lyrita audio tube phonostage

[stevieboy]

hi guys,

the tt is a project rpm 9 and the amp on the left is the phono stage. anm, the pic you've seen online is an older one.

hi kamal!

well tweeter i dont know. personally i really prefer the crossoverless sound. a tweeter would add more 'detail' for some guys though so its a good option if viren can manage it! yups it can be like an add on option if one wants. good idea!

regards

 

[stevieboy]

have tube rolled bit and it great that you can tweak the sound quite a bit just put putting in a new tube. its like having a custom built amp every time you want at the push of a button :yahoo:

rajiv,

i've tried the gz family of tubes. these are my findings. as i expected i liked the sound of the philips GZ32 miniwatt. its a bottle shoulder shape tube exactly like the 5Z4G. liked it in both the phono and SET amp. the philips GZ34 miniwatt and mullard GZ 34 sounded in the same family as the BEL and overall i dont quite like that family sound. the 5 series tubes sound more open and airy, the GZs sound tighter and less open, more crunch though. will listen some more. have also put in rca 5687 in the SET. slight improvement little more full bodied in mids. overall the most dramatic improvement i've heard is with the mullard and valvo ecc 83s.

you've heard 7025, what do the tubes sound like? and which make of 7025? rca?

 

[Rajiv]

Hi Steven,

Your set up sounded great before and I bet it sounds even better with the new phono stage.

The GZ32 is a great rectifier,and I like its sound.
The Mullard/Philips GZ34 tubes are great and though in this particular application they do not seem/sound optimal they are head and shoulders above other rectifiers in other amps (mainly higher powered push pull amps) .As you say they have very good bass control,mainly because of ther minimal forward voltage drop.

I have a pair of 7025 ECG Philips tubes(not the same as european Philips,this is american) but I like the ECC83's.The ECG Philips 7025 has a slight glare/steely edge to the sound.I have no experience with other makes of 7025's.

Did you get all your tubes from Ansar in Bombay?

Regards
Rajiv

 

[stevieboy]

hi rajiv,

yes ansar was the man of the moment. if you want he has an ediswan gz 34. am looking for a pair of telefunken ecc83, smoothplate like yours or thinking of trying an rca 45 since you've run it without problems in the amp. am getting a couple of spare rectifiers from viren. those are good stuff!!! by the way i like even the ge 5751 that came stock with the phono. all different flavours depending on the mood i'm in. extended listening will tell me which tube does what, right now i have only first and hurried impressions.

then i guess i wont try the 7025. not worth the price. thanks!

and yes you're right, with the phono in, cd playback has fallen back so many miles i'm thinking of packing the cd player and dac up and just using the slim dvd for occasional cd use!

by the way am thinking of making sandboxes for the phono, amp and tt. tried a hurried damping of foam packing and plywood sheet under the tt made a nice difference! the sound tightened up, became more stable and lower level sounds sounded clearer.

regards

 

[Rajiv]

Hi Steven ,

Does Ansar have 45's?(any make)

Yes ,the 5751 tubes are very good and are quite close to the Mullards.
The only problem I have is the hum level increases with the 5751.

I have been running the 45's for some time now .The 45's are not as romantic/lush sounding as the 2A3's but they have very good resolution and soundstage.The most surprising aspect is the tightness and control of the bass.

Regards
Rajiv

 

[stevieboy]

hi rajiv,

am not sure. i asked him but he was shifting his workshop so little busy i guess. he definitely did not have any 2A3s. i think he mostly has smaller tubes that are also used in guitar amps since he builds those.

regards

 

[stevieboy]

TJ 2A3 Premium Mesh Plate Globe (Pair) - $229.00 : Chinesetubes.com!, Get Chinese Tubes At First Hand

your views on these rajiv? mesh plates supposed to be better but dont know how good the full music TJ brand is. any idea? the balloon shape tubes supposed to be better than ST type hence interested in these.

also why did you choose national union 45s over rca? these are better?

regards

 

[Rajiv]

Hi Steven,

I am sorry but I have no experience with these tubes.You could search on the SET forum over at Audio Asylum.

There seems to be a lot of divided opinion between mesh and solid plates.

The price for the TJ mesh plates is rather high.

This is first time I am trying out 45's and was doubtful if I would like them.The National Union were slightly less expensive compared to the RCA's so that tiped the selection in their favour.

Now after using them for a few weeks I like the what the 45's do and am getting a pair of RCA 45's.I do not expect a significant difference between the NU and RCA tubes but the fun is in trying all possible flavours within reason.



Regards
Rajiv

 

[stevieboy]

hi rajiv,

from what i've read the TJ mesh plates are not true mesh but merely plates with holes punched in them. and for the price not worth it i figure. i'm thinking of saving up for a globe/balloon pair. they're supposed to sound much better than the ST 45s.

regards

 

[Rajiv]

Hi Steven,


Gordon Rankin of Wavelength Audio has this to say about the globe 45's in the SET forum.He is a strong advocate of the 45 tubes.

Be ware of 245's and 345's because they draw grid current. On some direct coupled amps that I made they did not sound as good as on ones with low (150K or below) grid resistence. They really do not sound well in fixed bias.

If you are looking for old sound or need to tame your system search out the 245, else hit the ST's.


Gordon

Viren's 2A3 is fixed bias,so I would be hesitant to spend big bucks on the globes.

The vintage globe 45's were made between 1928 and 1932,(the ST tubes were standard after that) and the general opinion among the SET gurus is that though they are very good the emissions on these tubes is lower than the ST45's and because of their age tend to get gassy soon.

So till I hit the jackpot and am able to splurge on a pair of globe 45's I guess I will stick to the ST version.

Among the newer production 45's the Emission Labs soild plate globes seem be be getting good reveiws.However they are expensive.


Regards
Rajiv

 

[stevieboy]

hmmmm, thanks rajiv. will look for an ST first. there was an rca on audiogon but it went before i decided. a reseller on audiogon also mentioned the same thing. i told him i was looking at an ST first and globes later on he said lower reliability for globes so going with ST first is a good bet. he has a national union for $145 or so. how much did you get yours for?

regards

 

[Rajiv]

Hi Steven,

Hear is some more information on 45's from another SET forum.

Well, the survey of 45's is a short one!

The unequivocal best - 1930's mesh plate Perryman globes. Nothing comes close.

2nd place - current Emission Labs solid plates (the newest ones look very cool too).

3rd - Cunningham/RCA 245 Globes

4th - Raytheon box plate ER-245 globes

5th - just about any other globes - Sylvania, Tungsol particularly - except the not too great sounding DeForest 445.

A problem with globes - most NOS ones are gassy. Fact is, tubes - particularly pre-1940 ones - have a finite shelf life and it's been exceeded in the case of 1930's globes. They are gassy and/or can have weak vacuums. A crap shoot at best, too risky for the bucks they bring - particularly with the Emission Labs being available.

The ST-shaped 45's can be excellent too. National Union are at the top, followed by RCA's. Tungsol made some nice ones, the Boonton is a particularly nice rarity.

There is also the TJ, which I'm not too fond of, it sounds mushy and indistinct, and there is also the issue of the inverted filament flaw making them un-usable in amps that don't have hum pots. Lastly - there is the EML mesh plate (a true mesh plate, not faux-punched plate like the TJ) - it has been improved in recent years but still has higher hum than I would be able to live with. Hum pots help.

That's about it. There really isn't a bad sounding 45, so it's hard to go wrong.

I sent you a PM on the price I paid for the 45's .


Regards
Rajiv

 

[Remus]

Can anybody tell me about any place in Kolkata where I can get a turntable, and what should be my approximate budget?

 

[stevieboy]

hi rajiv,

picked up a pair of rca radiotron 45s for $70 on ebay. the tubes test round 2100 or so, 100% feedback guy but mostly buyer but still for that price and tube test worth trying out i figure. wonder if i ought to try a sylvania or philco 45 too. he has a pair of them also. what do you think?

regards

 

[mahiruha]

i've managed to accidentally solve a major part of the hum problem:clapping: i had placed my palm on the metal plate where the tubes are and the hum came down drastically. mentioned it to viren and he suggested putting a wire between the screw on the front plate and connecting it to the grounding post. did it and ah its come down quite a bit! next stop mullard ECC83. you think they'd be original mullards from BE3? thanks for the link. just couldn't remember what they were called!

Hello Stevieboy,
almost convinced to get this phono preamp but just this one hum issue. Well my project TT has two RCA jacks and a ground wire which iare connected to my 705 receiver. I am told that the function of the ground wire is to reduce hum during vinyl playback. Isn't it the case that the phono pre amp also has a place to tie the ground wire coming out of the TT. Do you still have the issue of hum after connecting the ground wire??what is your final solution to get rid of hum.
lets hope "HUM" honge kamiyaab to get rid of "HUM"
thanks,
Mahiruha.

 

[stevieboy]

hi mahiruha,

i have connected a ground wire from tt to phonostage and from phonostage rear to front place screw. hum is pretty much of a non-issue now with the ecc83tubes. with the stock 5751 tubes you hear a hum, but only when the song ends. while the song is playing don't hear much. so if that's your only worry, don't worry! am not sure you need to connect the tt to the receiver? only phono ought to be sufficient cos its got a plug of its own? someone can clarify or you can check with viren himself.

regards

 

[Rajiv]

Hi,

I have totally eliminated the hum in the Lyrita Phono Stage by increasing the value of the filter caps that come after the choke.


The hum with the standard caps is audible only in between tracks,it is not audilble when the music is playing,and only with the 5751 tubes.With the ECC83's there is no hum.

The caps supplied by Viren are 22Mfd Black Gates,I added 100 Mfd Black Gates in parallel to the existing caps.

100Mfd may be overkill but that is what I had on hand.50Mfd or another 22 Mfd in parallel should be adequate .

I have also incorporated Stevens idea of connecting a wire from the top plate screw to the ground post .This is very area dependant,at my friends place there is no hum with or without the wire connected,but at my place if I disconect the wire hum is present.Maybe it has something to do with the proximity of a couple of cell phone towers .


Now even with the 5751 tubes and the volume at 3 O'clock there is no hum.

Regards
Rajiv

 

[stevieboy]

hey rajiv,

i got the telefunkens smooth plates a few days back and the rca radiotron 45 yesterday. both are simply superb!!! the 45 is simply phenomenal. the 2A3 is more of a 'sweet' listen the 45 is another story altogether! thanks for the tip on adding caps will check with viren and see how to do it when i have the time. i also solved the problem of the mullards which was so confusing to me. they're fake getting a refund.

regards

 

[Rajiv]

picked up a pair of rca radiotron 45s for $70 on ebay

Hi Steven,

Have you received the 45's?

After days of extensive listening to both the 2A3's and 45's I find myself being drawn more towards the sonic presentation of the 45's.

They are just that bit clearer and the soundstage and seperation of instruments is better than the 2A3.The 45's bass is not as full(round?) as the 2A3 but it is tighter.

The RCA 45's should arrive next week and I will compare them to the National Union 45's?Should be interesting.

Regards
Rajiv

 

[Rajiv]

Hi Steven,

You posted while I was typing.

Do the 45's drive your speakers to adequate levels?

The only thing left to try are some Bendix 6900 tubes in place of the 5758's.

Boy are they crazy expensive.I will have to hit a jackpot to be able to afford those or just get lucky.

Regards
Rajiv