Dared VP-845 Bias Adjustment? 845W Tubes?

Brian..No mods. None planned. Love the sound just as it is. I run a Melos Phono pre amp into one of the line inputs. If I ever got a sub..I'd run it off the speaker level, so not concerned about a line sub out on mine.

I saw your other thread regarding 6SN7 input tubes. Ive rolled Tung Sol Tall Bottle GTB Black base...To polite for me....RCA 5692 Red Base were very airy and smooth as silk, but bass was way too light....Ken Rad Black Glass had killer bass and mids and wasn't bad on top..I could live with this tube, but I found that the stock Chinese 6N8 is by and away the best so far. It has drive and dynamics and very good bass. Halographic more so than any other Ive tried..so I keep coming back to these. I figure they knew what they were doing when they used this tube. That said, I have a pair of 60's Raytheon Short bottle clear glass on the way to try.

My biggest change came from the 845M's and a pair of 50's Tung Sol 12AX7 that came from a Fender Tweed amp. Really textured and musical. This is my current and best sound so far.

Best,
Ken

Brian,

The bias is self adjusting on this amp.Not sure about the difference between those tubes. I have the metal plates from Sophia Electric and absolutely love them..much better across the board than the stock 845 IMO.

Ken

Brian,

Yeah, I have the 2006 VP-845. Its about 7 mos old. I emailed Dared US and Joe answered to say that the 845 models are self biasing. Yes,I have the 845M metal plates from Sophia. Dont know about the Super TNT as you mentioned. Unless this is the same tube...im not sure as I haven't seen that particular designation..I have not noticed any loss of power compared to the stock 845 (which have graphite plates for comparison)..In fact the metal plates seem so much more alive and coherent with truly great mids compared to the stock tube. Everything seems much more musical and dynamic with the metal plates.

Brian,
Both the KR and TS are already sold..But im curious regarding the Raytheons when they arrive I'll let you know what I think of them..I also tried RCA Gray Glass VT-231 and some Short bottle Sylvanias some time ago..sold them too. Just wasnt right in this amp. I sure would like to try the famous TS round plates, but I wont pay that kind of money just to try them. Dont know, but seems the stock 6N8 are good enough leaving alone as long as you change the other tubes. as I did..this works for me. YMMV of course. What PC are you using on the back of the amp?

Telefunken 6SN7GTA [PHOTO HERE]
[GT: ??? GTA: top getter, white labels on glass, black base, round mica with diamond points scattered around it]
GT: This tube certainly lives up to its ‘legendary’ status. Why? Because it never existed. 6SN7s were NEVER made by Telefunken.
This tube is always sourced from Philips Holland (which in turn sourced from 1960s East German or Russian factories) Also occasionally rebranded as Ultron and Hoges.
GTA: This tube, while labelled ‘Made in West Germany’, was almost certainly not made in West Germany. Most who purchase this tube have been disappointed with its sound, describing it as ‘boring’ and ‘dry’ (AA).

This above is from Head-fi site..Yes, tele did not make a 6SN7.

YMMV...(Your Mileage May Vary)..basically how and under what circumstances you drive your vehicle may be different than someone else.. car for same car...your gas mileage may be different...thus the analogy... what works and sounds good to me may not work or sound good to you. :-)

BTW..I am playing the Raytheon short bottle 6SN7's. They are superb sounding. Sweet mids and top with bass almost deep as the KR..but tighter. I think its a winner of a tube. On the Gon right now for $49.00 a pair and a bargian at the price.

Cheers,
Ken