Regarding the Quicksilver preamp..... if it uses 6922 tubes and it eats them up try the Gold Lion 6922. That tube is rugged and long lasting and you'd be surprised how good it sounds. I needed to use one in my cj Classic 2se , it would get noisy in six months If it is the 12AT7 I would try a NOS Mullard 6201.... I tried using 6dj8 NOS tubes in my CJ and they didn't last long.... im surprised he said 500 hours for the Chinese tubes....thats not very long.
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@oddiofyl actually yes! I do have a set of Mullard 6201’s that have lasted. I replaced them with the 4024’s as I wanted a slightly warmer sound. Why would the 6201’s be so much more robust though? I’m genuinely curious. |
Funny you should mention 6922’s. My phono preamp uses (2) also. In 02/2018 I ordered (2) NOS Telefunken E88CC/6922 - Platinum Grade - Cryoed for $217 each from Kevin Deal of UpScale Audio. He ha a video of the Tele’s saying they would last from about 5,000 to10,000 hours: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-g2VhyU69Og I haven’t had any problems with them at all. When it comes to tubes, I’ve learned I will only by from UpScale Audio or Brent Jessee. It’s a shame now cause the price of those tubes are almost unobtainable now. Brent Jessee even has a return policy on his tubes, which is almost unheard of. Buy tubes only from someone you trust, has a return or at least a replacement policy, period. As UpScale Audio has. |
I don't have a lot of experience with preamps. I mainly used integrateds until a couple years ago and got a Don Sachs Model 2. I love it. Not only does it sound great but Don is great to work with and I love the bespoke, handmade vibe of it. However... I've been curious about trying a solid state preamp in my system, which is predominantly tube based. I was curious about trying the Kinki Studio P7, but in my research I somehow came across the Audio GD HE 1 preamp. Then I learned about the balanced XLR version and while it is a tube preamp I decided (after way too much bourbon and way too late at night) to give it a try. I just hooked this beast of a preamp up about an hour ago and I can say it is so dead quiet I didn't think it was on. I'm not going to get into the weeds about this preamp as anyone can look it up, but so far it is impressive. I also like how much detail and dynamics I am getting at low volume. I tend to listen at low volume while working and my wife is in the other room, and again, very impressive. Its bit over the $2500 target, but the solid state version can be had at that price. Not saying its the best preamp as I can't make that claim with my limited experience but worth looking into. |
