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Re: Cayin TA-30 tube question?

Samac,

I've had my Cayin TA-30 since March and experienced the same thing; the sound was a bit sharp/harsh right out of the box but it does settle down as the whole unit breaks in. I'm going to assume that you bought the amp with all the special mods: auri caps, tone control, external bias controls, subwoofer output. The tone control can also make the sound harsh depending on where you set it. Keep a closer eye on the bias settings as they will fluctuate more during the break-in stage. After ~ 40 hours of play time, the bias settings are much more stable.

The only tube rolling I've done is replace the stock Electro Harmonix 12AX7s with a matched pair of Telefunken Smooth-Plate 12AX7s. The Telefunkens improved the focus of musical instruments (better soundstage effect), were less harsh, and maybe added a touch more bass slam. The bass slam was already good with the Electro Harmonix tubes so I wasn't dissatisfied with that performance issue.

I talked to Paul at Bizzy Bee to get his impression of what tubes should be rolled and what he liked. He suggested tracking down the Telefunken 12AX7 smooth plates. He felt that the stock 12AU7s were as good as anything else available so it may be a waste of time and money rolling these. Paul said he liked the Svetlana EL34 tubes. I don't have my notes with me but I seem to recall that he preferred the "S-logo" versions over the "Winged C" due to quality control issues. We never got into discussing 6550s, KT88s, or KT90s. I think the stock EL34s are Valve Arts but don't know what brand the stock 12AU7s are. Ultimately, tube preference is really a matter of personal taste; you'll just have to spend some time listening to the amp once its broken in and then spend money on tubes and roll as you see fit.

Telefunken 12AX7s can be found on Ebay, Audiogon, or some of the tube vendors that sell used/NOS as well as new production tubes. There are plenty of places to go for current production tubes such as The Tube Store and Triode Electronics. Do some searching in this forum as well as just do a Yahoo search using the term "vacuum tube" and you will find plenty of vendors.

I've got to say that this is one hell of a integrated tube amp; damn quiet and sounds great.

Mr. Spindlelegs


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