Hi!
Nope it isn't german either. Swiss, german, UK, US ... quite international I'd say
Thomas
Nope it isn't german either. Swiss, german, UK, US ... quite international I'd say
Thomas
Hi!
Nope it isn't german either. Swiss, german, UK, US ... quite international I'd say
Thomas
Hi Thomas
Txs for voice from experience
Personally I would go with D.S. TVC or AVC either- they are best in my opinion and also priced very reasonable. That what I found after all
Doesn't matter really who's idea is that , what counts here is that it
is really brilliant idea !
Desmo, not sure its a "UK thing" as I have only really seen it extensively used by Thomas Mayer, such as VinylSavor: Making of a 6AH4 line stage: circuit
I am also not convinced, but I do have a TVC, and the Tram2 is set up for shunt mode (Audio Note DAC with high output....), so I could always feed the Tram2 on max volume into the TVC and see what we get !
My reason for calling it a ''UK thing'' was, that I know two Tram II owners from the UK and both are talking about this
I have not heard any other Tram II owner mention this as ''the very important upgrade''. And also on my part: It's as usual a lack of words in a second language. I did not know the proper words But of course it's not a UK thing like in the sence that it's only done in the UK or whatever...Again, I'm skeptical if it will improve the sound. One could of course argue, that it's a good upgrade if it does not spoil the sound because as Clive mentions: It will make noise performance better. With the Rod Coleman regulators the noise is extremely low, but getting microphonics low will be a good thing.
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Autoformer Overload?
Is this an overload issue in the plan to take the resister network off the Tram2 and do direct out into Intactaudio aka Dave Slagle's AVC?
Tram2 Output information from Thorsten
Question: with the +6 db output, what is the output in mV?
Maximum output is quite high, several 10's of Volts, Gain is however 6dB (two times), so with the volume control all the way open and 2V in you get 4V out.
Intact autoformer:[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]
Q - What is the maximum input voltage?[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]A - 8V@20hz[/FONT]
Is this an overload issue in the plan to take the resister network off the Tram2 and do direct out into Intactaudio aka Dave Slagle's AVC?
Tram2 Output information from Thorsten
Question: with the +6 db output, what is the output in mV?
Maximum output is quite high, several 10's of Volts, Gain is however 6dB (two times), so with the volume control all the way open and 2V in you get 4V out.
______________________________________
Intact autoformer:[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]
Q - What is the maximum input voltage?[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]A - 8V@20hz[/FONT]
Thank you so much for the comparison with the Suptratek, this is very informative and interesting..! I would be so curious about what you think of the comparisons with some mods on the Tram II
Just to comment on the above that I quoted:
I did not mean to say anything bad about your Supratek, as I mentioned I have admired these preamps for many years... I'm sure that they are build in a ''form follows function'' way, and this is good, the best function and no compromises made. However, it is possible to build complicated circuits neatly in small spaces (I have done this as DIY for 30 years now). It does not take more space to build it neat and good looking, but it takes A LOT more time..! Often something like 5-10 times longer...! And in a commercial product like Suptratek, this is simply not possible because the end price would be much higher than the market will pay. So I believe he makes the best compromise: The function is perfect, and the assembly is cost effective...
Regarding the Tram II and noise: With a good implementation of the Rod Coleman regulators it's completely quiete. I need to have my ear within one meter of the tweeters to hear any hiss at all. Personally I don't believe a compact implementation makes for more noise, as long as the shielding and grounding is taken care of. For instance I have made the heat sinks for my DHT regulators in a way, so they form a box-inside-the-box. By this the rectifiers and the regulators are effectively shielded from the triodes.
In my opinion there are good and bad thing about one box and two box installations.... One box installations can be made with very short wiring, but attention to shielding etc is important. Two box solution has long supply cables (that are somewhat to be seen as part of the signal path), and these wires can pick up hum, interference etc etc. But on the positive side, then AC fields can be more effectively shielded away from the circuits of course.... I'm just saying this to mention, that it's not like a one box solution is a collection of ''everything bad'' and the two box solution is ''all the good''... There are always pro's and con's, and the best implementation is often the one that works/sounds best...
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The classic Supratek internal wiring might appear chaotic but I understand that Mick specifically designed it that way so wires cross at near 90 degrees to reduce cross talk and induced hum
The classic Supratek internal wiring might appear chaotic but I understand that Mick specifically designed it that way so wires cross at near 90 degrees to reduce cross talk and induced hum
I regret now that I even mentioned the build of the Suptratek's since this is now taking focus... One could also comment on that argument for the wiring, but I think it's better to stop (I will not comment further on it, because it's not my intention to take the thread of track)... For me one of the benefits of DIY is, that we can spend as many hours as we want builing our stuff and it's possible to build in ways, that are both technically / functionally and visually as good as it can be done...
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Even your off topic replies are very educational, so thanks for sharing. You certainly inspire many us to build with both good design and aesthetic taste. Give me thirty years and I might perhaps be able to follow.....
Gee, you must be a young fella kazap/H
Well I just had turned two.
In DIY terms that is.
So Im right in the middle of that annoying stage.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
New 2a3 tube ??
Psvane WE275 1:1 Replica (2A3 equivalent, pair) | Psvane Audio Tubes, Caps and Amps
Bjarne
Psvane WE275 1:1 Replica (2A3 equivalent, pair) | Psvane Audio Tubes, Caps and Amps
Bjarne
That's an interesting find, thanks. The website is confusing. There are actually two new Psvane 2A3 types. Whilst both are called replicas they are both "hybrid" type tubes inspired by non-2A3 tubes. Its a similar trend to that Full Music 300B based 2A3. Hers a summary with links form the Psvane website:
WR2A3 hybrid of WE300B and RCA 2A3......The WR2A3 was created to combine the bottle shape, structure and materials of Western Electric 300B with the electrical specification of RCA single plate 2A3 to get the best of both worlds. The end result is – a silky, open and extended top frequency.
WE275 Replica........... materials chosen for the Psvane WE Replica 275 tube are identical to the original Western Electric 275 tube – the design intention is to revive the WE275 legend yet still offer wide application in place of 2A3 .............WE275 has a negative grid voltage -60V, not the standard 2A3′s -45V. In a manual bias 2A3 amp, the bias current has to be adjusted to avoid red plate happening on the WE275 replica.
Note the single plate design:
Attachments
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Morten and all, the U52 GEC tube I received on e-bay tested very low, so I contacted Dan from Langrex in the UK and he is replacing this tube with another GEC U52 rectifier. I am impressed with Langrex. Great customer service. I purchased the original tube in Jan 13. Excellent service.
Anyway, shortly when the U52 arrives, I can do an A/B against the Philips 5R4GYS with manufacture date of Feb 73. I like the sound of the Philips tube, but the U52 is in another league. See what happens.
Peter
Anyway, shortly when the U52 arrives, I can do an A/B against the Philips 5R4GYS with manufacture date of Feb 73. I like the sound of the Philips tube, but the U52 is in another league. See what happens.
Peter
This part I don't quite understand... You wrote earlier, that you found the Philips was the best you have tried, even better than GEC U52... Now you say the GEC U52 is in another league. There is something I don't quite understand...?
However, I do get your fascination of the GEC U52, and I know from myself, that if I strongly believe that ''A'' is in another league than ''B'', then what I hear is, that ''A'' is in another league than ''B''. I don't have English words to explain, but stuff happens in our brains when we have believes, and then ''the brain controls the ears''... It's frustrating not having the English words, sorry, but read a bit on psychoacoustics.
For instance, I'm (amongst other educations) an electronic engineer, and based on my education and all the facts, I had strong believe that only fully balanced circuits was good enough for high end audio, and with transistors of course. It took me more than ten years to unlearn this... psychoacoustics is fascinating and scary
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Morten, let me clarify my original statement. I was comparing my GEC U52 (warn out tube as it tested just above to 'replace it' on the tube tester) against the Philips tube. It was no contest. I was puzzled by this and when I got a chance, got the tube tested and it confirmed my suspicions of a non performing tube.
The U52 tube I had in my Tram2 at a friend's house was his and it tested at 90% good.
With the GEC U52 testing in the upper 'good' range of a tube tester, it will be another story.
All the best
Peter
The U52 tube I had in my Tram2 at a friend's house was his and it tested at 90% good.
With the GEC U52 testing in the upper 'good' range of a tube tester, it will be another story.
All the best
Peter
Thanks for the clarification Peter... I'm just trying to figure out what has actually been heard and what is based on believes.
And when stating that A (GEC) is in another league than B (Philips, or some other rectifers) before even listening to compare them, the playing-field is not really even. Believing that the GEC U52 is in another league, and knowing that you have it in your preamp - I bet that it will for sure sound better than any other rectifier on the planet..!
It would be interesting to listen without knowing if you are listening to the GEC U52 or some other rectifier in the preamp...
I do this all the time with the ECC88 input tubes in my c-j LP275M monoblocks and in my The Vinyl Song phonostage. I take a piece of thick paper, wrap/tape it around the tube and write a number on them... One pair of tubes are labeled ''1''. Another pair of tubes labeled ''2'' etc. I quickly forget if the tubes behind ''1'' are a pair of Mullards, Telefunken, Amperex or what ever... And I keep getting surprised that what I hear is not the same as ''what the buzz say''... For instance, the right Telefunken E88CC from the 60's are talked about as some of the best ECC88 types. I have a pair of those, but I don't think they are that great. After listening to 3 pairs of ECC88 types in my c-j amps and taking of the paper again, I was surprised to find, that the Telefunkens finish last, a pair of Mullard CV2492 second and the best was a pair of Philips E88CC SQ. Before my ''blind testing'' I thought the Philips and Telefunken were on par and the Mullard somewhat behind... ''the brain sometimes controls the ears'' and the brain was telling the ears that the Telefunkens are the ones to beat. Maybe they are in a different context, but not in this one... Hearing is believing
Morten, I am not biased for a particular brand of tube. In my other Primaluna two amp, I was using NOS Genelex and MOV KT88 tubes and also Mullard EL37 tubes. These two types of tubes are renowned for being the best for their type of tube. eg, Genelex is king for KT88 over Svetlana or JJ or other banded tubes. The media have shootouts indicating this. In my Primuluna amp. They sounded average. I then tried Tesla NOS EL34 and JJ EL34 tubes. That was better than the Genelex KT88 tubes. I settled on Mullard EL34 tubes.
Generally speaking, the tube may be the best tube in the world, but if it sounds average in my CD player, phono and linestage pre-amps and power amps, the tube is pulled out and replace by another until I get a tube which I like.
When I heard the U52 in the Tram2 at a friend's house, I was very impressed by the sound it portrayed. The Philips tube also impressed me. But my gut feeling at the moment is the U52 is a better tube for sound.
For my CD player, I have had the Tesla E88CC, Mullard CV2492 and CV2493, Amperex 7308, Ampere 6922 and Russian variants, but settled on Mullard E88CC tubes.
So it's my ears that controls what I like and not the hype or branding of the tube.
Hearing the tube is believing in the synergy how the tube interacts in the overall system sound.
I hope this clarifies my previous statements on the U52 tube.
All the best
Peter
Generally speaking, the tube may be the best tube in the world, but if it sounds average in my CD player, phono and linestage pre-amps and power amps, the tube is pulled out and replace by another until I get a tube which I like.
When I heard the U52 in the Tram2 at a friend's house, I was very impressed by the sound it portrayed. The Philips tube also impressed me. But my gut feeling at the moment is the U52 is a better tube for sound.
For my CD player, I have had the Tesla E88CC, Mullard CV2492 and CV2493, Amperex 7308, Ampere 6922 and Russian variants, but settled on Mullard E88CC tubes.
So it's my ears that controls what I like and not the hype or branding of the tube.
Hearing the tube is believing in the synergy how the tube interacts in the overall system sound.
I hope this clarifies my previous statements on the U52 tube.
All the best
Peter
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