Babybear's System

Looking forward to your impressions on the WW2 era 5R4GY's Albert. Arnie shared his positive experiences with me the other day. I was reluctant to mention yet another rectifier for the Allnic. I mean how many have we all tried ? A ton. These double bottom getter tubes are great.

rockitman December 30, 2015 09:26

Those tubes will be a revelation Arnie....my prediction. Please let me know if I am wrong. :-)

rockitman December 19, 2015 05:36

Are those 1986 Philips tubes the ones with blue print ? I have some of those. I think they were my favorite for the small bottle type tubes.

rockitman December 17, 2015 04:12

I like the current new format. I am sure the bubbling to the top bug can be worked out. I couldn't even update my system on the old format for the past 6 mos. It would prompt me to login then it would error when I went to edit. The admin support told me to wait for this new format.

rockitman December 15, 2015 04:07

Arnie,

What outputs do you use on your Allnic H5000 DHT phono..XLR or single ended RCA ? TIA

rockitman May 30, 2015 23:28

Hi Arnie,

I am glad the Valvo's are working out for you. I pulled mine last night to try Mullard Blackburn F32 GZ34's. They sound very good too. I am not offering a comparison to the Valvo's as I want to get a few more days under my belt, then plug the Valvo's back in. I could be happy with either.

I also bought some Holland made late 50's Phillips GZ32's rebranded Telefunken. They are the traditional 300B looking glass bottle. I think I have now explored GZ32 and GZ34 to their fullest extent.

rockitman February 23, 2014 18:51

I'm looking forward to your impressions. I am tempted to buy another set. I have a sort of Audio Prepper Nervosa Syndrome going on with tubes lately.

rockitman February 20, 2014 23:21

Where did you pick up the bugle boys ? Not much offered on ebay

rockitman February 18, 2014 18:25

I also have some GZ34 Mullard F32 series coming made in Blackburn, England. Rectifier rolling is fun.

rockitman February 18, 2014 18:21

Hi Arnie,

I have been using the Phillips Valvo NOS GZ34, F31 1958 series for a few days now. Better bass than the Bendix 6106 and much better treble. They have transformed the sound and I base this on using the transformer input on the 5000 DHT. These are the closest in sound to the metal based Valvo's which were replaced by them in 1957. Tube World seems to have a stock of them. We can't use the metal base version since our sockets are countersunk into the chassis and the wider metal base will not fit.
https://www.tubeworld.com/index_high.htm

rockitman February 18, 2014 04:46

Hi Arnie,

I should get the Valvo's mid-next week. I plan to try them right away. I will let you know.

rockitman February 07, 2014 19:42

Hi Arnie,

After getting the H-5000 manual, it looks like we have another option for rectifier rolling. 5AR4....the GZ34 is the Euro version and according to KS may offer the best sound. They are relatively expensive for rectifier tubes. That said, I picked up a matched pair of NOS PHILLIPS VALVO GZ34's (Made in Holland). They are indirect heated with filament current of 1.9 amps. Scouting for some Mullards but they are even more pricey.

rockitman February 07, 2014 06:12

Hi Albert,

They appear to sound the same. My main concern is a quiet ha3000 at listening level. With music I don't notice the noise floor so much. When I turn off the music and listen to the noise floor with my ear near the speaker, it is quite prevalent compared to the transformer input. The H5000 is incredibly quiet for a tube stage.

rockitman January 28, 2014 00:25

Let me know how the Sylvania Nuvistor tubes compare to the stock RCA ones and your view of the sound with and without the HA3000.

One of my stock rca's went bad. I replaced them with RCA JAN Military spec 7895's. They are the quietest ones I have tried. I have consumer grade NOS Sylvania's and the 4 different one's I have tried were all higher in noise floor. This is sort of a bummer. I haven't tried my entire lot of 20 tubes, but will do so. I did find a pair of NOS JAN spec sylvania's and they will ship soon. I think in the end, if you want the best nuvistor tube performance, one needs to go for JAN military spec variants.

rockitman January 27, 2014 22:17

I am also trying a different brand of Nuvistor. Stock is RCA, I am trying the 6CW4 Sylvania. They have yellow printing on the sides. I added one more sheet of MU under the top of the casing. I had to order more Mu sheets to finish off the double layer shielding.

It is interesting how you find the Bendix to sound better the second time around. I suspect I will find that with the GE's

rockitman January 21, 2014 18:57

MU metal is a success. Lowered noise floor by at at least 2 dB with .004" metal. I may double it since it is effective.

rockitman January 21, 2014 04:55

Arnie,

I still plan to try the GE's again. Since they were nos they probably needed some more breakin than the 4 hours I was listening. I just finished modding my HA-3000 casing by covering the inside with MU metal with the idea of reducing interference and hopefully lower the noise floor. We shall see how that works. In the end, I kind of like having two options of gain...one active and the other passive.

rockitman January 19, 2014 17:06

Peter, that 5db estimate is by putting my ear up to the speaker at listening level volume with no music. It is significant and only noticeable between tracks. Comes with the territory using a separate tube head amp for gain. I plan to use my iPhone to measure the actual spl difference.

rockitman January 18, 2014 23:15

Alas, I remain divided. Having listened to Clapton Journeyman first issue both with trans first and head amp second. I prefer rock with the head amp. That said, my 10dB noise differential may be off...let's say 5 dB, but the frequency of the added noise is around that of the record surface rolling noise. Clearly the passive trans is quieter. I think I might enjoy the Classical pieces best with the trans, rock and hard jazz with the head amp.. You really need both then you don't have to worry about it...;)

rockitman January 18, 2014 08:52

H-5000 Rectifier comparo (Indirect Heated)...GE vs Bendix. I have had the H5000 for a couple of months now. The first month running MC tranny input and the last month HA-3000 head amp. I put the NOS GE's in tonight and let them warm for 2 hours. I was using the head amp input and not the direct coupled transformer. I felt the GE to be softer in the bass with an overall drier sound compared to the Bendix which I felt had better defined bass and an overall richer sound with greater presence. I did not do the comparison with trans input.

That said, I have not heard my trans for stereo playback, save for my mono table in over a month. Clearly there has been some break in time. I switched to trans (MC) input bypassing the HA-3000. The trans input bass is much tighter than I remembered...virtually as good as the head amp bass. What's more, the trans input noise floor is close to 10dB less that the head amp at listening level. Using the high gain head amp into MM input accentuated the records surface noise and any pops or ticks. The trans input is spookey CD like background silence. I tink the trans input is more real and musical sounding. It may become my standard, when I though the Head amp input would. Time will tell. When I get more oriented with the current trans sound I will switch back to GE. Based on my comparison using the head amp input...I vote Bendix.

rockitman January 18, 2014 06:47

Hi Arnie,

I bought a set of the GE's you mention. I have been using the Bendix 6106 since my unit came back from repair. Compared to the stock direct heated triodes, I found the bendix to provide a better grip on the bass. I will have to try the GE's soon.

Regards,

Chris

rockitman January 06, 2014 19:05

I was listening to my mono record setup via the transformer last night. Jazz horns leading edge transients just sound so good and un edgy. The noise floor is considerably lower using transformer input vs the HA 3000 into the MM. The noise doesn't really exceed the noise from the record surface itself, which is a good thing. Passive devices, like transformers will always be quieter than active gain..but in the end, it's really an non issue considering the gain in dynamic speed, tighter bass and soundstaging via the HA3000. The H5000 continues to amaze.

rockitman December 18, 2013 21:09

Hi Christian,

Thanks so much for your feedback about the Allnic HA 3000 used in front of the H5000 DHT. I am happy that it is sounding so good in your system.

I visited Albert this weekend and he had recently inserted a HA 3000 into his system as well to see what it does. Albert was using a lower line Purist Audio IC and power cord with the HA 3000 than his normal wonderful Purist 25th Anniversay cables. We could clearly hear a difference in the sonics with and without the HA3000 using the Lyra Atlas cartridge, but I need to do a lengthier listening session in my own system once my H5000 DHT is fully broken in to see if I prefer the sound with the HA 3000 or just direct into the H5000 DHT. Either way, the sound is wonderful.

Thanks,
Arnie

Hi Arnie,

I look at the HA3000 as a supplement to the transformer inputs, not a replacement. The unit keeps getting better. The transformer input allows the music to flow with a natural sense of ease (very real/live sounding). The HA3000 gives a more incisive, faster dynamic presentation. The soundstage definitely grows in width and depth by a significant margin, almost to the point you are enveloped by a blanket of music. I think once you get the H5000 broken in, it's worth the effort to try it in your system.

rockitman December 16, 2013 18:24

Arnie and Albert,

I would be doing you a disservice if I did not recommend the HA-3000 in front of the H5000. I will give a more detailed write up once it breaks in more on my system thread. In short, the head amp tightens and focuses the bass frequencies more. Surprisingly, the sound stage width and depth significantly increased vs the transformer input. Micro detail is even more prevalent. Transformers being a passive device, there is a bit of signal loss. I feel some micro detail is lost there but is picked up running the head amp. The music seems to have more jump and the tonal balance is a bit more neutral than running via transformers.

It is very sensitive to placement and cable selection. Much to my chagrin, my $10,000/pair Nordost Odin 2 meter interconnect hums with the HA3000. When I use the same cable out of my tape pre, no hum. So I am perplexed. I think that maybe a 2 meter cable is too long from the HA3000 to the H5000. My rca cabling is limted and the Nordost 1.5 meter rca cable is working without any hum. Weird huh ?

rockitman December 15, 2013 07:17

I just got the HA3000 today. My H5000 doesn't arrive back until tomorrow. I plan on trying the HA-3000 with my SS Pass XP-25 tonight just out of curiosity. Tubes and SS...should make an interesting combo.

rockitman December 12, 2013 21:29

Yes loading is interesting as the gain/turnover knobs are the only adjustment. I feel that these transformers have a wide latitude and will work well with most LOMC carts. If one decides to use the headlamp via the 48k MM inputs, loading can be done more precisely but of course you bypass the transformer completely. I was concerned that running via transformer, loading would be an issue. It is not.

rockitman December 11, 2013 15:43

Love the black look of the Adona stand and the H5000 Arnie. I completely agree with your assessment. It will be interesting to see how this unit sounds with the HA-3000 Nuvistor head amp added in the chain. I will report back when I get mine in a week or two.

rockitman December 10, 2013 20:21

Thanks Arnie..yes Lloyd, I have not updated my system info here on A-gon as of yet (will do soon)...it keeps changing...lol

rockitman July 15, 2012 23:46

Thanks Arnie...perhaps I should just go Diamond DAC for now and add the Galaxy clock later, which seems to be remove the cover and plug the galaxy clock in (easy button). I want to keep it under $30K for the time being. I suppose after I get used to the dac w/o the galaxy and then add it later, I will better be able to ascertain the improvement of that very expensive kryptonite crystal clock :-)

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

Best,

Chris

rockitman July 15, 2012 21:52

Thanks Arnie...

So you went with the Galaxy Clock option ?

Makes me wonder if the Signature dac with the galaxy clock would sound better than the diamond dac without the galaxy clock. The price would be virtually the same. What are your thought's on that idea ?

rockitman July 15, 2012 18:38

Hi Babybear,

Love your system. Are you still in love with MSB ? Do you still consider them THE SOTA ? I am starting to think about them for my digital playback.

rockitman July 14, 2012 23:51

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