Tube rolling

A subjective review on my tube rolling efforts on my Wavac EC 300b

First up 300b‘s from TJ Full Music, Takatsuki and EAT

TJs (mesh plate): warm, expansive soundstage, mushy bass and slightly hissy treble, overall a bit of a ‘loose’ presentation
Takatsukis: very nicely integrated, mellow but articulate treble, very transparent and deepest soundstage
EAT: most extended bass and treble, highest ‘jump’ factor, medium soundstage, least euphonic

In summary: classical music on Takatsuki, Jazz and rock on EAT

And now 6l6 GCs from JAN Philips 7581, Tung-Sol KT66 and Svetlana Winged-C as rectifier tubes

First remark: it is surprising how much impact the rectifier tubes have on the overall sound. Furthermore there is a mixing and matching opportunity with the power tubes above whereas the character of each tube remains the same irrespective of the power tube chosen

JAN Philips: this was a cryo’d version: very extended and fast, in many ways the most ‘modern’ tube albeit ultimately too aggressive for my taste.

Tung-Sol KT66: this is really a 6L6GC in a KT66 bottle with corresponding lower heater current. A very mellow, well integrated tube with very sweet treble and a somewhat bloated and slow bass: albeit ‘tubey’, very musical

Svetlana Winged-C: again a cryo’d tube: ultimately transparent with extended, smooth treble and very articulate and deep bass. great leading edge and ‘jump’ factor.

Final word, I started by pointing out the subjectivity of the above: YMMV depending on personal taste, amplifier design and interdependency of tube selections