Tube rolling in Cary SLI 80

Gthirteen, I found your old post, great stuff there! What has really improved the soundstage for me is the use of Virtual Dynamics Nite power cords, HUGE improvements, My next step is to replace the stock tubes with NOS. Where should I start here?

Start with the 6922 tubes (the stock Sovteks are crappy)
THen do the 6sn7, then the Rectifiers , then the power tubes last. I like the ELectro Harmonix 6550 power tubes.

CHanging the 6922 and the 6sn7 should make a big difference.

I have bought from vintagetubeservices.com (you can RETURN tubes if they don't suit you, but they are SLOW) and Upscale Audio, and I recommend both highly.

good luck!

Joe

I own the SLI-50 (Little brother to the SLI-80). Like the others here I agree the gain stage is where the "rubber hits the road" as far as sound goes. Change the 6922's first. Then move on down the line. The other tubes just won't have as dramatic effect on the sound.

Can't recomend Kevin at Upscale enough. He knows his stock of NOS tubes and has a SLI-80 playing in his office. One problem with UA (only a problem if you didn't orig. buy from him) is that most of the 6922's (SLI-80 gain stage tube) are in his "private stash". Not available to those who didn't get thier gear new or demo from Upscale. I'm lucky... The 12au7's my SLI-50 uses are available from UA to everyone. Even with all that, it is worth the call.

As for cost...
Gain stage tubes will run from $40-$150 each. Just depends on what flavor your looking for.

Let us know how it goes. Tube rolling is a great way to satisfy the upgrade bug at a relatively low price.

Cheers