Tube rolling in Hagerman Trumpet MC

@lewm 

I appreciate your response more than you might now. 

As a seller I can’t go an hour without bumping into some post or response somewhere detailing what a scumbag, lowlife, POS I am just by nature of having chosen to do something I love and am passionate about — help people make their lives better by making their music better. I hate the chasm of distrust that exists between tube sellers and buyers. I hated it when I was a buyer, and I hate it even more as a seller. I hate it so much that a few years ago I invested my entire life savings in an effort to change it. 

Over the past two years, I have sent out on audition over $1,500,000 of tubes in unsecured boxes to complete strangers, people I have never done a single deal with or ever even encountered before sending them a box filled with my life savings in the form of the rarest, finest tubes on the planet. I do not require an upfront purchase, I do not require a deposit, I do not even take a credit card number just in case. I trust you so that you will, in turn, trust me. The only way I figured I could change the market was by addressing what was missing; trust, and without trust there is no respect. And without those two things, look where it leaves us.

So, I started trusting people. And you know what? It’s worked. In that two years, I have never, not once, had a single tube broken, stolen, damaged, lost or even come home a day later than was agreed. When we trust each other, good things happen. We are mostly good people, great people in a great community. I just wish that we would behave like that instead of perpetuating the horror that is the tension between buyers and sellers of tubes. It doesn’t have to be like that. In fact, this should be fun, it is meant to be fun — that’s why it’s a hobby for so many.

I am sorry if in my passion and sensitivity I have come off as gruff or contentious. But this is an all-important issue to me that I find myself becoming more and more of an activist of in trying to combat and change something I think and know can be so much better.

You clearly have a deep knowledge of tubes and electronics that has already been of value to me. I hope that we may both continue to learn from and help each other.

And please know I appreciate the candid dialogue we’ve shared.

Brien

Thanks for your sentiments. I think I got sour about anonymous sellers after I bought a pair of 6900s off eBay that proved to be completely worn out though probably authentic. The seller represented them as mint. But that’s not an example of fakery. Mostly I’ve read the stories on various internet fora; you probably know more about it than I do.

In the last hour I’ve been thinking more on the issue of tube rolling. I remembered that my most extensive experience is with 6SN7s. There definitely are tremendous differences among different NOS brands. For example I love KenRad 6SN7GTs but they are very microphonic. Possibly that property even contributes subtly to their realistic sonics. Anyway I finally had to ditch them as the gain stage in my Atma MP1 preamp because of the ringing, in favor of my second choice Brimars. They’re more pedestrian sounding but keep quiet. So maybe I’m not such a tube rolling nihilist as I claimed to be. (I’ve tried many other NOS brands in the MP1.)

@medium_grade, thanks to you and others for bringing up the Sbooster.  When I bought my Trumpet MC last summer I ask Jim about those.  I'd read a couple of positive user reports.  He said no experience but would probably try one.  I ask again a couple of months later but he still had no report.

My previous phono stage was a JLTi.  A friend built a regulated PS for that and it made an obvious difference, expanded soundstage, increased dynamics, and more solid bass response were the obvious improvements.  That's why I was curious about changing the WW with the Hagerman.

I must say I've been so pleased with the Trumpet MC I haven't been in a rush to change anything.  Still, if it would be close to my past experience I'd be all in.

@pryso ,

I would say, if you're happy with it, just leave it. My only thing is that if you're planning on upgrading the unit, I would do the power supply over replacing all those tubes any day of the week.

@lewm 

I love 6SN7. But in a way I love 12SN7 more because they are one of the best values out there —you get the sound of your favorite 6SN7 at a fraction of the price. The GEC B36 vs. B65 is a great example. Metal based pairs of GEC/Osram/Marconi B65 are listing regularly (and selling) on ebay for $4,000/matched pair. I saw a pair for $4,500 even recently. You can buy the exact same metal based tubes with the only difference being the filament voltage for around $600 — often new in the box.

The LTA Aero DAC is brilliant because it lets you toggle between running it’s board at 6.3v vs 12.6v. I wish more gear offered this, people don’t seem to be aware of the enormous value of that feature.

Were the Ken Rads you had VT-231? The mil spec VT231 are different in construction and sonics than the civilian ones. The VT231 has flat but staggered plates vs. the civilian tubes which are 1:1 opposed from each other. The VT231 sounds better. I think the VT231 also has more construction differences related to the preventing microphonics. The clear and black glass tubes actually share the same sonics, but people always prefer and want the black glass tubes making the clear glass VT231’ s cheaper and a great value.

One of my favorite 6SN7 of all tie is the National Union Tall bottle full dark grey glass with round plates. They are distinguishable from others because they look very similar to the Tung Sol Round plate when looking down at the top of the tube. I I rarely see these, in fact I had to hunt down the last pair I bought and regrettably sold to a client one day when I got too excited about them.

I also like many of the Sylvania tubes. The 1951-1953 tall bottle 3-hole T-Plate tubes are just excellent. As are the 6SN7W tubes. Nicely musical.

The Raytheon VT-231 are an excellent tube if you want more neutral/clean.

Best I’ve heard though are Telefunken 6SN7GTA and GEC/Osram B65.

I spent last night making some homemade 6F8G to 6SN7 adapters so i can try running four 6F8G in place of the four 6SN7 in my VAC 200IQ.

Rockets,

b