I'm just in the process of purchasing a second hand MF X10-V3 and giving it a go. Of course, as soon as I get something I get curious about what mods are available in case I want to try and make it better. I'm aware of the Rock Grotto capacitor and diode upgrade kit and will likely give that a go after I've had a little while to listen to the X10 V3 in its original state.
I see that the Soviet counterpart to the 6112 Mu-vista tube is the 6N17B-V and possibly the 6N16B-V as an alternative. They can be had real cheap. I'm curious to know if anyone has ever tried either of these old Soviet tubes on their X10-V3 and what results they had. Anybody?
I see that the Soviet counterpart to the 6112 Mu-vista tube is the 6N17B-V and possibly the 6N16B-V as an alternative. They can be had real cheap. I'm curious to know if anyone has ever tried either of these old Soviet tubes on their X10-V3 and what results they had. Anybody?
From my results with larger Soviet tubes it can't be a downgrade. The tubes aren't that much money so I say try it! You'll probably like it.
It is the 6N17b, the 6N16b has much less gain. (Think 6N17b == 6SL7, 6N16b == 6SN7 electrically, not power)
It is the 6N17b, the 6N16b has much less gain. (Think 6N17b == 6SL7, 6N16b == 6SN7 electrically, not power)
Last edited:
I just found out that the two Soviet tubes I was asking about have different pinouts than the 6112 tube so are not a convenient alternative to the 6112. Unfortunately, the websites I looked at that suggested them as an equivalent to the 6112 neglected to mention that little detail - or at least I didn't see where they had stated that fact.
You can adapt those Soviet tubes into the X10V3 but I'm told it's a royal pain in the you-know-what to do it so probably not worth the trouble.
Rock Grotto, the company selling the capacitor and resistor upgrade kit for the X10V3 recommends instead the JAN 6948 tube upgrade for the 6112. The JAN 6948 were ruggedized military spec tubes designed for critical applications such as in guided missiles. As such, they're super quiet and have extremely low microphonics and according to Rock Grotto, sound "superb" in the X10V3. The really great thing about them is that they can be had very inexpensively, just 5 GBP (about $6.75 USD) each on eBay at the moment.
I've already ordered some and can't wait to give them a go! 😀
You can adapt those Soviet tubes into the X10V3 but I'm told it's a royal pain in the you-know-what to do it so probably not worth the trouble.
Rock Grotto, the company selling the capacitor and resistor upgrade kit for the X10V3 recommends instead the JAN 6948 tube upgrade for the 6112. The JAN 6948 were ruggedized military spec tubes designed for critical applications such as in guided missiles. As such, they're super quiet and have extremely low microphonics and according to Rock Grotto, sound "superb" in the X10V3. The really great thing about them is that they can be had very inexpensively, just 5 GBP (about $6.75 USD) each on eBay at the moment.
I've already ordered some and can't wait to give them a go! 😀
Thank You! I just bought some JAN 6948's, not really for rolling, but for keeping these V3 working. I've discovered these X-10D V3 are perfect for improving the sound of FM tuners that sound too bright (which is quite common) and/or have subsonics. Most "filters" are too aggressive and the brain filters better. These only cut out-of-band, like the MA Cotter NFB-2. They are also good working as a Y-splitter so I can split the (better) output two ways without overloading the generally weak tuner outputs. I'd planned to go with chips for splitting, but the Chifi unit I bought based on AD797 doesn't sound good to me at all, yet measures OK. The little 6112 tubes in the V3 sound wonderful, and without coloration or audible bandwidth limitation, and measure fine too. I wouldn't use this with my digital equipment, but it's perfect for FM, and maybe Vinyl too, because both generate seriously bad out-of-band stuff you are better off without.