In Reply to: Dennis Fraker posted by drlowmu on May 11, 2012 at 08:29:41:
Hello 2A3 fans. I am forever indebted to JAC (Jacmusic.com) for steering me honestly and correctly about that GOOD batch of those AVVT true-mesh 2A3s.
To this day, they set a very high standard as far as honestly reproducing ALL of music's parameters go.
Nothing is totally perfect however, and there are differences. Since I do other things besides electronics for a living, I don't care at all about cost cutting, so that makes these tubes very attractive to me.... their price is not a consideration.
I have used most all 2A3s-- and have run them in different ways at different voltage, current, and drive levels.
Since I never would, and never will tolerate anything that fails, changes characteristics, or ever needs any kinds of adjustments-- for any reasons whatsoever, and I never cared about amplifier power ratings-- I just wanted the speaker to be perfectly driven under all musical challanges, I ran those tubes at very conservative continuous currents-- and as JAC has intimated-- never even had ONE failure-- ever.
The RCA-Cunningham Single Plate 2A3 was very good. It had a reliable mid-range presentation, presented decent highs, and kept pace, rhythm, and timing relatively intact-- something no Bi-Plate tube ever even hinted at. It even had SOME bass! (not a lot!). The Single Plate was OK-- not great. The BiPlate was ridiculous and basically massacred music, as do most all common 2A3 types..
The AVVT true-mesh tubes that I had were from an unusually excellent batch. These ran the entire musical range with great gusto, precise imaging, terrific dynamics and a very linear bandwidth-- not to mention an amazing introspective look into the inner details of recorded music.
The "bottom-End" of this tube was, however, good, but not great. It was clean, well delineated, but didn't go really deep and down there-- with real power. That was this tubes only limitation, so I still use it at audio shows-- where it still amazes and pleases. Its overall musical accuracy is simply stunning, there's no other word for it.
Today, we have the EML, and also the JJ Solid-Plate 2A3. The EML is as JAC describes it-- later batches are reliable, and it is a mesh with a small frame holding the mesh screen into place.
This tube-- sonically-- is a compromise. It had decent overall linear musicality, it has better bottom end than the AVVT, but can't compete with the AVVT's absolutely stunning feeling of absolutely real presence and total musical believability. Is it better than any other 2A3 out there? It certainly is, and I strongly recommend it over any other 2A3 today-- in fact, over any output tube made today of any kind-- and that in spades.. Run it conservatively, for sure, but it will take more plate current than the AVVT mesh would.
The JJ Solid-Plate is really a 300B carcass (tube body, base, bulb and plate) sporting a 2A3 filament structure, and appropriate 2A3 grid spacing and biasing.
This is a tube with a rated 40 watts of plate dissipation-- I would never run it there. It will stand more plate current than the other 2A3 tubes-- something which does not interest me.... as I have learned how to move speaker diaphragms with far more physical power on far less watts.
The JJ Solid-Plate 2A3 is extremely rugged, lasts almost forever, is ridiculously cheap to buy, and has terrific bass drive and power-- easily equal to some very powerful solid-state amps-- in fact, even better! It also has a nice, clean, undistorted sonic presentation, and really extended highs. For every day listening, and those very punchy Blu-Rays and DVDs that you play in your home theatre, this tube is a monster killer! POWER, POWER, POWER! LOW distortion of all kinds is another bonus!.
So, why not just use this? Well, sorry, but good as it is-- there are cues and clues in music that this device never even sees! At all. But what it does do is spectacular.
Ah, such fun! There you are-- the best 2A3s out there. Any others? Any "better" tube types? Some people may think so, but what if you want to play ALL of the music?
HMMMM--MMMM!
---Dennis---
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Follow Ups
- RE: Dennis Fraker - tube wrangler 02:25:14 05/22/12 (74)
- RE: Dennis Fraker - lakerfan 19:01:29 05/24/12 (35)
- RE: Dennis Fraker - tube wrangler 17:39:22 05/25/12 (0)
- RE: Dennis Fraker - RC Daniel 16:48:15 05/25/12 (33)
- The Late Great Richard C. Heyser is appropriate here - Cleantimestream 08:01:06 05/30/12 (0)
- RE: Dennis Fraker - drlowmu 17:53:31 05/25/12 (31)
- Ah yes, BUT you have not heard ALL SET amps, there in lies the RUB, and WHY your vision is limited~nT - Cleantimestream 09:28:00 05/31/12 (30)
- RE: Ah yes, BUT you have not heard ALL SET amps, there in lies the RUB, and WHY your vision is limited~nT - drlowmu 15:40:35 06/02/12 (6)
- RE: Ah yes, BUT you have not heard ALL SET amps, there in lies the RUB, and WHY your vision is limited~nT - Cleantimestream 07:59:04 06/03/12 (5)
- RE: Ah yes, BUT you have not heard ALL SET amps, there in lies the RUB, and WHY your vision is limited~nT - dmailer 10:56:08 06/03/12 (4)
- RE: Ah yes, BUT you have not heard ALL SET amps, there in lies the RUB, and WHY your vision is limited~nT - Cleantimestream 14:15:08 06/03/12 (3)
- RE: Ah yes, BUT you have not heard ALL SET amps, there in lies the RUB, and WHY your vision is limited~nT - drlowmu 21:05:33 06/03/12 (2)
- RE: Ah yes, BUT you have not heard ALL SET amps, there in lies the RUB, and WHY your vision is limited~nT - Cleantimestream 18:54:50 06/04/12 (1)
- Good - drlowmu 10:52:20 06/08/12 (0)
- I will add, not all people... - RC Daniel 17:54:27 06/01/12 (22)
- RE: I will add, not all people... - tube wrangler 19:55:17 06/01/12 (21)
- RE: I will add, not all people... - Ray Moth 16:04:07 06/03/12 (0)
- Apparently, you missed an important qualitifer. - RC Daniel 15:14:20 06/02/12 (2)
- RE: Apparently, you missed an important qualitifer. - tube wrangler 15:59:28 06/02/12 (1)
- RE: Apparently, you missed an important qualitifer. - RC Daniel 03:10:54 06/03/12 (0)
- RE: I will add, not all people... - Cleantimestream 21:30:16 06/01/12 (1)
- RE: I will add, not all people... - tube wrangler 00:00:17 06/02/12 (0)
- RE: I will add, not all people... - Tre' 21:24:46 06/01/12 (14)
- RE: I will add, not all people... - tube wrangler 00:41:45 06/02/12 (13)
- There you go again.......... - Tre' 07:34:53 06/02/12 (12)
- RE: There you go again.......... - tube wrangler 11:03:01 06/02/12 (11)
- RE: There you go again.......... - Tre' 15:31:18 06/02/12 (9)
- RE: There you go again.......... - tube wrangler 16:08:16 06/02/12 (8)
- RE: There you go again.......... - Tre' 21:14:59 06/02/12 (2)
- RE: There you go again.......... - tube wrangler 21:52:17 06/02/12 (0)
- RE: There you go again.......... - tube wrangler 21:46:18 06/02/12 (0)
- RE: There you go again.......... - Tre' 17:17:26 06/02/12 (4)
- RE: There you go again.......... - tube wrangler 21:45:17 06/02/12 (3)
- RE: There you go again.......... - Tre' 07:13:13 06/03/12 (2)
- RE: There you go again.......... - RPMac 13:21:14 06/03/12 (1)
- RE: There you go again.......... - Tre' 19:16:46 06/03/12 (0)
- RE: There you go again.......... - drlowmu 15:28:06 06/02/12 (0)
- RE: Dennis Fraker - Tre' 10:52:57 05/22/12 (37)
- RE: Dennis Fraker - tube wrangler 01:14:57 05/23/12 (36)
- You have changed the subject. - Tre' 08:41:51 05/23/12 (0)
- RE: Dennis Fraker - Chris O 08:32:44 05/23/12 (34)
- RE: Dennis Fraker - Tre' 08:58:36 05/23/12 (33)
- RE: Dennis Fraker - tube wrangler 01:31:47 05/24/12 (32)
- RE: Obviously sales are down - mach1 17:49:41 05/28/12 (9)
- I Doubt Anybody on AA Bought Dennis' Amps - TonyB 05:35:39 06/01/12 (0)
- RE: Obviously sales are down - lakerfan 04:39:37 05/30/12 (1)
- RE: Obviously sales are down - GEO 17:18:54 06/01/12 (0)
- RE: Obviously sales are down - tube wrangler 23:11:49 05/28/12 (5)
- RE: please stay with us... - deathtube 667 15:43:12 05/29/12 (0)
- RE: Obviously sales are down - RPMac 07:07:27 05/29/12 (3)
- RE: Obviously sales are down - GEO 12:12:34 05/29/12 (1)
- RE: Obviously sales are down,,,,,,,,I like a little - drummerwill 13:48:46 05/29/12 (0)
- RE: Obviously sales are down ..... - drummerwill 07:32:31 05/29/12 (0)
- RE: Dennis Fraker - Tre' 12:11:40 05/24/12 (21)
- RE: Dennis Fraker - RPMac 10:59:39 05/25/12 (14)
- RE: Dennis Fraker - Tre' 12:03:50 05/25/12 (13)
- RE: Dennis Fraker - RPMac 13:51:11 05/25/12 (12)
- RE: Dennis Fraker - Tre' 15:00:32 05/25/12 (11)
- RE: Dennis Fraker - RPMac 07:01:22 05/27/12 (10)
- RE: Dennis Fraker - GEO 07:05:03 05/27/12 (9)
- RE: Dennis Fraker - tube wrangler 13:35:27 05/27/12 (1)
- RE: Dennis Fraker - GEO 17:02:23 05/27/12 (0)
- RE: Dennis Fraker - RPMac 10:31:52 05/27/12 (2)
- RE: Dennis Fraker - GEO 17:01:16 05/27/12 (1)
- And don't forget . . . - Ray Moth 17:16:01 06/03/12 (0)
- RE: Dennis Fraker - lakerfan 08:54:10 05/27/12 (3)
- RE: Dennis Fraker - GEO 10:29:12 05/27/12 (2)
- RE: Dennis Fraker - lakerfan 10:50:43 05/27/12 (1)
- RE: Dennis Fraker - GEO 17:00:30 05/27/12 (0)
- RE: Dennis Fraker - tube wrangler 22:37:47 05/24/12 (5)
- ???? - Tre' 23:56:50 05/24/12 (4)
- RE: ???? - Ray Moth 19:13:25 05/25/12 (3)
- Audio - drlowmu 15:52:56 06/02/12 (2)
- RE: Audio - Ray Moth 16:57:39 06/06/12 (0)
- Sound like guys out of Rosemary's Baby! - GEO 19:05:52 06/04/12 (0)