EAT E-Glo Petite Hybrid phono stage

So, I found a great deal on the Eat Petit and as good as my DS2 sounds with the Baldwin 1960 tubes, I sold it. The Petit with the stock tubes is very good. A little less grain and a slightly larger soundstage than the ds2, but it just didn’t have the rich tonality of the ds2 with the Baldwin 1960 tubes that became so addictive. So, I put those tubes in the Petit and it was better, but didn’t sound quite the same as they did in the ds2. Too much body and that clouded the lower midrange area a bit. Tonality was still excellent though and almost as good as they sounded like in the ds2. I had a pair of 1959 Baldwins that were not quite as good when I had tried them in the ds2. A little too much upper midrange drive. So, I decided to try them in the Petit. WOW! Perfection! These tubes were made for this phono pre. Outstanding tonality that even my $4k phono preamp using a variety of nos tubes couldn’t match. It’s like the 1960 Baldwins were sounding when used in the ds2, but only with a bit less grain, larger soundstage, less congestion and a bit smoother sounding overall. Along with the tonality, the Petit and the 1959 tubes still have excellent dynamics, soundstage and bite. Deep and powerful bass and a sweet top end that is fully extended. I then tried some nos Ei tubes than are said to be identical looking and sounding as NOS Telefunken smooth plates.They sounded great too, but just didn’t have that rich tonality of the 1959 Baldwins. No wow factor, but nothing to complain about either. Also tried 4 different current production tubes, to include Gold Lions. Gold lions were best of the lot but couldn’t hold a candle to the Baldwins. If you really want to experience what the Petit is capable of, do yourself a favor and grab a pair of the 1959 Baldwins. You can find these on eBay for around $100 a pair or so. So worth it! *Note..my system audio is professionally calibrated and is very neutral, thus letting the tubes do most of the talking without much influence from improper eq and bright/warm speakers.

hifi59, that is good info, thanx 4 sharing.  I’ve a Petite for a while now and run a pr. of Bugle Boys from a Bob’s Sky SUT and a VPI Traveler, Dynavector 20xL.  Those 59’ Baldwins sound like something I should check out…  I can’t see moving on from the Petite as the unit is so flexible and functional.  Mullards we’re to warm and slow but the BB’s were just right, never to zingy, but right on the money.

Nice to see some more posts and experimentation here. Following up on my posts from last March - Since then I have rolled several more sets of tubes, from some very expensive Mullards to some uncommon RCA 7058s. I think 7 different sets in total. I kept coming back to the new production Gold Lions. On my system, they just flesh out vocals in a way all the others I've tried cannot. Naturally, curiosity got the best of me and I have a pair of Baldwins out for delivery today. Thanks @hifi59 . What's one more pair added to the collection? :) Will report back later.

Oh and the Petit did end up replacing my McIntosh MP-100. After making those changes, the holography and more natural sound of the Petit won out. By comparison, the MP-100 sounded a bit too lush and recessed. I have no desire to try any other phono stages at this point, though continuing to tinker with the Petit's tubes is sort of the itch I need to scratch.

I should add that with my Soundsmith zephyr 3 cartridge (2.4mv) output, the best setting for the Petit with the 1959 Baldwin tubes are 50db gain and 50 pf and no rings on the tubes,  although 150 pf works if you want a little more zing that doesn’t go overboard. I feel my settings have just the right amount of control without losing soundstage. This will likely be cartridge output dependent.

“I think 7 different sets in total. I kept coming back to the new production Gold Lions.”

I also have the Gold lions. They are very good current production tube as used in the Petit, but don’t quite have that nice tonality of the 59 Baldwins (percussion, guitar body, horns) . High end is less grainy or edgy too with the Baldwins, not that the Gold Lions were that bad in that area. There’s more breathing room (headroom) with the Baldwins.with these tubes in the Petit, it competes very closely to my other phono preamp (Modwright PH9.0x) with excellent 6922 Philips nos tubes. Tonality is actually a little bit better with the Petit/Baldwins vs my Modwright while the soundstage is a bit larger with the Modwright /Philips tubes, but it’s plenty big with the Petit/Baldwin combo.