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I know this question sounds absurd but I don't have the coin to try all the 10 variants with a hole in my wallet.
So, I wanted to see what is the best sounding of the bunch in the 10 Variants?
I know there is 801 and 801A aka VT-62, 10 and 10Y aka VT-25 and VT-25A. And then, they are made by RCA, Hytron, Sylvania, WE. And then, there are short plate and long plate versions?
So, what's a good bet on just buying a couple of pairs of the preamp and drive use?
Thanks for your wisdom!
.
.
.Thou shall not stand where I type for I carry a bottle of Certified Audiophile Air and a Pure Silver Whip.
Follow Ups:
Jack, Chip, Andy, euro and Ed,
I appreciate all your comments and wisdom.
Ed, I will look for a pair of 10Y and a pair of 801A per your recom.
Andy, I am building a Kennedy 01/12/26 DHT preamp and I have procured the famed UTC HA-133 for that preamp. The Bartalo 4P1L pre also caught a lot of my attentions also. 10/10Y tubes are expensive but I have enough IT and input transformers to try them and the 10 or 801A driver for the next SET amp.
.
.
.Thou shall not stand where I type for I carry a bottle of Certified Audiophile Air and a Pure Silver Whip.
Thoriated tungsten filament tubes (10 family):
210/10/10Y/VT-25 (1602 is selected VT-25);
801/801a/VT-62 mas more power capability (1608 is the robust uncle of 801a, but not as linear as little brother, only use for B class power amp);
VT25A has oxide coated filament, larger anode than VT-25.
For preamp - 10...25mA - each of them (except 1608) are excellent tubes.
Globe 210 is the oldest (rare and the most expensive).
10 and original 801 has lower voltage tolerance, thus lower power capable tubes, 10Y and 801a are the improved versions.
I use/used all of them (except 210 and 1602).
I prefer thoriated tungsten tubes, old type 10 and graphite anode 801 as preamp, 10Y as driver and 801a as power tube.
It's hard to go wrong with any 10 variant, I have tried most of them. A few points:
1608 is a high-mu version of the 2A3, not related to the 10 family. 1602 is a selected 10, fairly rare but mostly just a grading designation, no real construction differences. the 841 and 842 are high- and low- mu versions of the 10, respectively. Both are fairly uncommon though the 842 is the rarer of the two.
There's also mesh plate globe varieties, which are probably the rarest of the actual 10 types.
The UV-202 is the real parent of the line, and predates the globe 10 by a fair bit. Higher filament current and slightly different base (UV4 vs UX4) but otherwise similar enough that it could be tried in place of a 10 with some caveats.
-Ed
I have a box of 10Y tubes. Nice tube - one of the best. But I use Ale Moglia's 01A Gen 2 preamp. See Bartola Valves site. The 01A is also thoriated but it has the virtue of being much cheaper and more available, and the Gen 2 design is the best sound I've ever had from a preamp. I'd say it is the current state of the art.
So I'd go straight to the 01A and start collecting those. Better solution in all respects.
The 801 is great for outputs, but it requires a 12K primary OPT or something like that. The virtue of the 01A is it can be used in filament bias - no cathode bypass cap. So can the 10Y - just about. But more heat generated.
There are 801/10 with thoriated tungsten filaments and ones with regular oxide coated cathodes. They do sound different, I like the thoriated type as they are a bit spicier. The thoriated tungsten shine brightly.
Sylvania, RCA, Hytron are all good.
I've tried quite a few of them in some custom SETs made for 10s. Off the top of my head, I've tried WE VT-25As, Sylvania 10s, Hytrons,many RCAs of various vintages and design. By far my favorite was the RCA 801As. Well balanced tone, and good soundstaging, and detail,and immediacy. They are also relatively cheap, at least compared to Cunningham 310s, but its been a while since I bought any.
As usual, YMMV
Jack
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