Audible illusions L-1

Well just went with a pair of 6H23 type 3's from kevin at Upscale Audio.

I have tried a few sets of tubes and have found good differences in bass response. My tubes from Kevin at Upscale were very thin and I was told to not spend a lot of money because they would not last long. I tried a pair of Amperex Bugle Boys(used and lasted 2 weeks)(local kid) and the bass improvement was amazing. That was my first clue and I knew I had to reproduce that or buy a new pre!! I later purchased Vandersteen 3a sig speakers and the seller threw in some standard Mullard tubes. The bass was still much improved relative to Upscale's. In another transaction with the same seller, I bought Mullard Gold Pins and that is my best to date. I highly recommend tube rolling!! I use my system an average of 3 hours a day and have been going strong for 3 months. My wife wants to add to my story by pointing out the greatly improved sweetness and soundstage!

Pmrodier, just curious were the tubes you got from Upscale the 6H23 type 3's? From all the previous posts i have read folks seem to think they were the best bang for the buck and might out live me if i turn the pre off between listening sessions. Also my L-1 is a 1995 model but Kevin did seem to think it was one of the hardest models on tubes. But obviously i was looking for a tube with good bass response and now i am wondering if i might have made an error in judgement. Thanks for the tip on the Mullard Gold Pins. Are there any other AI L-1 users out there that would like to chime in with their personal experiences. Thanks in advance,

Randy

Kool39, I got a 6h23/6922 Rocket logo pair in November 2002 from Upscale. I leave my unit on at all times. I also have the 1995 model(bought used in October 2002) I might add that I have a Kimber Pk10 Gold power cord, an Aq Python ic at the source, and a Wattgate Gold outlet. Each of these contributes. I use a nicely modified Sony 222es cdp which makes a huge difference. My monoblocs are nothing to write home about!!, and I still get very nice overall sound and strong bass. I got relatively lean bass with the Rocket logo and Kimber combo.(side bar!) I since added the outlet and the Python. I got very good bass before the Python.(everything got better after) Btw, my outlet achieved similar results relative to a RGPC conditioner.(added soundstage and bass) I have not sampled a RPGC with an outlet for a comparison. This is my complete "skinny" on the subject!! I have not tried my Rocket logo's in six months, but I strongly feel it would fall way short.