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In Reply to: RE: Need advice for 300B integrated amp tube rolling posted by mnilan on May 24, 2014 at 18:13:13
Before spending big dollars on 300Bs, I would look at the input and driver tubes (6sn7s I believe) and the rectifier. Changing these (probably Chinese tubes) to good NOS will make a BIG difference. Lots of sonic variety in 6sn7s. Which way do you want the sound to go? If you want a smoother sound with better tone, think RCA , National Union, Ken Rad or GE. If you want more detail, speed and sparkle, think Sylvania, CBS Hytron, or Raytheon. Very general guidelines, there is lots of info on 6sn7s on this site.
Can't help you with the rectifier, but many people claim it makes as big a difference as the small signal tubes. You will likely prefer different small signal tubes depending on the 300Bs that you use.
Welcome to the wonderful world of tube rolling!
Follow Ups:
Mendel:
Great! Thanks for the insight and suggestions. I'll get right on them.
Mike
Edits: 05/25/14
You can do the most good with the least dollars by replacing the 6SN7's. Since there are four of them, I assume one per channel is input and the other is the driver. For around $50 you can find a quad of vintage 6SN7's on Ebay. Just make sure the seller has a good history and 99+% rating. Also, only buy tubes that have the test results shown in the ad. "Test strong" doesn't tell you anything - except the seller doesn't want to tell you the actual readings. Follow the suggestions in the previous post regarding brands. Don't agonize over the choice, any will be better than the ones you now have, and later you can start trying other brands. Also, you can start buying pairs to see how they change the sound as input or driver.
As for the 5AR4 rectifier, I would go for a vintage Mullard from Ebay that is rebranded, for around $50.
Here is the bad news - tube rolling can be addictive. There are lots of choices at lots of price ranges. The good news is it is lots of fun, especially the latest set of tubes sounds so good.
Rick:
I must be searching improperly. Although I did find a pair of "Genalex Pair NIB Gold Lion U77/5AR4/GZ34 Rectifier Tubes" for about $70, they weren't a matched pair. The only matched pair 5AR4 tubes I see on Ebay are either brand new Mullards (very inexpensive) or $360 and up per pair. I also am not sure that I should be looking for a matched pair or not. Please advise.
Thanks,
Mike
Edits: 05/27/14
Rick R:
It hadn't occurred to me to address the other tubes. Thanks a lot - I've got a lot to experiment with!
Mike
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