Preamp Deal of the Century

Thanks Eccletique! And congrats Mondie & Slipknot1! The Genelex KT-66's are expensive! Since I already have a pair of NU 350B, I will stick to these tubes and unless anyone can tell me the NU 350B is no match for the Sylania 6F6g or Genelex KT-66.

Tubes that I have acquired so far (all NOS):

Mullar 5AR4 (small black base)
NU 350B
STC 6SN7GTY

Well, I'm still waiting for my Cabernet...

Kenji

Hey Kenji. Na.... you better send those NU 350b's to me and I'll send you a fresh pair of 6f6g's. The 350b's are the undisputed heavyweight champions of all time. They float like a butterfly and sting like a bee! It just doesn't get any better! Enjoy!

I have been looking and looking and looking for everything this preamp seems to do. After spending about the life of this thread reading researching and wishing for the right components I have emailed Mick in hopes of procuring a Chenin for myself. I plan on upgrading my amp as well.
Any votes for favorite 300b SET to team up with this pre? As all accounts do tell i will have quite a wait to find one!
This has got to be the best testament for good ol' word of mouth.

Hi all,

l am so impressed with my Cabernet l am wondering what Micks power amps are like. Could they be as good, even half as good will do? l have started another thread here;
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?aamps&1101532226&read&3&4&

Please post your experiences.

Cheers Simon

Hi Ecclectique, I got a pair of smoke glass Genalex KT-66 today. I just couldn't resist the opportunity even though the 350B's are the best. However, the Genelex is only half the price of the NU 350B's.

Cheers,
Kenji

Hi Kenji. Yes, think of both the genelex kt-66 and the we 350b's as an investment. The genelex kt-66 is a much sought after output tube and it's market value has near doubled in the last 3 years. [ they ain't making anymore!!] cheers David

Congratulations to both Mondie and Slipknot 1 on recieving your preamps. I have had my Syrah for about two and a half year (ever since I started the thread) and I still get excited every time I power my system up. I feel that all of my components are very good, but the Syrah is the heart and soul of my system. I am sure you guys will have a blast listening to your favorite music. Be sure to pass on the the new guys considering a Supratek that the wait is well worth it.

Slipknot and mondie. Congrats and enjoy the ride. cheers David

Dear Slowhand,

Thank you for starting this thread. I decided to order a Chardonnay preamp in June 2004 after reading the review in 6moons.com and the enormous information in this thread. I received my unit in September and has been listening to it for over 2 months. I think it is time for me to join in the discussion and assure those who is still hesitating. I am using a system that is quite high end : Watt/ puppy6 + Emmlabs mod Philips SACD 1000/ DAC6 combo, Melody 2A3 Push-pull monoblocks. Preamp I had owned previously included ARC SP9, Convergent SL1 signature, Matisse reference, Marantz7 (remake) and lastly Nagra PLP. I have been using Nagra for a few years and it is an excellent Pre. It is expansive too, over 3 times that of Chardonnay. I cannot say Chardonnay is a better preamp than Nagra, but I can say I am not missing Nagra in my system (the Nagra is still in hand) and have no temptation to re-connect it since the arrival of Chardonnay. It is enough at the moment. I will write about my experience with Chardonnay when there is time.

YW

Just picked up a Music Reference RM-200 to amp a Chardonnay, using a half-recipe of Chris VH Cat-5 to drive Hales Revelation 2s. The RM-200 has 8, 4, 2, and 1 Ohm taps, with a hybrid design that allows the lower taps to produce successively *more* power (contrary to most amps) and rely increasing heavily on the pre's amplification; i.e., using a lower tap shifts the total (amp + pre amp) amplification more towards the pre, requiring less from the amp's KT-88s. In the Chardonnay I'm using a 1955 Mullard CV 378 (GZ-37) rectifier, 1940's era Sylvania 6L6GA regulators, and 1940's era Ken-Rad Black Glass VT-231 line tubes.

With a tube CDP source, high end extension is very good, with sweet harmonics, a delicate, long decay on bells, and a "splash" on cymbals; mid-range has a true tube bloom, but not too much; mid-bass is tight and crisp, and bass, while perhaps not the absolute end-all in SS composure, is still quite good and low and strong enough to be felt through my feet when sitting six feet away with no sub-woofer. All this collapses if the source is not well mastered (more the rule than the exception) or if the volume is at a background listening level (sound is then very good, but--presumably in part due to the Fletcher-Munson effect--not at its best). I think improvements can be made in depth and soundstage, but I'll look at the room and isolation tweaks to try to capture that.

All-in-all, a nice synergy with the Supratek.

Hey guys, any recommedation on the 6C4 for Chenin? Cheers~

Hi Ecmlee. I wasn't aware that Mick had chosen the 6c4 in the chenin.My understanding is mick had implemented the common 6922/6dj8,s along with the 6j6 for phono gain in the new chenin .The 6c4 is no longer being produced so I would assume Mick has a supply of nos tubes.What brand of 6c4 is in yours? The 6c4 is 7 pin single triode or basically 1/2 of a 12au7 dual triode. He probably selected this tube for it's superior linearity over the common 12au7. The 12au7 and deratives are rather mediocre sounding valves for use in high end audio circuits[especially phono stages]. That said: The 6c4 is notorious for being microphonic. I have repaired a few guitar amps as well as some older organ amps that used a 6c4. I think that Conrad Johnson also used the 6c4 in a few of their earlier PV series preamps if I recall???? The euro equivalent would be an ec-90. Mullard made a box plate version called the m-8080, this is a good sounding tube. Other equivalents for rolling the 6c4 would be a 6135 or a 6100.Because the 6c4 is prone to be microphonic and had me pulling out my hair on more than 1 occasion[read too many]. Are you experiencing any microphonics? I found the 1980's GE 6c4[grey plate] the least microphonic and most consistent of the bunch, however I preferred the extension and tone of the mullard 8080. Conrad Johnson should have a good supply of selected 6c4's. Hope this helps. cheers and all the best.

I have 6c4's on my Chenin. The JAN Phillips that comes with stock is reasonable.

At present, I am using the M8080 Mullard tubes. Very quiet and I am not having any microphonic issues. I posted a while back about several 6C4 tubes I tried in the Supratek. Up to now, I am still convince that they are the "money" tubes on the phono section of the Chenin and not the 6922's. Although I am using a Telefunken on the 6922 position, my observation was that the 6C4 gives immediate feedback as to the tonal quality of the phono section when trying different varities. I rolled 6 pairs of different manufacturers of 6922's and I end up getting confused trying to identify if there's an improvement doing so. Maybe there was but I cannot comment on which was the best tube for me on this position from my experoment. Whereas the 6C4, as I said, the difference was immediate!

My recommendations as of today are (in order of being the "best" in my system) as follows:

Mullard M8080 (so far the best for me!)
Raytheon Triple Mica
National Union (looks like an RCA)Black Plates
RCA
Tungsol

What I found a waste of time are:

Motorola
Crosley
RCA Gray Plates
G.E. (maybe not the same type as Ecclectique is refering to)

My new Chardonnay will be arriving next week.
Can't wait to experience first hand what you guys have been saying all along.
Hey, we have the "Preamp Deal of the Century".
What would be your personal choice for "Amp Deal of the Century" and "Speaker Deal of the Century"?

Hi Ecclectique & Amandarae, thanks for your valuable input. I am going to get the Mullard CV4058 and try them out. My Chenin was stocked with RCA 6C4 and they are the only stock tubes remain on the unit. I have no idea of how the other 6C4 sounds so I am going to give a try. Frankly speaking how big is the difference betweem the 6C4 model and the later one using 6J6?

Thanks again!

Hi Gang. Ethifi.... congrats sir and let the chardonnay run in for a good couple of hundred hours before tube rolling. You will be impressed right out of the box. A couple of hundred hours of run in time allows the passive circuit parts,wire and the transformer windings to settle in. Amandadarae...a great system sir and I can see a lot of time and thought went into putting it together... always love to see another great vinyl rig too. After reading about your previous wright preamp I can almost hear the musical "voice" of your system....you have good ears sir. Regarding the GE 6c4...Any of other GE 6c4 versions were just awful except for the 80's vintage versions. I believe Conrad Johnson still have select stock of these in inventory. I have to say I was not too impressed with the tone of the Tung sol's[hard treble range] and never really tried the triple mica Raytheon as the mullard m8080 won hands down. Furthermore.... The circuits I was playing with [organ amps and guitar amps] could never be considered high resolution amplifying devices like that found in a good phono stage. I did dig out my previous notes I had made on this tube. I had spent some time voicing a friend's Conrad Johnson PV 14 back in the early 90's and came to the same conclusion.... The mullard m8080 wins hands down.I have kept records that date back to the early 70's regarding the tubes used for voicing my own equipment as well as the stuff I've repaired or modified. I am not surprised with your choice of the telefunken e88cc in the phono stage. No doubt you have had previous experience with this tube type.The telefunken and the seimen cca are the very best of that family and by a wide margin I might add. If that particular tube does not seem that critical in the supratek's phono stage [as indicated in your last post] others here that do not wish to pay the insane price's those tubes currently command... may want to try the nos russian military tube in it's place. The 6n23ev is a terrific tube for use in a phono stage. It is dead quiet, accurate, great bass resolution, extremely well balanced top to bottom and consistently has the tightest matched triode sections of any manufactured brand of this family of tube. "Note"... It is not to be confused with the icy glare of the current commercial Sovtec 6dj8/6922 now being used in just about every piece of modern amplifiacation. The 6n23ev's were developed strictly for the russian military and were not even known to exist until the end of the Cold War and the demise of the Big Red Machine. There are surplus stock of this tube floating around.They are very inexpensive relative to most nos examples. Search them out, you will be impressed.

Ecclectique,
You have said that Cary 805c and Supartek are "is a marriage made in heaven". But there is one problem for me, Cary is only 50W, and in the future I'm going to have big room (>400sq feet) and I like listen to big orchestras on decent level. My speakers are power hungry inefficient Thiels 3.6. I'm afraid that even strong tube watts in amount of 50 will not suffice. And I have heard Manley a few times I only so far have liked better them Manley expensive behind my reach electronics (like VAC or LAMM). And it is 250W at the some price, yes I know it is not SET but some people claims that for big music SET is not the best choice ...
What do you think ?

Ecclectique,

Thanks for the advice and the compliment. Yep! it seems that the GE's that I have are the crappy ones.

I will look for the 6n23ev tubes. Hopefully I can experience their sonic character on the Supratek.

Yes, I agree that the Mullard 8080 is a cut above the other 6c4's I tried. Although my experience is that they have to be run for sometime before they show their true colors. At first when I got them, my impression was that they are quiet but the sonics are about average. After sometime (50 hours or so)playing music with them, they finally arrived! Piano and horns becomes full and with just the right extension, at least for me.

Thanks again!

Sorlowski.A tall order indeed,although that pairing would definately not make good match with your thiels. I would seek out a high powered ss amp with big current delivery, preferrably on the warmish side of the fence. The big VTL's or perhaps a few other high powered tube amps may possibly be up to the task however, One should always try them first to be certain. best of luck.

Sorlowski, I have a friend that owns a pair of Parasound JC-1's. They are very powerful (400 wpc) and have tons of current. He is using them with Soundlab M1's and they sound great (very close to the sound of tubes). They would have no problem running your Thiels.

Hello,

I just won an auction for a Sylvania Gold Brand gold pins 6c4 (GB6135). I used to have a pair of this tube but misplaced them when I moved. From what I can remember, they sound great in the Supratek phono section as well. I will compare it to the Mullard M8080 and report back.

Happy Holidays!

Ecclectique and Amandarae,Good to read more about tube switching in the phono section. I just took delivery of a vpi scoutmaster with options afew weeks ago. Shocking good through my Chenin,I have not switched the tubes in the phono section yet.I need some directions finding the Mullard m8080 and the Russian 6n23ev,I appreciate that.

Sorlowski. to drive the thiels you will want a high-current SS amp. Something that doubles down into a 2 ohm load. Personally, for that speaker I think a high damping factor works best. The Parasound amp Slowhand mentioned will work. I use the Sim Audio W-5 to drive my Thiels. Other possibilities include Plinius, Pass Labs, and Blue Circle.

Stiltskin,

The tubestore.com sells the 6n23 tubes. (http://www.thetubestore.com/rus696h.html)

I have not tried it yet since I have lots of 6922's. The M8080 is hard to find but do shows up at ebay once in a while usually from a European seller. I read that locally Conrad Johnson have stocks of this tube since they use it on their new preamps. Maybe you can get a pair from them.

I am waiting for the Sylvania Gold that I won in the auction the other day (GB6135). From my notes dated June 2004, I jotted down that I "need to stock this tubes because it is superb in the Supratek,fully balance sound...etc...etc." I will confirm that when I receive the tubes and will let others be aware who uses 6C4's on the phono preamp.

regards

Amandarae ,Thanks for the info.

Is the 6N23EV a drop-in replacement for the 6BQ7?

Hi Rabelais. No... The 6n23ev and 6n32eb are a substitute for a 6922/6dj8.

Thanks Ecclectique. You're probably aware that Roger Modjeski uses the 6BQ7 as the driver for the Music Reference RM-200, and he has been quoted as saying that you can drop in a 6922 as a sub in that application. I want to preserve the finesse of the Supratek down the chain, so I'm looking for NOS in that driver position. I'm all too aware that substitutions are not necessarily transitive (i.e., sub a 6N23EV for 6922 and a 6922 for a 6BQ7 doesn't necessarily imply subing a 6N23EV for a 6BQ7, but ... ).

P.S. Finally got around to dropping in 6F6G's in place of the 1940's Sylvania 6L6GA's as regulators in the Supratek. It's too early to site differences, but certainly an excellent tube in that position.

Hi Rabelais. I have always been a fan of Roger Modjeski's progressive vacuum tube design, he has always been a pioneer in the audio industry. If memory serves, Modjeski was the first audio engineer to employ the 6dj8/6922 dual triode in an audio circuit and bring it to market. Infact...from it's inception, the 6922/6dj8 was never really designed for use in audio amplification as it was primarily used in early vacuum tubed computers.In those days, the 12ax7 and 12at7 dual triodes were the audio industry's standard tube, and they were employed for gain in line stages as well as phono stages.At the time...With the rapidly growing popularity of the extremely low output Moving Coil cartridges[typically below .5mv] It was quickly realized that the gain of the 12au7 family of tubes was inadequate for driving these cartridges without experiencing tube rush or noise. Roger was instrumental in implementing the higher gain of the 6922 family of tubes in audio circuits and almost every company in the high end industry followed suit and embraced the use of that tube. That said: I wasn't aware you could swap the 6bq7 driver for a 6922, as they are really quite different electrically. Unless he has configured the driver stage of the amplifier to use the tube in a cascaded type configuration or unity gain,then perhaps you could sub it[but why?] Do "NOT" try substituting a 6bq7 for the 6922 in your supratek as your just asking for trouble here!!! Trust me here.... even if it will amplify the signal, it will surely sound wrong. The same goes for any other amp or preamp employing a 6922 for amplifying the signal. Regarding the 6f6g's in the supratek.... if they are new right out of the box..... give em 20 to 30 hours of run in time to come into their own. The early 1940's Sylvania 6L6g's are very good regulators in the supratek [bottle shaped versions]and great sounding output tubes as well.

Hi Ecclectique--most interesting. Sometimes it seems like half of high fidelity audio can be attributed to half a dozen extremely impressive individuals. I was cued into the 6922/6BQ7 sub in Roger Modjeski's "Manufacturer's Comment" to the 2002 Stereophile review (http://www.stereophile.com/amplificationreviews/560/index8.html). The relevant context is this excerpt:

Through my research, I determined that the much-maligned Chinese 6550 was capable of the highest peak-cathode currents of any 6550 available, and about 1.5 times higher than the venerated Genelex KT88. Once the grid-leakage problem was solved through the driver design, it was full speed ahead with the Chinese tubes. Granted, I have to toss quite a few, but far fewer now that my driver circuit can tolerate grid leakage. As to rolling the driver tube, if you like the 6922 or its higher-current 6H30 version, go ahead, the circuit won't mind—though in this application I prefer the 6BQ7 for its ruggedness, less delicate grid, and higher current. Just be sure the DC is matched in the two sections, as it is directly coupled to the output grids. We want to keep the bias balance within 10% in the output tubes.

I take good note that a 6922/6BQ7 is *not* a general substitution.

There is something a little more interesting going on here. Pre-amps like the Supratek that use 6SN7s and 6L6s are fertile platforms to rolling; there is no question that NOS tubes elevate the performance. But the KT88 is a desert for rolling; there is the GEC/Genelex and Tung Sol 6550--which can put you back $1K+ for the quad--or about half a dozen current productions that are more similar than different (JJ, Electro-Harmonix, Svetlana, Sovtek, Shuguang, etc.). So Roger's approach somewhat anticipated--in philosophy, but not in implementation--that of the H-cat; i.e., superb reproduction occurs (some would say demands) exacting control of balance and phase. This minimizes left/right and time smear, and results in the correct delivery of those higher-order harmonics and slight time delays that differentiate middle-C on a cello, from that on a high-school violin, from that of a Stradivarius. This is not what we do explicitly when we roll NOS, but perhaps some would say that implicitly this is what is happening, and that this is what separates the WE's and GEC's from the Sovteks.

Hey Rabelais. A very appropriate analogy and very well said sir. Phase splitters are antiquated, inappropriate and should never even be considered part of the equation in the design of high resolution vacuum tubed circuits.

Hey Ecclectique, thanks for your information.
Hey guys, I need your advice.
My current system is Marantz SA-14 ver 2 SACD player, Supratek Chardonnay preamp (arriving this week), Perreaux E220 SS amp, Mirage M7si speakers. My music preferences are vocals (Eva Cassidy, Mary Black, Norah Jones, Diana Krall, Aaron Neville, etc), jazz (Dave Brubeck Quartet, LA4, Ray Brown Trio, guitar, etc) and some classical. Room size: 10 x 10 x 9 feet high. Right side has an opening, leading to the dining room of 15 x 10 x 9 feet high. I am contemplating to change either my amp or speakers over the next 6-12 months, after I've saved enough.
Question is: which one (amp or speakers) should I change first that will make the greater impact to the sound? I'm leaning towards a tube amp although many audiogoners have suggested that speakers make the most difference. Budget $3500. Thanks.

I'm not familiar with your amp, but the speakers are definately not up to the level of your pre and source electronics.

Have you guys heard that Mick is working on a Tube DAC. If Mick is on the case, there may be hope for CD's yet.

Hi Swampwalker, thanks for your comments.
Frankly, I thought so too... that's why I decided to upgrade all my components. I can't wait to change everything in one go but there are other considerations in life other than audio, although it's my second love after my wife and children. Over the past 18 months, I've patiently changed my CD player, preamp and cables (to Audience PowerChord and AU24 system-wide). I'll eventually change my amp and speakers too but I only have one chance with each because of WAF and $$$! After the upgrades, I would have to wait a few more years before bringing up the upgrade subject to my other half. While waiting, I would just have fun and enjoy what I have and could affford. Hehehe...
Please recommend matching speakers and amp (preferably tube) that would go well with the rest of my other components?

Your room is a bit small, so I am thinking monitors or small footprint full range speakers. For the latter, maybe VR 4jrs or Vandy 2ce sigs and a 2WQ sub. Used, either of those would keep you well under budget. At $3.5k for a tube amp, you could get a used, stock Berning ZH-270, or nice pair of Cary monoblocks if you end up with high eff. speakers. Check w/Bobby @ Merlin as to whether your room is too small for the VSMs. He will be happy to talk to you even if you are looking in the used market. If not, the Supratek/Berning/Merlin combo is generally highly regarded in these parts. There is a VAC tube amp that is for sale now, that you could team with 2ce sigs and still stay w/in your budget of $3.5K and stay under budget.

slowhand:

i've exchanged a few emails with mick regarding the dac he is working on. price point he had in mind was about $500 max which is an excellent price if it's up to the level of his preamps. he didn't mention it being tubed though he did related that it's non-oversampling with a unique i/v stage and output. unfortunately, i recently acquired a 47 labs shigaraki transport and dac. still, i might give the supratek dac a try whenever it surfaces.

kevin t

Hi Ethifi. I would heartily concurr with Swampwalker's recommendatations. A speaker change would definately have the biggest influence. Due to the dimensions of your room, I would opt for a standmounted monitor before a floorstander. There are just so many fabulous sounding monitors to choose from and many have some serious bottom end extension whereby you wouldn't even need a sub in a room that size. Mating a musical sub to most any quality speaker can be a daunting experience to be sure and rarely accomplished without spending some serious cash. There are some oustanding monitors that will embarass a lot very expensive full range speakers in a room of your size. I would hazard to guess that most any "quality" floorstander that I can think of.... would pretty much overpower your room. In my family room at home [21ft x 17 ft with an 8 ft ceiling] I am using a pair of reference 3a deCappo i stand mounted monitors and the bass extension and resolution is something to behold. Furthermore.... they are a rather benign load for any amp and are 93db efficient. I drive them with an 18 watt single ended tube amp with my supratek syrah and no need for a subwoofer period.They can be mesmerizing with well recorded source material. Many guest's have ask me where I was hiding the sub. Another truly incredible "full range" standmounted monitor speaker I would go "way" out of my way to find is the original proac response 2 with the port in the front,[ not the later rear ported 2's]. A top shelf near field monitor that will compete with most anything out there in my books and can be driven with lower powered tube amps as well. They have a bottom end weight with some serious slam down to the mid 40 hz area and a musical midband resolution to die for, not to mention the sweet and delicate tweet all proacs are known for. These can be had out there today for under a thousand dollars.I am sure there are many more made today that I have never even heard. Swampwalker's mention of the Merlin speaker for instance, The Merlin's VSM series floorstander can compete with just about anything out there regardless of price when properly set up and placed in the appropriate room. Perhaps a little too full range for your room dimensions however Merlin also makes the TSM series stand mounted monitor's that share much of the VSM's design and beautiful voice. While I have not heard the TSM monitors, I could only hazard to guess they would be first rate as well. Hope this helps and best of luck on your journey .

Hi Swampwalker and Ecclectique,
Thank you for your valuable comments. I would certainly be on the look out for your recommendations. I live in Asia and it would be easier to audition the Proac. I have listened to these speakers and like them too.
Re Cary amp, I have been considering either the Cary 805, 300B or 2A3. Which would be a better match?
Re VR4jr, I've written to Albert to find out where I can audtion them locally.
Re original Proac response 2, there's a used one on sale now, is that the one you're referring to?
I will post my findings later on.

Ethifi. Yes, they are the speakers although I think his asking price is a little steap.Of the single ended amps you mentioned. The cary 805 wins hands down.

I have not heard any of the Cary's except for a 2A3i (integrated) which I own and it has actually driven my Merlins pretty nicely. The 805 has a great rep.

My mistake guys, Mick did not say the DAC he is working on is a tube design. He did tell me it should sell for around $500. Sounds pretty exciting.

I haven't posted to this thread since recieving my Chenin, because, quite frankly.... I'm speechless!!

Everything folks have been saying is true in the extreme.

I'm not even going to THINK about tube rolling for at least 200 hours on it however.

Another speaker that I am considering is the Gallo Nucleus Reference III. I will audition it this Saturday at the local distributor's demo place. I like the price too. Read that it can be used in small rooms. Anyone tried this speaker in small rooms matched with tube amps?

Ethifi,

I heard the Ref 3 in a dealers showroom hooked to my Berning ZH270 tube amp. The speakers were not fully broken in, but they did sound very good. I already own the Gallo Ref 2's so I was not totally blown away (because I am used the the excellent sound of Gallo speakers). You will need to experiment with placing the woofers to the outside and the inside to determine which is better in your situation. I love my Gallo Ref 2's with my Berning amp and Supratek Syrah pre. This combo makes for a very fast and a very musical system. I have considered getting a pair of the Ref 3's, but I love the looks of my Ref 2's, so I am not sure if I will change speakers.

Just curious if anyone else ever tried replacing the stock pot with the DACT.

When I put the DACT in, I also rewired the input straight from the CD RCA directly to the DACT, by-passing the selector switch. (I only use one source)

I still can't believe the difference in transparency.

I have been considering trying some V Caps in my pre. Anyone had experience with them yet?

Just received my Chardonnay (beautiful!), set it up as per instruction manual but there is *** NO SOUND *** coming from the speakers. Stock tubes are lit. I unplugged the IC from my current preamp and hooked up only 1 input (SACD player) via Input 1 and have tried output via both Output 1 and 2 on different tries, but still no different. Anyone knows why? Thanks.

Sorry... problem fixed. Unplugged everything and tried again. The Mute toggle switch in the picture confused me! Back to enjoying my new found love!

Hi Ethifi.The toggle switch on the top is probably set in tape out mode. Try engaging it to the other setting . Fiddler... I have not worked with any of the Cardas caps as of yet. Was contemplating doing the coupling caps in my Vac monos with them. If you do try this mod,please inform us as I would be most interested. The only Teflon caps I have worked with are the nos russian caps [as bypass caps]... they are suberb and very transparent.

Is there a tape monitor switch? If so, try setting it in the other direction.