Audio Note UK Ongaku Kensei 211 valve Single Ended Triode balanced amplifier now up & running!

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Steve Hoffman, Jul 22, 2017.

  1. Rob Hume

    Rob Hume Forum Resident

    Location:
    England.
    Yes our hobby has never provided us with more advantages than at this terrible time!
     
  2. NapaBob

    NapaBob Forum Resident

    Location:
    Napa Valley CA USA
    My Ongaku is currently running with NOS GE VT-4-Cs. How did they compare with the other ones you guys have tried?
     
  3. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    A bit midrangy and blanched sounding. If you must go NOS, the RCA Radiotron 211's are wonderful. I'm using the current AN 211 Psvane sourced tubes. More open, less strained, etc.

    GE's are famous tubes, though. I have a bunch. Great in my old Cary 895 amps..
     
  4. Don Parkhurst

    Don Parkhurst Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, BC
    First he gets us addicted to the fabulous sound quality and then he tells you that it can get even better. But...he is the only one with the very best tubes that make it even awesomer!
     
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  5. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    If I was paranoid I would sense a plot.. :^)

    English lesson for me, please. Is it:

    If I was paranoid....

    or is it

    If I were paranoid?
     
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  6. Don Parkhurst

    Don Parkhurst Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, BC
    I think that ‘was’ is singular and ‘were’ is plural. You are only referring to yourself, so my belief is that ‘was’ is the correct usage. But...I fly airplanes, I don’t teach English, so there is only a 50% chance that I am right : )
     
    Steve Hoffman likes this.
  7. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    SO the saying "If I were King" is incorrect? Should be "If I was King." That sounds too street..
     
  8. Encore

    Encore Forum Resident

    From a nonnative speaker of English (who has studied it a bit, though), the correct is ‘were’ because it is what is called subjunctive in English iirc. In German it would be ‘konjunktiv’. I.e. it refers to a situation which isn’t. But again this is from a nonnative speaker, it’s late in the evening here in Copenhagen, and I have just come back from a small gathering that included alcoholic beverages :cheers:
     
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  9. Richard Austen

    Richard Austen Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hong Kong
    For I were and I was

    As an English teacher overseas - you really do learn why English is a crap language - lol.

    Noam Chomsky noted that grammar is overrated. The key is to be understood. Second language English learners tend to loathe learning English because it is taught with an emphasis on grammar.

    I tell the students that when I worked in South Korea a woman came up to me in the office and said

    "Would you like a copy?

    I told the students that there is nothing at all wrong with the grammar. I had no idea what she was talking about.

    She then motioned her hand in a "drinking" motion.

    COFFEE - ahh - yes I would like a Copy!

    I tell the students, as Chomsky notes, that that pronunciation is often far more important and in this case if she had said:

    "like a would coffee you?"

    While grammatically incorrect, this sentence actually makes far more sense even when the words are in a random jumble.

    Students learning English as a second language are being pushed to believe they need to be perfect. I have an English degree (granted literature not composition) and we have engineers and pilots on these boards. English is our first language and we use it every day for 45, 50, 60 years and even all of us get Was and Were mixed up (or other grammar items) and we have to go and look it up. A 15 year old taking it as a second language and failing English tests - they will give up pretty quickly. I bash my head against a wall telling the school that you have to engage interest first above all else - especially with our students who are very low motivation and not academic types. They have to WANT to learn it first. Grammar memorization when they don't know the word Boat or Purple after 6 years of English classes seems pointless.

    For was/were or other items this site seems pretty good at explaining the why's
    If I Were or If I Was: Which is Correct?
     
    Last edited: May 22, 2020
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  10. nige harris

    nige harris Forum Resident

    Location:
    Netherlands
    Hi Steve,

    Are you still using these in your OnGaku?

    I'm interested in them for my Tomei?

    Thanks,

    Nige.
     
  11. nige harris

    nige harris Forum Resident

    Location:
    Netherlands
    Hello Paul,

    Are people still using the Philips 5R4GYS - I'm thinking of these in my Tomei?

    Thanks,

    Nige
     
  12. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    I use them for a while and then go back to the potato mashers. So, I alternate every few months or so..
     
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  13. John Mee

    John Mee Forum Resident

    Location:
    West of Carthage
    I am still using mine, however, to the best of my knowledge, they are unobtainium, at least from Upscale Audio here in the US. The last pair I bought were almost 50% more than the original pair I bought
     
  14. saturdayboy

    saturdayboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    The RCA double D getter early ‘40’s 5R4GY are even better in my opinion
     
    moremusic likes this.
  15. nige harris

    nige harris Forum Resident

    Location:
    Netherlands
    HI Steve,

    Which did you prefer in the end, GE, RCA, AN or even new Elrog's' if you ever tried them?

    Thanks,

    Nige.
     
  16. nige harris

    nige harris Forum Resident

    Location:
    Netherlands
    Hi John,

    Thanks and yes they are proving hard to find... I'm based in EU.

    Thanks,

    Nige.
     
  17. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    RCA Radiotrons. Too rare now to use, sadly.
     
    Classic Car Guy likes this.
  18. nige harris

    nige harris Forum Resident

    Location:
    Netherlands
    Hi, Thanks, I'll look out for these - But RCA's never seem easy to find here in EU.

    Thanks,

    Nige
     
  19. nige harris

    nige harris Forum Resident

    Location:
    Netherlands
    Thanks Steve...
     
  20. John Mee

    John Mee Forum Resident

    Location:
    West of Carthage
    Where/when did you get them? Can you describe the differences between the RCA and Philips 5R4GYs?
     
    nige harris likes this.
  21. Classic Car Guy

    Classic Car Guy - Touch the Face of God -

    Location:
    Northwest, USA
    Merry X'mas Mr. Hoffman..
    I have a question.. If you want to source your old beloved tubes lets say you like the old radiotron's better and there non available anymore, can you have someone build you a tube in close specs or your personal preference?

    By the way and thank you for letting me here and being a member. Ive learned and still learning new exotic tube amps to the next level. I have a guy now that builds me an amp to my own like, preference and design. My next 2022 amp is a Russian output tube with 50 watts per channel. Its currently in design now. Will update more in details the next few...
     
  22. saturdayboy

    saturdayboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    bought a whole bunch of them years ago, here’s the description from Brent Jesse’s tube store:

    “New Old Stock White Box, ST "coke bottle" shape, military spec tubes. Not to be confused with the later JAN RCA version of this tube, that only has a single bottom getter. These are the first production 1940s World War II type, with the double D bottom getters set at angles to each other in the bottom of each tube ("V" shape), hanging filaments (top "fishing pole" filament supports) long dull black plates, extra support rods, very dark brown base and circular top mica. This tube will rival if not outperform the famed 274B Western Electric, and they are just as scarce. Save $800 over the 274B and we guarantee you will agree this is the best! All have the early type dark brown micanol base with the military markings. Tested for low noise and perfect internal matching. This is the rectifier people are talking about, no one else has this early version of this incredible tube! COMMENTS ON THE 1940S 5R4GY: "Hi Brent, The CRC Jan rectifiers are superb. My system is bi-amped and i put them in the amps covering the top end (400 hz on up).They give the sound a large dose of liquid, natural texture as well as providing even more transparency. A lovely improvement in sound. They relax the sound while adding more nuance and inner detail at the same time. thank you!! R.C." COMMENT #2: "The 5R4GY 1940s vintage V-getter tubes are wonderful. My first impression was of transparency and speed although they sounded a bit thin in tone. Since then they have developed great depth of tone and to my surprise after about a month the bass improved quite noticeably. Sound staging is also superb. The other aspect that is notable is that the bias is rock solid. I am very impressed. Thanks for the recommendation”
     
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  23. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Happy new year and thanks for being here.

    Regarding tube sonics, I think it's possible to get something close to what you want but not in a giant 211 (VT-4-C) transmitting tube, this tube was designed for broadcasting and the only makers in the world crazy enough to build this dangerous tube at all are in China.

    The current Audio Note 211 comes close but for me, it has that Audiotron quality as well but the neat look + the sonics of the 1930's Radiotron tubes just fit perfectly with the Audio Note amp I'm using. Now, the GE version has a broader midband but the RCA and AN have a more fairylike quality to the sound, hard to explain. That being said, I love using 90 year old tubes that sound amazing, I mean it's like playing a 1964 Parlophone Beatles' pressing. Love to watch it going around, etc. Not practical but beautiful..

    BUT, I have tube guilt, don't want to destroy my 90 year old tubes playing Monkees records. So, the world of tubes is a world of endless wonderment and confusion. Always learning about stuff and if one has enough money, I guess all NOS vintage tubes are out there for you.

    Note: I try and stay away from really rare tubes for my gear. It's pointless to tell someone on an on-line forum that only the 1939-42 so-and-so tube will do in your tube amp. Pointless if it is so rare that you can't buy it! Find a tube that isn't so hard to source and use that. Life's too short.
     
  24. saturdayboy

    saturdayboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    I used to have “tube guilt” as well - save the vintage tubes for special occasion listening. Then one day, pre-pandemic, I did a complete 180 and started using the best tubes I had for daily listening. I figured I might die in a car accident tomorrow, might as well enjoy what I have.
     
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  25. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    I know, I get to that point as well. In fact, I would have started using some of my rare tubes sooner, but the ones I have in my gear still work well, so I wait..
     
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