Valve Itch phono

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Musical, it' s another way to say that makes music softer and sweeter, mainly in vocals and simpler music. It can be seductive, I agree, but the Ufsp has more resolution, you hear more, especially in complex music scores, and is more accurate and more dynamic.
More Hi-Fi: yes, but a lot of time ago I discovered no one Hi-Fi system can reproduce a Sinfonic Orchestra, know I search more the correct tone of non amplified intruments. Accurate is a word difficult to manage because no one was in the studio listening the real music. Dynamic it all depends the record as always but all vinyl isn't dynamic per nature. Nothing is perfect choose your poison. I listen a lot of Jazz & vocal: no place for SS.

About musical I don't want to say more soft & sweeter, more similar tone of all music including strong tones, listen vocal & insturments expressions not found in SS.
 
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One day I had an itch to try some other tubes for my Itch. Read some good reviews for the Linlai 6SN7 and decided to order a pair.
I left them to burn a couple of days and did a lot of listening the last couple of weeks. However they did not live up to my expectations. Compared to my Tungsol reissues they were a little thin, less resolution and not so good on the bass. So the Tungsols are back into service.
George could I ask where did you bought the 6SN7 Tungsol reissue and what price the unit or better the matched pair?
 
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Salas 6N2P-V it's better or worse than 6NP-ER?
The ER variant is usually more open and refined. Not all vintages sound the same in both variants. 6N2P-EV was military 5,000 hrs. The 6N2P-ER has even less grid leakage current i.e. better vacuum. Was special grade 10,000 hrs military radiation environment issue.
 
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Maybe try 7n7 with an adaptor some day. As good as the Itch is I still prefer my UFSP.
I have a loctal socket but do not want to mess with the pcb.
Me not, I like more the Itch it's a lot of more musical.
Musical, it' s another way to say that makes music softer and sweeter, mainly in vocals and simpler music. It can be seductive, I agree, but the Ufsp has more resolution, you hear more, especially in complex music scores, and is more accurate and more dynamic.
I developed the two phonos to be as much alike as different due to triode vs FET. UFSP isn't loop feedback complex SS architecture. Itch isn't noisy inaccurate vacuum. From what I have experienced the more premium organic tone carts you play the less the UFSP sounds FET when technical leaning carts benefit more from the Itch spell.
Each one to his own preference but to have Itch triode goodness is maybe triple the FET build cost including HV PSU and SUT. Before buying any premium NOS tubes for experiments. One thing to remember, always compare at exact same sound pressure level auditions.
 
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Vacuum tube are active devices so plays an important role for the SQ. The output capacitor also is important as is the PSU & RIAA. I have both: The Itch & the UFSP but I have no tech cold cart & for sure it's well done the set up with the Ekos & the Linn Sondek LP12 because two or three weeks ago tested the SRA of my Shure V15 type III with original pick-up with a microscope and was spot on 92°, what a coincidence the VTA was adjusted for me by ear.

And yes you are right, the Itch is a lot more expensive and complicate to make but worth every hour of work and money spent because you can here clearly the improvement, for example matched RIAA teflon film and foil doesn't sounds like PP, etc.
 
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Salas there are sonic differences between PCB & P2P constructions?
I am not sure because everyone makes his personal p2p details inspiration of course. But the pcb alternative is reliable as it measured decent. No ground loops and THD is normal. Best Itch I had listened to was p2p with big spender components and top notch SUT with rare 1578 output stage Soviet tubes nonetheless.
 
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Vacuum tube are active devices so plays an important role for the SQ. The output capacitor also is important as is the PSU & RIAA. I have both: The Itch & the UFSP but I have no tech cold cart & for sure it's well done the set up with the Ekos & the Linn Sondek LP12 because two or three weeks ago tested the SRA of my Shure V15 type III with original pick-up with a microscope and was spot on 92°, what a coincidence the VTA was adjusted for me by ear.

And yes you are right, the Itch is a lot more expensive and complicate to make but worth every hour of work and money spent because you can here clearly the improvement, for example matched RIAA teflon film and foil doesn't sounds like PP, etc
I forgot that you used a Shure V15. I have one too and tested with the Itch, but there is no comparison with a modern MC cart like my AT ART9. The naturalness and resolution are steps above the Shure. And I use a sowter step up, probably one of the best step ups. It can be pleasant in small jazz ensembles and vocals, but in symphonic complex music, which is most of my vinyl library, I prefer the UFSP. That is not to say that I do not enjoy the itch from time to time.
As you say tubes are active devises and influence the sound. That' s you can never be certain about their performance, unless you test them in circuit with FFT. When I switch the same tubes (V1 with V3 and V2 with V4) you can see differences in gain and distortion - or if you just got a noisy one - so I choose their location were I get the best measurements. And you can hear that, lower noise better balance etc.
My point is that if you have not heard the UFSP with a good MC you don' t know what is capable of.
 

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Your V15 have the original pick-up?
Lately listened with a well adjust set-up Dr Feickert Blackbird 2 with Jelco 750D + Hana ML & SAEC WE308 with Transfiguration Axia.
Listened mine UFSP with well adjusted set-up Linn LP12 with Ekos + Linn Arkiv,
As you can see there are very good carts & arms.
My point is that you still have a lot of to improve your Itch, not only changing tubes, first as Salas pointed also you need upgrade for better components "Each one to his own preference but to have Itch triode goodness is maybe triple the FET build cost including HV PSU and SUT. Before buying any premium NOS tubes for experiments."
 
I don' t think that there is much to upgrade on my itch. Combination of teflon and mkp capacitors, f&t capacitors on the ps sinkoh and takman resistors etc. I was thinking about meltz tubes, but price is too steep now. And here some measurements for you.
 

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If it's not too much work, could you draw at the schematic the components used? I understand that you like more the UFSP, I don't say UFSP is a bad phono preamp, Itch needs more cooking but if it's not your cup of tea no make sense to upgrade spending more money. Have a nice week-end George.

N.B. nice cart the one you have, listened with a Micro Seiki TT.
 
The stylus is not a jico-sas. I did not like the sound so much to invest in a more expensive needle. I prefer mc 's as the person who donated me this cart, had a sas needle, I trust his opinion and now has an AT ART10 like mine.
After 40 years with turntables I think know something about setup.
Output caps are Cornell Dubilier 2,5uF MKP. Rectification is SS full wave bridge.
No time now to draw a schematic with components. Most important is that it measures as the designer intended to.