
I've had their 300B tubes for a number of years and have been very impressed. I'd assume their 274B is equally well made. Others will have to chime in and say if they hear any sonic differences with this rectifier.
 

highstream

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The Takatsuki 274B is on sale at Parts connexion for 899. Is this a good deal? worth spending money on it?
Thanks in advance

It's worth it if it's THE ONE for your tastes and you're willing to pay that much. I've got 10 rectifiers here, most off eBay, some really good, e.g., USAF 596. that off the top of my head cost about that much together.
 
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perfusionist

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It's worth it if it's THE ONE for your tastes and you're willing to pay that much. I've got 10 rectifiers here, most off eBay, some really good, e.g., USAF 596. that off the top of my head cost about that much together.

@highstream I have the USAF 596 tube and its my fav tube so far. If I buy the Takatsuki, my plan was to sell the USAF, assuming the takatsuki out performs the USAF.

@shadowlight was kind enough to send me some black GEC KT66 tubes and they sound pretty good too. Off late I ve been listening to the GEC KT66. I am even thinking this is better than the Tesla EL51 haha.
 

AMR / iFi audio

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@shadowlight was kind enough to send me some black GEC KT66 tubes and they sound pretty good too. Off late I ve been listening to the GEC KT66. I am even thinking this is better than the Tesla EL51 haha.
It obviously comes down to a personal preference, but I think in Lampi's case GEC KT66 is held in a much higher regard than Tesla EL51.
 
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Golum

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...but I think in Lampi's case GEC KT66 is held in a much higher regard than Tesla EL51.
I would not agree with this statement at all ;). In top few tubes definitely it is but not top of the top...again highly system dependent
There is one more new tube type which is preliminary on par with Tesla el51 performance wise and these days tested/compared in details but the guys doing it will chime in when they finish their stuff
 

AMR / iFi audio

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Sure. Not top of the top. I was comparing GEC KT66 and Tesla EL51.

I look forward to the Takatsuki 274B vs. USAF 596 comparison. The price difference is significant. Wonder if it's reflected in the SQ.
 

Golum

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Like all in this sport for some maybe yes for some no - but as I said before for the price of Taka you can get many great output tubes or as Gene said many fantastic NOS rectifiers. 3x price diff 596 vs Taka is not reflected in 3x better performance of Taka and that's for granted...
 
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leftside

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Jan 22, 2018
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@shadowlight was kind enough to send me some black GEC KT66 tubes and they sound pretty good too. Off late I ve been listening to the GEC KT66. I am even thinking this is better than the Tesla EL51 haha.
You have a good friend there! The GEC KT66 are definitely some of my favourite tubes. I've been listening back and forth between the 50's black bass/smoked glass and early 60's brown base with cup getter in my Supratek preamp. I believe the earlier tubes are very slightly warmer. I can't detect those differences in the Lampi DAC (yet) though, but that's probably because of the design of the preamp vs the design of the Lampi.
 
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highstream

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@highstream I have the USAF 596 tube and its my fav tube so far. If I buy the Takatsuki, my plan was to sell the USAF, assuming the takatsuki out performs the USAF.

@shadowlight was kind enough to send me some black GEC KT66 tubes and they sound pretty good too. Off late I ve been listening to the GEC KT66. I am even thinking this is better than the Tesla EL51 haha.

Your KT66’s are black in what regard: base, glass, plates?
 

Phon@ix

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Jul 27, 2019
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I received my Telefunkens EL156 + adapters some weeks ago. Here are my first impressions after a propre burn in period of >70h:

Telefunkens EL156 sound very precise, neutral, linear and energetic with a few pounds of meat at the bone. They've a lot of punch in the bass range and reproduce very crispy details - their stage image resembles a 180 degree arena. To make it short: I like these tubes a lot and they definiteley belong to the uperclass output tubes.

Teslas EL51 play more organic, less like studio sound, more emotionally trimmed. The room's filled all around with music, it seems the musicians are playing in the middle of the room.

Characteristic relationship
EL156 ? KR Audio 2018 anniv. 5U4G / EL51 ? GZ480 5U4G

Conclusion
From my pov the advantage of the Telslas EL51 is, that they provide a very big stage but they leave the recti space to influence the sound characteristics in it‘s style. The Telefunkens EL156 like it to play a bit more in the foreground which could overshadow or cap the recties potential a bit.

Personally I prefer the EL51, especially to play the recti rolling game. Both are very good bees but imo the Telsas EL51 remain king.
 

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Golum

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I was writing as of few days ago that there is a new tube type on horizon to be evaluated for the TRP owners. Quest for new options never cease so this was a legit attempt to de-throne el51. What I found on the web for el156 was quite impressive in terms of tube and specifically what I liked is that it was developed for audio usage which set the hopes quite high. Hence I asked Yoda to approve it for TRP and with his blessing we come to two reports from Urs and Fabio who are always, but always willing to engage in this type of "experiments". I can't recall if I mentioned but they are great buddies living across each other with cumulatively maybe one of the biggest stashes of different tubes for TRP so their experience and possibilities to swap and compare is just enormous. With this small intro here is Fabios report on this particular tube:

"Telefunken EL156

I bought these Telefunken 156 NOS/NIB here in Switzerland for around 240 bucks a pair. This tube delivers an impressive 50 Watt. Yoda confirmed that they are safe to be used in the TRP.

Once the tubes arrived a few weeks ago I had to be patient and wait another week or two for the adapters to arrive. Once they, did I initially struggled to insert the tube into the adapter. So I pushed down the metal connectors on the adapter to make more room for the pins to enter. Finally, still applying a lot of force, I managed to insert the tube into the adapter and I was ready to burn them in.

They have been in use now for 50-70 hours and haven’t changed much the last 20 hours or so. During the burn-in phase these were volatile: treble was glassy and bass was instable. In the meantime, I have used them with a variety of rectifiers (gz480, taka, acme, Usaf 596, rk 5u4g, Marconi 5u4g, Fivre 5u4g and a few more) and their distinctive character comes through with all of them.

In terms of output tubes I have directly compared them against the PSVanes 6Ca7 and mostly against the Teslas EL51 as these are probably the two tubes which perform best in most systems including mine: the Teslas by the way much more so than the PSVanes. There‘s not even a comparison which I realized again during this test.

So how about the Telefunkens? First thing that you‘ll notice is the extreme power. These tubes are full throttle and produce the most muscular sound I have heard to date from any tube in the TRP by quite a margin. The bass reaches a felt octave lower and punches so hard that you sometimes get a clubbing- or amplified live concert impression.

Second thing that pops to mind is the extreme presence and focus of how instruments and sounds are portrayed in the room. Imaging and separation are excellent. This is on the level of the Teslas although the stage is further back in the room. Also, images don‘t have the same 3D body as with the Teslas but they equally grab your attention by their strong attack and presence. The PSVanes in comparison are rather sleepy.

Marco dynamics are phenomenal and the stage is impressive. Especially width. Stage height and depth are less compared to EL51.

Treble is extended and clear. Despite the massive bass these tubes feel fairly neutral as they are very extended on the top end too without any midrange bloom. Negatively spoken this neutrality somewhat reminds me of a KT88 (but with way more tension and elements that keep it interesting). If this was a rectifier then it’s closest sibling would probably be the RK 5U4G.

Considering the neutrality, voices are not rendered with this intimacy as the Teslas would do. Also voices are not as holographic. The soundstage is more 2D and mostly behind the speakers. There’s not the same depth and layering as with the Teslas.

Details are excellent. Especially in the bass department plenty of nuances can be picked up. Despite this massive bass, the tube is clean and bass is well separated from mids. Thus plenty of details can be retrieved with this tube.

The biggest problem I had with it is timbre. I don‘t know whether it has to do with the massive weight and muscle that overshadows things and causes a slightly veiled sound. In my setup it somehow sounded rounded-off in the midrange. Initially, I did not mind but the longer I listened the more I was missing this organic, direct, open and intimate sound that the Teslas would produce. Switching back to the EL51s confirmed this impression. Timbre is on a different level in my setup.

So where does it leave this tube? Well - unlike many other output tubes I tried - this one is worth writing about. The attack, presence, focus, imaging and macrodynamic are as good as it gets. The sound is alive and grabs your intention: only the Tesla can do that to the same degree. The bass is impressive, reaches deeper than with all other output tubes I tried and has massive impact. If a system lacks muscle/weight, this is definitely the tube to go for. In my system and to my liking it produces slightly too much low end power. I would use this tube for rock and electronic music, playing loud and bringing the live-concert or techno club home.

Concluding it can be said that el156 is a really good tube and worth having it in the collection because in certain disciplines it plays champions league. Due to the slightly coated timbre (in my system), the lack of depth and 3D as well as the massive bass (not for me in the long run) it will not displace the EL51."

With this written/said - quest to de-throne el51 is still ON.

Keep rolling
 
Last edited:

Phon@ix

Well-Known Member
Jul 27, 2019
90
181
120
ZRH
So we've a new output tube ranking:
  1. Tesla EL51
  2. Telefunken EL156
  3. Psvane Psvane 6CA7-T-MII/2
  4. Shuguang Black Treasure 6CA7-Z (Gold-Gitter)
  5. Genalex Gold Lion KT77
 
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AMR / iFi audio

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Aug 21, 2019
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I was writing as of few ago there was a new tube type on horizon to be evaluated for the TRP owners. Quest for new options never cease so this was a legit attempt to de-throne el51. What I found on the web for el156 was quite impressive in terms of tube and specifically what I liked is that it was developed for audio usage which set the hopes quite high. Hence I asked Yoda to approve it for TRP and with his blessing we come to two reports from Urs and Fabio who are always, but always willing to engage in this type of "experiments". I can't recall if I mentioned but they are great buddies living across each other with cumulatively maybe one of the biggest stashes of different tubes for TRP so their experience and possibilities to swap and compare is just enormous. With this small intro here is Fabios report on this particular tube:

"Telefunken EL156

I bought these Telefunken 156 NOS/NIB here in Switzerland for around 240 bucks a pair. This tube delivers an impressive 50 Watt. Yoda confirmed that they are save to be used in the TRP.

Once the tubes arrived a few weeks ago I had to be patient and wait another week or two for the adapters to arrive. Once they, did I initially struggled to insert the tube into the adapter. So I pushed down the metal connectors on the adapter to make more room for the pins to enter. Finally, still applying a lot of force, I managed to insert the tube into the adapter and I was ready to burn them in.

They have been in use now for 50-70 hours and haven’t changed much the last 20 hours or so. During the burn-in phase these were volatile: treble was glassy and bass was instable. In the meantime, I have used them with a variety of rectifiers (gz480, taka, acme, Usaf 596, rk 5u4g, Marconi 5u4g, Fivre 5u4g and a few more) and their distinctive character comes through with all of them.

In terms of output tubes I have directly compared them against the PSVanes 6Ca7 and mostly against the Teslas EL51 as these are probably the two tubes which perform best in most systems including mine: the Teslas by the way much more so than the PSVanes. There‘s not even a comparison which I realized again during this test.

So how about the Telefunkens? First thing that you‘ll notice is the extreme power. These tubes are full throttle and produce the most muscular sound I have heard to date from any tube in the TRP by quite a margin. The bass reaches a felt octave lower and punches so hard that you sometimes get a clubbing- or amplified live concert impression.

Second thing that pops to mind is the extreme presence and focus of how instruments and sounds are portrayed in the room. Imaging and separation are excellent. This is on the level of the Teslas although the stage is further back in the room. Also, images don‘t have the same 3D body as with the Teslas but they equally grab your attention by their strong attack and presence. The PSVanes in comparison are rather sleepy.

Marco dynamics are phenomenal and the stage is impressive. Especially width. Stage height and depth are less compared to EL51.

Treble is extended and clear. Despite the massive bass these tubes feel fairly neutral as they are very extended on the top end too without any midrange bloom. Negatively spoken this neutrality somewhat reminds me of a KT88 (but with way more tension and elements that keep it interesting). If this was a rectifier then it’s closest sibling would probably be the RK 5U4G.

Considering the neutrality, voices are not rendered with this intimacy as the Teslas would do. Also voices are not as holographic. The soundstage is more 2D and mostly behind the speakers. There’s not the same depth and layering as with the Teslas.

Details are excellent. Especially in the bass department plenty of nuances can be picked up. Despite this massive bass, the tube is clean and bass is well separated from mids. Thus plenty of details can be retrieved with this tube.

The biggest problem I had with it is timbre. I don‘t know whether it has to do with the massive weight and muscle that overshadows things and causes a slightly veiled sound. In my setup it somehow sounded rounded-off in the midrange. Initially, I did not mind but the longer I listened the more I was missing this organic, direct, open and intimate sound that the Teslas would produce. Switching back to the EL51s confirmed this impression. Timbre is on a different level in my setup.

So where does it leave this tube? Well - unlike many other output tubes I tried - this one is worth writing about. The attack, presence, focus, imaging and macrodynamic are as good as it gets. The sound is alive and grabs your intention: only the Tesla can do that to the same degree. The bass is impressive, reaches deeper than with all other output tubes I tried and has massive impact. If a system lacks muscle/weight, this is definitely the tube to go for. In my system and to my liking it produces slightly too much low end power. I would use this tube for rock and electronic music, playing loud and bringing the live-concert or techno club home.

Concluding it can be said that el156 is a really good tube and worth having it in the collection because in certain disciplines it plays champions league. Due to the slightly coated timbre (in my system), the lack of depth and 3D as well as the massive bass (not for me in the long run) it will not displace the EL51."

With this written/said - quest to de-throne el51 is still ON.

Keep rolling
That was quite the analysis. Thanks a lot for sharing.
 
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leftside

Well-Known Member
Jan 22, 2018
171
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So we've a new output tube ranking:
  1. Tesla EL51
  2. Telefunken EL156
  3. Psvane Psvane 6CA7-T-MII/2
  4. Shuguang Black Treasure 6CA7-Z (Gold-Gitter)
  5. Genalex Gold Lion KT77
Not by me :) The Chinese "6CA7" are not even true 6CA7/EL34 as they are beam tetrodes, and not pentodes. The Chinese new prod tubes are much improved these days, but I still prefer the earlier tubes. You can still get Mullard EL34 XF2's at reasonable prices.

Edit: I do agree the Tesla are very good. I've been listening to the DSD version of It Serves you Right to Suffer by John Lee Hooker with those tubes this evening. There is a very interesting history of all the ELxx tubes here and how they are related. I wonder how the Philips and Valvo EL51 sound?

Also, the tubes people prefer are going to depend upon their listening preferences and their existing system. I find the TRP to be very detailed, clear and defined (just how I like it!), so I tend to lean more towards the neutral or slightly warmer tubes. I also have tube amps and a tube preamp, so these and my speakers and tubes chosen in these pieces of gear effect the tubes I choose in the TRP as well.
 
Last edited:

shadowlight

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Oct 27, 2016
169
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@highstream I have the USAF 596 tube and its my fav tube so far. If I buy the Takatsuki, my plan was to sell the USAF, assuming the takatsuki out performs the USAF.

@shadowlight was kind enough to send me some black GEC KT66 tubes and they sound pretty good too. Off late I ve been listening to the GEC KT66. I am even thinking this is better than the Tesla EL51 haha.
I am glad you are enjoying the KT66.
 

perfusionist

Well-Known Member
Nov 4, 2020
127
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So we've a new output tube ranking:
  1. Tesla EL51
  2. Telefunken EL156
  3. Psvane Psvane 6CA7-T-MII/2
  4. Shuguang Black Treasure 6CA7-Z (Gold-Gitter)
  5. Genalex Gold Lion KT77

No GEC KT66? :(

I have tried the GEC KT66, Tesla 51, Psvane 6CA7, Gold lion KT77, Gold Lion KT66 and here is my order:

1. Shared by GEC KT66 and Tesla EL51
2. Psvane
3. Gold lion KT66
4. Last place - KT77
 
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Phon@ix

Well-Known Member
Jul 27, 2019
90
181
120
ZRH
No GEC KT66? :(

I have tried the GEC KT66, Tesla 51, Psvane 6CA7, Gold lion KT77, Gold Lion KT66 and here is my order:

1. Shared by GEC KT66 and Tesla EL51
2. Psvane
3. Gold lion KT66
4. Last place - KT77
GEC KT66 weren’t in the game yet.. Gold Lion KT66 aren’t our cup of tea, that’s why they‘re not in the ranking. Tbh: I think I‘ll use the Teslas and Telefunkens in future, all the other tubes will stay in the cellar... Who knows who’ll be the heir of the throne... We‘ll see if there’s one out there...
 
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owen lawlor

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Jul 30, 2010
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Can you hotswap on this DAC or should you turn off at back first?
 

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