AudioNervosa
Systemic Development => Amplification and Preamplification => Tubes => Topic started by: rollo on March 21, 2012, 07:18:03 AM
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So anyone have any reccomendations besides Sovtek ??? Any experience with cryoing this tube ?? Thanks.
charles
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6H30DR is the original Russian made tube, and the best sounding. Huge current and extremely low distortion.
http://thetubestore.com/russian6h30pdr.html (http://thetubestore.com/russian6h30pdr.html)
Sold out
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=6H30+DR (http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=6H30+DR)
Beware fakes repainted
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Thanks Rich. Just cannot get away from NOS it appears. Yes the Holy Grail the DR 6H30 super tube.
I going to have the Sovteks cryoed first. At over $230 /pr for the DRs I'll give it a go.
charles
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That sounds good. Audio Research uses them in their preamps, surely they are not using DR.
Found this
http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?2155-6H30-s-Are-the-more-expensive-megabuck-versions-worth-the-money (http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?2155-6H30-s-Are-the-more-expensive-megabuck-versions-worth-the-money)
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Thanks noticed that as well. Received the cryoed version. So far so good. A fuller sound and dead quite. Experimenting with the Arions now to see what more we can get from these babies.
Next up will be the output caps. As of now using Cardas [ stock ]. Want to Give Deuland VSF copper a go.
charles
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Parts connection has matched pairs of Reflector 6H30 DR for $219.99
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Just picked up a Lector Zoe with Sovtec 6H30 tubes, will let you know how that pans out
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I found the Electro Harmonix gold pin 6H30 to be a significant improvement over the standard Sovtek, in the Modwright 36.5 I had, if not on the level of the 6H30 DRs.
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Thanks Rob. I neeed to call you but misplaced your number.
charles
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Hi guys
Sorry to bump such an old thread again but I hope my question is relevant to the previous discussion.
How is the bass performance with the EH Gold Pin or Sovtek 6H30 tubes in the applications you have used them in.
I'm being loaned a ARC based Clone preamp from a friend so I can give him my thoughts on the preamp. From what I've been told the clone can have 6H30 tubes used in them but my buddy hasn't been able to use them as they are a bit out of his price range currently. Right now I've tried this preamp with 6N6P-EV and 6N1 tubes and I've finding the bass to be very light.Mids and Highs are nice but the bass is gone in my system. I'm wondering if 6H30s would provide more bass. I figure I'd ask you all first as you have had more experience with these 6h30s.
Thanks
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IMO the bass of the Sovtek is more forceful and dynamic than the Dr versions. Cryo 6H30 that is. Tubedept has them in stock. The top is much more natural with cryo IMO.
charles
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Try the 6N6π - it was this tube that led to the development of it's pulse-tolerant (6N6π-I, 6N6π-IR, 6N30π, 6N30π-DR) cousins - (the effort was to make them tough enough to withstand military use as power supply switching controllers. The 6B6π won't last as long as the others, but it will sound better IMHO.
You have to understand that once Komenko made a deal with Reflektor to buy out all the remaining stock of DR's, it was HE who started the hype that the DR is the only tube to have.
(Interestingly, since he started running out of DR's in 2009, he's now touting the 6H30PI as a "Supertube").
People like Lucas (Lampizator.com) and I have extensively compared both the 6N30π & the 6N6π. I find the 30 a tad "clinical" and the depth-of-field to be better on the 6. True, the 6 won't last as long, but they're quite affordable and (I think) more emotionally involving - of course, YMMV.
:)
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Strike that sentence about Komenko calling the "regular" 6H30Pi a "Supertube" - that was someone else's claim. My apologies.
Nonetheless, if you owned ALL of a tube's stock, you would naturally say it's the best - (In fairness, it IS the most rugged).
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Do all of you guys use the BAT equipment? Thetubestore.com's description says 6H30 is a 6922/6DJ8 variant, but it is not for use in equipment other than BAT.
If it is as rugged as it's touted, wouldn't it be a good choice for my AI Mod 2D (aka "The Tube Eater)?
What is different about the 6H30 which disqualifies it from service in my pre?
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What is different about the 6H30 which disqualifies it from service in my pre?
Two things:
1. Heater current — 300mA (typically) for a 6DJ8/6922, 850mA-900mA for a 6Н630/6Н6П type of tube. If your unit's heater supply is overbuilt and can handle the extra ½ amp, this isn't a problam. Otherwise, it can be modified to do so (by someone like myself or Jim Williams).
2. Bias point — although the range of bias for the two tubes overlaps a great deal, a piece optimized for a 6DJ8 may not have the ideal bias point for a 6Н630 or 6Н6П — (IOW, it will most likely work, but may not be as much of an improvement as it could be.
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If it is as rugged as it's touted, wouldn't it be a good choice for my AI Mod 2D (aka "The Tube Eater)?
Allen,
I have a Mod 3A and have not had any great problems with it going through tubes any faster than my ARC SP-9. One of the things I noticed when I got the AI is that there os no way to shut it off completely. even when you turn off the "power " switch you can still see the tube filaments staying lit. I suspect this may be why it tends to wear out tubes. In light of what I observed and the unit's reputation I simply started to plug the plug out of the wall when the unit was not in use. Of course this led to a little bit longer warm-up period, but it did seem to do wonders for the tube life.
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...even when you turn off the "power " switch you can still see the tube filaments staying lit. I suspect this may be why it tends to wear out tubes...
It shouldn't be. Generally speaking, when a tube "wears out", it loses cathode emission (long before the filament burns out). I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but I've used hundreds of tubes and can count on one hand the number of filaments that I've seen die.
Allen, when your tubes "go", do they stop glowing?
Or does the tube still glow, but not produce good sound any more?
Tmazz, I suspect that – (if your filaments are burning out) – it's due to a less-than-optimally-designed power supply. I would try putting an ICL (Inrush Current Limiter) in series with your filament, such as this one:
http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?pv679=87&k=inrush+current+limiter&mnonly=0&newproducts=0&ColumnSort=0&page=1&stock=1&quantity=0&ptm=0&fid=0&pageSize=500 (http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?pv679=87&k=inrush+current+limiter&mnonly=0&newproducts=0&ColumnSort=0&page=1&stock=1&quantity=0&ptm=0&fid=0&pageSize=500)
These are passive current-limiting devices and will not have any negative effect on the sound; (if anything, it will sound better, as current-regulated filament supplies tend to do). They can get quite hot though, so make sure it's in a well-ventillated location.
But it will do two things for you:
1 – Limit the "cold filament" inrush current; when the filament's cold, it has about ¼ of it's running resistance and therefore draws a lot more current. This is probably the biggest cause of filaments burning out — (which is probably why your AI chooses not to switch them on and off).
2 – Keep the power supply from delivering too much voltage and/or current (and prolong the life of the tube).
You should be able to leave the tube(s) on 24/7 and, if anything, the cathode emission will fall off long before the filament burns out. (BTW, the cathode emission isn't affected when there's no power to the anode — hence the power switch).
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e.
Allen, when your tubes "go", do they stop glowing?
Or does the tube still glow, but not produce good sound any more?
I've never had a tube completely fail. They just, over time, lose their vibrancy, and begin to sound murky.
Sometimes they get noisy, (swirly, windy kinds of sounds) but lately I'm not sure if it is the tubes, the preamp, the rest of the system or a combination of all.
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Good stuff there Russian Glass. Welcome and nice to have you posting.
charles
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I have the same experience as Allen with tubes in general. When used in a hi end application in my experience tubes have a definite useable lifespan. They will give peak performance for just a finite amount of time ( and that amount of time varies depending on the tube and the circuit it is used in) and after that time the just start to sound dull and lifeless. They still work and would in all likelyhood b provide many more hours (or even years) of service in a less demanding application, but after a while they just done allow the equipment to preform up the it's fullest potential.