Strictly for fans of Audio Note UK (all things Audio Note UK)

Noticed that Todd @okc-craft has started a FS thread in Hardware for custom built hardwood speaker stands. Beautiful craftsmanship. Looks like spikes are offered or included, not sure.
Never considered hardwood speaker stands before. Hardwood used for isolation platforms for components but not sure how that would work for speakers.

How do people here feel about the use of hardwood as a suitable stand material to isolate speaker cabinet vibration?

 

I used TonTrager hardwood stands when I had Harbeth. Its made to vibrate with the thin walled speaker vibration. I liked the result.

 

Hi All. New to the forum and new to Audio Note. Recently got a Meishu (old one) second hand. Just writing today to ask if anyone has any knowledge regarding the 6x5 tube etc in the Meishu as I have the following issue:
- red light at front of unit didn't come on one day(and seemed very weak prior to that)
- looking inside the 5687 tubes are lit as is the 5u4g but only one 6x5 is lit
- i figure there is a blown 6x5 in my new to me amp so i buy some
- install and same issue but...first red light came on a bit and then it died. it was as if the amp is killing the 6x5 in the most forward position.
- to confirm that it is the forward (front) 6x5 tube "socket" that is the issue i swapped around original tubes. sure enough tube is not dead, it is the socket that is dead.

the 6sn7 tube also does not light up but i presume that may relate to the 6x5 problem. i don't know.

the unit is from 2011 but was purchased 2nd hand and is under warranty however we are under strict lockdown and so hoping it is more readily solveable than shipping back to shop and waiting for them to get someone onto it.

whilst i am here i would like to add that when working (to whatever degree it was) the Meishu has absolutely impressed. I came from a King KA-101 (RA's recommendation) EL84 and the Meishu is so profoundly different and extremely nice it is (was) blowing me away. listening on what i think are ANK AN-E HE speakers.

now i am back to the King KA-101 and wow. at first it was awful but it is settling and- what an amp. but no Meishu that's for sure.

 

Personally, I would take advantage of any warranty. I realize that the lock down makes it inconvenient and a PITA but unless you know what you're doing, you could make things worse.
Contact the seller assuming the seller is offering the warranty and see what can be arranged.

 

Yes I have contacted the seller who is only too happy to take it back and repair it however what i face there is a delay. Everything is locked down right now as Sydney attempts to extinguish Covid outbreak. As such no repair on cards for a month or more potentially?

 

If you’re in Australia, then send a PM to forum member @finn.

 

@Gjo thanks for suggestion. I have decided to go with returning it to the seller. It is a terrible thing because I really do like the sound very much. It might be readily fixable. However its servicing may be significantly delayed by the current lockdown I am in (and which I add will likely go on for months yet). As a second hand purchase I have a limited period of warranty and so I need to move rather than delay in this instance I think.

 

Indeed. I combined sand and lead shot to fill mine up. They are massively heavy. They are bolted at the top and not welded. I have not had any vibration issues in spite of this.

 

I concur that the Meishu is a great amplifier. If you are Sydney based you really should talk to Finn as the Tonmeister is meant to be a significant upgrade over the standard Meishu. He's was very patient with me, letting me try several different tube configurations of the Oto before I then tried the Meishu Tonmeister. I found the Meishu an upgrade in every way and ordered one, Finn was lovely, letting me borrow the demo unit until my one arrived (he even arranged for a customised face plate (my father passed away last year and I added his vintage car emblem (it was his first car that he used to race and much of my childhood was going to race meeting with him) to the faceplate in remembrance of him)).

 

A little more on tube rolling. I got a brimar 12AU7 for my soro and immediate I must say it's way better than the telefunken even though it's only about 10 odd hour's played. The telefunken definately does strings better in my opinion though. The brimar, is probably the world's best kept secret 12AU7!

For my DAC 1.1x, it contains two ECC88. I'm new to this, so please bear with me.

1. Who plays a bigger role in sound contribution? The amp or the DAC? Tube roll in DAC can be done as well?
2. This may sound silly, but can I use two different brands in the DAC? Example, one Mullard and one amperex?
3. Anyone heard of Ediswan ECC88?

 

A local dealer got a stash of old stock B749s (12AU7 equivalents) (not recent reissues, but the real deal) and put them up for auction. The prices offered were astronomical. Does anyone know what is so special about these tubes?

 

The DAC because it is the source signal being passed to the preamp which in turns is passed to the amplifier.

Can you tube roll in DAC? Why not?

It is preferable to install matched pairs of the same brand.

 

NOS Tubes come at a premium due to small available quantity, rarity and demand. Economics of supply and demand at work. A business will charge what the market will bear. In other words, the highest price customers are willing to pay.
The pandemic has been a good example of those principles playing out in the marketplace: High demand + lack of supply = higher prices.

 

to complete my Meishu story. As above I had an issue and it was not working.

Well I had resolved myself to returning it when late at night i pondered the fuses at rear. I got a screwdriver and lo the fuses were not fully screwed in and suddenly we had a working amp.

I returned all tubes to stock (as it came to me) and it worked and so it was just a loose fuse i presume.

Immediately I was struck by the breadth of what the Meishu presents.

After 24 hours of function I replaced the 5u4G with a 1940's tungsol foil plate (top) d getter or whatever it is. (the one in there looks to be a Sovtek or something like that).

The improvement was astonishing (i know i know but it really was). More tone, more solidity, better dynamics and especially stronger voices I thought. I even thought the red power LED seemed brighter.

I will now roll thru the 6sn7, 300b, 5687 and 6x5. i will try and give them some time each one so i can comment on improvement as we go.

@scobb i am glad to hear of your excellent dealings with the local AN person (@finn) as I am sure i will be dealing with them soon enough. I have heard tell of the Meishu Tonmeister. It sounds spectacular. The customised front plate and the lending of an amplifier until yours came in are wonderful touches.

For me right now I am very glad of the Meishu Silver. An amp that plays to the emotion of music as well as being the most refined and detailed sound I have ever heard. I really love it. It will make you cry and it will astonish you with what you hear and how you hear it.

 

Thanking you so much. That clarifies a lot for me. Have you heard of a ediswan tube btw?

 

I was just wondering what made the B749 so desirable—is it the sound or is it a collectible item. Buyers paid about $1,000 per tube, which is more than the price for the Telefunken ECC 803S tubes I run in my phono stage.

 

Ediswan were very fine tubes manufactured in a Brimar factory. It may have a CV prefix meaning it's for government and military use.

Eventually, Brimar bought the company. The EDI stands for Thomas Edison.

 

Thanks so basically what I’m getting is a ediswan CV5358. If it sounds anything like a brimar, then I’m golden! I’m also getting a mullard cv5358. Good choices I guess?

 

Mullard had quite a few variants with different internal structures. I've owned many Mullards but I've never heard a
Mullard cv5358, which is in the 6DJ8 family.
I'd say you made some good choices.

 

Thanks @Lowrider75 so, if you were me, would u get the mullard or the ediswan? Already have a brimar 12AU7 in my soro along with sylvania driver tubes. The power tubes are stiock sovteks (for now).

Its time to fiddle with the dac! I’m getting the amperex bugle boy too, but they are seriously expensive! This tube rolling is an expensive and silly hobby I say!

 

I don't know about 12AU7s, but, I have heard and liked very much, the Bugle Boy 12AX7. Among the warmer sounding variants, I like them more than Mullards because they sound clearer and less "phasey." This my impression for hearing a selection of tubes in three different phono stages.

 

Brimar is one of my absolute favorites. It's warm in a good way, has very good clarity and an airy top-end. It's said that the Ediswan is like a Brimar but warmer. Mullard is the warmest tube without much top-end energy. As I stated earlier, there are many variants such as short and long plates with different getter types that influence their sound signature, but all are warm. Long plates have the best dynamics and most midrange depth which can sound holographic. Short plates have less clarity, rolled off highs and can be used to add warmth to a neutral or lean sounding system.
I don't know what the internal structure of the CV Mullard is which will determine its sonics.
Now here's the rub, using an Ediswan and a Mullard together may present too much warmth from your amp.

In what stage is your Brimar being used? I assume you're looking for 2 gain stage tubes? I would go with the Ediswan in the gain stage, but what will it be paired with?

 

I have an AN linestage and DAC, but have no experience with the Soro. I know it uses 2 tubes in an anode follower configuration, so both will influence the sound of the amp.

 

Interesting comments. My experience with the tonality of Mullard and Brimar is opposite of yours. In fact, your description of Brimar would be my description of Mullard.

 

We may have discussed this before, were they used in your monoblocks?
Also, the Mullard longplates are much more liquid than the others, and then there's the boxplates which have their own signature (CV4003).