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Tube imperfections

This is my first foray into tube rolling and I have a question about tube construction/consistency.  First, I'm rolling tubes in an MHDT Orchid DAC.  It came with the upgrade to a WE396.  While the unit sounds very nice, I'm suspecting I may like other tubes based mainly on discussions here and other blogs. I've gotten a couple to roll through now but wanted to start with one similar to the original (I didn't get it with the unit), and ordered up a JAN GE5670. Upon inspecting it, there is a very clear warp in the bottle, a tilt, and this is also affecting the internals.  Essentially, the tube exhibits about an 8 to 10 deg tilt.  It does have the JAN etching along with the triangle.  The vendor assures me that it passed the JAN screenings and also their own tests for low noise and proper operation.  Is this more common than not in smaller tubes, should I not be surprised at such variations and ultimately, is this detrimental to sound quality?  The vendor has offered to take it back but said that the others in stock won't be "perfect" either.  Should I shop for another until I land on one that appears better?  Are military grade better sounding?  As a side question, is the JAN/2C51 marked WE396 potentially different sounding to one just marked WE396 which I have. Should I try one?  I realize that audible variations may be hard to hear at the DAC level so there's that.  Hoping to learn from the AG community.  Thanks for reading.  
akgwhiz
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,179 posts
 
I would just try the tube and see how it sounds and go from there.
I had a mhdt Paradisea for awhile. The tube used made a big difference in the sound.  The stock GE tube provided was a tad too warm and fuzzy for me.  Not expensive to try different ones and find out which works best for you.  I ended up liking a Tung Sol.   But YMMV. . 

My current DAC is a mhdt Constantine.
akgwhiz OP
184 posts
 
For those perhaps curious,  I've listened to the Raytheon JAN 2C51 and the Russian  6N3P-DP each after 24 hrs of break in, in the Orchid DAC.  Compared to the WE396, both had way more clarity and definition.  Both cleaned up a muddled bass IMO.  The 2C51 seemed the brighter.  The WE396 was more akin to the wall-of-sound and the others were more discrete on staging.  Preferred the 6N3P as the 2C51 had a bit too much space between the instruments.  It wasn't hard to tell the WE396 from the others in multiple A/B sessions.  I've got one more to roll in and then head to head it with the 2C51 and 6N3.  The 3 new tubes ended up costing  about 12% of the DAC and was money well spent.  Less than a nice IC with likely way more impact.  I'm using Cardas Golden Presence RCA and a Cardas Lighting 18. 
yunna's avatar
yunna
1 posts
 

The JAN-GE 5670W vacuum tube has achieved recognition among both audiophiles and music enthusiasts. Overall, geometry dash scratch it is a top-notch vacuum tube that performs superbly in a range of applications.

Durability is one of the JAN-GE 5670W's standout qualities. This tube is a well-liked option for usage in industrial and military applications because it is made to endure significant vibration and stress. It is also renowned for its dependability; numerous customers claim to have used this tube without incident for many years.
 

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