ampsandsound (aka Amps & Sound)

Got some Ken-Rad VT-137's in, can't for the life of me find these Tung-Sol's you guys are talking about. Will report back once I listen to them on the Kenzie.

 

The Tung-Sol are becoming VERY hard to come by. I grabbed two matched pairs about six months ago and now....I'm looking pretty smart.

 

BTW...I like the sound of your headphones. But I'm wondering when you'll be making something lighter/more comfortable for computer nerds like myself.

 

I've been looking for a pair of TS VT-137s with no luck. Found a single on eBay but no pairs.

 

I MIGHT let one set go at some point.

 

Dibs.

Edit: Kidding. I'm currently without a Kenzie, but considering the scarcity of these tubes and how much they improved the clarity and space, I'd grab these up just 'cause.

So all y'alls better start bribing Ice. He's got gold.

 

@Ice-man if you decide to sell a pair name your price tired of searching here. Really would like to hear the Tung-Sol 1626s in my Kenzie.

 

Welp - this dude just had three available and I bought two: https://www.etsy.com/listing/467140848/tung-sol-1626-jan-ctl-vacuum-tube-may?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=1626 tube&ref=sr_gallery-1-4

Weirdly he had them as sold out the other day, so maybe you just have to keep checking back? May be worth messaging him he probably has a bunker full of them haha.

EDIT: He also has Hytron 1626

 

just a question none of the amps are balanced right?

 

Welp - if someone else wants those Etsy tubes they can have them. I asked seller to match the tubes if possible and he refunded my money and told me never to contact him again.

 

Oh really... I think I'm going to send them a message. I I'll tell them I'm interested, but only if they can match them to 5%... if possible.

Edit - He even says on the site "I can provide limited matched pair." What a jerk.

 

Correct.

 

Tell him you need it within 1% Mu/Voltage gain he might go into convulsions.

 

Message sent:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/467140848/tung-sol-1626-jan-ctl-vacuum-tube-may

Hello!

I'm wondering about availability on these. I need 2 of them, and I would like them in the "limited matched pair".

Specifically, I need the Mu on them to be within 1, as any audible imbalance upsets my upper cochlea something fierce! It's like having bowel cancer in my brain.

Probably TMI, sorry. If you could get back to me about pricing on matched TS1626 tubes, I'd be much appreciative!

Sincerely,

Baasi

 

Pretty good sleuthing @zach915m I never even thought of checking Etsy and that seller never showed up in a Google search.

 

I have struck out so many times with tube crap shoots on flea bay. But I really scored with my Tung Sols. I guess eventually you get lucky if you keep trying.

 

The reply:

So, I sent Richard a reply.

Spoiler: My message to Dick

Hi Richard!

Please forgive me, English is not my native language.

I have found that knowing the transconductance of a tube does not specifically indicate the voltage gain I will be getting - unless I also knew the specific measured plate resistance as well. I'm sure you understand.

By the way, I think it's really nifty how transconductance is measured in amps per volt, and plate resistance is measured in volts per amp, so when you multiply them they just cancel out so very easy like. Isn't math fun?

Anyway... Ideally, I'd like to know two of the three values, because I think solving for X is fun. Although I will admit, my enthusiasm for X was not shared by any of my Algebra classmates, and they constantly threw books and paper at me for blowing grading curves and making them look dumb. Now I'm proudly leading projects in a slightly above-average IT job while most of them are professional athletes or upper management in major corporations. Their loss!

I digress... If I know the Mu, I know what's going into the tube will be amplified by that much. Ya know? Thus, if one tube's Mu is 24, and another's is 30, I'm going to get a about a 6 decibel difference between tubes, leading to one BIG channel imbalance. Yucky!

Imbalance... hmm... That reminds me of a fun time I had on a teeter-todder on the playground in elementary school... perhaps I'll tell that story later. Let me just say that fulcrums and angular momentum can be a real pain in the butt! (Literally!)

Anyway, could you please let me know if you have 2 or more Tung Sol 1626 tubes that have VERY similar Mu ratings and are in good condition? I'd love to know the ratings on them before I buy. I'm detail orientated. Thank you in advance!

Sincerely,

Baasi

https://i.imgur.com/nKVCuoO.png

Just in case you think I'm just being a jerk, I'll buy them from this guy and pass them along to anyone who wants them. Seriously. I will. @zach915m gets first dibs.

 

Ha wow. He actually sent me a weird message out of the blue this week and called me *Laura.* I don't know if that was some kind of insult or what. Did he end up responding and/or offering you tubes?

 

Nope.

He may be suffering from a stroke? Just a guess.

 

I'm listening to Justin's personal Mogwai Special Edition at home right now. The Mogwai holds a special place for me as my first big boy tube amplifier and I've always had nostalgia for its musicality.

@ampsandsound can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this particular unit is running with:

• Two inputs (with a switch to swap between them on the fly). One with an input transformer, one without
• Wima capacitors
• Some badass Mullard 5AR4 rectifier
• Input (driver) tube looks to be a JJ 6SL7
• Power (output) tubes are Tung-Sol 6L6GC STR
• 32 ohm & 300 ohm headphone outs, 8 ohm speaker taps
• Rosewood casework (don't think this is normal--it's his personal unit)

The tube complement is going to influence a lot of my impressions because this type of amplifier is dramatically influenced by the tubes. That said, it's still pretty easy to judge you'll enjoy an amp with just about any decent tube, and the tubes in here are pedestrian but known for their reliability (with the exception of the rectifier, which is balls-to-the-wall outstanding and costs ~$200).

My initial impressions were using the Sennheiser HD650 from the 32 ohm output and the input with the transformers.

And what a first impression does the Mogwai SE make!

The musicality is incredible. The deep, slamming bass is better than I've ever heard on the HD650s. Soundstage depth is very good, width is good. The background is very quiet with these cans--much quieter than my original Mogwai was, that's for sure.

With the RME ADI-2 DAC it's pretty easy to compare two different inputs. I had one output from the headphone out in front and the other output from the line outs in back. To maintain volume control (because either the ADI-2 DAC's output levels are different between the two or the inputs on the Mogwai SE are at different volumes, not sure which), I kept it in a mode that lets me press the volume button (or a remapped key on the remote) to switch between line and phone out.

I quickly came to the conclusion that the input with the transformer(s?) is better. Unfortunately, that's something like a $400 option, but hey, it's better in just about every way to my ears.

Testing between the 300 ohm and 32 ohm outputs is a little tougher because they output at different volumes, but I'm pretty sure I prefer the 32 ohm output. I don't have the necessary cables to convert the 8 ohm speaker taps to a 1/4" out so I don't get to test that.

This amp reminds me of why I was swept off my feet at the CanJam meet a couple years ago when I originally bought a Mogwai. It is raw musicality. This latest version doesn't want for detail and fulfills all of the audiophile checkboxes in my book.

It does not pair wonderfully with the Audeze LCD2 Classic. Those headphones need lower output impedance and might do well from the 8 ohm taps.

The @zach915m ZMF Auteur, on the other hand, sounds lovely. I'm pretty unfamiliar with this headphone but first impressions are very good when paired with the Mogwai SE.

The Mogwai Special Edition is the sort of amplifier that makes you want to saturate paragraphs with hyperbole.

I'm tired of typing and going to relax into the amp for the rest of the night.