Supratek Tubes and Tube Swappin' for Everybody


I will have a Supratek Chenin in my set up in a day or so. Since so many folks are rolling tubes around here I was hoping to garner a comprehensive list of everybodies favorite tube compliments. Be it NOS or NIB or WLATB (Whatever's layin around the basement)
Being that the "Deal of the Century" thread is a little more like a novel I figured this would be a good place to post questions and answers related to one subject of Supratek amps and pres.
On to the subject of me. I don't have immediate plans to swap tubes as I've figured that Mr. Maloney would supply us with something listenable for the break in period. But, since so many have reported such dramatic improvments I want to ask this question:
What is your favorite compliment for quietest gain and dynamics in the phono stage?
I will be using the Chenin exclusively for vinyl ( I don't have a CD player) and listen to loads of early rock and roll and Jazz bands, smaller jazz bands mostly, quartets and quintets. Some classical, the usual Beethoven and Mozart, but usually just a lot of loud garage rock.
Ok, now lets see what happens.
mc5baby
Hi Larry. I am not at all surprised that the Grange is sensitive to microphonics when using the meshplate examples of these directly heated triodes.Most of my experience with these DHT triodes is from repairing vintage amplifiers that used them.The early amplifiers that employed these tubes had to deal with the same issue common to DHT tubes. Most of the better amplifiers of the day employed a hum pot in the circuit to trim away the hum and microphony from the amp. A single triode like the 6j5,56 or 76 was also commonly employed as the driver for the DHT output tube in most of these amplifiers. In most cases, the meshplate examples of these triodes are generally far more prone to microphony than the solid plate examples of the same tube,and the same can be said for the driver tube as well. I would think one would have more success using a solid plate version of these tubes in a preamplifier circuit. The old nos RCA 45 is a fabulous tube and far less prone to microphony. I seriously doubt you can find a better sounding tube anyway. The same can be said for the Western Electric 300b for those that can afford them.Hey, it's a great option to have the ability to voice the grange with the different DTH's if one has various a examples of each type laying around.... but if it were me I would lose the microphonic prone meshies like the px4 and be done with it. Hey,I really love the sound of the early nos 6c5 meshie in my cortese, the 6c5 is basically the octal base equivalent to the 76. I had to sort through no less than 16 examples to find a pair that were acceptable for duty in the preamp. With the metal envelope versions of the same tube, not one of them were the least bit microphonic.Unfortunatly, they don't sound the same either.
A dissenting opinion on 76. I'm not a big fan. I have many pairs for my personal use and have sold quite a few in the past, but in terms of sonic attributes, I'd much rather use 6SN7 then 76 tubes myself.
>>I'd much rather use 6SN7 then 76 tubes myself<<

Which is not a bad thing. However Mick prefers the 76 or 37 in the Grange at least. Mine sounds much nicer with a pair of NOS VT-37 (RCA) than the factory supplied Italian made 76. "Different strokes", as Sly used to sing.
Any Cabernet owner's have any thoughts? Mine came fitted with mb300 outputs. Would eml 45's be a nice upgrade? Regulator? I would love to hear from experienced tube swappers what they have done with their Cabernet.
Larry unless you can switch the filament voltage from 5v to 2.5v the 45 won't work. However if you have that option, I have a new pair of Sophia 45 Mesh Plates (ceramic base upgrade) that I'd be willing to sell you. Email me outside of the thread if interested.