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yes, sir, the Jolida surpasses the Zphono in every imaginable way. I won't bore everyone with superlatives about how great it is, only to say that it made my old vintage Dual sound really good. Now if Donna can only get my tt here so I can hear it with the 10x5... I think per Henry and Ty at Tyler Acoustics, I think I'm gonna keep it with the stock tubes for now. Ty keeps his on all the time, but what about the rest of you? What's the life of those Chinese tubes anyway? Thanks to all who contributed to this fine addition to my system.
Follow Ups:
Others may disagree. I say, why not play Piano and Violin for 44 years and then tell me the Chinese tubes sound right? They do not.Get a set of Groove Tube Mullard styles, or some vintage Teles. Others have commented on the benefits of tube rolling. I can tell you the Jolida climbs to a higher level with the appropriate 12AX7 and the Chinese tubes just do not get you there.
there's a post above you should examine carefully. Hopefully you'll pick up an important point or two which will give you pause before treating us to your hubris in the future.
No Guru, No Method, No Teacher
It is system dependant. I bought a set of Mullards on your reccomendation for the JD9 I had, burned em in for 30 hours, and didnt like them any better than the stock Chinese tubes.
I didnt like the SOvtek LPS either. Surprisingly 'in my system', a pair of Philips Jan tubes sounded best. And I didn't like the sound of the Philips tubes in my Jolida CD player, so go figure.The GT Mullards are chinese made, but you know that, right?
I likewise didn't prefer the Sovtek LPS tubes in a stock JD9. The LPS were "objectively" better, quieter for example, but ultimately I didn't enjoy the sound as much ... the was something about the stock tubes that I found more natural sounding. The LPS tubes found their way into my Jolida JD-100 CD Player where I did prefer them over the tock tubes ... that said the stock tubes sounded very good in the CDP as well.I subsequently went down the upgrade path with my JD9, now a Underwood HiFi/Parts Connection Level III with EH tubes. I suspect I'd opt for the EH tubes in a stock JD9 but again I very much doubt it would be a complete route ... those stock tubes are very good IMHO.
No Guru, No Method, No Teacher
Scott,
I agree. And since several of us have NOT found the stock Chinese tubes to be a "detriment" to the sound, maybe Tubes had a defective set, a system mismatch or "defective" ears. . . ;8^)
HenryA 12-gauge shotgun is the ultimate arbiter of disputes - G. Gordon Liddy
well.. we've all got defective ears now and again.. but i sure haven't found any of the chinese preamp tubes sounding nearly so nice or correct as the good metallurgy of the older american tubes.. electroharmonix and even sovteks sound just plain awful in everything down to a phase splitter in my system anyplace.. gritty and harsh. they WORK.. but it ain't always pretty..can't say i've tried 'em all though.. there's loads of people doing ok with them.. but there's also a lotta people whose only sonic parameter is 'detail'.. and that ain't me, and i speculate, it's also mr. tubes..
hard to justify the blind brand loyalty and gouging of the NOS market.. i've had just as bad sounds with mullards too.. but telefunkens..mmmmmmmmmm.. i'll lay down for those when they aren't microphonic- haven't hit a smooth plate that WORKED and didn't sound beautimous..
2c worth of crap...
The Gold Electro harmonix 12au7 and 12at7 (vtl 2.5 preamp)sound really good. I had the stock chinese tubes in the unit for a while, then moved up to these.I have standard EH 12AX7's in my EAR834P, I'm thinking of changing those out to the gold versions
I'm using the standard EH 6SN7s in my Rogue Metis preamp after a pair of expensive NOS RCA grey tops crapped out after a week (Grrrrrr). I have a matched pair of gold pin EHs as a backup to the regular ones. I also have a pair of gold pin EH 12AX7s as backup to the Chinese tubes in my JD-9a. Generally, I've found EHs to be solid, if not spectacular, performers.
HenryA 12-gauge shotgun is the ultimate arbiter of disputes - G. Gordon Liddy
on the JD9. I turn mine off every day.Glad you like the JD9 and let us know how you like the Dynavector.
I'd at least turn it off when you retire for the night. I turn mine on before the first listening session, then off when I'm finished listening for the night.
HenryA 12-gauge shotgun is the ultimate arbiter of disputes - G. Gordon Liddy
That gets you the hours the tube needs to burn or cook to the proper tenderness.
does anyone know what the lifespan of the stock chinese tubes is?
NOS tubes are reputed to 10,000 hours with an argument. preamp tubes can go a long long time especially the ones in the JD9 as they are not used for gain, just output.New production tubes are quircky in this regard. Can't say for sure across brands, but when you think about saving money the NOS is actaull cheaper. A set of NOS for about $100, if you turn the pre off prudently, should see those tubes last for a possible ten years. [Another argument ensues at this point] Cheaper here in the sense that the NOS tubes will sound better. [now another argument]
Given that cost ROI I would go for Amperex, or Siemens, or some other high pirced NOS tube and be happy. You might be surprised how nice they can sound. Case in point. The NOS JAN Philips 6189 were sold but drab and got replaced with RCA cleartops that are sweet in the midrange with more detail but 'romantic' in overall gestalt. they went noisy in my temperamental CJ pre and got replaced with Siemens which have detail and slam that exceeds my expectaions. Top end is sweeter and more extended as well, and non-micrphonic. Anyway there are differences to be had. Not all tubes are equal. We are getting reamed on the prices but the relativity of the situation still says they are worth it.
argh, enough already! :-)
You'd likely have to replace tubes yearly, if not more frequently, if you left the JD-9 on all the time
HenryA 12-gauge shotgun is the ultimate arbiter of disputes - G. Gordon Liddy
Now I ain't going to be doin' that. Though I will leave it on for five days as instructed to above. After that, lights out when I'm out, though there's gonna plenty of late nights with this thing. Man, its crazy good.Thanks one and all.
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