Why not invest 5K and let us know? I have no problem spending your money to find out!!!!
:-) |
AFAIK= As far as I know.
Mick told me not to bother rolling mine. He said there is no susbtitute and that other manufacturer's px4 will make no difference. Instead I focused on the signal, rectfier, and regulator tubes along with the coupling capacitors.
Good luck. |
You might think twice before fooling around with the 5881. I emailed Mick about tube rolling for my Grange and this is the reply:
"The best thing to change is the ECC88- it makes a real difference. People have changed the 5881's and 5AR4 but what that does is change the operating characteristics. It negates all the work I've done in setting them up, but we all hear differently and some people seem to like the (slightly)different sound. Or maybe they need to justify the cost of these expensive tubes.
My advice is to buy CD's, records and enjoy the bloody thing! Every time you feel like spending momey on it, put the money in the bank- in a couple year or so i will possibly have an upgraded design (design is where the real benefits come from) and you will be able to afford an upgrade trip".
That being said I just picked up a pair of 1960's Siemens Cca to replace the ECC88; I should have them by the weekend. |
>>Mick's comments have a lot of merit.<<
Do you think? I'm sure he'll be glad to hear you approve. I would suspect the designer has a better idea than any of us as to what works and what doesn't. |
>>Pick your poison sir.<<
I will go with the owner and designer of the equipment not an amateur audiophile with mid-fi knowledge and components "Sir". |
Raytheprinter says "are very knowledgeable and very helpfull guys ,,,please be nice"
Knowledgable is relative and helpful is questionable; the fact remains that the designer and builder does not recommend what these quasi audiophiles are doing. So keep on rollin' ladies. |
AFAIK there is no replacement for the PX4/n. |
Check with Brendan at Tube World 920-208-0353. Few tube vendors have a better inventory and know more than he does. I bought 4 NOS Westinghouse 6F6GT (replacing Grange stock 5881) regulators from him and they are superb. |
Larry,
Mick told me that the Tung Sols are an improvement but not worth the expense. I have no idea what you paid but from my recollection they are a fairly expensive tube and I would have needed 4 of them. More importantly however, the 5881 is a much better output tube in a push pull circuit than it is as a regulator.
The Westinghouse 6F6GT in concert with the 1957 Philips metal base GZ37 (I changed all at the same time) increased the dynamics appreciably. The transients are also much quicker and detailed. IMO, an upgraded rectifier has a bigger impact than upgraded regulators in my Grange.
I just had the Hexfred diodes installed as well as an adjustable filament voltage switch. This will enable use of three different output tubes PX/4 (2.5V), 45 (4.0V), and 300B (5.0V). I have a pair of Emission Labs 45 mesh that I'll be playing with this weekend. |
Larry,
Actually not yet as I'm playing with a pair of Emission Labs 45 mesh plates for a few weeks. They are much sweeter and far less microphonic than the PX/4. I'm saving the WE for the holidays. :-))))) |
Ecclectique,
Well it will be a busy weekend. I purchased a pair of Sophia 45 Mesh Plate last week and a friend of mine is letting me borrow the EL 45 which he intends to sell. So I have a new pair of Sophias that have never been fired up for sale. Then to complicate matters the same friend found a pair of vintage WE300B that I jumped at immediately. I'll leave you a note in a few weeks. |
Hi Larry,
I bought my GT's from Brendan at Tube World. I've dealt with most tube vendors and I find that his selection and quality is unparalleled. He's not always the lowest priced but he stands behind the sale which to me is important when you're dealing with 40-60 year old products.
My Grange is microphonic but I wouldn't call it a "problem". There are a number of means to isolate and/or remove surrounding vibration without spending a ton of money and most importantly violating the doctrine of matrimonial harmony. :-))) |
Larry,
If I'm not mistaken it is a Russian designed (and built) tube with very few, if any, substitutes. Ecclectique and Whoopadeedoo, please jump in here.
PS I just bought a dynamite pair of Siemens 7308 (circa 1972) to replace my Cca. Absolutely the finest 6922/Cca/7308 that I've ever heard. Quite expensive at $410/pr but after a few hours with them, I have no regrets whatsoever. Check them out if you are going to buy yourself a Christmas present. You'll flip at the extremely low noise level and spectacular dynamics. A breathtaking tube.
And by the way, Merry Christmas to all Supratek owners and everyone following this thread. |
Larry,
I use Herbie's on all of my signal tubes except the 45 mesh plates. Although my preamp is equipped to run 300B, I have not tried them yet so I can't answer your question. As I posted prior, the 45's are much less microphonic than the PX/4 which I never plan to use again. No dampers in the power supply as there is no need.
I do not use 6SN7 as Mick's personal choice is the 76 in that position. I replaced the stock 76 with a pair of 1942 RCA VT-37 which made a significant improvement in the mids.
I took Whoopadeedoo's advice and ordered a pair of the special Russian 6H30 yesterday.
To address your first concern, yes there is a fair amount of microphonics with this preamplifier; it's the price we pay for greatness. Believe it or not the best device I've used and settled on is one of those Gingko rubber ball platforms. I tried cones, roller bearings, and Symposium but for this particular application the Gingko works the best. Give it a shot; they offer a money back guarantee. You'll need the Cloud 11 which is the larger version of the Cloud 10. |
Larry,
No I have not heard the 6SN7 as my Grange is not configured for that tube only the 76/37.
Voltage for the power tubes is:
2.5V 45
5V 300B
4V PX/4
I can switch among all 3 voltages. Nice option. |
Larry,
Sorry I forgot to address your vibration question. I was using the Symposium Super Plus Platform alone and in conjunction with both Aurios and Final Labs roller bearings (only one brand at a time of course). Surprisingly the roller bearings actually exacerbated the microphonics in my rack but as always YMMV. I then tried the Gingko with and without the roller bearings and after all the smoke cleared the Cloud 11 alone works best. My power supply is sitting on a 2" maple platform from Timbernation which sits on a set of Final Labs Daruma 3; no problems there. Don't give up and you'll find the right piece(s) or combination thereof.
Congrats on the 7308; you're going to flip. They're that good. |
>>I'd much rather use 6SN7 then 76 tubes myself<<
Which is not a bad thing. However Mick prefers the 76 or 37 in the Grange at least. Mine sounds much nicer with a pair of NOS VT-37 (RCA) than the factory supplied Italian made 76. "Different strokes", as Sly used to sing. |
Larry unless you can switch the filament voltage from 5v to 2.5v the 45 won't work. However if you have that option, I have a new pair of Sophia 45 Mesh Plates (ceramic base upgrade) that I'd be willing to sell you. Email me outside of the thread if interested. |
