Joey_V
Well-known member
So I got the Cary SLP98 a few months ago and I've been enjoying it sonically through the Summits. Now, there have been several times in which I'm like, you know, it could use a little more palpability in the vocals.... or just a wee bit more midrange magic in that area would be great.
Anyway, I know that the I preferred the Cary 98 over the entire line of Rogue preamps and over the Hovland HP100 that I so wanted to like. But there's always room for some sonic improvement right?
So, I figured, why not change the tubes? I mean, they're sticking out of the chassis and a little tug is all it takes to remove them... so why not replace the cheapo stock Chinese tubes that came with the 98 with something a little more hefty, a little more historic, a little more nostalgic... some NOS tubes!
A few months ago, I decided to order a set of 4 tubes from ebay. They came and much to my dismay, the 4 were not matched and I was getting a lot of buzzing and static out of the speakers.... and it was dependent on the array at which I stuck the tubes, changing from the R channel to the L channel depending on which tube was where.
So I returned that set and I went ahead and played it cool for a few weeks. I then came upon a good deal by which I got a hold of 5 Sylvania 6sn7 tubes for $50 shipped, btw, these tubes are like $50 each if NOS. I took delivery of them a few weeks ago and I placed them in my preamp.
Well, to make a long story short, I had them in my system for about 2 weeks and I noticed quite a bit of midrange coming them... more palpability, more weight in the vocal image, more of the stuff I love! I recently A/Bed the two set of tubes, within 1 minute of each other, and the difference was definitely almost night/day. The stock Chinese tubes had this sort of "vacuum" in the vocal image as compared to the Sylvanias... of course, that's a bit of an exagerration but you get the picture. The tubes are a great upgrade for my preamp and for my system... and at only $50, it's a no-brainer! Bottom line, if you have a tube preamp, play with the tubes as better sonic reproduction for you may just be around the corner... as I found that this has been the cheapest upgrade I've done yet! :cheers:
I also had another audiophile over yesterday just to confirm what I heard and he heard the changes from A/B-ing (only once, no need to re-A/B since the differences were not at all subtle) the two sets.
I'll post pics of the tubes a bit later, after being on call.
In pursuit of sonic nirvana,
Joey
Anyway, I know that the I preferred the Cary 98 over the entire line of Rogue preamps and over the Hovland HP100 that I so wanted to like. But there's always room for some sonic improvement right?
So, I figured, why not change the tubes? I mean, they're sticking out of the chassis and a little tug is all it takes to remove them... so why not replace the cheapo stock Chinese tubes that came with the 98 with something a little more hefty, a little more historic, a little more nostalgic... some NOS tubes!
A few months ago, I decided to order a set of 4 tubes from ebay. They came and much to my dismay, the 4 were not matched and I was getting a lot of buzzing and static out of the speakers.... and it was dependent on the array at which I stuck the tubes, changing from the R channel to the L channel depending on which tube was where.
So I returned that set and I went ahead and played it cool for a few weeks. I then came upon a good deal by which I got a hold of 5 Sylvania 6sn7 tubes for $50 shipped, btw, these tubes are like $50 each if NOS. I took delivery of them a few weeks ago and I placed them in my preamp.
Well, to make a long story short, I had them in my system for about 2 weeks and I noticed quite a bit of midrange coming them... more palpability, more weight in the vocal image, more of the stuff I love! I recently A/Bed the two set of tubes, within 1 minute of each other, and the difference was definitely almost night/day. The stock Chinese tubes had this sort of "vacuum" in the vocal image as compared to the Sylvanias... of course, that's a bit of an exagerration but you get the picture. The tubes are a great upgrade for my preamp and for my system... and at only $50, it's a no-brainer! Bottom line, if you have a tube preamp, play with the tubes as better sonic reproduction for you may just be around the corner... as I found that this has been the cheapest upgrade I've done yet! :cheers:
I also had another audiophile over yesterday just to confirm what I heard and he heard the changes from A/B-ing (only once, no need to re-A/B since the differences were not at all subtle) the two sets.
I'll post pics of the tubes a bit later, after being on call.
In pursuit of sonic nirvana,
Joey