Yes it was indeed Watford Valves and he said more or less the same to me when l first started tube rolling in the Vinny- l started with Harma STR for the three valves- however l did find that other valves sounded better than the STR.
The only one that really matters is the input tube in the window position. You should give the E83CC Frame Grid a try in this position. There are no JJ tubes for the 6N1P-EV's.
Sorry! was typing on my phone so I was a bit short. My amp is a LineMagnetic 34ia, which has 2 x 12AU7 and 1 x 12AX7 for the pre-amp stage. So I guess my question was whether I should give changing both 12AU7s and 12AX7 to JJs a try. From what I understand now, you are saying that changing the 12AX7 into a JJ E83CC will probably have the most impact
It is a shame the 237MK does not have ECC83 valves all around...as the E83CC would be going in there pronto.
Just put one of these in myself a few hours ago and totally agree. What a great find and I can source them locally here too.
I have tested 6 JJ E83cc tubes in my calibrated Stark 9-66 Dynamic mutual conductance tester and they all tested less than spec and also unbalanced. I have no problem with any other Russian, Chinese, vintage or current Czech tube in there BUT this one. Bought matched and new from a big tube vendor but none of this has instilled confidence that they are what they say they are.
Paul K, Are you talking about JJ ECC803 S or the old Telefunken ECC803S? There is WAY more than $1,000 a pair difference in the price.
Oh the joy of valve amplifiers- got a low level 'gurgling in the right hand channel- tested everything, swapped cable etc and found it was one of those Voskhod rocket 6N1P-EV, so swapped them for the Harma STR version and found these are much quieter than l remember them, sounding really good- the only thing of concern is that the valve pins are not the most snuggest fit in the world, is there any l could do to make them a tighter fit or should l leave as is?
You can always, if you have enough courage and dexterity, use larger tweezers or precision pliers to slightly space the pins coming from the Vacuum tube. Very slowly, not by large movements... a few 1/100ths of a millimeter can be quite enough. This is a procedure that requires steady and precise hands. So if you think you might...good luck! This is probably the only good way to "secure" the Vacuum tube in its socket. Another procedure would be to apply a thin layer of solder to the pins of the Vacuum tube. It's also very precise work and not for people with clumsy hands. My apologies, I mean in general, I don't mean you personally The disadvantage of this procedure is "solder removal" already when inserting the Vacuum tube into the socket. The solder is relatively soft and peels off quickly due to the mechanical friction of the pins against the socket. The third option is to buy a vacuum tube that fits exactly in its socket. The choice is only yours! Let us know what you decide, and by all means, good luck!
If it is working, I wouldn't do anything. Just enjoy the tunes! There is another option that @Tajo1960 didn't mention which is re-tentioning the tube sockets. Info for doing this can be found on YouTube. As you may recall, I struggled with contact issues on the 6N1P's before finally finding some with gold plated pins. Coming up on 2 years with no issues on my SV237.
l have upgraded my system ( both vinyl and CD side ) and have to say with the Harma's l am amazed how quiet the amp is,... may well leave all alone, most definately getting a blacker and deeper soundstage... The Rusky valves may have been going south for a while.....
