@vthokie83 Please do! Would love to hear your thoughts (plus could be beneficial for others who come across this thread with the same questions).
Aric Audio Super 2A3 owners - favorite tubes?
Hello all,
I've been enjoying my new set of Aric Audio amps (the Super 6SN7 linestage + Super 2A3 amp) and have been playing around with different tubes. I am curious what tubes anyone who owns either of these prefers.
I swapped from the stock 5U4GB to some NOS RCA 5U4Gs, but not sure if there's anything better out there that owners may prefer rectifier-wise. Asking Aric, he said GB or G works fine, but beyond that didn't offer any other alternatives as far as compatible tube options.
For my 2A3 tubes, I have a set of NOS Svetlana SV-2A3 (2C4C) and EML 2a3-S Meshplates and prefer the EMLs. The Svetlanas sound nice - they are a little more 'warm' sounding to me - but they lack the detail and wide holographic soundstage that the EMLs produce.
For the 6SN7 tubes on both the pre-amp and the amplifier (3 total), I've tried Sylvania JAN 6SN7GT VT-231 2 Hole Bad Boy, Black Plates an d NOS RCA JAN 5692 6SN7 (red base) tubes and prefer the Sylvania's by a mile. Swapping from the Sylvanias to the RCAs, bass thinned out quite a bit. Detail was great, and mid/highs were nice, but the Sylvanias are overall much nicer.
What have you tried and liked / tried and kept?
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Power tubes and rectifiers can alter the sound of an amplifier from 10% to 30%. The driver tubes (6SN7 & 6SL7) can impact the tone and presentation by up to 60% - depending on your system and ears. I like the VT231 Raytheons - although the Sylvanias are very nice as well - a little more laid back, middle of the theater presentation compared to front row Raytheons. 6SL7 tubes - try the 6SU7GTY Tung Sols...just the best in class by a good margin. Brown base, dark glass version . The 5691 are nice as well - but the TS are amazing.
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@paul_lindemann I'll see if I can track down one of the Tong Sols. I only need one 6SL& tube for my amp, so it shouldn't be too difficult, I'd imagine! |
I just received my new 2A3 from Aric and have just started to break it in. I've been using his Motherlode preamp for about three years so I'm excited to hear how they work together. Has anyone compared the Linlai 2A3 tubes with other 2A3s? I'm reading a lot about the 6SN7 tubes and perhaps I've missed any discussion around the 2A3 and the Linlais specifically. With regard to the 6SN7 has anyone tried the new RAY 6Sn7? |
@jake18aa Congratulations on your 2a3 from Aric! I still love mine. Over the past year, I've tried a few different 2a3 tube options... Linlai 2a3 (stock) For the 6SN7, I've used the Linlai E-6SN7 (not the china market model) and NOS Sylvania JAN 6SN7GT VT-231 2 Hole Bad Boy, Black Plate. I found using 3 (2 in my pre and 1 in the amp) of the same tube option to be a little much. For me, putting an e-6SN7 on the amp and 2x the JAN 6SN7GT on the pre balanced out the sound nicely for me. The sylvanias are nice and musical, but too much of a good thing can end up getting a little 'sloppy.' The E-6SN7s are a lot crisper and more detailed, but running three of them ends up getting harsh and fatiguing after a little while (though initially it can be a bit dazzling). |
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